Ever since my first glimpse of the screenshots of Soccer Slam, I knew I had to get my hands on this game. I love soccer games, and Sega bringing a “Blitz-esqe” soccer title to GameCube just gave me goosebumps. It’s finally arrived, and I have to say, it was worth the wait.

The easiest way to describe Soccer Slam, would be to take NHL Hitz, make it soccer, and cross it with the characters from Ready to Rumble, and add a whole lot of Sega love. At it’s basic sense Soccer Slam is 3-on-3 (+1 for the goalies) over the top soccer. The game play is fast and furious. I would have liked more shooting options, but the power shots, (Killer kicks/Spotlight shots) are easy to pull off after a little practice. Also disappointing is there is no out of bounds (the ball bounces off walls), which takes corner kicks out of the game. Other than that, expect high-scoring and lots of shots on goal.

The players have loads of personality. Their quips and smack talk are varied and entertaining. Even the play-by-play is funny, yet I wish there was more of it. The rest of the in game audio is ok, but nothing outstanding. There is your usual, “Goooooooooooooal” stuff, but some more trash talking would have been appreciated.

There is a quest mode where you can play all the teams, and build up your players stats, and unlock new stadiums and things like that. It’s fun but I really believe multiplayer is where this game will really excel. I’ve only played 2 player, but it’s a lot more fun to play against someone else than the computer. I can’t wait to try it with 4 players.

Everything on screen happens very quickly. Visually it’s pretty good, but sometimes the animations are slightly choppy and not fluid, but overall it’s better than average. I believe Soccer Slam was developed to keep one thing in mind….speed. Once you chose your teams, load times are almost non-existent. The quickness reminds me of Mario Tennis, how you can maneuver around the menus and in game very quickly resulting in more game time. Sure you can wade through the player intros, and the replays and all that, but you push a button, and bam…you’re back in the game.

If you enjoy Soccer games, and are looking for something a little different, seriously, start screaming until Mommy takes you to the store. This game does have some competition coming from Midway very soon (Red Card Soccer), so you might want to hold out or just rent. Black Box and Visual Concepts should be commended on a job well done. Time will tell how deep Soccer Slam is, but for now, it’s a total blast.