Super Sidekicks (video game)

Last updated
Super Sidekicks
Super Sidekicks arcade flyer.jpg
Developer SNK
Publisher SNK
Producer Eikichi Kawasaki
Designers Eri Koujitani
J. Mikami
Masato Miyoshi
Composers Yoko Osaka
Yoshihiko Kitamura
Series Super Sidekicks
Platforms Arcade, Neo Geo AES, Neo Geo CD
Release
  • JP: December 14, 1992
  • NA: December 1992 [1]
Neo Geo AES
  • WW: February 19, 1993
Neo Geo CD
  • JP: March 31, 1995
  • NA: October 1996
Genre Sports
Modes Single-player, multiplayer
Arcade system Neo Geo MVS

Super Sidekicks [a] is a 1992 association football video game developed and published by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home platforms. It is the first installment in the eponymous series and the second soccer game released for the Neo Geo after 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.

Contents

Headed by Eikichi Kawasaki, Super Sidekicks was developed by most of the same team that worked on several projects for the Neo Geo platforms at SNK. Originally launched for the MVS hardware, the game was later released for both Neo Geo AES and Neo Geo CD, as well as through download services for various consoles. The title proved popular among players and garnered positive reception from critics; praise was directed towards the graphic presentation and fast gameplay, while criticism was directed towards several aspects. It was followed by various sequels and a remake.

Gameplay

Arcade version screenshot showcasing a match between Germany and Spain NEOGEO Super Sidekicks (Tokuten O).png
Arcade version screenshot showcasing a match between Germany and Spain

Super Sidekicks is a soccer game that is played from a top-down perspective in a two-dimensional environment with sprites. Although it follows the same gameplay as with other soccer titles at the time and most of the rules are present as well, the game opts for a more arcade-styled approach of the sport instead of being full simulation, using a simplified control scheme. [2] The tile features 12 teams divided into two groups which compete for the "SNK Cup": Group A (Germany, Italy, Spain, England, Mexico, Japan) and Group B (Argentina, Holland, Brazil, France, United States, South Korea). [2] [3]

The player's team gets to play against all five other teams in their group. Should the player's team do well in the group stage, they advance to the elimination stage to play the semifinals, followed by the final to win the cup. There is a hidden mechanic in the game that affects single-player matches. During a free kick for the AI opponent, if the player has tapped button A for player two, the AI performs a short-shot while pressing the button A performs a longer kick. One noted mistake was that Spain's kit resembles Portugal's, which would not be featured until future entries. [4] Another mistake is Mexico's uniform color, which was corrected in the sequels. [2]

Development and release

Super Sidekicks was the second soccer game developed for the Neo Geo MVS after Soccer Brawl , being created by most of the same team that worked on multiple projects for the Neo Geo platforms at SNK such as Ghost Pilots and Alpha Mission II . [5] [6] Producer Eikichi Kawasaki headed its creation, with Kenji "Ishimotti" Ishimoto acting as designer. [6] Shinsekai Gakkyoku Zatsugidan members Yoshihiko "Jojouha Kitapy" Kitamura and Yoko Osaka handled the sound design. [6] [7] Masato "Mioshi" Miyoshi, "S K", "Younger Face", Eri Koujitani, J. Mikami and Mori-P were responsible for the pixel art. [6] Programmers under the pseudonym "Mabushi", "Narutaki" and "EP82boy" were in charge of coding. [6] Other members collaborated in its development. [6] The SNK staff wanted to translate the spectacle and action of their fighting games into soccer. [8]

Super Sidekicks was first released by SNK for the Neo Geo MVS on December 14, 1992, and was then released for Neo Geo AES on February 19, 1993. [9] [10] [11] It was showcased at the 1993 IMA show in Frankfurt. [12] The game was later re-released for the Neo Geo CD in Japan on March 31, 1995, and later in North America in October 1996. [9] [11] [13] In 2010, a version by M2 for the NEOGEO Station service was published by SNK Playmore on PlayStation Network. [14] The title is available as one of the 20 pre-loaded games with the Neo Geo X. [15] Hamster Corporation re-released the game as part of their ACA Neo Geo series for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Windows, Android and iOS. [16] The title was also recently included in the international version of the Neo Geo mini, the Neo Geo Arcade Stick Pro plug and play game device and the Neo Geo MVSX table top. [17] [18] [19]

