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| Sega Soccer Slam Reviewed by Pirate Yoshi Over-view: Sega's take on soccer proves to be much wilder than some other companies like EA and Acclaim might take, but you can't really compare Soccer Slam to, say, Fifa--they just aren't a match. WIth a heavy arcade feel and a huge reliance on "fun", Sega Soccer Slam proves that soccer REALLY IS a contact sport. Graphics: 7/10 Sega Soccer Slam is about average when measured by its graphics. True, the characters are finely animated and the playing field and effects are dazzling, but the cutscenes are actually very recycled and, as most players find quickly, the moves pulled off are not only next to impossible, they also don't even physically make sense when examining the foot positions and ball positions. The crowd, also, is poorly designed--the SNES could pull off graphics similar to these. Sorry, SSS, but you need to do better here for a real boost. Sound: 8/10 Sound, as always, is divided into multiple catagories, each very different from the others. On one hand, we have music; not one of SSS's strong suits. There's not a lot of music to Sega Soccer Slam, and most of it is pretty typical--a par, to speak in golfing terms. Then there's the FX--the sounds--which are fairly crisp and clear, but not overly creative. Better than the musical score, but still only a little above average. Then, Slam's fine point: voice acting. Sega's group of rowdy players each have a very distinct voice, with hilarious quips and taunts for every individual. One player has a burly Australian accent; another, a female, talks with a Russian-like flirty tone. Perhaps Sega put all their eggs in one basket in this game's sound, but, apparently, it works out okay--four points out of five isn't bad at all. Controls: 8.9/10 I find the controls hard to judge for SSS--first, because they are very good, and, second, because they're not so good. Allow me to explain (oh, you have to, because I'm writing and you're reading! Ah-ha-ha-haa!). I very much appreciated the shooting power allowed by the pressing and holding of the A button (and the same goes for passing with B), but was somehow, at the same time, slightly disappointed as I later found that in some instances, all the effort into holding the button that long is wasted and the shot is completely terrible, while at other times, tapping the button results in you losing the ball, not even making a true shot! Other frustrations I found were slightly "gawky" control of the character, stumbling about a bit crazily, and a Turbo meter that runs out way too fast to make much use of. On the whole, however, SSS provides solid controls for you to enjoy the game with. Challenge: 5.3/10 This isn't a hard game to beat, on Novice (easy) or on Expert (hard). By playing over and over, you'll build up your skills and stratagies, like playing real soccer in real life, and find, over time, the techniques that work best to take down computer opponents. While there's a lot to unlock, most of it can be obtained without going to much trouble at all, and a handy selection of codes (which, mind you, aren't bad to have, especially for a tough game!) make SSS even easier, if desired. Don't buy this game thinking it'll take you long to beat--buy this game because you'll be playing through it over and over again, which is probably what the design team opted for in the end, rather than longer, harder quests. Replay: 9.3/10 May it be known that Sega Soccer Slam is one of the GCN soccer greats and one of the better sports titles in general available for GameCube--and most of this can be credited to an astounding multiplayer mode. With up to three players on a single team (sorry, fourth man, looks like you're stuck with the computer...darn), the mayhem and melee can begin right away, with flying fists and feet (both on screen and off, as you pummel your friends as a way of saying "thank you" for having your character be mangled by an opposing player). The only real strain here is that most players turn into ball hogs right away, and will much more often shoot rather than opt to pass. For this reason, I would suggest you first nominate someone as "agressive defender" and assign them the task of running haywire around the field, hacking up opposing players while the game progresses. This saves a lot of accusations of "hogging the ball", believe me, and also can become quite handy if the pesky computer is giving you a run for your money... Gameplay: 6.7/10 Admittedly, there's not a lot to Sega Soccer Slam. Run, kick....punch, kick.....steal, kick.....score, kick. Repeat. Of course, a real match actually contains something much more along the lines of "punchkickpunchkickpunchkickpunchkickpunch....SCORE! Ball's inpunchkickpunchkickpunchkick....." While not incredibly involving and entertaining gameplay, the codes add some depth in giving some fun additional touches, and the items also increase the satisfaction of playing this game. But speaking honsetly, this isn't one of the games in your collection that you put on your "to beat" list of serious shooters, RPGs, and adventure titles; this is your "just for fun" joke game, I suppose, in that it's really (oncoming pun! Everyone down!) "just for kicks". Far from a serious title, this is a perfect game to just sit down and "play"....not beat, not finish, not master, just "play"....which is rare to find in games today. **Story: .6/1 While a complete over-view story is not really given (other than all these teams want to win the Continental Cup), every character has his or her own individual background for you to read and explore, ranging from their family life to their professions to their dreams, goals, and reasons for going after the Continental Cup. Not bad for a sports game, and very good for a soccer game. SSS deserves some credit for the extra efforts here. **Multiplayer: .8/1 As I mentioned in replay, this game is for a group of friends who feel the need to do some smashing and scoring. While it's not, in my opinion, up to par with some of the greats like (oh! Heeeere it comesssss.......) Super Smash Brothers Melee (*cheers and thunderous applause*), it still provides a high level of enjoyment and entertainment for multiple players, especially since they can also take part in tournaments and quests, as well as exhibition games. This catagory is the strong point of Sega Soccer Slam...unfortunately, it's a bonus catagory... Graphics: 3.5/5 Sound: 4/5 Control: 8.9/10 Challenge: 5.3/10 Replay: 9.3/10 Gameplay: 6.7/10 **Story: .6/1 **Multiplayer: .8/1 Total Score: 7.8 Score Explanation: Honestly, this feels about right. A fun game, not underrated nor overrated, yet something everyone can enjoy and should try at least once. I'm not saying this game is for everyone, and I'm not saying you'll fall in love with this, want to buy it, or even like it, but it's definately an amusement and worth an experience. The catagory(s) that sank it were, obviously, Challenge and Gameplay. The gameplay is fun, but uninvolving and simple; the challenge is rather low, but can become much higher from human players (and the computer can always provide a fair challenge to even veterans of this title). Take the score for what it's worth--this is a renter for the weekend, and maybe you'll want to buy it if it appeals to you then. |