Star Tech Journal

JANUARY
2000
lOJJ
STAR..,_..-TECH JOURNAL
SEGA VIR1VA S1RIKER 2 VERSION 2000.1
In arcade soccer, there is little
more rewarding than to
knock the ball out of the
keeper's area (when an
opponent's goal seems all but
certain), counter-attack clear
up the pitch, and then score a
game-winning goal against
your buddy. This is the es-
sence ofVirtua Striker, Sega's
arcade soccer title, and come
March of 2000, the same ex-
perience will be available on
Dreamcast with Virtua Striker
2 Version 2000.1.
This Naomi game previously
debuted on Model 3, and now
comes to the DC in World
Cup-winning form. Not only
does the amazing arcade
original exist intact, but it also
comes with a slew of
Dreamcast-exclusive features
capable of entertainment well
after you've shot the arcade
mode down.
Virtua Striker 2, the arcade
game, enjoyed solid circula-
tion in just about every game-
playing country except the
soccer-phobic USA-which
means there's a good chance
you haven't had a go at the
best arcade soccer title
around. Here's what you can
expect: an arcade game,
through and through, as
simple as possible. Player se-
lection is managed by the
computer-you never have to
switch players yourself, and it
works surprisingly well. On
STAR*TECH
MESSAGE
offense, you have a short-pass
button, a lob-pass button, and
a shot button; when you press
the shot button, a power bar
pops up. Hit the button again,
and launch your shot. You
can try to hog the ball and
run the length of the field
with one player, but the most
effective tactic is to make
quick passes up the pitch.
Defense is even simpler: you
have only a slide-tackle but-
ton (same as short pass), and
strategy consists of chasing
after the ball. Defensive
moves are executed auto-
matically, in close proximity
to the ball, so your best bet is
to try and stay in front of the
offense to take the ball away.
You can only slide tackle
from the front-if you do it
from behind, a foul will be
called. There are no substi-
tutions or fatigue, and in ar-
cade mode, no "offsides"
calls or carding; Virtua
Striker is fast-paced enough,
and made even faster without
all the trappings of real soc-
cer.
The big hook in all of this-
and where the learning curve
comes in-is in the player
control. Sega has recreated
the physics and realism of
running around the field, and
momentum is actually a fac-
tor; you can't just turn on a
... continued on page 6
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