Gaming Target - Dreamcast: Striker Pro 2000

Written by Mike Frisina on November 08, 2000

Review: ...he shoots...GOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLLL!

Good Soccer games on Sega systems: That is what hardcore Sega and soccer fans have been hoping for since the Fifa games on the Genesis. Striker Pro 2000, is by no means great, but is still somewhat decent and will hook even the most hardcore soccer fans with honest enough graphics, realistic soccer physics, and decent A.I. Since this game doesn't have real players, only people who truly are soccer fans will enjoy it.

By definition, the visuals are strictly a perfect example of being average. Nothing special, yet nothing extremely bad, which can be both a good and bad thing. A few great components are the realistic ball movements, especially when you do a header; your head actually hits the ball. What a concept! The grass effects are nice and the players look good from a while away, but overall the bad outweighs the good. The crowd is 2D and flat, and the dances are ...extremely different. Also, players seem to have developed new styles in terms of looks. An American with bright orange hair, jerseys not tucked in, and "skating" on the field. Odd; Very odd.

The soccer realism is good in some parts and horrible in other parts. While in this case the good still outweighs the bad, it's still flawed. The good things are; the actual soccer physics are pretty good quality, although they could have been better. The flaws in the engine are that players "float", they look to kick the ball straight, but instead it goes to the sideline. They also kick the ball low 90% of the time, there is no way to shoot the ball high, and penalty shots always go in the center of the net if they don't miss. It should've been better in a sense; but it would've really helped save it. Some will be able to overlook these gameplay flaws; however, they were so noticeable to me that I couldn't.

The controls in this game are extremely simple. Kick, pass, cross, speed burst = offence. Slide tackle, normal tackle, speed burst = defense. How could you make things any simpler then that? Unfortunately, all of the special moves have been forgotten, so the basic move around is about all you can do. Fancy passing can be done, however it is extremely tricky and more often then not you will lose the ball. Goalies have the usual selection as well: Kick it out, roll it out, drop it and run. Extremely boring for hardcore soccer fans, but decent enough for average gamers.

Sound-wise, Striker Pro is horrible. Late, dumb, and annoying calls come in at the worst times, with the nastiest voices, and the dumbest calls and puns you will ever hear. Also, the in-game sound effects are decent, but not worth having to hear the announcers. Mute the game, you will save your ears from hearing this atrocity. Or you could always cut your ears off, but muting it would probably save some hospital expenses.

The features on this game are.... well... few and short. By winning some of the practice modes, you get extra teams. Striker Pro has an exhibition mode, tournament, league and practice. Pretty bare bones, but not bad for the casual gamer. Not much replay value on this one folks.