Neo Geo Cup '98: The Road to the Victory

Last updated
Neo Geo Cup '98: The Road to the Victory
Neo Geo Cup '98 - The Road to the Victory arcade flyer.jpg
Developer(s) SNK
Publisher(s) SNK
Series Super Sidekicks
Platform(s)
Release
  • Arcade
    • WW: 28 May 1998
    Neo Geo AES
    • NA: 30 July 1998
    • JP: 30 July 1998
    • EU: 30 July 1998
    Neo Geo Pocket
    • JP: 28 October 1998
    • EU: 1998
    Neo Geo Pocket Color
Genre(s) Sports
Mode(s)
Arcade system Neo Geo MVS

Neo Geo Cup '98: The Road to the Victory is an association football video game based on the FIFA World Cup 1998, despite being released after the 1998 FIFA World Cup. [1] [2] It features 64 teams' countries. Each team enters a "Regional Qualifying Round Final" where it plays a team it actually played in the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification. For example: Spain would face Yugoslavia, an opponent it actually faced in its qualifying group. Or Italy would face Russia, an opponent Italy faced in the UEFA play-offs. If the player beats the opponent, it goes to a group much like the real life World Cup. In fact, the team faces opponents that were actually in its group. For example: Mexico would face the Netherlands, Belgium and South Korea. It is a re-make of Super Sidekicks 3 , but the animations and designs were exactly the same. The only difference is teams to reflect the World Cup, kits again to reflect the World Cup, and players to resemble squads from the World Cup (teams that did not qualify use line-ups from friendly games and qualifiers). Its slogan is "We got the kick".

Contents

Unlike its arcade counterpart, the Neo Geo version tries to be more of a soccer simulation game. Differences include the Neo Geo version being more slowed down, and more realism added in shooting, passing, etc. A color version of the game was released for the Neo Geo Pocket Color as Neo Geo Cup '98 Plus Color; this version was later re-released as part of Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection Vol. 2 in 2022.

Playable teams

The game has 64 countries, grouped in 8 zones:

Europe (group A)
* Flag of Italy.svg  Italy
* Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands
* Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland
* Flag of Norway.svg  Norway
* Flag of England.svg  England
* Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey
* Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal
* Flag of Croatia.svg  Croatia
Europe (group B)
* Flag of Germany.svg  Germany
* Flag of Spain.svg  Spain
* Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium
* Flag of Romania.svg  Romania
* Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark
* Flag of Ireland.svg  Republic of Ireland
* Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland
* Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic
Europe (group C)
* Flag of France.svg  France
* Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria
* Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden
* Flag of Russia.svg  Russia
* Flag of Greece.svg  Greece
* Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary
* Flag of Austria.svg  Austria
* Flag of Serbia and Montenegro (1992-2006).svg  Yugoslavia
Africa
* Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria
* Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon
* Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco
* Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt
* Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa
* Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia
* Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg  Ivory Coast
* Flag of Tunisia.svg  Tunisia
North America
* Flag of the United States.svg  United States
* Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico
* Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
* Flag of Costa Rica.svg  Costa Rica
* Flag of Puerto Rico.svg  Puerto Rico
* Flag of Guatemala.svg  Guatemala
* Flag of El Salvador.svg  El Salvador
* Flag of Jamaica.svg  Jamaica
South America
* Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil
* Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina
* Flag of Colombia.svg  Colombia
* Flag of Paraguay.svg  Paraguay
* Flag of Chile.svg  Chile
* Flag of Ecuador.svg  Ecuador
* Flag of Uruguay.svg  Uruguay
* Flag of Peru (state).svg  Peru
Asia (group A)
* Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
* Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China
* Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand
* Flag of the Republic of China.svg  Republic of China
* Flag of Iran.svg  Iran
* Flag of Iraq.svg  Iraq
* Flag of Vietnam.svg  Vietnam
* Flag of Singapore.svg  Singapore
Asia (Group B)
* Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg  Saudi Arabia
* Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea
* Flag of Japan.svg  Japan
* Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg  United Arab Emirates
* Flag of Hong Kong.svg  Hong Kong
* Flag of India.svg  India
* Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand
* Flag of Malaysia.svg  Malaysia

Tournaments

Arcade version screenshot showcasing a match between Colombia and Puerto Rico. NEOGEO Neo Geo Cup '98 - The Road to the Victory.png
Arcade version screenshot showcasing a match between Colombia and Puerto Rico.

The tournaments in the game are the following ones (between parenthesis, the real tournaments in which were based):

Release

Neo Geo Cup '98 (ネオジオカップ’98) is a football videogame released in Japan by SNK in 1998 for the Neo Geo Pocket handheld system. The game was released in Europe as Neo Geo Cup '98 Plus. It is a scaled down port of the arcade game featuring black and white graphics.