Reception

Super Sidekicks garnered positive reception from players and critics. [36] [37] [38] [39] In Japan, Game Machine  [ ja ] listed Super Sidekicks on their March 1, 1993 issue as being the fourth most-popular arcade game at the time. [40] RePlay reported Super Sidekicks to be the tenth most-popular arcade game at the time. [41] Marc Menier and Robert Barbe of Consoles +  [ fr ] criticized the presentation but praised the graphics, animations, sound design, playability and longevity, also stating that Super Sidekicks recreates the frenzied atmosphere of football matches. [22] Christophe Delpierre of Player One  [ fr ] gave very high remarks to the visual presentation, sound design, playability, difficulty and longevity. [34] Andreas Knauf of Video Games  [ de ] complemented the detailed graphics and playability, regarding the game to be better than Soccer Brawl. [35] Paolo Cardillo of Computer+Videogiochi  [ it ] praised the visuals, audio, playability and longevity, stating that Super Sidekicks is "undoubtedly fun, but much more was expected from the Neo Geo". [25] Likewise, Piemarco Rosa of Consolemania  [ it ] commended the visuals, sprite animations and arcade-perfect gameplay but criticized the sound design for being inappropriate. [26]

Megablast's Michael Schnelle commended the visuals but felt mixed about other aspects. [29] HobbyConsolas 's Marcos García gave high remarks to the visuals, sound design and playability, but criticized the small team roster and the lack of certain gameplay aspects. [27] Jean-François Morisse and Nourdine Nini of Joypad  [ fr ] praised the graphics, animations, controls and sound design but criticized the slowdown that occurs when too many sprites are present in penalty areas. [28] G. S. of Play Time  [ de ] criticized the sound but praised both visuals and gameplay. [33] Electronic Gaming Monthly 's four reviewers commented positively in regards to the visuals, sound design and gameplay. [23] German magazine Mega Fun  [ de ] reviewed and praised the title several times, [32] with both Uwe Kraft and Ulf Schneider commending the visuals and sound. [30] [31] Similarly, GameFan 's four reviewers gave positive remarks to the visual department and fast gameplay. [24]

Javier Iturrioz of Superjuegos  [ es ] commended the visual presentation, simple controls and gameplay, but noted that the gameplay options do not vary much. [5] AllGame 's Kyle Knight gave positive remarks to the visuals and gameplay but criticized the sound design and controls. He called the game as equally enjoyable and frustrating. [21]

Retrospective reviews

Super Sidekicks has been met with mixed reception from retrospective reviewers in recent years. VentureBeat 's Daav Valentaten noted its colorful graphics, fast action, simple controls but criticized the inability to choose players, precision to steal the ball from opponents and framerate in the PlayStation Network version. [46] In 2014, HobbyConsolas identified it as one of the twenty best games for the Neo Geo AES. [48] Elliott Osange of Bonus Stage stated that "Super Sidekicks will appeal to fans from the NEO GEO era and diehard football fans who need something to fill the void in their lives. For casual sports players and non-sport entities, however, this is going to be a hard pass". [47]

A staff member of German magazine MAN!AC  [ de ] reviewed the PlayStation Network version via PlayStation Portable, noting the difficulty level of AI-controlled opponents and praised the visual presentation, regarding the game to be quite entertaining but recommended playing its sequels. [43]

Nintendo Life 's Dave Frear praised its fast gameplay and visual presentation but criticized the lack of additional replay value, options and teams. [44] Nintendo World Report's J.P. Cobran criticized the controls, the disjointed gameplay for being choppy and the zoomed perspective. [45]

Legacy

Super Sidekicks spawned a series of three sequels and a remake; Super Sidekicks 2: The World Championship (1994), Super Sidekicks 3: The Next Glory (1995), The Ultimate 11: SNK Football Championship (1996) and Neo Geo Cup '98: The Road to the Victory (1998). [2] [9] [11] The Ultimate 11 proved to be less popular than its predecessors, while Neo Geo Cup '98 served as the final game in the series. [2] [9] Mexican magazine Club Nintendo regarded the Super Sidekicks franchise as one of the best soccer sagas in video games, touting it to be better than Sega's Virtua Striker series. [2]

Notes

  1. ↑ Also known as Tokuten Ou (Japanese: 得点王, Hepburn: Tokuten Ō; lit. "Goal-Scoring King") in Japan

