I know a lot about head injuries.

When it comes to contact sports, soccer always seems left out. Why is it that people always associate toughness with football, boxing and hockey, but never think of the modern gladiators on soccer fields? From head-on-head headers to the ever-popular swift kick in the groin, soccer players are often forced to endure some of the worst pain imaginable in the sporting world.

And of course, one man's pain is another man's pay-per-view event. Sega knows exactly what I'm talking about, because they've paired up Visual Concepts, the 2K sports god, with Blackbox Games of Hitz fame to create Soccer Slam, the ultimate in sporting violence. With slamtastic soccer action and a colorful cast of crazies, this is one arcade sports game that scores big.

The concept of Soccer Slam is as simple as it gets. Get a few teams of three players (plus one goalie) together and have them beat the snot out of each other in a no-holds-barred battle to the finish. Oh yeah, and they're supposed to kick a ball into the goal sometimes, too. I always seem to forget about that part. But wait, there's more!

Four main modes are available for you to choose from including Arcade, Tourney, and Quest and Challenge. Arcade breaks down into several sub-categories including your basic Quick Start and Exhibition modes. Tourney mode is pretty much what you'd expect with your team taking on all comers in a five day soccer fest for the Tourney Cup.

Quest mode is similar to the Career mode of Sega's Virtua Tennis. Not only will you play in a 10-game season, but you'll also participate in various challenges and earn cash to grab special items that will beef out the abilities of your team. There's even a mid-season All-Star game, where the best players from each team get together for a little fun.

The Xbox version allows you to play two mini-games that were not available in the Gamecube version - Hot Potato and Brawl. Hot Potato pits four players against each other and throws in an exploding ball. Control the ball to gain points, but get caught in the explosion and you'll end up losing points. Brawl is much simpler and just throws four players into an arena with the sole purpose of knocking each other silly.

Also new for the Xbox version is Challenge mode, where you'll have to win a series of four matches in order to unlock new characters. A nice little feature here is the chance to choose the members of your own team to the weirdest group of soccer players since these guys.

The six groups of psycho stars have a few new members since their Gamecube appearance - nine, to be exact. Hailing from various countries around the globe, the characters in Soccer Slam are definitely a significant part of this game's fun factor. From El Diablo the Wrestler to Angus the Scotsman and even the new robot team, you'll get plenty of kicks watching these guys run around the pitch while talking smack.

There are two distinct gameplay features that add greatly to Soccer Slam - Spotlight Shots and Killer Kicks. Spotlight Shots come at random points in the game when your team has control of the ball. A spotlight of your team's logo will wander around on the field and all you have to do is get the ball into the light and take a shot. If successfully executed, time will slow for a few seconds and you'll gain the ability to target exactly where your shot will go.

Killer Kick opportunities pop up when your team controls the ball with a full power meter. Once you hit the appropriate buttons, the ball handler will lob the ball high in the air near one of the other teammates. Get that player in the magic circle and hit the shoot button at the right time, and you'll get a cinematic super shot that will blast toward the goal. It's not a guaranteed score, but you can bet it will knock the goalie silly.

Controlling these guys is a snap thanks to a simple and efficient setup. All you really need to know is how to pass, shoot, and steal. Even people who aren't familiar with sports games should have no problems picking up the basics. But for those of you looking for a deeper game, fear not because other moves like deke, protect, and power-ups are available. A little experience goes a long way.

Completing this game's offense are some great visuals. Each of the characters and stadiums are excellently rendered with smooth lines and bright colors. The animations aren't half-bad, and the pitch will even start to turn brown as the game progresses.

The character voices are also pretty good, but the announcing is extremely lethargic. This guy is so timid, you might not even notice he's there. Then again, I'd rather have an announcer that doesn't say much than an announcer that keeps spitting out all the wrong things.

Of course, like any sports game, Soccer Slam excels as a multiplayer game. You can play with up to four friends in multiplayer matches, and they also included the ability to co-op the Quest mode. Grab some buddies and some drinks and watch the hours fly by.

Although it's a kick, Soccer Slam lacks some depth. There aren't that many mini-challenges in Quest mode and completing the game only yields new stadiums, so there's no real reason to keep playing over and over. I love the ability to unlock brand new characters in Challenge mode, but like many other sports games, Soccer Slam would have benefited enormously from an off-the-wall create-a-player.

But what we've got now ain't half bad. Soccer Slam scores a goal for anyone looking for some lighthearted action and makes a fine addition to your Xbox library.