Overview

Anyone who’s familiar with the history of the Winning Eleven/ISS/PES series knows just how convoluted and confusing the nomenclature can be. Goal Storm ’97 fits in the pantheon of Konami soccer games as the U.S. version of Winning Eleven ’97 (the Japanese quasi-sequel to the very first Winning Eleven game).

Graphics

I remember at the time of the game’s release I was definitely wowed by the impressive 3D player models. Now, practically a decade later, I’m wowed by just how jaggy everything looks! As you can see from the screenshots, the game looks like a rough version of ISS Pro ’98 (a common theme you’ll find in this review). The player models are composed of 3D polygons which were only beginning to become the norm. While not as impressive as Sony’s NFL Gameday, the 3D models are pretty impressive. While there isn’t enough fidelity to really see close facial details, player kits are nicely modeled (you can instantly identify a good approximation of the England kit from Euro 96!).

Player animations are nicely done and you can see the beginnings of certain animations that would become staple in the Playstation Winning Eleven/ISS games such as a few fouling animations and turning. One aspect of the animations that hadn’t been ironed out at this point are the transitions between motions that aren’t nearly as smooth as those in ISS Pro Evolution (or even ISS Pro ’98).

Goal Storm ’97 features 4 different stadia which are decently portrayed, however, the crowds are a pretty shabby looking blur and there are few pitch-side details. TV-style presentation features an intro of the players walking onto the pitch from the tunnel (much like in today’s Winning Eleven games!) as well as instant replays of goals.

Audio

Goal Storm ‘97s audio is laughably crap. The menu music and looped crowd sounds are entirely forgettable, however the real gem is the (unintentionally) hilarious commentary. The first thing that strikes you about the commentary is the delay between stating team names and regular commentary. For example, it’s common to hear;

”Only A mircacle Will Stop…………BELGIUM!!………from getting a beating at the hands of………….ENGLAND!”

The commentator also spends the entire match a few seconds behind the play - you’ll make three passes before he’s finished describing the first pass. It reminds me of playing CD-based PC games on my single-speed CD-ROM drive – it stutters and splutters along. When the game isn’t stuttering, the commentator (who’s identity escapes me) chimes in with gems such as;

“That Boy’s Got A Steel Skull!” (when you head the ball)

“What a prime example of poor OFFICIAL” (after the ref misses a foul)

The commentator also fluctuates from sentence to sentence between sounding ridiculously excited and bored senseless. Videogame’s first bipolar announcer!

Options

The main gameplay modes in Goal Storm ’97 are; Exhibition, International League (composed of 16 teams), International Cup (composed of 32 teams) and Penalty Shootout. The game includes only 32 international teams, no licenses, and no pseudonames – quite a disappointment.

With respect to pre-game options you can select between day and night games, three different weather conditions (Sunny, Cloudy or Rain), three different match lengths (5, 10 & 15 minutes) and three difficulty settings. As mentioned before, Goal Storm ’97 also has 4 different stadiums to play in. Just before you get onto the pitch you can choose from 4 different camera angles and chose to turn on or off the radar.

Tactical options are very basic and a far cry from the series PREDECESSORS such as ISS Deluxe for the SNES. You can only choose from 14 different canned formations (no custom formations) and there are no attacking arrows or defensive assignments. The game does, however, feature smiley faces indicating player condition as well as a few team strategies (Offside, Centre Attack, etc.).

Gameplay

Goal Storm ’97s controls are almost identical to ISS Pro 98’s controls;

D-Pad – Player Movement
Circle - Long Pass (with the ball),  Slide Tackle (without the ball)
X – Short Pass (with the ball), Press (without the ball)
Square – Shoot
Triangle – Through Pass (with the ball), Bring out Keeper (without the ball)
L1 – Switch Player
L2 – Give and Go Pass
R1 – Sprint
R2 - Centre Pass (cross)

The best way to describe Goal Storm 97s gameplay would be that its like playing a beta version ISS Pro 98, and if you haven’t played that game, then it’s like playing an alpha (or very, very basic version of) ISS Pro Evolution.

