Soccer Kid

Soccer Kid by Krisalis and Songbird Productions
Players:1
Levels:About 20
Difficulty: Hard
Genre: 2D platformer
YOR: January 2000

The Story

Disaster! An alien of the cup collecting kind has stolen the World Cup!

Double disaster!! In a collision with an asteroid the trophy is smashed into five pieces and scattered around the globe. Join Soccer Kid in his quest to recover and reassemble the World Cup. his un-ballievable ball skills are put to the test like never before. It's awesome arcade action all the way with a blistering soundtrack to match.

Soccer Kid was among the many unreleased Jag games that seemingly would never see the light of day, but thanks to Carl Forhan, you can add Soccer Kid to the list of released software.

Soccer Kid is a great 2D-platformer, that while available on some other older systems, is great to have on the Jaguar finally. It was almost finished for the Jag a few years ago, it only lacks the ability to change the controls, which would be nice since the current setup is a little strange. It's still alright though.

It skips the opening "Jaguar" screen just like Protector so it starts loading the game right off. When you get to the title screen, you can set the difficulty or put in a password if you'd like. Also, a really cool feature is that you can chance the color of Soccer Kid's uniform. It's a nice little feature which makes it a little more interesting. Also, you can see the influence of Golden Grahams, written on the shirt, show up through the game, sort of like Chupa Chips in Zool 2. It's kind of funny to see products advertised in video games.

Well, I have to say, Soccer Kid is worth it. It is a very fun and fast game, and it's great to have another 2D-platformer on the Jag. But how does it compare to other games of the genre on the Jag? It's a FAR cry from Bubsy, and I'd have to say I've enjoyed it more than Zool 2. In some ways it seems to be like Zool 2, but it just pulls it off better. I really haven't noticed any slow-down or flicker, which is easy to spot in Z2. True, it may not be Rayman, but I'd have to say it's a different game in Rayman several ways. The objectives and style of play are just different. The ball is your weapon, and you can manipulate it's use in several ways. The physics of the ball seem real enough for the game(it can get frustrating sometimes when you're running along and an enemy pops out of nowhere, so you hit him and you ball goes speeding 200 MPH in the opposite direction you were facing). Sometimes your ball gets stuck in a place like a sewer or something, but lucky you get it back any time you lose it by holding the A button down while standing. This gets very helpful in many spots.

The game gets a little tough in spots, and it just takes some practice and getting used to. I don't mind having a game that's a challenge, I mean, I spent $70 or so on it, so I'd hope it wouldn't take a few hours to get through. I haven't gotten very far yet, mostly due to lack of time(thanks to work), but it's been the only game I've been playing lately.

One of the best reasons I'd recommend getting Soccer Kid, is that its something different. Like Kevin Manne pointed out it's fun to play something other than the latest 3D platformer or FPS. Games like this just aren't made anymore. That's another reason I want to thank Carl for releasing this, and I hope more Jag titles then those announced will be able to be released in the future. This game reminds me of one reason I'm a Jag fan. I don't care that the Jag isn't running the latest and greatest in software today, I like it because it's games are unique, and a break from the mainstream. Some may argue with me about the "unique" thing, but that'd prove they haven't played the original titles the Jag has. I end this review with the moral, get Soccer Kid and be different :)

RATINGS-

GRAPHICS- B+ - Doesn't break any boundaries on the Jag, but it blows away the likes of "Bubsy" and "Zool 2"

Sound/Music- A - This has a cool soundtrack. Just what I expect to hear from my Jag.

Control- B+ - It sucks that Carl couldn't work on the game a little bit, as I'd like to change the controls from what they are set to.

Fun Factor- A - It's got an addicting feel to it, even if I get frustrated with it. You can just keep going, and going:)

By Adam Pratt