World Cup 98

The game received favourable reviews on all platforms according to the review aggregation website GameRankings. Next Generation said of the PlayStation version, "Released to coincide with the recent World Cup frenzy, Electronic Arts' World Cup 98 is technically a winner. The game delivers fast reactions to controller commands, realistic player movement, clean graphics, an excellent soundtrack, and adrenaline-pumping excitement." Jeff Lackey of Computer Games Strategy Plus gave the PC version all fives stars, saying, "If you don't have FIFA 98, the decision is clear—if you are a soccer fan, or any type of computer sports fan at all, you will love World Cup 98. If you have FIFA 98, the decision is a bit trickier as the improvements are subtle but significant—you will likely find the improved player and goalie AI and the wonderful recreation of the World Cup atmosphere well worth the price of admission." Warren Christmas of PC Zone gave the same PC version 91%, saying, "World Cup 98 is quite simply the finest football game on the PC; the perfect accompaniment to the tournament. Not so meat and gravy, then, as a succulent chicken in white wine sauce (or something). Gorge yourself on it." Brad Cook of AllGame gave the same PC version four stars out of five, saying, "Overall, you'll love this game if you're a soccer fan and [you] will still enjoy it even if you like sports games but aren't a big soccer player. Novice players will find it easy to play (scoring goals isn't very hard on amateur level) while experts will like the wealth of options available for them to play with." However, Edge gave the same PC version seven out of ten, saying, "Ultimately, WC '98s basic core of gameplay remains unchanged. For RTWC '98 owners, it's a purchase for the completist or the extravagant; for the uninitiated few, an opportunity to see a commercially evergreen franchise in rare form." Cam Shea of Hyper gave the N64, PlayStation and PC versions each 90%, calling the game "a superb game, but think twice if you already own FIFA 98." James Ashton of N64 Magazine gave the N64 version 73%, calling it a "highly desirable license, [but a] flawed game." Air Hendrix of GamePro said of the Nintendo 64 version, "Although World Cups a better-playing game than FIFA, it has less variety, and its refinements aren't exactly huge. Casual soccer gamers should definitely rent before springing for another game—especially since the release of International Superstar Soccer 98 is just around the corner, and who knows how that'll score." The Rookie of the same magazine said of the PlayStation version, "When the final whistle sounds, World Cup '98 is an extremely fun and challenging soccer game, and one of the best on the market. While some excellent improvements have been made over the recently released FIFA '98: Road to World Cup, if you already own that title (and unless you're a total soccer nut), you probably won't need to make another soccer purchase." Electronic Gaming Monthlys four reviewers similarly said that while the improvements were significant, they were not enough to justify buying the game for players who already owned FIFA 98, nor enough to make it as good as International Superstar Soccer 64, which was released for the Nintendo 64 the previous year. The PlayStation version was a bestseller in the UK. At the 1999 Milia festival in Cannes, it took home a "Gold" prize for revenues above €48 million in the European Union during the previous year. PC Guides July 1998 issue named World Cup 98 as the winner of a group test involving other PC football games around at the same time, ahead of competitors such as Actua Soccer 2, Three Lions and Sensible Soccer '98. The magazine described the game as "Simply the best football game in the world." The PC version was a finalist for Computer Games Strategy Plus 1998 "Sports Game of the Year" award, which ultimately went to Grand Prix Legends. The staff called the game "superb, a tour de force of soccer simulation." Likewise, the same PC version won the "Best Sports" award (along with FIFA: Road to World Cup 98 and FIFA 99, collectively) at Computer Gaming Worlds 1999 Premier Awards.