.gif)
World Cup 98 (video game)
Encyclopedia
World Cup 98 was the first official FIFA World Cup
game developed by EA Sports
after obtaining the rights from FIFA
in 1997. Unlike the previous World Cup games
, which were in 2D and showed a bird's-eye view, World Cup 98 was the first in the franchise to use a 3D engine, utilising DirectX
for the PC version. Accurate national team kits (except for the goalkeepers who were issued a generic kit) were introduced complete with kit manufacturer logos and official merchandise. The game engine is based on that of FIFA: Road to World Cup 98, though it features some minor gameplay improvements to areas such as ingame strategy changing and player positioning. The playable teams in the friendly mode also included several nations that did not qualify for the finals. World Cup 98 was released for Microsoft Windows
, PlayStation, Nintendo 64
and Game Boy
.
The main feature of the game is the World Cup tournament itself, where the player may use either the actual groups used in the finals, or groups composed of a random selection of the included teams. Each match takes place in a recreation of the venue it was played in the actual tournament. As in the real tournament, group games do not go to extra time or a penalty shootout but knockout matches do.
The game was released prior to the actual World Cup, therefore results between CPU teams are not based on results from the actual tournament. At the end of each match, a caption shows the man of the match
award, and if applicable a clean sheet caption. At the end of the "World Cup" game mode, captions show the winner of the Golden Boot for most goals scored during the tournament and winner of the FIFA Fair Play Award
, two awards which are given in the real World Cup.
It is also possible to play friendly matches between any of the teams that are included in the game. At the end of a drawn game the player can choose to finish the match as a draw
, play extra time with the golden goal
rule, or take part in a penalty shootout.
As in FIFA 98, national squads can be customised to reflect the actual tournament's players
by including players from a reserves
pool in the "customise" option.
The "World Cup Classics" mode allows the player to play eight classic World Cup Final matches from Italy versus West Germany in 1982, West Germany versus Netherlands in 1974, Brazil v Italy in 1970, England versus West Germany in 1966
, West Germany versus Hungary in 1954
, Uruguay versus Brazil in 1950, Italy versus Hungary in 1938
, and Uruguay versus Argentina in 1930. The 1982 match is unlocked by winning the "World Cup" mode, and by completing each unlocked game, the next one is unlocked in the order shown above. "World Cup Classics" mode features accurate period team kits (except for the goalies), hairstyles, and names, and commentary for this mode only was provided by Kenneth Wolstenholme
, the BBC
's commentator during the 1966 and 1970 World Cups. For the 1966, 1954 and 1950 World Cup Final matches in this mode, the graphics are in black and white, as they were shown on television at the time. The 1938 and 1930 matches are shown using sepia tone graphics. In matches that took place prior to the introduction of substitutions
, it is not possible to change a player during the match.
and Chris Waddle
, with matches introduced by the voice of Des Lynam
and voice-overs in the team schedules from Gary Lineker
.
As with Electronic Arts' main FIFA Series
, France 98 features several licenced songs; "Tubthumping
" by Chumbawamba
is the title song of the game, with "Terminal Intensity" by The Wizard of Oh, "Soul Beat Runna" by Boymerang
, "Absurd
" by Fluke
and others, are also used in the menus.
and Sensible Soccer 98. The magazine describes the game as "Simply the best football game in the world". MobyGames
scores the game 3.9/5 whilst Gamespot awards the game 8.8/10.
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
game developed by EA Sports
EA Sports
EA Sports is a brand of Electronic Arts that creates and develops sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to mimic real-life sports networks by calling themselves "EA Sports Network" with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as John...
after obtaining the rights from FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
in 1997. Unlike the previous World Cup games
FIFA World Cup video games
FIFA has licensed FIFA World Cup video games since 1986, of which only a few were received positively by the critics, but given the popularity of the competition, they all did positively on the market, and the license is one of the most sought-after. Originally in the hands of U.S...