In 1999, an updated version was released in Japan as Neo Geo Cup '98 Plus (ネオジオカップ’98プラス). This release should not be confused with the previous European release, since the Japanese version of Plus is compatible with the Neo Geo Pocket Color handheld system. The version was released in North America and Europe as Neo Geo Cup '98 Plus Color. It is an update of Neo Geo Cup '98 with, as its title suggests, colour graphics.

In both releases, there are three game modes; single- a single "exhibition" match, 2p play- an option for two players with two Neo Geo Pocket Colour systems, Neo Geo Cup '98 cartridges and a link cable to play against each other, and story mode- a career mode in which players compete in the Neo Geo Cup competition, play friendly matches, play against friends via the link cable and purchase "power-ups" at the Soccer Shop using credits gained in the Neo Geo Cup competition.

Inconsistencies

Due to failure of getting any official FIFA license (EA Sports held the license) the tournaments are all unlicensed. Also, due to lack of FIFPro license player names are fake. For example: Ronaldo is known as Rosa, Raúl is known as Roul, Luis Hernández is known as Hernardo, Eric Wynalda is known as Wyoming, Carlos Valderrama is known as Valledupar and Martin Dahlin is known as Dahlgren. Despite it, most player's appearance in this game resemble their real-life appearance. Easily identical players are: Colin Hendry (blonde hair), Luis Hernández (blonde hair and caucasian skin), and Jorge Campos (goalkeeper kit) and others appear in the game. Other appearances are inaccurate; for example, Ronaldo is dark-skinned.

Though a majority of team qualifying matches are accurate, there are inconsistencies with some of the team's qualifier opponents. For example, England would face Scotland (although the player can also be paired against Italy, a team England faced in the 1998 qualifiers). Brazil would also play a qualifier against Uruguay. Brazil qualified automatically due to the rule that the winner of the last FIFA World Cup would qualify automatically.

Also, some players have incorrect numbers. For example: Hernán Crespo (Cresko in the game) has the number 11, but in reality he wore number 19, while number 11 was worn by Juan Sebastián Verón.

See also

Notes

    Related Research Articles

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">1998 FIFA World Cup</span> Association football tournament in France

    The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the football world championship for men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. The country was chosen as the host nation by FIFA for the second time in the history of the tournament, defeating Morocco in the bidding process. It was the second time that France staged the competition and the ninth time that it was held in Europe. Spanning 32 days, it is the longest World Cup tournament ever held.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Republic of Ireland national football team</span> Mens national association football team

    The Republic of Ireland national football team represents the Republic of Ireland in men's international football. It is governed by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI).

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">United States men's national soccer team</span> Soccer team

    The United States men's national soccer team (USMNT) represents the United States in men's international soccer competitions. The team is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and is a member of FIFA and CONCACAF.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Andorra national football team</span> Mens national association football team representing Andorra

    The Andorra men's national football team represents Andorra in association football and is controlled by the Andorran Football Federation, the governing body for football in Andorra. The team has enjoyed very little success due to the Principality's tiny population, the fifth smallest of any UEFA country.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Paraguay national football team</span> Mens national football team representing Paraguay

    The Paraguay national football team represents Paraguay in men's international football competitions, and are controlled by the Paraguayan Football Association. Paraguay is a member of CONMEBOL. Their nickname is the Albirroja, or red and white. The Albirroja has qualified for eight FIFA World Cup competitions, with their best performance coming in 2010 when they reached the quarter-finals. A regular participant at the Copa América, Paraguay have been crowned champions of the competition on two occasions. Paraguay's highest FIFA World Rankings was 8th and their lowest was 103. Paraguay was awarded second place with Best Move of the Year in 1996 for their rise in the FIFA Rankings.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Slovenia national football team</span> Mens national association football team representing Slovenia

    The Slovenia national football team represents Slovenia in men's international football and is controlled by the Football Association of Slovenia, the governing body for football in Slovenia. The squad is under the global jurisdiction of FIFA and is governed in Europe by UEFA. It competes in the three major professional tournaments available to European nations: the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Nations League and the UEFA European Championship. Slovenia played its first official match in 1992, one year after the country gained independence from Yugoslavia. The majority of Slovenia's home matches are played at Stožice Stadium in Ljubljana.

    Super Sidekicks is a series of soccer video games made by SNK for its console, the Neo-Geo. Released in the 90's with an arcade-style approach to soccer, the games of the franchise allow players to choose any of the available game modes to compete with AI-controlled rivals or other human players with their preferred team. Though first launched for the MVS hardware, the series were ported for Neo Geo AES and Neo Geo CD, in addition of being re-released through compilations and download services for various consoles.

    <i>FIFA: Road to World Cup 98</i> 1997 association football video game

    FIFA: Road to World Cup 98 is a football simulation video game developed by EA Canada and released by Electronic Arts in 1997. It is the fifth game in the FIFA series and the second to be in 3D on the fifth generation of video game consoles. A number of different players were featured on the cover, including David Beckham in the UK, Roy Lassiter in the United States, Mexico and Brazil, David Ginola in France, Raúl in Spain and Portugal, Paolo Maldini in Italy, and Andreas Möller in Germany. FIFA 98 was the last FIFA game released for the Sega Genesis, Sega Saturn and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES).

