World Cup 98

World Cup 98 Brand : ea sports Weight : 3.2 ounces EA SPORTS World Cup 98 is created by the makers of the internationally-acclaimed FIFA Soccer series World Cup 98 delivers all the action of the World Cup tournament in precise detail including all 32 teams and 10 World Cup stadiums.Review Just what the heck is going on with World Cup 98 Is it a new game Is it FIFA 99 Or is it just a rehash of the old version and an attempt to remind everyone, six months after FIFA 98 came out, that EA splurged and bought the license to the actual tournament itself this year One thing for sure, it has a lot fewer teams on the roster. Thankfully it also has some new tactical elements and in-game management options that add a lot to the games already awesome gameplay. But is it worth it Well, thats sort of a personal question. Like FIFA 98, World Cup 98 is chock-full of moves. Theres plenty for the novice to learn, including flick-passes, long volleys, and diving headers on goal. For the adept, theres an easy to use passback system, to make the most of those ample corners and get the oppositions defense sweating a little. Football illuminati will find a fistful of special moves that are a cinch to pull off, and after an hour or so, youll be bicycle-kicking like Pele and performing a bizarre array of MC Hammer-inspired footwork to mesmerize and confuse the opposition. The beauty of both FIFA 98 and World Cup 98 is that, despite the volume of control possibilities, you can still play a pretty competitive game without any of the fancy stuff. Just run, pass, and shoot. And pick up the rest on your own time. World Cup 98 has a wealth of new in-game management and strategic control options. Before the game, you can set up three different custom formations (labeled IGM 1, 2, and 3) that can be switched during play at the touch of a button, er... OK, three buttons. In addition, the new version offers plays you can run, including an offsides trap, to (guess what) draw the enemy offsides, a through ball run, to set up breakaway passes, and more. These simple plays provide an easy and powerful means to control non-ballcarriers, allowing more advanced players to pick apart the opposition. Its funny how things like a play book are taken for granted with a football title, yet were so refreshingly surprised when a rudimentary one shows up in a soccer game. All cynicism aside, its a great addition to gameplay. While there are dozens of new real-time management options out on the pitch, theres really nothing new behind the scenes. Granted, FIFA 98s plethora of management features remain. You can still go berserk and set your teams strategy to its offensive maximum, and set each players individual attacking bias and aggression level to full, and then watch the rabid zealots swarm around the ball like angry bees (and lose the game with one good enemy through-pass). You can still create a bizarre race of puffy-haired redhead clones, and you can make your front line supersonic at the expense of all ball-carrying skill by tweaking their stats. Versatile, but nothing new. Like its predecessor, World Cup 98 has terrific AI, which means more than just the confidence that when you pass the ball blindly downfield, therell be someone there to pick it up. The CPU defense is tough on hotdoggers. You wont get past the amateur difficulty setting by just holding down the sprint button and sending your center striker downfield on a solo mission. Thankfully, a smart AI encourages you to find creative ways to move the ball around the field and exploit enemy weaknesses. The default settings for player aggression leave your CPU-controlled teammates a little lackluster, especially on defense. However, with a couple of tweaks in the team management screens, theyll start going for it. Youll also find that the AI takes team ratings very seri

World Cup 98