Adidas Power Soccer International 97 PS1 Review

Adidas Power Soccer International 97 is the sequel to the first game in the series that actually was released not long after the original game during early days of the PlayStation and with this sequel it expands upon the available leagues and different divisions with adding in more clubs as well as 56 national teams that you can play through more cups, tournaments and various different League types.

 And with the plethora of modes available there's also an addition of an arcade mode that allows you to get more involved with various aspects of playability in terms of the players. 

So the general gameplay hasn't changed really at all as such even with the graphics very little has changed from the original game in most cases it feels more like an add-on rather than an actual sequel as such. 

That would change however with later games in the series but the basic aspects and control systems are identical to that of the original game and it has more of an arcade feel where you have to literally tackle and be quite aggressive in order to win the ball but with the addition of the arcade mode you have the ability to kind of change the rules in terms of the dynamics of how you play where you can kick players and you can use various special moves in order to gain an advantage. 

But at the same time while using special moves it also decreases your stamina meter which can affect your level of play and even more players can get injured so it takes longer to recover from various knocks or bumps that they get throughout the game so that can affect their overall pace in the game so they can actually run slower or faster. 

It really just depends on what happens throughout the game so it adds a whole different dynamic to the play features of the game and it's also a good element for the likes of the multiplayer mode as this is the type of game that's great fun to have with friends. 

As even though there's a lot of simulation style elements the game plays more like an arcade style football game and yes it's quirky and It's tricky like the original game to get used to with the combinations of the controls but it's one of those games that when you put a bit of time into it, it is a lot of fun because one of the main aspects of the game does get right is the sound effects and the atmosphere, but it's generally very fast paced. 

You won't be able to run really too far with the ball before it's taken off you and because with this being similar to the original game with the play features and the controls not a lot has changed so you can get away with using some of the tips and tricks and even some of the hidden tricks that you could use in the original game which is what I found. 

Even going back to my first experience of this game I originally played this on a demo that was part of the Essential PlayStation magazine it was volume 4 and had a list of like 10 different demos it was one of the best demo discs that I ever actually had because it was like 10 playable demos on it you had anything from likes of Tomb Raider and lots of heavy hitters and then you had this on top of it as well. 

Now you can only play it for one half of a game but I remember playing that demo for hours even for going on for months even because I was actually addicted. It's one of those type of games that right it doesn't play to the same kind of style or realistic stance of the likes of when you compare it to the likes of FIFA 98 or the Pro Evolution or ISS Pro Series but it's just it's a lot of fun in general for what it does. 

It's just It's tricky and it is quirky and it can be difficult for for the beginner but when you get into it it's just one of those games it just is a lot of fun. 

Now mind you there'll be a lot of button bashing going on to try and win the ball but it's generally just a lot of fun with the fast-paced nature of the game it's just there's so much going on at the same time that sometimes it can be difficult to keep up with it but it's just it's a good laugh all together and that's what I found from playing the demo. 

And from playing that demo that's how I found a lot of the tricks that you could use in the game especially that you could you could also use the same trick in the first game that I later found out once I got to play that also that you can lob the keeper from saying nearly just over the halfway line. 

Now It's tricky to do if you hold whatever direction you're going and if you're shooting to right or left you always hold the opposite direction when you're actually hitting the shoot button and what the player should do is or what he will do is he will lob the ball and there's a very good chance that you can lob the keeper from that. 

That's how that I would score the majority of the goals because trying to score goals through normal play in this game is very difficult because the chances are someone will come in and get you a two for a tackle and just literally just take the ball off you or what usually happens is no matter what type of shot you play the keeper usually saves it. 

Sometimes the only way you can either score a goal normally is if you take a shot and there's a player in the way and it bounces off and then that player can get the ball and you just stick it in an empty net. 

That's usually how you would score because if you try to score normally chances are to keep will save it but the only other alternative I found to score goals in the game was literally just to lob the keeper every time which I found from constantly playing the demo of this game. 

And I have to say now I know it's not the best soccer game on the console it's far from it but I had a ton of fun with it and I really enjoyed my time with the demo and then when I got to play the full games as well I have to say never had a blast with them. 

They're a really good fun different type of game, that's the thing to take away from it it's not a realistic football game by any means although considering when it was released back in the early days of the PlayStation these games were considered to be among some of the best soccer games that were available on any console at the time but then when you had the likes of FIFA 98 Road to World Cup and then ISS Pro when they came out that completely changed the way we played games because everything after that we were looking for more realism. 

The games tended to move away from the arcade aesthetic but in saying that the later sequels with Adidas Power Soccer 2 and 98, they did try to change things up but they still kept that kind of fast-paced arcade style nature but by then gamers had started to evolve and adapt and started to move away from these type of pick up and play style games where they wanted more focus and more simulation and they wanted more competitiveness in the games. 

So games they just started to kind of die down a little bit if you will. So that's what obviously led to the demise of the Adidas Power Soccer series after the 98 Edition and there was no more games released after that but it still doesn't take away from the quirky nature of these games for the generation and for the time it was during the fifth generation of consoles it is a lot of fun to play it's definitely different from a lot of the other soccer games that you would play. 

Although it may not have aged well but you still have a blast with it if you go to play it. 

If you're an absolute beginner coming in it will take a while to get used to the certain dynamics and tricks but there's a lot of fun to be had with this game but if you're a former player of the game or used to own it, it's worthwhile revisiting just to have that nostalgic feeling because it is a good laugh and you will have a lot of fun. 

There's nothing better than when you do lob the keeper and then you just hear the crowd go on bananas, it's so much fun so it is. 

So I really do fond memories of this game and particularly the demo that I played of it as well. 

I put a lot of time into that and I really enjoyed it over the years and funny enough when I think about it I still go back to play it every so often because it's just for me it's just so much fun I really enjoyed it. 

And I'd love to know your thoughts of Adidas power soccer international 97 for the PS1 and what did you think of the game overall and how did you play the game initially. 

Did you play it on a demo or did you play the full game and watch your favourite game in the series if you have enjoyed it? 

I'd love to hear whatever stories you have in this game so be sure to share it down in the comments below and be sure to keep watching to see more content on other games similar to Adidas Power Soccer International 97, you can check out the blog where we will be diving into the iconic elements of these classic video games and as always keep those gaming memories alive...