Neo Geo Cup PLUS review by Mistwalker

Overview: NGC98+ is a remake of the original Neo Geo Cup 98 for the Neo Geo Pocket. So what is the plus your wondering? As far as it seems, only the addition of color is what's new. In terms of all else it's the same as NGC98.

Graphics: This little machine is a wonder. The graphics in this game are outstanding in comparison to other graphics seen in other portables. The thing that impresses me the most is the fact that there is no blurring of graphics when the screen is scrolling. Considering the amount of movement on the field, there is no slowdown whatsoever. Everything is very crisp and clear and easily identified. Title screen, setup screens, have their own graphics, and gives you a sense that SNK put in a lot of effort in little things to make this title unique. The character sprites are large but they are all the same. The grass is composed of different shades of green that gives the impression of a well tended field. Also the game has a bunch of cutscenes when you score or get scored on. Visually very impressive.

Sound: Standard beeps and whistles. There is music playing when your on the field, but the sound effects do not seem relate correctly to the action. Nothing outstanding and nothing bad either.

Gameplay: Gameplay consists of two 3 minute halves. The action is brisk and there are some strategy options. You can choose your formation, such as having 4 strikers when you need to score badly. Or having only one striker and a whole bunch of defensemen when you have and want to preserve your lead. Everything is handled by the two buttons, holding or pressing produces various moves. You got your standard headers, volleys, traps, short passes, feints etc. If any of you have played other soccer games for other systems, you might be wondering if there is a dash button? Yes, and no is the answer. You can dash but is takes some getting used to. You have to run in one direction then press the opposite direction to do a 180 cut back, and then during that animation press in direction you want to dash and zoom your on your way. Sounds tricky, but it doesn't take long to get used to. And it is a handy offensive tool. One thing I wish this game included was a field "radar" of sorts, so you could see where your f e llow teammates are. They do have a passing arrow that tells you if someone is in the area you wish to pass, so that sort of makes up for the lack of a radar. The computer AI is very good, their aggressive at times and sometimes march down the field and will stuff one into the back of your net if your caught napping. On defense the computer slide tackles a lot and the goalies can sometimes be impenetrable. A little quirk that could be bothersome to some is the lack of a "switch to closest player" button. The computer usually makes you control the person closest to the ball, but sometimes that person is off screen and you don't know where that person is. It takes a bit to get used to, but it could be annoying to some. Also, there are no real players, they do the usual "get as close as you can without getting sued" thing. Instead of the US goalie Casey Keller, they have a goalie named "Heller". There are 3 modes of play. Single, Vs., and Story mode. The first two are self explainitory. The story mode is where this ga me shines. You choose a team, then play in qualify rounds and then a round of eight for the Neo Geo Cup. Along the way you earn money and popularity. Money buys equipment for your team such as shin guards that make your players kick better or headbands that let you head better. The more popularity you have the better items you can purchase. Such as special spikes for your shoes that hurt players when you slide tackle them. (Highly unethical, buy highly effective in slowing your opponents down.!) A really neat feature is that when you take your story mode team and link up with a friends story team, the winner gets fans and an increase in popularity. So it seems if you want to get the really trick items you should play other humans and increase your fortunes! Special events happen during the story mode, such as a special trader that comes along and sells really nice items at really high prices, (You can talk his price down though!) a nutty scientist that arguments the items you already have, and a robber that steals your equipment. Other things happen such as fans come to the locker room to show support or one of your players has a case of the runs (not joking) and you have to get him medicine or he won't be able to play the next game. All these things creates a RPG flavor and really increases the replayability of the game.

Overall: NGC98+ is a complete and excellent soccer game. The presentation is fantastic, the graphics are exceptional, and the gameplay is smooth and fun. If you already have the original version, I don't see any point in getting this one, unless you must see color. No real names, some minor gameplay niggles, but overall in my opinion highly recommended for any sport or soccer fan.