Sega Worldwide Soccer

Sega Worldwide Soccer is a series of soccer games by Sega. The series was first launched for the Sega Saturn and later moved to the Dreamcast. The games were released between 1995 and 2000.[1]

Sega Worldwide Soccer
Genre(s)Sports
Publisher(s)Sega
Platform(s)Sega Saturn, Sega Dreamcast, Windows
First releaseVictory Goal
1995 (1995)
Latest releaseSega Worldwide Soccer 2000 Euro Edition
2000 (2000)

History

Sega Worldwide Soccer, produced by Sega themselves, was a launch game for the Sega Saturn's North American release.[2][3] It was preceded by International Victory Goal, one of the debut titles of the console. The game featured international teams and league, play-off and tournament modes. Although it used fictional player names (due to the lack of a license), the non-volatile memory of the Saturn allowed editing of names. The team kits were as close to the official 1996 kits as possible. The game was the top-rated football game until International Superstar Soccer 64 was released one year later. Worldwide Soccer was later ported to the PC.

One year later Sega Worldwide Soccer 98 was released, again for the Saturn. This version featured (still unlicensed) clubs from England, Spain and France, two new stadiums and the same free-flowing gameplay. US international Cobi Jones appears on the cover of the American version.

One final title, Sega Worldwide Soccer 2000, appeared on the Dreamcast. However, instead of being developed in-house, Silicon Dreams (who previously worked with Eidos on the UEFA Champions League series and also World League Soccer) was given the rights to produce a game bearing the Worldwide Soccer name. An update titled Sega Worldwide Soccer 2000: Euro Edition(capitalizing on the popularity of Euro 2000) was released on the Dreamcast in Europe.

Games
Title Platform USA Europe Japan Notes
Victory Goal Saturn No No 1995-01-20 Also known as J. League Victory Goal
Sega International Victory Goal 1995-05-11 1995-07-08 No Worldwide Soccer: Sega International Victory Goal Edition (North America)
International Victory Goal (Europe)
Sega International Victory Goal No No 1995-10-27 Upgraded engine and different presentation. Not the same game as the previous, identically titled, Western edition
J. League Victory Goal '96 No No 1996-03-29 New engine with 3D players, roster updated to the 1996 J. League season
Sega Worldwide Soccer 97 Saturn, Windows 1996-10-16 1996-10-17 1996-11-29 Known as Victory Goal Worldwide Edition (Japan)
Sega Worldwide Soccer PC (PC)
J. League Victory Goal '97 Saturn No No 1997-03-15 Updated roster
Sega Worldwide Soccer 98 1997-11-19 No 1998-03-05
Sega Worldwide Soccer 98: Club Edition No 1997-10 No Featuring clubs from England, France, Spain.
World Cup '98 France: Road to Win No No 1998-06-11 Fully licensed game featuring all the clubs and players from the 1998 competition
Sega Worldwide Soccer 2000 Dreamcast No 1999-12-01 No
Sega Worldwide Soccer 2000 Euro Edition No 2000-06-30 No Upgrade to the previous game, with European clubs.

Reception

GamePro gave Worldwide Soccer a positive review, commenting that "Not since FIFA amazed 3DO owners has another soccer game looked so good and played so well." They particularly praised the graphics, zooming camera, and the demanding gameplay, though they did criticize the "magnetic" dribbling and passing as being less realistic than the dribbling and passing in 3DO FIFA. Out of 5, they gave it ratings of 5 for graphics, 4 for sound, 4.5 for control, and 4.5 for fun factor.[4]

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See also
  • Wave Master
  • List of J. League licensed video games

References
  1. "SEGA Worldwide Soccer / Victory Goal series". Mobygames. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  2. "1995: The Calm Before the Storm?". Next Generation. No. 13. Imagine Media. January 1996. p. 47.
  3. "Sega Hopes to Run Rings Around the Competition with Early Release of the Saturn". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 72. Sendai Publishing. July 1995. p. 30.
  4. "Worldwide Soccer Rivals FIFA". GamePro. IDG (83): 78. August 1995.
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