References

  1. ↑ Akagi, Masumi (October 13, 2006). アーケードTVゲームリスト国内•海外編(1971–2005) [Arcade TV Game List: Domestic • Overseas Edition (1971–2005)] (in Japanese). Japan: Amusement News Agency. p. 135. ISBN   978-4990251215.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Arcadias: Super Sidekicks". Club Nintendo (in Spanish). No. 199. Editorial Televisa  [ es ]. June 2008. pp. 66–67.
  3. ↑ Super Sidekicks user's manual (Neo Geo AES, US)
  4. ↑ Elias, Juan (October 11, 2017). "AlfaBetaRETRO: Super Sidekicks – Los magos del balón". Alfa Beta. Difoosion. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  5. 1 2 Iturrioz, Javier (August 1995). "A Pie de Pista: Neo Geo – Super Sidekicks". Superjuegos  [ es ] (in Spanish). No. 40. Grupo Zeta. p. 80.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 SNK (1992). Super Sidekicks (Neo Geo MVS). SNK. Level/area: Staff roll.
  7. ↑ Fuentes, Edgar S. (August 31, 2016). "Vandal Game Music: SNK Sound Team — Realizamos un recorrido por el equipo interno de compositores de SNK desde sus inicios". Vandal (in Spanish). El Español. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Neo Geo CD: Super Side Kicks 3 - Fútbol-espectáculo en su máxima expresión". Hobby Hi-Tech (in Spanish). No. 2. Hobby Press. April 1995. p. 67.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Dossier: Neo Geo Y SNK — Deportivos". GamesTech (in Spanish). No. 11. Ares Informática. July 2003. p. 60.
  10. ↑ Akagi, Masumi (October 13, 2006). "SNK プレイモア （新日本企画、 プレイモア）SNK; SNK; S". アーケードTVゲームリスト 国内•海外編 (1971-2005)[Arcade TV Game List: Domestic • Overseas Edition (1971-2005)] (in Japanese) (1st ed.). Amusement News Agency  [ ja ]. pp. 18–21, 133–135, 167. ISBN   978-4990251215.
  11. 1 2 3 "Title Catalogue - NEOGEO MUSEUM". SNK Playmore. 2010. Archived from the original on August 28, 2018. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  12. ↑ Semino, Manuel (March 1993). "IMA '93 In Frankfurt - Coin Op Special". Amiga Joker  [ de ] (in German). No. 35. Joker-Verlag. pp. 122–123.
  13. ↑ "Neo•Geo CD: The Arcade In A Box - Quick Hits". GamePro . No. Premiere Supplement. IDG. Spring 1996. pp. 104–108.
  14. ↑ "NeoGeo Games Coming To PS3 And PSP With Modern Emulator Features [Update]". Siliconera . Enthusiast Gaming. December 6, 2010. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  15. ↑ Hatfield, Don (March 19, 2012). "Handheld Neo Geo X Console Confirmed For Q2 Release!". MTV . Viacom. Archived from the original on October 21, 2018. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  16. ↑ Brian (July 20, 2017). "Super Sidekicks is next week's NeoGeo game on Switch". nintendoeverything.com. Nintendo Everything. Archived from the original on September 29, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  17. ↑ S. Good, Owen (June 10, 2018). "SNK announces the 40-game lineup for the Neo Geo mini-console". Polygon . Vox Media. Archived from the original on June 10, 2018. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  18. ↑ Paget, Mat (May 19, 2020). "This Neo Geo Arcade Stick Pro Bundle Is Hugely Discounted, Works With PS4 And Switch - The Neo Geo Arcade Stick Pro is an awesome device that contains more than 20 classic SNK games and works as an arcade stick for PS4, PC, and Switch". GameSpot . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  19. ↑ Varela, Ramón (August 12, 2020). "Anunciada la cabina arcade NeoGeo MVSX con 50 juegos por 500 dólares - Se pondrá a la venta en octubre y recoge las sagas de lucha de la compañía, desde The King of Fighters a Samurai Shodown, Fatal Fury o los 'shooter' Metal Slug". Vandal (in Spanish). El Español. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  20. ↑ "Super Sidekicks for NeoGeo". GameRankings . CBS Interactive. 2019. Archived from the original on August 26, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  21. 1 2 Knight, Kyle (1998). "Super Sidekicks (Neo Geo Advanced Entertainment System) – Review". AllGame . All Media Network. Archived from the original on 15 November 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  22. 1 2 Menier, Marc; Barbe, Robert (March 1993). "Neo Geo Review – Super Sidekicks". Consoles +  [ fr ] (in French). No. 18. M.E.R.7  [ fr ]. pp. 128–129.
  23. 1 2 Harris, Steve; Semrad, Ed; Alessi, Martin; Williams, Ken (May 1993). "Review Crew – Neo•Geo / SNK: Super Side Kicks". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 46. Sendai Publishing. p. 32.
