International Superstar Soccer 2000

"Is there any time for sleep?"

This game is incredible. It has about a 3 to 4 hour learnig curve so the guy who gave it a 2 simply did not give it enough time. Once you have the controls down you may lose your job your girlfriend and just about any social life you may have had. This game is that good.

What truly shines in this game is the gameplay. You just don't seem to get enough. It feels so good to win that you want to play again. If you get a draw you feel like you need closure so you play again. If you lose it feels so bad you feel like you have to play again. See what I mean? Nearly every country is represented and contrary to the review from the guy who gave this a 2 they are very different. If you play a lousy team against brazil they will consistently be a step ahead of you and vice versa. The game runs so smooth and additionaly this is a thinking mans game because you are constantly looking to set up the next goal. Little things like forwards not being able to slide tackle as well as defensemen also add to the games greatness. This game is far superior to ISS 98 in terms of fluidity and the fact that the passing simply feels better. Additionly there are more teams and stadia. Crowds behave differently depending on where you are playing and you can have changing weather conditions during the game. Multiplayer rules.

A couple of minor drawbacks keep this from perfection. The graphics are still blurry(The high res mode is unplayable do not even try it. It will make you nauseated by the jerkyness)Can't wait to see the Gamecube version though. Sometimes it can get frustrating because the computer will pick who you can use to defend. You should be able to overide this. I hope this can be fixed in the Gamecube version. I would have liked to have seen an Olympic tournament option. This game is also very hard to find. I had to special order it over the net because I simply could not find it after I rented.

Buy this game if you can find it. I have 12 other N64 games and 3 playstation games all of which are great games. This is the one that I cannot put down.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/27/00, Updated 12/27/00