International Superstar Soccer

Download International Superstar Soccer and experience the excitement of classic football in this beloved sports game. Choose from a wide selection of national teams and compete in a variety of game modes. Can you outplay your opponents and become the world champion? Play now!
a game by Konami, and Studio 3 Interactive Entertainment
Genre: Sports
Platforms: SNESSNES, Playstation 2, GBA, GameBoy
Editor Rating: 8.1/10, based on 8 reviews
User Rating: 8.7/10 - 3 votes
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See also: Sport Games, Sports Management Games, Soccer Video Games, International Games

Here's a game that quickly made it to U.S. shores. The Japanese version has play-by-play commentary, but when the game is released over here, it will not have that feature. It does have some great sound effects though, and the announcer calls the kickoffs, throw-ins, free kicks and the often over-emphasized and guttural moan of "GOAL." You can play this game with a friend or against the tough computerized opponent In an Easy, Normal or Hard setting. You can also set the goalie for automatic or you can control him manually. Substitute players who are tired. (You can tell how tired they are by looking at a happy face icon next to their name.) As the player tires, the icon changes to a sad face.

Each of the players on your roster are rated in four categories: Speed. Stamina. Technique and Shooting Ability. The rating shows up as a bar with 13 bars being the maximum for any player in any one of the categories.

There are some very cool features, including a few of the big names from each of the world's top teams. Italy.

Brazil and the U.S. are all there and are but three of the 26 teams. The players move fast and bicycle kicks can be performed with ease.

There are five different modes of play. You can play in an Open Game, International Cup, the World Series, Penalty Kick competition, Scenarios or you can hone your soccer skills in the Training Mode. You can practice your dribbling, passing, shooting, defense and corner kick skills in timed attacks. The object is not only to hone your skills, but the faster you finish each timed segment, the higher point total you can get. When the timed attack for each skill is completed, you'll receive a bonus chance to shoot for 30 seconds. The coolest feature of the game is the Scenario Mode. There are nine different scenarios for you to clear. A win clears each game. You can even replay some of the classic World Cup game situations. As team U.S.A. you're tied with Brazil 0-0 with two minutes to play. Can you pull off a win, or will it go to penalty kicks to decide the contest? Another scenario sees you playing as the Italian team and you're down 1-0 to Nigeria. Your squad is down to nine players and the referee is making calls in favor of Nigeria.

The game play is smooth and a small Radar Screen at the bottom tracks the ball. If you enjoy soccer, this is one game you should watch for. EA's FIFA Soccer finally has some competition.

  • MANUFACTURER - KONAMI
  • NUMBER OF PLAYERS - 1 to 2

Download International Superstar Soccer

SNES

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
  • Pentium II (or equivalent) 266MHz (500MHz recommended), RAM: 64MB (128MB recommended), DirectX v8.0a or later must be installed
Playstation 2

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
GBA

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
Gameboy

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP

Game Reviews

If you're gonna talk the talk, you'd better be able to walk the walk. Instead of avoiding comparisons with the best SNES soccer simulation around (EA Sports' FIFA International Soccer), Konami challenges them with its latest soccer sim, the solid International SuperStar Soccer.

Konami's soccer ranks among the best soccer games, but it's still a runner-up to FIFA. ISS just doesn't have those extra features or attention to detail that would dethrone FIFA. Still, ISS does have lifelike graphics, above-average sound and controls, and enough interesting options to keep you entertained and playing for hours.

Shoot Around

ISS features the top 24 soccer-playing countries in the world, including the U.S. and Brazil, World Cup champ. You can play an exhibition match between any two countries or enter a world tournament.

ProTip: This game rewards passing. If you're on one side of the penalty box, press Button B to pass the ball to the other side of the box and quickly shoot before the keeper recovers.

ISS's best feature is probably its Training mode. It not only gives you hands-on experience for a regular match, but it also offers valid competition, which juices things up as you practice all of ISS's Controls.

You'll need to practice these controls -- they aren't great. For instance, the computer isn't quick enough when switching players on defense. Often you'll find yourself one or more steps behind when the computer finally gives you control of your defender. You also can't control the flight of the ball on your shots as well as you can on other soccer games, including FIFA.

Get Your Kicks

The graphics, especially of the players, are super. Konami claims its players are 20 percent larger than the competition, and they look it.

The sprites are sharply detailed, and you can actually tell the difference between individual players. Check out the hair on a couple of players, including one fullback who's supposed to be Alexei Lalas. The lifeless stadium and fans are the only graphical shortcomings.

The sound isn't ISS's best feature. In fact, the average crowd noises and player groans are barely worth mentioning.

If you're looking for the best soccer sim, check out FIFA. But if you're looking for a new face or the next best thing, try International SuperStar Soccer. You can get plenty of kicks with ISS.

  • You don't have to tackle an opponent to gain control of the ball. Just get in front of the pla.ver with the ball, and your defender will automatically steal.
  • When you're making a run on the goal, press Button X for extra speed to get past a defender.
  • If you're playing as the U.S., select "Counterattack" under Tactics. This strategy best suits the American team.
  • Dribble to the right side of the penalty box to draw the keeper out of the goal. As he comes toward you, shoot the ball to the left post.
  • Each player is rated in several categories so let your forwards take the shots. They'll score more often than a fullback.

Konami's soccer titles have been around since the 16-Bit days--the PlayStation and N64 versions being the most popular. Now, Konami is taking the good game of football to the next level on PlayStation2. Judging from what we've seen so far, this game will be the most realistic-looking ISS ever and will out eye-candy Sega's Virtua Striker 2. It's so detailed that you can see the individual laces on each player's shoes. As with Konami's previous versions of the game, it will feature all the requisite team and league licenses and stadiums. International Superstar Soccer is set for release around the PS2's Japanese launch in March.

  • Manufacturer: Konami
  • Machine: Super NES

Yet another in a never-ending series of soccer games that seem intent on taking over all of the TV sets in America! Is this an Anglican plot? We asked Neil and he said 'Huh?'. The game is OK. If you want another soccer game, go for it.

  • Manufacturer: Konami
  • Machine: Super NES

Yet another in a never-ending series of soccer games that seem intent on taking over all of the TV sets in America! Is this an Anglican plot? We asked Neil and he said 'Huh?'. The game is OK. If you want another soccer game, go for it.

  • Manufacturer: Konami
  • Machine: Super NES

Yet another in a never-ending series of soccer games that seem intent on taking over all of the TV sets in America! Is this an Anglican plot? We asked Neil and he said 'Huh?'. The game is OK. If you want another soccer game, go for it.

  • Manufacturer: Konami
  • Machine: Super NES

Yet another in a never-ending series of soccer games that seem intent on taking over all of the TV sets in America! Is this an Anglican plot? We asked Neil and he said 'Huh?'. The game is OK. If you want another soccer game, go for it.

Here's something from Konami that you might consider looking into. At first, the controls can get tricky. There seems to be a delay in picking the player closest to the ball, but you eventually don't mind that at all as the realistic animations attract your attention as do the great sounds this one offers. Expect a ton of options for your playing satisfaction.

I've played both the Japanese and U.S. versions of this game. I enjoyed the play-by-play feature that the Japanese version had, but it was taken out over here due to cost. If you like to color coordinate your team, you can even change the colors of your team's jerseys and make the shorts match. The game play is good, the players are large and there are lots of options.

Snapshots and Media

Playstation 2 Screenshots

SNES/Super Nintendo/Super Famicom Screenshots

GBA Screenshots

GameBoy Screenshots

See Also

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