Press release: 1997-11-18: Sega Goes Global With "Worldwide Soccer '98" For Sega Saturn And PC

This is an unaltered copy of a press release, for use as a primary source on Sega Retro. Please do not edit the contents below. Language: English Original source: Sega.com (archived)

SEGA GOES GLOBAL WITH "WORLDWIDE SOCCER `98" FOR SEGA SATURN AND PC

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- (November 18, 1997) --
Soccer ranks as the number-one game in the world for scores of reasons -- the action, the competition, the international rivalries, the victory and the defeat -- to name just a few. Sega® of America is bringing all those together in one game to create the definitive soccer experience with "Worldwide Soccer `98TM," available today for Sega Saturn® and PC.

Ultra Game Players magazine, a leading video game publication, calls "Worldwide Soccer `98" this year's "Best Sports Game," and it is easy to see why. The game was created using input from U.S. Soccer Team member, Cobi Jones, who provided insight on everything from slide tackles, to penalty kicks, to offensive and defensive strategies. To add to the authentic gameplay, "Worldwide Soccer" features 48 of the toughest teams in the world, 3D graphics, unique 360-degree camera angles, on-the-fly professional color commentary and 360-degree 3D instant replay options.

True to all SEGA SPORTS games, realism is key. "Worldwide Soccer `98" features detailed polygon-based characters and motion-captured animation with all the moves of actual players, including everything from banana kicks, to back-heel passes and bicycle kicks. In addition, you can customize your own game by using the stat-tracking feature with 25 categories to help select individual players, evaluate their moves, and factor in suspensions and injuries to create the ultimate offensive and defensive team set-up.

"Worldwide Soccer `98" is a game for soccer fans from around the world. England's own professional soccer commentators Gary Bloom and Jackie Carlton call all the action. And, to make the game truly global, you can play in multiple languages, including English, Spanish, German and French. The Sega Saturn version, which allows up to four players, also includes unique gameplay in both the French and Spanish Premier leagues. Unique PC features include network play for up to four players and the "golden goal" feature, which allows players to save their best goals to their hard drives so they can upload them to the Internet for supreme worldwide bragging rights.

"Worldwide Soccer `98 builds upon our already strong fall sports line-up," said Brad Hogan, product manager, SEGA SPORTS. "The game meets all our benchmarks for creating the most realistic sports title, including professional athlete involvement, all the stats, detailed 3D graphics, advanced artificial intelligence and superior gameplay."

Cobi Jones, midfielder for the Los Angeles Galaxy and the U.S. National Soccer Team, has been working with SEGA SPORTS throughout the development of "Worldwide Soccer `98" to ensure the complete authenticity of the title. With four World Cup appearances, Cobi knows what it takes to bring all the strategy, moves and excitement from the soccer field straight to "Worldwide Soccer `98."

"Sega and I have worked very hard to make this game as real as possible; from the offense to the defense, it is just like playing in international competition," said Jones. "Aside from actually being on the field, nothing I have seen compares to the true-to-life soccer experience found in Worldwide Soccer `98."

"Worldwide Soccer `98" will be available for $49.99 ($39.99 PC) nationwide starting this week. The PC version operates on a minimum specification of a 90 Mhz Pentium with memory of 16 MB and supports play on a keyboard or any Windows 95 compatible peripheral.

Sega of America is the arm of Tokyo-based Sega Enterprises, Ltd., responsible for the development, marketing and distribution of Sega video game systems and software in the Americas. Sega Enterprises Ltd. is a nearly $3.6 billion company recognized as the industry leader in interactive digital entertainment media and is the only company that offers interactive entertainment experiences both inside and outside the home. Sega of America's World Wide Web site is located at http://www.sega.com.