International Superstar Soccer 64

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International Superstar Soccer 64
International Superstar Soccer 64 Coverart.png
European Nintendo 64 cover art
Developer(s)Konami Computer Entertainment Osaka
Publisher(s)Konami
Composer(s)Tsutomu Ogura
Harumi Ueko
SeriesInternational Superstar Soccer
Platform(s)Nintendo 64
Release
  • JP: December 20, 1996 (Jikkyō J.League Perfect Striker)
  • PAL: June 1, 1997
  • NA: July 31, 1997
  • JP: September 18, 1997 (Jikkyō World Soccer 3)
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single-player, Multiplayer

International Superstar Soccer 64 (officially abbreviated as ISS 64, originally released in Japan as Jikkyō J.League Perfect Striker (実況 Ｊリーグ パーフェクトストライカー, Jikkyō J Rīgu Pāfekuto Sutoraikā) and then later adapted as Jikkyō World Soccer 3 (実況 ワールドサッカー 3, Jikkyō Wārudo Sakkā 3)) is a video game developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Osaka in the International Superstar Soccer series by Konami. It is essentially a Nintendo 64 version of International Superstar Soccer Pro. Its team lineup follows more closely the Super NES version of International Superstar Soccer Deluxe, only with South Africa replacing Morocco. It is similar to the PlayStation version.

International Superstar Soccer 64 was met with critical acclaim, and often called one of the best of the Nintendo 64's third party releases.

Gameplay[]

A screenshot of International Superstar Soccer 64 gameplay, showing a Germany-France match.

The game is similar to the PlayStation version (including the same player names, with the exception of Japan, England and a handful of USA players), but with some teams having a more inaccurate home or away kit. USA, for example, uses their 1994 World Cup Adidas "stripes" kit as home kit and their then-current Nike home kit as away kit. Gameplay is similar to that of the Super NES predecessor, International Superstar Soccer Deluxe, upgraded for the Nintendo 64 with 3D animation. While it keeps largely the same team roster (with the teams now sporting near-authentic kits), South Africa debuted in this game as a selectable side, replacing Morocco. However, the Japanese version has teams that are not present in the Western versions; these being Bolivia, Yugoslavia, Iran, Australia, Canada and Saudi Arabia.

There are six game modes, including single match, league battle, and penalty kick shootout.[1] The player can assign a team member to cover a specific member of the opposing team.[1] International Cup has the player competing against a range of teams from around the world in a round-robin tournament; World League is a series of 70 matches against every one of other teams in the game.

The player can also contest a penalty shoot-out competition with up to 4 players, or attempt to complete certain scenario games. These games are set up with a specific goal—for example, scoring a goal within a given time limit, or stopping the opposing team from scoring.

Teams[]

USA/European version exclusive

Japanese version exclusive

Reception[]

The game met with critical acclaim in Japan.[21] In an interview around the time of the game's release in the region, Shigeru Miyamoto said that "Konami's soccer game may be better than [Nintendo's N64] games. It looks really good."[22] Edge said that the Japanese import was "the most versatile and entertaining football game seen on any platform, and forms a strong addition to Nintendo's 64bit [sic] portfolio."[4] Next Generation said that the same Japanese import "goes farther than most titles in presenting a fantastic look and feel. Just make sure you have a few friends around to play it, otherwise you'll tire from 10-3 wins real quick."[19] Famitsu gave it a score of 32 out of 40 for Perfect Striker,[6] and 31 out of 40 for World Soccer 3.[7]

The North American version received favorable reviews, just one point shy of universal acclaim, according to the review aggregation website GameRankings. Game Informer gave it universal acclaim, and Nintendo Power gave it a favorable review, over one month before the game was released Stateside.[8][20] Several critics noted that the A.I. in the game was dramatically improved from the Japanese version.[13][18][23] Most said International Superstar Soccer 64 was better than the Nintendo 64's previous soccer game, FIFA Soccer 64,[11][18][23][24] and Kraig Kujawa of Electronic Gaming Monthly went so far as to call it "without a doubt, the best soccer game on the market".[5] GamePro was one of the few to voice criticisms with the game, specifically the music and the use of fictional players, but called it "an arcade-ish experience that, while not as realistic as FIFA, ranks much higher on the fun scale."[24]

The most often cited strengths of the game included a variety of gameplay modes;[5][11][23][24] the wide range of moves that the players can execute;[11][13][18][24] the graceful, lifelike player animations;[5][11][13][18][23][24] and the controls, particularly the tight responsiveness and strong implementation of the Nintendo 64 controller's analog joystick.[5][11][13][18][23][24] However, most critics found it difficult to cover all of the game's positive elements. For example, Next Generation commented, "Details like refs of varying skill, different weather conditions, real stadiums, and attitude give even more depth to a game that gets just about everything right."[18] Peer Schneider of IGN (then known as N64.com) gave strong praise to International Superstar Soccer 64's multiplayer modes.[23] He later published a longer review which covered a few criticisms, such as the lack of a FIFA license, but also commented more extensively on the game's strong attention to detail, and reemphasized that "As far as multiplayer games go, ISS64 has replaced Mario Kart 64, Star Fox 64 and Wayne Gretzky as the ultimate gameplay experience."[13] Glenn Rubenstein of GameSpot said that it "offers just about everything FIFA 64 did. It just does it slightly better."[11]

