GameTavern - Sega Soccer Slam Comes to Xbox

http://xbox.ign.com/articles/359/359887p1.html

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Originally a GameCube title, Sega Soccer Slam is now headed to Xbox and PS2 with a few new wrinkles. Most significant is the inclusion of new modes and three new teams. For those not familiar with the GCN version, Soccer Slam is a fast and fun four-on-four soccer game with crazy kicks, violent punches, and wacky characters.

Features

Humorous soccer game filled with action
Three new teams
Five modes
1000 motion-captured moves
4000 lines of commentary including situation-specific dialogue

Sega Soccer Slam is filled with irreverent humor and plenty of attitude. Each team in Soccer Slam hails from a different region. There is an "island" team, with players from Japan, Australia, and Jamaica, for example. The players are stereotypical, but to such an extreme degree that it's funny. One of my favorite lines comes from the player from Japan who says after a goal, "Now you see the superiority of technology over humanity." How can you not love that?

There are five modes in Soccer Slam, including two new modes not available in the GameCube version:

Continental Cup Quest
Arcade
Challenge
Tourney
Practice

This is not a sim game by any means. The field is much shorter than an actual soccer field and the scoring can hit the double digits in just about any game. But Soccer Slam is a good deal of fun. Players control a single player on a four-person team (including goalie). Passing can be direct or a lob pass and power can be charged for a more intense shot. There are other tricks to try, like scoring on a one-timer and doing some impressive shots on goal following a high lob pass. Best of all is the spotlight, which floats around the field. Step on it while you have the ball and you'll enter a Matrix-like mode where everything's slowed down and you do some impressive kick in the air. That doesn't mean you score automatically, as the goalkeeper still has a good possibility of blocking your shot. But it does look quite cool.

The game is a visual treat, with rich colors and over-exaggerated characters. Soccer Slam is more of a party game than a single-player affair, but it seems like it will be a good addition to the PS2 and Xbox libraries. We'll have much more on Soccer Slam in the near future. Until then, enjoy these screens.

Good to see Sega is putting out even more support for the Xbox. :)