, which were in 2D and showed a bird's-eye view, World Cup 98 was the first in the franchise to use a 3D engine, utilising DirectX
DirectX
Microsoft DirectX is a collection of application programming interfaces for handling tasks related to multimedia, especially game programming and video, on Microsoft platforms. Originally, the names of these APIs all began with Direct, such as Direct3D, DirectDraw, DirectMusic, DirectPlay,...
for the PC version. Accurate national team kits (except for the goalkeepers who were issued a generic kit) were introduced complete with kit manufacturer logos and official merchandise. The game engine is based on that of FIFA: Road to World Cup 98, though it features some minor gameplay improvements to areas such as ingame strategy changing and player positioning. The playable teams in the friendly mode also included several nations that did not qualify for the finals. World Cup 98 was released for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, PlayStation, Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
and Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
.
Game modes
The game was released prior to the actual World Cup, therefore results between CPU teams are not based on results from the actual tournament. At the end of each match, a caption shows the man of the match
Man of the match
In sport, a Man of the Match or Player of the Game or Man of the Series award is given to the outstanding player, almost always the one who makes the most impact, in a particular match or series. The term was originally used more often in cricket before being adopted by other sports. This can be a...
award, and if applicable a clean sheet caption. At the end of the "World Cup" game mode, captions show the winner of the Golden Boot for most goals scored during the tournament and winner of the FIFA Fair Play Award
FIFA Fair Play Award
The FIFA Fair Play Award is a FIFA recognition of good or sporting behaviour or other actions by people or bodies involved in :association football around the world. First awarded in 1987, it has been presented to individuals , teams, fans, spectators, football associations/federations and even...
, two awards which are given in the real World Cup.
It is also possible to play friendly matches between any of the teams that are included in the game. At the end of a drawn game the player can choose to finish the match as a draw
Tie (draw)
To tie or draw is to finish a competition with identical or inconclusive results. The word "tie" is usually used in North America for sports such as American football. "Draw" is usually used in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Commonwealth of Nations and it is usually used for sports such as...
, play extra time with the golden goal
Golden goal
The golden goal is a method used in association football, field hockey, ice hockey and korfball to decide the winner of games in elimination matches which end in a draw after the end of regulation time. It is a type of sudden death. Golden goal rules allow the team that scores the first goal during...
rule, or take part in a penalty shootout.
As in FIFA 98, national squads can be customised to reflect the actual tournament's players
1998 FIFA World Cup squads
Below are the squads for the 1998 FIFA World Cup tournament in France.Players' age as of 10 June 1998 – the tournament's opening day.-Brazil:Head coach: Mário Zagallo-Morocco:Head coach: Henri Michel...
by including players from a reserves
Reserve team
Large professional sports clubs often have far more players under contract than could possibly play in a match. As a result, many of these clubs create second teams composed of players who need playing time, but have little hope of playing on the first team. The players on this second team are...
pool in the "customise" option.
The "World Cup Classics" mode allows the player to play eight classic World Cup Final matches from Italy versus West Germany in 1982, West Germany versus Netherlands in 1974, Brazil v Italy in 1970, England versus West Germany in 1966
1966 FIFA World Cup Final
The 1966 FIFA World Cup Final was the final match in the 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth football World Cup. The match was contested by England and West Germany on 30 July 1966 at Wembley Stadium in London, and had an attendance of 98,000. England won 4–2 after extra time to win the Jules Rimet...
, West Germany versus Hungary in 1954
1954 FIFA World Cup Final
- External links :* - fifa.com, FIFA, 2002.*...
, Uruguay versus Brazil in 1950, Italy versus Hungary in 1938
1938 FIFA World Cup Final
- External links :*...
, and Uruguay versus Argentina in 1930. The 1982 match is unlocked by winning the "World Cup" mode, and by completing each unlocked game, the next one is unlocked in the order shown above. "World Cup Classics" mode features accurate period team kits (except for the goalies), hairstyles, and names, and commentary for this mode only was provided by Kenneth Wolstenholme
Kenneth Wolstenholme
Kenneth Wolstenholme DFC & Bar was the football commentator for BBC television in the 1950s and 1960s, most notable for his commentary during the 1966 FIFA World Cup which included the famous phrase "some people are on the pitch...they think it's all over....it is now!", as Geoff Hurst scored...