    <i>The King of Fighters 97</i> 1997 video game

    The King of Fighters '97(KOF '97) is a fighting game produced by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home console in 1997. It is the fourth game in The King of Fighters series. It was ported to the Neo Geo CD, as well as the PlayStation and the Sega Saturn in Japan only.

    Tecmo World Cup Soccer is a video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Released in 1990 by Tecmo, as its name suggests it is a soccer game focusing on the World Cup. It is a port of Tehkan World Cup, released on arcades in 1985.

    <i>World Cup 98</i> (video game) 1998 video game

    World Cup 98 is a football video game released in 1998 to coincide with that year's FIFA World Cup football tournament, developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts under their EA Sports label. It is 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 used a 3D engine, utilising DirectX for the PC version.

    <i>International Superstar Soccer Pro 98</i> 1997 video game

    International Superstar Soccer Pro 98 is a football video game which follows International Superstar Soccer Pro developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo. The Japanese version was re-released in late 1998 as Winning Eleven 3: Final Version with some slight improvements, such as a wider camera option. In Japan, a version of the game featuring only J-League clubs was released in December 1998 titled J-League Jikkyou Winning Eleven '98-'99.

    <i>Tecmo World Cup 90</i> 1989 video game

    Tecmo World Cup '90 is an association football video game released by Tecmo as an arcade video game in 1989. It was a successor to Tecmo's Tehkan World Cup (1985) and is based on the 1990 FIFA World Cup.

    <i>International Superstar Soccer 98</i> 1998 video game

    International Superstar Soccer 98 is a soccer video game developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Osaka which was released exclusively for the Nintendo 64. It was released at the same time as International Superstar Soccer Pro 98, developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo (KCET) for the PlayStation.

    Bosnia and Herzegovina appeared for the first time in a FIFA World Cup at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, and remains the only time the team participated at a major international tournament to date.

    <i>Super Sidekicks</i> (video game) 1992 video game

    Super Sidekicks is a 1992 soccer arcade video game developed and published by SNK. It is the first installment in the eponymous series and the second soccer game released for Neo Geo MVS, succeeding Soccer Brawl (1991). Featuring an arcade-style approach to soccer compared to other games released at the time, the title allows players to choose any of the available game modes with AI-controlled opponents or other human players with the team of their choosing. Its gameplay uses a simplified two-button configuration.

    <i>Super Sidekicks 3: The Next Glory</i> 1995 video game

    Super Sidekicks 3: The Next Glory is a 1995 soccer arcade video game developed and published by SNK. It is the third installment in the Super Sidekicks series, succeeding Super Sidekicks 2: The World Championship (1994). Featuring an arcade-style approach to soccer like its predecessors, the game allows players to choose any of the available game modes to compete with AI-controlled rivals or other human players with their preferred team. Though first launched for the MVS hardware, the title was ported for Neo Geo AES and Neo Geo CD, in addition of being re-released through compilations and download services for various consoles. It proved popular among players and garnered positive reception from critics, however most reviewers noted that it felt more an update than a true successor to Super Sidekicks 2. It was followed by The Ultimate 11: SNK Football Championship in 1996.

    <i>The Ultimate 11: SNK Football Championship</i> 1996 soccer arcade video game

    The Ultimate 11: SNK Football Championship is a 1996 soccer arcade video game developed and published by SNK. Despite the international name, it is the fourth installment in the Super Sidekicks series, preceding Super Sidekicks 3: The Next Glory (1995). Featuring an arcade-style approach to soccer much like its predecessors, the game allows players to choose any available game mode to compete with AI-controlled rivals or human players with their preferred team. Although first launched for Neo Geo MVS, the game was ported to Neo Geo AES, in addition of being re-released on download services for various consoles. The title received positive reception from critics but proved to be less popular than its previous iterations. It was followed by Neo Geo Cup '98: The Road to the Victory (1998), which is a remake of Super Sidekicks 3 and served as the final entry in the Super Sidekicks saga.

    <i>Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection</i> 2021 video game

    Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection is a pair of video game compilations developed by SNK and Code Mystics. Each of the two volumes contain emulated versions of 10 games originally published by SNK between 1999 and 2000 for the company's short-lived Neo Geo Pocket Color handheld game console, including some featuring characters from fellow game developer Capcom. The first volume was released for Nintendo Switch in March 2021, followed by a release for Windows the following September. The second volume was released for both systems in November 2022.

    References

    1. "Title Catalogue - NEOGEO MUSEUM". SNK Playmore. Archived from the original on 2018-08-28. Retrieved 2019-11-28.
    2. "Ficha Neo Geo Cup 98: The Road to the Victory". Cultura NeoGeo (in Spanish). Retrieved September 5, 2019.