International Superstar Soccer 98
International Superstar Soccer 98 (officially abbreviated as ISS 98 and known as Jikkyō World Soccer: World Cup France '98 in Japan) is a soccer video game developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Osaka which was released exclusively for the Nintendo 64. It was released at the same time as International Superstar Soccer Pro 98, developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo (KCET) for the PlayStation. Although it lacked a FIFPro licence, it featured Italian striker Fabrizio Ravanelli along with German goalkeeper Andreas Koepke (on German release) and Paul Ince (on British release) on the cover.
Also recorded as ISS 98 · Jikkyō World Soccer: World Cup France '98 · Jikkyou World Soccer: World Cup France '98
International Superstar Soccer 98
- Model
- International Superstar Soccer · FIFA World Cup
- Date
- 1998
- Publisher
- Konami
- Genre
- association football video game
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Documentary summary
International Superstar Soccer 98 (officially abbreviated as ISS 98 and known as Jikkyō World Soccer: World Cup France '98 in Japan) is a soccer video game developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Osaka which was released exclusively for the Nintendo 64. It was released at the same time as International Superstar Soccer Pro 98, developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo (KCET) for the PlayStation. Although it lacked a FIFPro licence, it featured Italian striker Fabrizio Ravanelli along with German goalkeeper Andreas Koepke (on German release) and Paul Ince (on British release) on the cover.
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In this article
The object
The object
The cover of the North American version featured Colombian player Carlos Valderrama, and the game featured licence from Reebok to use their logos in adboards and the Chile national football team kits.
Key facts
Key facts
• Title — International Superstar Soccer 98 • Developer — Konami Computer Entertainment Osaka • Publisher — Konami • Producer — Katsuya Nagae • Director — Yasuo Okuda • Series — International Superstar Soccer FIFA World Cup • Genre — Sports • Modes — Single-player, multiplayer • Platforms — Nintendo 64
Content
Content
Due to the date of release, the game focuses on 1998 FIFA World Cup and includes each qualified team plus more. Every team which participated in tournament has home, away and goalkeeper World Cup official kits featuring manufacturer logos and national emblems (with the exception of the United States, whose main uniform is the red-and-white striped kit from the 1994 tournament) and the rest has those used in qualifications. In the European version, the squads are in accordance with official 1998 FIFA World Cup squads as well. Teams that did not qualify have line-ups from the qualifiers (in the North American version, all teams have lineups from the qualifiers). However the players' names are misspelled due to the lack of a FIFPro license, though they have their actual numbers, appearance, age, height, weight and abilities. In the European version, the game has more sponsors other than Reebok, such as Apple and Continental AG, which appear in adboards. The Japanese version was an officially licensed World Cup product and also included unlicensed player names, save for the Japanese squad.
Game modes
Game modes
International Superstar Soccer 98 featured 6 different game modes: • Open Game: a friendly match against the computer or another player with choices of stadium, weather and time of day, as well as match handicaps (player condition, goalkeeper strength and number of players on the field, from 7 to 11). It was also possible to spectate CPU vs. CPU matches. • International Cup: This mode is where the player selects a team from one region and attempts to get them to the International Cup 98, starting from the respective region's qualifiers. • World League: 48 international teams participate in a round-robin tournament with home and away matches. • Scenario: 16 situations wherein the player is placed in a match in progress. Depending on the difficulty, the player must either administer a victory (in easier matches), or win a match by breaking a tie or turning the result around (in higher difficulties). • Penalty Kick Mode: Two teams take a series of five penalty kicks to select the winner. In case of a draw, they undergo successive sudden death rounds. • Training: Practice of shooting free kicks, corner kicks and defensive play with a selected team. The player may also practice freely on the entire field without an opposite team.
Teams
Teams
52 national teams (48 in the Japanese version; Ireland, Northern Ireland, Wales and Greece are absent from it) are featured in the game, in addition to six All-Star teams, only accessible through a cheat code or by winning the 'World League' on level 5. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
- Japan
Reception
The game received "universal acclaim" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. Cubed3 praised the game's "ridiculously addictive" gameplay, create-a-player, six various modes (which have an option of 64 teams, nine stadiums, four weather conditions and a choice of night or day) and the ability to play multiplayer with up to three players. GamePro, however, said, "Soccer fans will find little reason to kick off with ISS '98." In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 33 out of 40. Next Generation said in its August 1998 issue, "After a few hours of play, you'll forgive the apparent lack of improvement and realize that subtlety is everything in the most popular sport on Earth. The only thing that could really improve this series would be the inclusion of real players' names and correct uniforms. Until that happens, Superstar Soccer is just a shade short of perfect." Six issues later, the magazine ranked it at #50 in its list of the Fifty Best Games of All Time, saying that the game "simply represents one of the finest examples of the genre. Although soccer in the U.S. enjoys nowhere near the popularity of other sports, the quality of this simulation should ensure its place on every serious gamer's shelf."
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.KONAMI KICKS OFF HIT SOCCER GAME FOR N64, PLAYSTATION AND GAME BOY. Konami. August 21, 1998.
- 2.Fandom. International Superstar Soccer '98 for Nintendo 64 Reviews. Metacritic.
- 3.McCall, Scott. International Superstar Soccer '98 - Review. AllGame. All Media Network.
- 4.International Superstar Soccer Coupe de Monde 98. Consoles +. 80. 108–10. September 1998.
- 5.Edge staff. Jikkyou World Soccer: World Cup France '98. Edge. Future Publishing. 61. 98. August 1998.
- 6.Davison, John. IS Soccer '98 [sic]. Electronic Gaming Monthly. Ziff Davis. 110. 146. September 1998.
- 7.Enterbrain. 実況ワールドサッカー 〜WORLD CUP FRANCE'98〜 [NINTENDO64]. Famitsu.
- 8.FuncoLand. International Superstar Soccer '98. Game Informer. 64. August 1998.
- 9.Higgins, Geoff "El Nino". International Superstar Soccer '98. GameFan. Metropolis Media. 6. 8. 50. August 1998.
- 10.Toose, Dan. International Superstar Soccer '98. Hyper. Next Media Pty Ltd. 60. 56–57. October 1998.
- 11.Schneider, Peer. International Superstar Soccer '98 Review. IGN. Ziff Davis. November 4, 1998.
- 12.Kitts, Martin. International Superstar Soccer '98. N64 Magazine. Future Publishing. 20. 54–59. October 1998.
- 13.Weaver, Tim. Jikkyou World Soccer: World Cup France '98. N64 Magazine. Future Publishing. 18. 72–75. August 1998.
- 14.Imagine Media. International Superstar Soccer 98. Next Generation. 44. 87. August 1998.
- 15.Nintendo of America. International Superstar Soccer '98. Nintendo Power. 111. 97. August 1998.
- 16.Riley, Adam. International Superstar Soccer 98 (Nintendo 64) Review. Cubed3. March 21, 2006.
- 17.Air Hendrix. International Superstar Soccer '98. GamePro. IDG Entertainment. 121. 192. October 1998.
- 18.Next Generation staff. The Fifty Best Games of All Time (#50). Next Generation. Imagine Media. 50. 73. February 1999.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
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Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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