Sega Soccer Slam (SSS) for the Nintendo GameCube is yet another reminder why Blackbox is one of my favorite coding houses. Not many people have probably heard of Blackbox, and I am sure that even fewer people remember them when they were part of Virgin Interactive under the name "Team Radical". Way back in 1996, when the Sega Saturn was actually not completely dead in the water, a hockey game was released called NHL Powerplay '96. The game was made by Team Radical and was, dare I say, the best hockey game of that time. So impressed with their work, Sega recruited Team Radical to make their own branded hockey series, which was also released on the Saturn under the name, Sega's NHL All-Star '98. Shortly thereafter, Virgin Interactive disbanded and, along with them, so did Team Radical. Not all was lost however, when Sega hired the team yet again to design a new hockey game for the Sega Dreamcast. Now known as Blackbox, this team of talented coders continue to show their knack for creating not only excellent realistic sports games, such as the NHL 2k series, but also insanely fun sports games such as NHL Hitz 2002 and even more so with Sega Soccer Slam.

Sega Soccer Slam is simply all about the fun. The game packs in assloads of fun and truly raises the bar for any extreme style sports games that try to follow it. SSS will definitely seem familiar to anyone who has played the other recent Blackbox release, NHL Hitz 2002. The control scheme is very close, allowing for precise movement, one-timers, well placed shots of varying power as well as the obligatory turbo meter which quickly depletes if it is abused. Where SSS separates from the pack though, are in the addition of unique play mechanics such as Killer Shots and Spotlight Shots. Killer Shots can happen when you fill up your power meter completely. They are basically a super one-timer with hopped up Matrix-like special effects. As you begin the button combo to trigger the Killer Shot, the set up player launches the ball high into the air while a designated target area appears on the field. Move another player into the target area to finish off the shot, and you're treated to a slow-motion, camera-panning super kick that allows you to perfectly aim your shot anywhere you want it.

Spotlight shots are somewhat similar but a lot more fun in my opinion. Randomly during the game, a spotlight with your team's logo will start it's meandering path around the field while you remain in possession of the ball. If you can get into the spotlight and pull off a shot, not only will you get the slow-motion, Matrix effect, but you will also be treated to a little musical piece or chant which directly correlates to the player who is shooting. You can also 'power up' a character by using your all or some of your Power Meter. The power up is team specific, resulting in some of the nicer special effects that you will see in this game. For instance, the power up for Team Toxic turns the player into a glowing skeleton, (similar to Blight from Batman Beyond if you have seen him), leaving a glowing trail of glowing toxic waste in the wake of the sped up player.

The gameplay is as solid as you can get it, but what makes the game really worth owning? The shear style of the game just oozes all over and throughout. Even when you are just staring at the START screen, you have to deal with a constant barrage of verbal jabs as the insane characters from the game come up to the screen to taunt you before the match. The characters are as diverse as you can possibly get, ranging from the little haggis-eating Scot, Angus, to the cybernetically enhanced Rumiko, who looks like she is straight out of your favorite anime from the future. I can almost guarantee that you will find a character to be your favorite in no time, as well as finding your favorite punching bag.

The characters have tons of taunts and sayings for when they score goals as well as pre-game razzing. It adds a lot of flavor to the game as well as fuel for the inevitable multi-player shit talking festivals that this game will spawn. There are also the little touches in the game that really make in stand out in my book. In the previously mentioned Spotlight Shots, the little musical bits that accompany the shot continually bring a smile to my face. For example, when the masked lucha, El Diablo, goes for a Spotlight Shot, the game sounds fade away leaving a faint hint of the crowd and an ambient chanting of little kids singing his name. It is just such a nice little touch in the game that many developers would not have even bothered with that truly makes the game feel alive.

The feature that really impressed me about the game was how time was taken to try and flesh out the single player experience. Let's face it, games like these are traditionally only good for multiplayer action after the first day. Not the case with SSS, though. Sega made sure the game was packed with enough little features to keep gamers busy and happy for at least a few weeks. With a menu setup akin to another Sega classic, Virtua Tennis, SSS features a slick globe interface along with some mini-games to break up the tournament action. With the money won from mini-games and tourney wins, you can purchase upgrade items for your players which are worn in-game making for not only a visual reward for the upgrade, but also a practical one in a stat such as speed, hitting and shot accuracy. The items generally add a comical touch to the already outrageous characters, my favorite currently being a crocodile hat worn by the huge Australian who hobbles around the field with a disturbingly huge belly button.

Overall, Sega Soccer Slam is about the fun factor. It is not going to go down in history as the most complex game to ever exist nor are people going to laud how it taxes the GameCube hardware. Not that it doesn't do a kick ass job with everything, however. The graphics are very well done, featuring a rock solid frame-rate, beautiful character models and wonderfully colorful, animated backdrops. The drawbacks of the title are more of the "what could have been" variety. I can't see people really complaining about the game for what it is. I can see bright things for the future though. For instance, I would have loved to have been able to mix and match the players into my own teams. You are bound to not care for a member or two of any given team. Being able to mix them into groups of your favorites would easily eliminate that problem as well as adding to the enjoyment for some people. Also, you will max out the one player mode eventually. There are some extra stadiums to unlock, and some cheat codes to uncover, but no extra players or teams. Not that it is a necessity, but some gamers really come to expect this. The game definitely doesn't have that arcade game burn out, but we are not talking about 100s of hours of single player gaming either.

Sega Soccer Slam is a good exclusive for the GameCube and owners of the Cube should not be without this little gem. Like previous Sega titles such as Virtua Tennis, I think Sega Soccer Slam is going to be an underground type of hit. It probably won't make any top 5 charts, but I am sure a lot of gamers out there are going to enjoy this title profusely.