A few words from me
What or who would give me the idea of doing an article devoted entirely on Virtual Soccer 2, you might ask.... I did it because as you might already know, there are tonnes of websites devoted to the other soccer games such as Actua Soccer and EA Sport's FIFA98 RTWC but none for Virtual Striker 2. I spent a whole month searching for websites on Virtual Striker and turned up empty-handed and so I've decided to do something on this game as Virtual Striker 2 without a doubt is the best soccer game currently and its efforts and extraordinary gameplay should not go unrecognised.
What is Virtual Striker 2?
Virtual Striker 2 is a soccer game made and furnished exclusively by SEGA. Virtual Striker 2 comes in the arcade version and home video game version. But I will only focus on the arcade version. Virtual Striker 2 is by far the most established and popular soccer game on the arcade scene right now. I dunno about other countries but when you wanna play a soccer game in an arcade here in Singapore, Virtual Striker 2 is just about the only one that can give you something like the excitement, the feel, the passion that a real soccer match would bring. No other game is quite like it, it's as good as watching a real live match on television. So far, no other soccer game can match or even come close to what Virtual Striker 2 has achieved.
Virtual Striker 1
Sega first exploded onto the soccer game arcade scene with the launch of Virtual Striker 1 about 3 to 4 years ago. At that time, it seemed that Sega has answered what many soccer fans want. A REAL soccer game. Virtual Striker 1 gave its fans the first taste of 3D soccer and something that vaguely matched real-life soccer. Diving headers, bicycle kicks, volleys, crossing were all made possible by this new game. Virtual Striker 1 was truly the best soccer game at that time and made the Super Sidekick series (which is the only soccer game worth mentioning) look extremely pathetic. But as good as Virtual Striker 1 was, most fans of the game would agree that there was definitely more room for improvement. And so, Sega started on its next project, the second series of Virtual Striker which of course turned out to be the biggest soccer game ever found at the arcade. But Virtual Striker 1 made an important breakthrough: It laid the foundation for real-3D soccer and now arcade soccer will never ever be the same again.
What Virtual Striker 2 offers:
2 interconnected screens gives 2 people the chance to fight it out against each other.
A counter that keeps track of how many wins that you may have. The more the better, and the more you become the center of attracton.
3 easy to use buttons and an eight directional joystick with better maneuvering capabilities than Virtual Striker 1.
Even better 3D graphics and effects! Instantly recognisable players include Paul Ince, David Beckham, Paul Gascoigne, Alan Shearer, Patrick Kluivert, Dennis Bergkamp and many more! Even the crowds are better! Flags waving and drums beating creates an electrifying atmosphere. Even confetti lying on the pitch will move and fly up when players or the ball touches them! Water bottles standing by the side of the pitch will fall when knocked over by the ball!
Better gameplay: This feature simply cannot be missed! Get your hands on this game and you will instantly find that everything, from passing to heading is significantly improved.
Animation is another added value to the game. When players fall when they are fouled, they would either jump around or clutch their feet in agony just like in real life. Celebrations are also more varied now. I especially like the drinking-from-the-bottle celebration where a player upon scoring a goal, goes behind the goalpost, pick up a water bottle and drinks.
Another 7 countries have been added to the "Virtua Striker 2" lineup - Croatia, Belgium, Urugray, Russia, Yugoslavia, and Greece. A total of 24 countries now battle it out in the hottest soccer action around! Below is the list of countries you can choose:
 Colombia
|
 Portugal |
 Yugoslavia
|
 Holland |
 England |
 Denmark |
 France |
 Italy |
 Bulgaria |
 U.S.A. |
 S Arabia |
 Spain |
 Brazil |
 Russia |
 Greece |
 Nigeria |
 Mexico |
 Belgium |
 Japan |
 Uruguay |
 Germany |
 Croatia |
 S. Korea |
 Argentina |
A tactics switching system allows you to switch between offensive and defensive formations during the match. press start to navigate between the choices.
Passwork doesn't get any closer to the real thing than this! Direct passes without traps are now possible.
The closer you get to the finals the bigger the stadiums and the wilder the fans.
The stadium environment changes from day to night depending on the actual time of game play (a clock is built onto the PCB).
Virtual ads heighten the feeling of really being there. Ads for real companies are placed throughout the stadiums for an even more realistic match environment. The soccer ball used in the game is the same as the offical ball used in the 1994 World Cup when players wore popular spiked shoes.
