Virtua Striker 2002

by Tokyo Drifter
May 17, 2002 00:00 AM PST

Has the Virtua Striker series evolved enough to satisfy home console owners?

Sega concocts a unique hybrid of arcade-style soccer with deep RPG team building elements for a surprisingly satisfying trip to the International Cup.

Virtua Striker 2002 arrives on the GameCube to face off against EA�s FIFA on the simulation end and Sega�s own Soccer Slam representing the over-the-top camp. Luckily, Virtua Striker�s blend of simple controls and straightforward player management turns it into a completely different experience. The road to the International Cup (Sega does not have the license to call it �World Cup�) mode is extremely entertaining and engaging, requiring you to take your team through weeks of training and exhibition games both in your home country and abroad. You have to keep a sharp eye on player development and morale as well as fan interest.

Although this is deeper than any soccer game offered thus far, there�s still a lot that could be improved like more detailed stat bars and tracking individual progress. Sports titles that focus solely on team management are quite popular in Japan and Europe, but none have made it to consoles here and probably never will so its best not to look this gift horse in the mouth.

Virtua Striker�s visuals place it among the top of the GameCube class with large, detailed stadiums brimming with crazed fans waving their country�s flag. The players look sharp and move around with realistic grace. Unfortunately, this smooth animation comes at the cost of total control over your team. There are various layers of automatic movement associated with dribbling, passing, and shooting the ball that you must deal with in order to carry out whatever you had planned in the first place. In fact, the whole structure of the gameplay requires you to think ahead much more than even soccer sim fans are used to.

The game�s A.I. also takes control of your players according to the positions they are meant to play and the specific in-game situation, so that�s another thing that takes getting used to. Memorizing the coverage area the player will patrol (you can also alter this area in the training menu) helps greatly in having proper field placement for an offensive assault or falling back to a defensive wall.

The game's audio bucks the trend and does not feature play-by-play commentary which is not such a bad thing. There are occasional voice-overs for shots on goal and penalties, but the main emphasis is on the roar of the crowd and sounds on the field.

The series first hit arcades in 1996 and has gone through seven evolutions that have gone largely unnoticed here in the US. With Virtua Striker 2002, the series can now be considered a serious contender in the world of home console soccer games. Despite the sluggish controls, the beautiful presentation and groundbreaking team building mode make for a very rewarding experience that Soccer fans shouldn�t miss.