International Superstar Soccer

"ISS is a must buy for any Soccer fan."

International Superstar Soccer for the Gameboy Advance is a great game to pick up and play, but ISS lacks any long term appeal to keep you playing for months.

Game play
9/10

Nothing much too much to say here. All your favorite International teams are in, don't expect any club teams though, they don't call it International for nothing. The game plays great from the first time you pick it up. It does take a few matches to get used to everything completely, but after that you'll be passing and shooting your way to victory (hopefully!), while pulling off some great little flips and tricks. Also, the game’s controls are easy to pick up, but, I’ll go into more detail about that later in this review.

Graphics
10/10

Again, ISS impresses in the visual department too, and this is where the game really shines. Sure, It's no FIFA standards and far off the next gen console games, but the game has made great progress since the days of the Gameboy Color and Sensible Soccer. The game is played looking down at the players from an angle, not top down though, so the details in players are pretty impressive. One downfall about the graphics though is that the players are slightly oversized in comparison to the field, but to be honest, doesn't effect the game too much.

Sound
10/10

ISS really surprised me here with the excellent commentary by John Champion. It does get repetitive, but considering that the GBA wasn’t supposed to handle actual voice, it really does enhance the game. There are also little cheers and chants from the crowd, along with the little kicks from the ball, but don’t expect anything special.

Controls
9/10

Great controls, especially for the lack of buttons on the GBA, simple enough, A to pass and B to shoot. There are some advance controls on hand, although to be honest they are not needed and you will rarely use them. Like R and A to perform a through ball and R and B (which actually is useful) to cross the ball into the penelty box. Same goes for the penalty kicks, B to hit the ball harder and A to hit is softer.

Multiplayer
7/10

It’s great that Konami have put in the effort for a multiplayer mode, which can be played in both exhibition and penalty kicks. Sadly though, the game suffers for a complete slowdown during almost the whole game, even in penalty kicks. The game is still playable, its better than playing against the AI once you’ve mastered it, but timing sliding tackles is rock hard. And the game is only two players, not four and each player needs a copy of the game each, so no single pack mode in here folks, sorry.

Lasting Appeal
6/10

Sadly, this is where the game falls short. Once you’ve unlocked the extra teams in International cup, you’ll be stuck to find extras to keep you playing. The game’s AI is pretty tough to beat, especially at level five, but again, there is no real incentive to beat the game at level five. ISS also has a lack of single player modes, a training mode would have been welcomed, but the Multiplayer helps you keep playing.

Overall, I give ISS a very good 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/30/02, Updated 11/30/02