Neo Geo Cup '98

Neo Geo Cup '98: The Road to the Victory is an association football game released for the NEO-GEO Pocket in 1999, after the actual 1998 FIFA World Cup had ended. It was published by SNK and arrived in both Japan and Europe with English and Japanese language options. Despite what the year in the title might suggest, this is a fully featured soccer simulation built around the tournament structure of the 1998 World Cup, not a quick tie-in rushed out during the event. The game puts you in charge of one of 64 national teams, each starting in a "Regional Qualifying Round Final" against the exact opponent that country faced in real World Cup qualification. Beat that opponent, and you advance into the group stage, which mirrors the actual 1998 World Cup groups. From there it's a straight knockout bracket. The matches play out on a vertical field with simple controls typical of handheld soccer games of the era, focusing on positioning and timing rather than complex tactics. For retro soccer fans, this is a neat time capsule of how SNK handled the sport on their handheld. It's not a deep sim, but the qualification gimmick adds replay value if you want to take different teams through their real qualifying routes. The black-and-white graphics are clean and the pace is faster than many console soccer games of the same period. If you enjoy classic arcade-style football with a dash of historical accuracy, this is worth a few matches.