International Superstar Soccer 64

"The best soccer game ever, hardly anything even comes close."

Sports games come and go. Some are good, some are bad. But there is a very narrow list of sports games that are simply marvelous, games that stay fresh for years, no matter how much you play them.

The International Superstar Soccer series (made by Konami) is a fine example for games of that kind. ISS and ISS Deluxe, released on the Super NES, were a big success due to the super-fast and fun gameplay. ISS Deluxe was considered by many to be the best soccer game in any console up to that date.

So the SNES slowly faded away, and people moved to the next-generation consoles - PlayStation and Nintendo 64. Konami realized that and released International Superstar Soccer 64, the sequel to ISS Deluxe. What Konami wanted to achieve with ISS64 was to conserve that same gameplay, while keeping up with the technology. Did they manage to do it? Read the review and find out.

Graphics - 8.5/10

Granted these are not the best graphics in a soccer game, they certainly do the job perfectly.
Every stadium has a unique look to it, whether it's because the grass is different or simply because of its shape. The grass looks real, with different shades like it should be. The crowd also looks great, because it's colorful and full of life (it actually moves, unlike in other soccer games).

Another thing that looks excellent are the weather effects. Rain, sleet and snow look exactly like they should, while not interrupting the gameplay (graphically, that is).
The thing left to say is that the players and their actions also look very realistic, and very detailed.
There is hardly any slowdown that doesn't affect the gameplay at all.

Music / Sound Effects - 8.5/10

The developers have done a great job in making you feel like you're in the game (almost). The sound effects are superb, especially the crowd. It sounds very realistic (for example, it will be silent before a penalty kick). There aren't many sound effects, only the sound of the ball getting kicked and some others.

The music is another great thing. While there's no music in the matches, the music in the menus and in the intro is great. It's kinda complicated to explain how the music goes(heh), so you'll just have to hear it for yourself.

Gameplay - 10/10

The gameplay is what makes the game. So if the gameplay is bad, the game suffers. Fortunately, that is not the case here. It is the best gameplay in any sports game I've ever played. The gameplay is so fast, so fluid, so fun, it's incredible.

You get to choose from around 20 different countries. Not such a big selection, I agree, but it doesn't really matter. After you chose your team and your opponent's team (if you're playing against the CPU), you go to a special screen that determines some important gameplay parameters, such as the number of players each team will have, and the difficulty of the goalkeeper.

Another thing that is unique to the ISS series is that each player has a different condition in each match. For example, one player might be in a great physical condition in one game, and he might be in a bad one in the next game. Players in a bad physical condition will be slower and will be able to use turbo for a shorter time.

There are many things you can order your players to do. You can control them with the control stick or the d-pad, whatever you choose. You can shoot(B button), pass(A button), dash, double-pass, long-pass and shoot a high ball (C buttons)

Probably my only gripe with the whole game is that the player's names aren't real. It's not very important, but it would be nicer.

Replay Value - 10/10

I've had this game for four years now. I still play it like once a week and have a great time. It just never gets old. You can also play tournaments and leagues. You can practice whatever you want. And there are special scenarios for you to have fun with. The 2-to-4-player games are a total blast. Trust me, you'll be playing this one for a long time.

Overall (not an average) - 10/10

I've covered most of it, you should know by now that you must buy it if you like soccer games. For me, it's the best sports game ever created (maybe except for skateboarding games =).

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/28/01, Updated 07/28/01