International Superstar Soccer

"Probably the best handheld football game ever"

When i heard an ISS game was coming to the GameBoy Advanced i instantly put it at the top of my list of games to buy. Having either played or owned all of the other ISS games i was very trusting and went out and bought the game. To my suprise i found it very different to the others.

Graphics- Very good graphics and fluid animation which shows the effort Konami have put into this game. The stadiums are pretty good and the players also are well drawn. However there is a problem and that is the camera angle. I would have preferred the basic side on angle as you see more of the pitch an d it is easier to find people to find. I was also sad to see that there is no replay mode at all.

Sound- The commentary is much better than other ISS games as they have finally got rid of 'Chris James' and 'Terry Butcher'.A new English person talks now and is much better to listen to. There are also excellent crowd chants however when the ball is kicked it sounds awful. The ball sounds like one of those crappy plastic balls you can buy for 99p down at your local corner shop which lets the sound down.

Gameplay- it is very hard at the beginning due to the awkward camera angle and it seems as if your team is some sunday league team which can hardly kick a ball properly. All of the other teams seem to be made up of star players and i really struggled at the beginning. However after a while i got the hang of it and started enjoying it. There are 3 game modes which are INTERNATIONAL CUP, FRIENDLY MATCH, and the PENALTY KICK option. You get the usual for completing the INTERNATIONAL CUP which are the all-star teams which should give it the added replay value. Although it is hard at the beginning it is worth pursueing as it gives a real sense of achievement when you run from the halfway line and score a cracker against Germany or any of the many other teams.

Controls- hard to get used to at the beginning but soon becomes second nature. 'L' is to sprint and the 'A' and 'B' buttons shoot pass and tackle. Sadly there isnt a power bar so your shots are almost always the same.

Overall ISS is a game which plays well and has all the ingredients to be a brilliant game but somehow doesnt make it and is a bit of a let-down but is still the best footy game for the GameBoy Advance. I'm now off to rent David Beckham Soccer to see if that is any better.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/02/02, Updated 01/02/02