Striker '96

I'll give you that Striker is a great game of soccer with insane AI and superb playability, but the amplified announcer coupled with the less-than-fluid frame rate left me just short of totally inspired in the wake of VR. Honestly folks, both games are fantastic. You can't go wrong with either.

With the exception of one recurring graphics glitch (a frozen screen while the game continues), Striker 96 is a great deal of fun. Strong graphics, solid sound, and good gameplay make this the best of the bunch for now. If you like soccer, pick it up!

Who'd be a football game? (Bear with me.) There you are, a talented youngster looking to make your way in the world, and all the time there are the two giants, Sensible and FIFA, towering over you, expecting you to clean their boots and fetch their balls. When you try to show Sensible up on the pitch, it'll just put two or three snappy passes together, gather itself, and launch a curling 40-yard shot that leaves you for dead. With your mouth hanging open. And when it comes to after-match shenanigans, you'll be sitting in the corner nursing a half-pint of cheap lager while FIFA's in the dentist's chair, pouring bottles of twenty-year-old single malt down its throat. Sensible's too good on the pitch and FIFA's got too much cash behind it for you ever to compete. Life's just not fair.

Wer hardwareintensive und funktionsüberladene Simulationen wie Electronic Arts FIFA Soccer 96 nicht schätzt, kann mit Striker 96 das genaue Gegenteil erhalten. Schnelle Action, einfache und wirkungsvolle Steuerung, faire Zweikämpfe und darüber hinaus interessante Modi machen Acclaims Spiel zu einem Highlight unter den actionorientierten Sportspielen. Auf Dauer kann die Software jedoch längst nicht so gut motivieren.

Auch wenn das neue Striker kein wirklich schlechtes Spiel ist, können mich die teilweise comichaften Foulaktionen, die Steuerung samt Ballverlauf sowie das hektische Tempo nicht ganz begeistern. Für herzhafte Fußballduelle mit einem Kollegen aus der Redaktion bleibe ich bei Action Soccer.

Purists will wish the pace were slower so they could perform their special moves, employ more strategy, and simply control the ball better. The field looks good, but the tiny players aren't as impressive. Automatic instant replays do a good job of capturing dramatic moments, but a lack of a zoom prevents you from getting a really good view. The sound effects and commentary are sparse, to say the least. Striker isn't great, but there's some fun to be had here.

En ny grej med Striker 96 är möjligheten att spela över nätverk, vilket är ett plus. Att spela inomhusfotboll är också en rolig idé, men kan inte rädda spelet som är rörigt och aningen för stressigt för att föreställa fotboll.

If you were to ignore everything else that's on the market, Striker '96 wouldn't be a bad game. But if you're aching to get real instead of real annoyed, there are much better soccer games to be had.