, the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's commentator during the 1966 and 1970 World Cups. For the 1966, 1954 and 1950 World Cup Final matches in this mode, the graphics are in black and white, as they were shown on television at the time. The 1938 and 1930 matches are shown using sepia tone graphics. In matches that took place prior to the introduction of substitutions
Substitute (football)
In association football, a substitute is a player who is brought on to the pitch during a match in exchange for an existing player. Substitutions are generally made to replace a player who has become tired or injured, or who is not performing well; there may also be tactical reasons such as...
, it is not possible to change a player during the match.
Commentary and music
The UK version of the game features commentary from John MotsonJohn Motson
John Walker Motson OBE ,AKA Motty, is an English football commentator on both television and radio as well a well known moter. He made his name as 'Moty' after he moted out the entire Huddersfield huddersfield cheerleaders team. writer.-Biography:The son of a Methodist minister, Motson was educated...
and Chris Waddle
Chris Waddle
Christopher Roland "Chris" Waddle is a former footballer from England. He played for a number of clubs in the 1980s and 90s, including Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Sheffield Wednesday in England, and Olympique de Marseille in France...
, with matches introduced by the voice of Des Lynam
Des Lynam
Desmond Michael "Des" Lynam, OBE is an Irish television and radio presenter based in the UK.He has hosted television coverage of high profile events for many years...
and voice-overs in the team schedules from Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker
Gary Winston Lineker, OBE , is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live...
.
As with Electronic Arts' main FIFA Series
FIFA Series
FIFA, also known as FIFA Football or FIFA Soccer, is a series of association football video games, released annually by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports label...
, France 98 features several licenced songs; "Tubthumping
Tubthumping
"Tubthumping", informally known by its prominent lyric "I Get Knocked Down", is the title of a song released by the Anarcho-punk band Chumbawamba on 11 August 1997 through Universal Records and EMI Electrola. It was their most successful single, peaking at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart...
" by Chumbawamba
Chumbawamba
Chumbawamba is a British musical group who have, over a career spanning nearly three decades, played punk rock, pop-influenced music, world music, and folk music...
is the title song of the game, with "Terminal Intensity" by The Wizard of Oh, "Soul Beat Runna" by Boymerang
Boymerang
Boymerang is a DnB project of Graham Sutton, leading light of post-rock band Bark Psychosis. Sutton released one album as Boymerang, the well-received Balance of the Force, a blend of techy intricately programmed DnB and subtle melodies....
, "Absurd
Absurd (Fluke song)
"Absurd" is a single by the English electronic music band Fluke. The single has made many soundtrack appearances, including Sin City, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Wipeout , NFL Quarterback Club '99 , Enter the Matrix, Spaced, and a Ribena commercial as well as an episode of the 2008 NBC series...
" by Fluke
Fluke (band)
Fluke are an English electronic music group formed in the late 1980s by Mike Bryant, Jon Fugler and Mike Tournier with Julian Nugent as the band's manager...
and others, are also used in the menus.
Reception
The game received mostly positive reviews. PC Guide's 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 LionsThree Lions (video game)
Three Lions is a video game developed by Z‑Axis, Ltd and published by Take-Two Interactive. around the game of football . It was released for the PC, Playstation and Game Boy Color on 17 April 1998 as the official video game of the English Football Association....
and Sensible Soccer 98. The magazine describes the game as "Simply the best football game in the world". MobyGames
MobyGames
-Platforms not yet included:- Further reading :* Rusel DeMaria, Johnny L. Wilson, High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media; 2 edition , ISBN 0-07-223172-6...
scores the game 3.9/5 whilst Gamespot awards the game 8.8/10.