How To Play?
3 buttons: A, B & C
A - short passes or sliding tackle
B - long and high passes or defensive headers
C - Shooting or offensive headers
The height and strength of shots can be controlled by how
long you hold down the shoot
button. Holding down longer means your shot will be more
powerful and higher.
Also there is a special skill called the chip. Press the shoot button and pull back your joystick. Also, the power meter will come up. The longer you hold the shoot button, the more further and higher the chip will be. This skill is particularly useful to lob the keeper when he stands too out of his line.
If you want to hit the ball first time, whether it is a header from a cross or volley, press the shoot button and direction before the ball reaches you.
First time passes can also be done this way. press A and direction before the ball reaches your player.
Hints and Tips
Try to first touch pass the ball more often. This makes it hard for your opponents to clamp you down. Also one touch passing could send a person free.
Do not try to dribble past the entire defence and score because this game does not allow it! Do not do a Virtual Striker 1 please! You might get past one or two but you will NEVER get past the entire defence. The key to the game is passing.
Try not to use the slide button unless it is an absolutely desperate situation such as when your opponent is through on goal. You are more likely to give away fouls then win the ball.
Instead, to make a simple but effective tackle without giving away a foul, walk your player to your opponent and stick close to him. Your player will automatically stick out a leg and dispossess him.
Also hold back your slide until your opponent braces himself up for the shot. You have a better chance of not giving away a penalty this way.
Also, try not to pass the ball back to your goalkeeper because there seems to be little improvement on the intelligence of the keepers. They might let the ball slip between their legs or something. Although such cases are rare, it is better to be safe than sorry. If you really have to pass back, use the A button and slowly pass the ball back. Never use the B button as the keepers have to control the ball first before clearing and this increases the chance of them doing something stupid.
To do a through pass, get your player beyond the halfway line and chip it gently forward towards goal. Your opponents will let the ball slip under them and you will be racing through on goal!
Do not attempt to score from free-kicks! In my entire career of Virtual Striker 2, I only saw 1 goal scored direct from a free kick. The most probable result if you attempt to shoot is to be blocked by the wall. Instead, pass to a teamate.
When taking penalties against the computer, I advise you to blast the ball straight down the middle. Most of the time, computer keeper's tend to dive to the right or left.
The 3 So-Called 'Cheats'
In this game, there are 3 'skills' that experts term as 'cheats'. This 3 cheats are outlawed at the Ken-Air video arcade at the basement of Specialist's Shopping Centre. There is a small notice affixed to each machine. The arcade there serves as a gathering of Virtual Striker 2 experts who go there to pit their skills against one another. Only go there and challenge if you're of some standard to avoid humiliation.
Now I shall discuss each 'cheat' one by one-
Full-Power:
As most Virtual Striker 2 players should know, the easiest way to
score is to let fly from way out and leave the goalkeeper
clutching air. There are 2 ways to do this:
Crossing
This might not seem like a 'cheat' as crossing is a pretty
orthodox skill. But in the game, 9 crosses out of 10 find their
target and results in a goal. The usual finish would be a simple
header that ends up in the bottom corner of the net. Also giving
away corners is as good as conceding a goal as a cross straight
from a corner almost always results in a goal.
Walking On Line
According to the experts, this is about the cheatest cheat you
can get. Your opponent will never get the ball off your feet! How
is this done? Walking on the line simply means walking on the
touchline, your opponent can tackle you but will always kick it
out for a throw-in and you will still have possession of the
ball. When you dribble all the way to the bye-line, you can get
over a cross which will almost certainly be put away by your
strikers.
Other Cheats
Upon kick-off, twist left and right and you will get pass your first man before unleashing a shot (full power) from 30 metres.... GOALLLLLL!
Upon kick-off, pass the ball to your right or left flanks and let your wingers chase. Before your man reaches the ball, turn your direction button 45 degrees right or left and full power........GOALLLLLL! However, this cheat is only workable for some teams.
To choose FC SEGA, do the below 4 steps
Notice the words formed SEGA.....
A new team, FC SEGA will appear at the top of the list of
countries, move your joystick to the team and select it.
Also, I know of a cheat involving stalling while taking penalties and getting a team of snowmans but I do not have the relevant information as yet.
Any cheat that you would like to contribute or anything you would like to correct can e-mail me at - [email protected]