  24. 1 2 Halverson, Dave; Sgt. Gamer; Stratton, Tom; Cockburn, Andrew (May 1993). "Viewpoint (Neo Geo) – Super Sidekicks". GameFan . Vol. 1, no. 6. DieHard Gamers Club. p. 21.
  25. 1 2 Cardillo, Paolo (April 1993). "Review: Super Sidekicks (Neo Geo)". Computer+Videogiochi  [ it ] (in Italian). No. 25. Gruppo Editoriale Jackson  [ it ]. p. 107.
  26. 1 2 Rosa, Piemarco (April 1993). "Super Sidekicks (Neo Geo)". Consolemania  [ it ] (in Italian). No. 18. Xenia Edizioni. pp. 46–47.
  27. 1 2 García, Marcos (April 1993). "Lo Más Nuevo – Neo Geo: Super Sidekicks – ¡¡GOOL!!". Hobby Consolas (in Spanish). No. 19. Hobby Press. pp. 56–59.
  28. 1 2 Morisse, Jean-François; Nini, Nourdine (April 1993). "Neo Geo: Enfin Du Vrai "Fuchebol"! – Super Sidekicks". Joypad  [ fr ] (in French). No. 19. Yellow Media  [ fr ]. pp. 108–110. Archived from the original on September 16, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  29. 1 2 Schnelle, Michael (April 1993). "SNK – Neo Geo: Super Sidekicks". Megablast (in German). No. 2. Joker-Verlag. p. 82.
  30. 1 2 Kraft, Uwe; Schneider, Ulf (February 1993). "Spieletest: Super Sidekicks (Neo Geo) – Fußall-Cracks Können jetzt auch auf dem Neo Geo einen Hat Trick vollziehen". Mega Fun  [ de ] (in German). No. 7. Computec. p. 50.
  31. 1 2 Kraft, Uwe; Schneider, Ulf (May 1993). "Test Neo Geo – Super Sidekicks". Mega Fun  [ de ] (in German). No. 8. Computec. p. 107. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  32. 1 2 Noak, Philipp; Hellert, Stefan (August 1993). "Special – Neo Geo – Super Sidekicks". Mega Fun  [ de ] (in German). No. 11. Computec. pp. 28–30. Archived from the original on October 21, 2018. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  33. 1 2 S., G. (April 1993). "Neo Geo: Super Side Kicks". Play Time  [ de ] (in German). No. 22. Computec. p. 127.
  34. 1 2 Delpierre, Christophe (March 1993). "Tests De Jeux: Neo Geo – Super Sidekicks". Player One  [ fr ] (in French). No. 31. Média Système Édition  [ fr ]. pp. 60–61.
  35. 1 2 Knauf, Andreas (March 1993). "Warpzone – Neo Geo: Super Sidekicks". Video Games  [ de ] (in German). No. 16. Markt & Technik. p. 34.
  36. ↑ Davila, Mike (April 1993). "Video-Game Reviews – Super Sidekicks (SNK) For the Neo•Geo". VideoGames & Computer Entertainment . No. 51. Larry Flynt Publications. p. 42.
  37. ↑ "Reviews – Neo Geo – Super Sidekicks". GamesMaster . No. 7. Future Publishing. July 1993. p. 25.
  38. ↑ "NEO GEO GAMES CROSS REVIEW: 得点王". Famitsu (in Japanese). No. 332. ASCII Corporation. April 28, 1995. p. 26.
  39. ↑ Setsu (October 2003). "Dossier - SNK Neo Geo: 1992". HardCore Gamers  [ fr ] (in French). No. 14. FJM Publications  [ fr ]. p. 6.
  40. ↑ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 – テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)". Game Machine  [ ja ] (in Japanese). No. 444. Amusement Press, Inc.  [ ja ]. March 1, 1993. p. 33.
  41. ↑ "The Player's Choice - Top Games Now in Operation, Based on Earnings-Opinion Poll of Operators: Best Video Software". RePlay. Vol. 18, no. 8. RePlay Publishing, Inc. May 1993. p. 4.
  42. ↑ "ACA NeoGeo: Super Sidekicks for Nintendo Switch". GameRankings . CBS Interactive. 2019. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  43. 1 2 "Super Sidekicks – im Test (PSP)". MAN!AC  [ de ] (in German). Cybermedia. December 12, 2011. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  44. 1 2 Frear, Dave (August 30, 2017). "Super Sidekicks Review (Switch eShop / Neo Geo) – International so-so Soccer". Nintendo Life . Nlife Media. Archived from the original on January 28, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  45. 1 2 Cobran, J.P. (August 31, 2017). "Super Sidekicks (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. NINWR, LLC. Archived from the original on February 25, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  46. 1 2 Valentaten, Daav (April 29, 2011). "SUPER SIDEKICKS – Neo Geo Station Review | Gooooooooal!". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  47. 1 2 Osange, Elliott (August 12, 2017). "ACA NEOGEO SUPER SIDEKICKS Review". bonusstage.co.uk. Bonus Stage. Archived from the original on August 29, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  48. ↑ Alonso, Álvaro (February 12, 2014). "Reportaje: Los 20 mejores juegos de Neo Geo (AES)". HobbyConsolas (in Spanish). Axel Springer SE. Archived from the original on March 2, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
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