Goal! Goal! Goal!
Feb 11, 2011Developed by obscure developer Visco for the Neo-Geo/Arcade GoalGoalGoal! borrows heavily from Tecmo World Cup and a number of other games developed around the same time. Released in 1995 this derivative arcade title somehow adds up to slightly more than the sum of its shoddy parts.
While it’s by no means a great title, I had a lot more fun with GoalGoalGoal! than I expected. You might be wondering why a game that on paper sounds like a variation on the worst of the Fifa series gets a half decent review despite faults like rebounds and rugby tackling. The main reason is that GoalGoalGoal! doesn’t pretend to be a simulation like Fifa and the lack of 360 degree spins and a decent powerbar help make the game more varied. You actually feel a sense of accomplishment when you score a goal which is always a sign of a decent game. Furthermore, the lack of a speed-burst button means that at its core, GoalGoalGoal! is a game of pass and move – just how soccer should be (even if the passes have some serious voodoo). GoalGoalGoal! also holds up fairly well against other Neo-Geo titles and while it doesn’t have the intricate build-up play of the Super Side Kicks series, the larger field and the shooting from anywhere make the goalmouth action more frantic.