First off, the ball physics are fantastic for the time. They aren’t yet the unscripted work of art that we all saw in ISS Pro Evolution, but they’re pretty damn good. The ball moves around on the deck in very realistic fashion and it doesn’t stick like glue to players’ feet. The game is all about pass and move (the essence of football) and maintaining possession is the key to success. The AI also does a decent job of creating overlapping runs when you’re on the attack. A power-bar is featured for shooting and there are a good variety of goals that can be scored – you can score from range, from inside the box, following a mazy dribble, from a set piece and more. Most importantly, you feel a strong sense of satisfaction when you do play the ball around, create an opening with an incisive through ball and put the ball in the back of the net.

Of course, as I said before, it still plays like a very, very early version of ISS Pro Evolution and thus there are a number of deficiencies that stand out. For example, there’s no meter for the long pass and as such, pressing the Circle button simply hoofs the ball randomly up field. Speaking of hoofing the ball, the AI lacks any sense of building from the back – once the CPU defense gets the ball they immediately boot it up-field to a waiting attacker! Despite the power-bar shooting is also a little too easy as its very rare that you’ll shoot high and wide.

There are a few other problems with the AI and controls (the buffer is delayed) that remind you that this isn’t one of Konami’s finest, however, it’s still a very solid game that enjoyed playing again.

Replay Value

At the time of its release (actually, almost a year later), Goal Storm ’97 was a solid week-long rental for me. I thoroughly enjoyed the gameplay but the lack of teams and game modes meant I stuck to enjoying FIFA: Road to the World Cup 98 for my Playstation football fix. The second time around has largely been the same, I enjoyed playing through a Cup and seeing the beginnings of the best soccer gaming franchise around but I strongly doubt I’ll be going back to it any time soon.

Overall

I’d only recommend picking up Goal Storm ’97 to the most hardcore Winning Eleven aficionados that want to experience the early beginnings of the series – but even then, only at a bargain basement price. There are a few used copies of Goal Storm ’97 floating around Ebay and I’m sure you’d be able to find a copy or two floating around the bargain bin of your local EB Games or Blockbuster.

Lavan Chandran
20/09/2006

Special thanks to Jas for lending me his Playstation.

Screenshots from:

Overview

Anyone who’s familiar with the history of the Winning Eleven/ISS/PES series knows just how convoluted and confusing the nomenclature can be. Goal Storm ’97 fits in the pantheon of Konami soccer games as the U.S. version of Winning Eleven ’97 (the Japanese quasi-sequel to the very first Winning Eleven game).

Graphics

I remember at the time of the game’s release I was definitely wowed by the impressive 3D player models. Now, practically a decade later, I’m wowed by just how jaggy everything looks! As you can see from the screenshots, the game looks like a rough version of ISS Pro ’98 (a common theme you’ll find in this review). The player models are composed of 3D polygons which were only beginning to become the norm. While not as impressive as Sony’s NFL Gameday, the 3D models are pretty impressive. While there isn’t enough fidelity to really see close facial details, player kits are nicely modeled (you can instantly identify a good approximation of the England kit from Euro 96!).

Player animations are nicely done and you can see the beginnings of certain animations that would become staple in the Playstation Winning Eleven/ISS games such as a few fouling animations and turning. One aspect of the animations that hadn’t been ironed out at this point are the transitions between motions that aren’t nearly as smooth as those in ISS Pro Evolution (or even ISS Pro ’98).

Goal Storm ’97 features 4 different stadia which are decently portrayed, however, the crowds are a pretty shabby looking blur and there are few pitch-side details. TV-style presentation features an intro of the players walking onto the pitch from the tunnel (much like in today’s Winning Eleven games!) as well as instant replays of goals.

Audio

Goal Storm ‘97s audio is laughably crap. The menu music and looped crowd sounds are entirely forgettable, however the real gem is the (unintentionally) hilarious commentary. The first thing that strikes you about the commentary is the delay between stating team names and regular commentary. For example, it’s common to hear;

”Only A mircacle Will Stop…………BELGIUM!!………from getting a beating at the hands of………….ENGLAND!”

