I know a lot about head injuries. Review

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.