Just a few months after the game's North American release, Electronic Gaming Monthly ranked it the 24th best console video game of all time, commenting that "The gameplay is awesome, appealing to both hardcore and casual fans of the sport. The graphics are the best of any sports game, as the attention to detail in the player animations is amazing. ... No soccer game comes close to this one."[25] In its 1997 Editors' Choice Awards, Electronic Gaming Monthly also named International Superstar Soccer 64 "Sports Game of the Year" and a runner-up for "Nintendo 64 Game of the Year" (behind GoldenEye 007).[26] Official Nintendo Magazine ranked it the 81st best game available on Nintendo platforms.[27]

A bootleg version of the game, Mundial Ronaldinho Soccer 64, became a popular internet meme in May 2020.[28] This bootleg version changes the announcer's language to Portuguese (albeit with a heavy accent) with some Portuguese words replaced with Spanish ones. It also replaces fictional player names with real life counterparts. It was described as a "Spanish-Portuguese creole" by a Brazilian YouTuber[who?].

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "NG Alphas: J-League Perfect Striker". Next Generation. No. 26. Imagine Media. February 1997. p. 104. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  2. ^ "International Superstar Soccer 64 for Nintendo 64". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 5, 2019. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  3. ^ Lombardi, Doug (September 25, 1997). "International Superstar Soccer 64". Gamecenter. CNET. Archived from the original on August 23, 2000. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Edge staff (February 1997). "J-League Perfect Striker [sic]". Edge. No. 42. Future Publishing. pp. 80–81. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e EGM staff (July 1997). "Team EGM Sports: International Superstar Soccer 64". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 96. Ziff Davis. p. 114.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b "実況Jリーグ パーフェクトストライカー [NINTENDO64]". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b "実況ワールドサッカー3 [NINTENDO64]". Famitsu (in Japanese). Ziff Davis. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b McNamara, Andy; Storm, Jon; Anderson, Paul (July 1997). "International Superstar Soccer [64]". Game Informer. No. 51. FuncoLand. Archived from the original on October 21, 1997. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  9. ^ Joe Kidd; Jacques Strap (July 1997). "International Superstar Soccer 64 [game misidentified as "International Superstar Soccer Pro for Sony PlayStation"]". GameFan. Vol. 5 no. 7. Metropolis Media. p. 86. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  10. ^ Colin (September 1997). "International Superstar Soccer 64 Review". GameRevolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on June 13, 1998. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Rubenstein, Glenn (September 4, 1997). "International Superstar Soccer 64 Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  12. ^ Toose, Dan (September 1997). "International Superstar Soccer 64" (PDF). Hyper. No. 47. Next Media Pty Ltd. pp. 46–47. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Schneider, Peer (September 3, 1997). "International Superstar Soccer 64". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  14. ^ Weaver, Tim (June 1997). "International Superstar Soccer 64 (PAL)". N64 Magazine. No. 3. Future Publishing. pp. 30–36.
  15. ^ Ashton, James (October 1997). "ISS 64 (US Version)". N64 Magazine. No. 7. Future Publishing. p. 63. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  16. ^ Weaver, Tim (November 1997). "Jikkyou World Soccer 3". N64 Magazine. No. 8. Future Publishing. p. 62. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  17. ^ Weaver, Tim (April 1997). "J-League Perfect Striker [sic]". N64 Magazine. No. 1. Future Publishing. pp. 78–80.
  18. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g "GOOOALLL! (International Superstar Soccer Review)". Next Generation. No. 32. Imagine Media. August 1997. p. 113. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  19. ^ Jump up to: a b "J-League Perfect Striker [sic] (Japan)". Next Generation. No. 30. Imagine Media. June 1997. p. 112. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  20. ^ Jump up to: a b "International Superstar Soccer 64". Nintendo Power. Vol. 98. Nintendo of America. July 1997. p. 97. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  21. ^ "International Superstar Soccer". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 104. Ziff Davis. May 1997. p. 112.
  22. ^ Ogasawara, Ken (March 1997). "Nintendo 64: An Expert's View". GamePro. No. 102. IDG. p. 41.
  23. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f "International Superstar Soccer 64 Review". N64.com. Independent. September 3, 1997. Archived from the original on January 29, 1998. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  24. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Air Hendrix (August 1997). "Konami's SuperStar Soccer Outshines FIFA". GamePro. No. 107. IDG. p. 78. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  25. ^ EGM staff (November 1997). "100 Best Games of All Time". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 100. Ziff Davis. p. 146. Note: Contrary to the title, the intro to the article (on page 100) explicitly states that the list covers console video games only, meaning PC games and arcade games were not eligible.
  26. ^ "Editors' Choice Awards". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 104. Ziff Davis. March 1998. pp. 87–88.
  27. ^ East, Tom (February 17, 2009). "Nintendo Feature: 100 Best Nintendo Games: Part One". Official Nintendo Magazine. Future plc. Archived from the original on April 14, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  28. ^ "Mundial Ronaldinho Soccer 64 Opening". Know Your Meme. Retrieved January 23, 2021.

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