The commentator also spends the entire match a few seconds behind the play - you’ll make three passes before he’s finished describing the first pass. It reminds me of playing CD-based PC games on my single-speed CD-ROM drive – it stutters and splutters along. When the game isn’t stuttering, the commentator (who’s identity escapes me) chimes in with gems such as;

“That Boy’s Got A Steel Skull!” (when you head the ball)

“What a prime example of poor OFFICIAL” (after the ref misses a foul)

The commentator also fluctuates from sentence to sentence between sounding ridiculously excited and bored senseless. Videogame’s first bipolar announcer!

Options

The main gameplay modes in Goal Storm ’97 are; Exhibition, International League (composed of 16 teams), International Cup (composed of 32 teams) and Penalty Shootout. The game includes only 32 international teams, no licenses, and no pseudonames – quite a disappointment.

With respect to pre-game options you can select between day and night games, three different weather conditions (Sunny, Cloudy or Rain), three different match lengths (5, 10 & 15 minutes) and three difficulty settings. As mentioned before, Goal Storm ’97 also has 4 different stadiums to play in. Just before you get onto the pitch you can choose from 4 different camera angles and chose to turn on or off the radar.

Tactical options are very basic and a far cry from the series PREDECESSORS such as ISS Deluxe for the SNES. You can only choose from 14 different canned formations (no custom formations) and there are no attacking arrows or defensive assignments. The game does, however, feature smiley faces indicating player condition as well as a few team strategies (Offside, Centre Attack, etc.).

Gameplay

Goal Storm ’97s controls are almost identical to ISS Pro 98’s controls;

D-Pad – Player Movement
Circle - Long Pass (with the ball),  Slide Tackle (without the ball)
X – Short Pass (with the ball), Press (without the ball)
Square – Shoot
Triangle – Through Pass (with the ball), Bring out Keeper (without the ball)
L1 – Switch Player
L2 – Give and Go Pass
R1 – Sprint
R2 - Centre Pass (cross)

The best way to describe Goal Storm 97s gameplay would be that its like playing a beta version ISS Pro 98, and if you haven’t played that game, then it’s like playing an alpha (or very, very basic version of) ISS Pro Evolution.

First off, the ball physics are fantastic for the time. They aren’t yet the unscripted work of art that we all saw in ISS Pro Evolution, but they’re pretty damn good. The ball moves around on the deck in very realistic fashion and it doesn’t stick like glue to players’ feet. The game is all about pass and move (the essence of football) and maintaining possession is the key to success. The AI also does a decent job of creating overlapping runs when you’re on the attack. A power-bar is featured for shooting and there are a good variety of goals that can be scored – you can score from range, from inside the box, following a mazy dribble, from a set piece and more. Most importantly, you feel a strong sense of satisfaction when you do play the ball around, create an opening with an incisive through ball and put the ball in the back of the net.

Of course, as I said before, it still plays like a very, very early version of ISS Pro Evolution and thus there are a number of deficiencies that stand out. For example, there’s no meter for the long pass and as such, pressing the Circle button simply hoofs the ball randomly up field. Speaking of hoofing the ball, the AI lacks any sense of building from the back – once the CPU defense gets the ball they immediately boot it up-field to a waiting attacker! Despite the power-bar shooting is also a little too easy as its very rare that you’ll shoot high and wide.

There are a few other problems with the AI and controls (the buffer is delayed) that remind you that this isn’t one of Konami’s finest, however, it’s still a very solid game that enjoyed playing again.

Replay Value

At the time of its release (actually, almost a year later), Goal Storm ’97 was a solid week-long rental for me. I thoroughly enjoyed the gameplay but the lack of teams and game modes meant I stuck to enjoying FIFA: Road to the World Cup 98 for my Playstation football fix. The second time around has largely been the same, I enjoyed playing through a Cup and seeing the beginnings of the best soccer gaming franchise around but I strongly doubt I’ll be going back to it any time soon.

Overall

I’d only recommend picking up Goal Storm ’97 to the most hardcore Winning Eleven aficionados that want to experience the early beginnings of the series – but even then, only at a bargain basement price. There are a few used copies of Goal Storm ’97 floating around Ebay and I’m sure you’d be able to find a copy or two floating around the bargain bin of your local EB Games or Blockbuster.

Lavan Chandran
20/09/2006

Special thanks to Jas for lending me his Playstation.

Screenshots from: