International Superstar Soccer (video game)

Infobox VG| title = International Superstar Soccer
developer = KCEO
publisher = Konami
designer =
engine =


released = ^JPN 1994 ^NA 1995
genre = Sports
modes = Single player, multiplayer
ratings = ESRB: KA (Kids to Adults)
platforms = Super NES
media = 4-megabit Cartridge
requirements =
input =

"International Superstar Soccer" (実況ワールドサッカーパーフェクトイレブン "Jikkyō Wārudo Sakkā Pāfekuto Irebun", "Live World Soccer Perfect Eleven" in Japan) is a football (soccer) video game developed by Konami for the Super NES. It is known as the best soccer game available for any 16-bit systems, mostly due to its lifelike approach, innovative for the time, that showed diversified players in the same team, with an adult look and back numbers on their respective jerseys, corresponding to real-life players of the time.

Game modes

*Open Game: A simple friendly match, that can be played against the CPU, another player, or just watched as the CPU controls both teams.
*International Cup: A mode that emulates the FIFA World Cup, where teams are distributed in six groups of four teams each. The best 16 in this stage qualify to the knockout stage until the champion is known.
*World Series: A league competition where all teams play against each other in a round-robin system.
*Training: A series of challenges in different respects (dribbling, passing, shooting to the goal, defending and corner kick taking, in order), where the player must complete these challenges successfully under the established time, with the goal to sharpening the player's abilities.
*Scenario: Enables the player to select one among nine matches running their courses, in order to achieve victory before time runs out (all matches start during the second half, and the player's team may be losing or tied). A draw results in failure.
*Penalty Kick: A simple penalty kick match. Each team takes five shots alternately and, if there is no winner after these shots, they go into a sudden death round.

The game uses a password system in order to save and load International Cup and World Series matches.

Teams available

"International Superstar Soccer" features 26 national teams, all of which based on their real-life counterparts as of the 1994 FIFA World Cup (even in the case of non-entrants Austria, Denmark, France, Wales, Scotland and England, which are represented by their line-ups from the qualifiers).

*Italy
*Germany
*South Korea
*Cameroon
*Nigeria
*United States
*Mexico
*Colombia
*Brazil
*Argentina
*Russia
*Bulgaria
*Romania
*Switzerland (spelt as "Switz")
*Austria
*Belgium
*Ireland
*Norway
*Sweden
*Denmark
*France
*Wales
*Scotland
*England
*Spain
*Holland

Out of these teams, though, 20 made it into the real FIFA World Cup. Not appearing in this game, even having qualified into the tournament, are Bolivia, Saudi Arabia, Greece and Morocco (the latter two would appear in the next installment though).

Trivia

*Aside from real-life-like players, eight of the Scenario matches also reproduce real matches, most of them in the 1994 FIFA World Cup (after which the game was based after all):
**Match 1: Brazil 0-0 USA, two minutes left. Reproduces the Brazil-USA match in the Round of 16, won 1-0 by Brazil. This is the only time in the whole series where one can play as Brazil in the Scenario mode.
**Match 2: Italy 0-1 Nigeria, one and a half minute left. Also a Round of 16 match, won 2-1 by Italy.
**Match 3: South Korea 0-2 Spain, one minute left. It was a first round match, that ended in a 2-2 draw.
**Match 5: Bulgaria 0-1 Germany, two minutes left. Quarter final match, won 2-1 by Bulgaria.
**Match 6: Holland 1-2 Brazil, two minutes left. Even though the player takes control of Holland, actually it was Brazil who won this quarter final match, with a 3-2 score.
**Match 7: Argentina 1-3 Romania, one and a half minute left. Same case of match 6: the player controls Argentina, which in reality was defeated 3-2 by Romania in the Round of 16.
**Match 8: USA 2-1 Colombia, two minutes left. This match, in real life (where Andrés Escobar scored the fateful own goal that cost his life), ended with that same score.
**Match 9: Bulgaria 1-1 France, injury time. The only match not to take place in the 1994 FIFA World Cup. This one, instead, marked the fateful elimination of France from the tournament, with a 2-1 loss to the Bulgarian side.

ee also

*"International Superstar Soccer" (full overview on the series)

References

*Swedish sports news 1994