In a year dominated by the World Cup it's inevitable that soccer games by the handful will be released into a market keen to soak up as much footie as possible. Enter Konami's ISS 2, the follow-up to their massively successful International Superstar Soccer on the PS2. Being a follow-up doesn't guarantee success, however, and ISS 2 proves it's possible to take a winning formula and contaminate it with a sprinkling of annoyances that take the shine off a game that promised so much. The biggest problem stems right from the heart of the gameplay itself. Player control suffers from stop/start movements, meaning a change of direction can result in instant loss of possession as the opposition sweep the ball away while the player under your control hesitates for a second before performing the desired manoeuvre. Get caught by this a couple of times and you'll realise how exasperating it is and how it breaks up the smooth flow of play. Commentary too is weak and lacks the variety and smooth flow of titles such as 2002 FIFA World Cup--turning it off is the only real way forward unless you're in a sadistic mood.
If you can push these issues to one side, the rest of ISS2 is a pretty good effort. Intro screens and menus are comprehensive and easy to use and a wealth of club, national and international sides are presented for your ball-booting pleasure. Action replays are comprehensive and, as has become the norm, can be viewed from hundreds of different angles. Graphically, the game's a treat for the eyes and manages to inject a little humanity into the players (unlike 2002 FIFA World Cup's zombie Beckham, who's more likely to frighten the opposition to death than shimmy round them with a flick of the boot).
All in all, though, ISS 2 feels woolly and below par; the inadequacies of the control system make a real dent in the gameplay, which is very disappointing and takes some of the excitement away--it feels more like radio-controlled football then "being there". For best results stick to 2002 FIFA World Cup or try out Sega's Virtua Striker. --Chris Russell
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