Sega Soccer Slam Review
Sega Soccer Slam sets the bar by which any other soccer games of this type will be judged.
When you think of sports games from Sega, you probably think of games that are designed to be as faithful to their respective real-life sports as possible. Yet one of its latest sports games, Sega Soccer Slam, throws that design philosophy out the window by taking the sport of soccer into the realm occupied by games such as NBA Jam, NFL Blitz, NBA Street, and other over-the-top interpretations of real-life sports. With its memorable cast of characters, responsive controls, and attractive, highly stylized look, Sega Soccer Slam sets the bar by which any other soccer games of this type will be judged and stands out as one of those action-packed sports games that you should make every effort to play.
Even if you're not a fan of soccer or you don't know well enough to be familiar with some of the basics, Sega Soccer Slam features a practice mode that will give you a step-by-step rundown of the simple maneuvers such as passing, shooting, volleys, dekes, and steals, as well as some of the more complicated combinations of moves like the give-and-go and the quick shot. Soccer veterans would also do well to take a look at this mode to learn how to perform some of the more unique maneuvers like the killer kick and the spotlight shot. But really, no matter what your level of soccer knowledge is, it's just as easy to jump right into one of three other gameplay modes--exhibition, tourney, or quest--in Sega Soccer Slam and start playing right away.
The exhibition mode functions like any other sports game exhibition option, allowing you to select a team, an opponent, and a stadium to play in for a quick game. In the tourney mode, you can play through a tournament that takes place over the course of a few days. While these modes are fun, the crux of the Sega Soccer Slam experience is the quest mode, in which you select from one of five teams and then compete in a series of 10 games. As you start to win games, you'll start to earn money that you can use to unlock character art or items that function as power-ups for your players. For example, you can buy a necklace that gives a specific player additional speed, or purchase a jetpack to enhance his speed even further. The character art and items shown in the soccer store are specific to the team you've selected. In addition, if you successfully complete all 10 matches, as well as the playoff matches that follow, then you'll unlock one of several new stadiums, depending on the team that you're using. Needless to say, the quest mode adds a significant amount of replay value to the game, as you'll likely want to see all the items and extras that you can unlock.
But in actuality, even if the quest mode weren't in the game, Soccer Slam could've just as easily gotten away with only an exhibition and basic tournament mode, simply because the gameplay is executed so well. Despite its over-the-top arcadelike appearance, Soccer Slam demands a surprising amount of strategy for competing against computer- or human-controlled opponents. As previously mentioned, the game features most of the maneuvers that you would normally find in a regular soccer simulation. The give-and-go, volleys, one-timer shots--you'll have to use all these techniques to succeed, particularly in the later stages of the quest mode, when opponents become much more difficult. When you execute these basic moves, you'll charge a meter located at the bottom of the screen, and the energy in this meter can be used to give individual players a brief boost in speed and shot power or to launch a kill shot--a kick that causes the ball handler to launch into the air in slow motion and perform an incredibly powerful kick.
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- GameSpot Scoregreat
Player Reviews
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Sega Soccer Slam is a great, simple soccer game that proves its worth as an excellent multiplayer game. Continue »
Critic Scores
- IGN 8.2 / 10
- Game Rankings 87 / 100
- TechTV 4 / 5
- Nintendo Spin 8 / 10
- Electric Playground 7.5 / 10
- Videogameslife 4 / 5
- Kombo 8 / 10
- N-Insanity 8.4 / 10
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