Goal!

"Wow, what a realistic soccer game"

I can't say I have played to many soccer games. This is probably only the third one I've ever played. One thing I have done, though, is play soccer in real life. I know what a pain it is to play, and how difficult and frustrating it is to score or even keep the ball for very long. Constant running and passing and back and fourth and......*cough* anyway, Takeda Nobuhiro no Ace Striker manages to take the feel of real soccer and pack it into a gameboy. With the title of Air Striker, I was expecting some sort of flying air mission type of game. I was surprised to find a soccer game, but I wasn't disappointed once I played it for a while.

Story: N/A
It's World Cup football action, Japan style! Actually, there is about as much story to this as there is the real World Cup, which is to say, there isn't one. I suppose you could make up your own story line, like America against communist China.

Sound: 10/10
Not bad sound effects at all, considering the system. A beep when moving around the menu, the referee's whistle, a very realistic kicking of the ball sound, and the roar of the crowd after a goal is scored. It all sounds good, non-annoying, and fits the game well.

Music: 8/10
Only one song in this game. It's not a bad song, in fact it is annoyingly catchy. There could have been more music in this, as the size of the game is small compared to other gameboy games.

Graphics: 9/10
When it comes to graphics on the gameboy, you can't expect to much. Most of the time it is either hit or miss. Air Striker is a hit. The Japanese guy on the menu looks real enough. The soccer players in the game look like actual defined people, minus the face. The graphics flow very smoothly as you move up and down the soccer field. The aerial view of the whole field when you kick the ball into the air is a very nice touch.

Gameplay/Fun Factor: 10/10
This is a fun and difficult little soccer game. Scoring is quite difficult, as you constantly have someone on your tail. The same deal goes for them to, however, as your goalie is computer controlled and very good. This game makes it so you must have an actual soccer strategy to even score a goal. This very realistic gameplay makes this game quite fun to play.

Rent/buy/download?
You're only option is to download it, and I suggest you go and do it. Whether you are a soccer fan or not, you should enjoy this one quite a lot.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 06/17/03, Updated 06/30/03