As a series of games, International Superstar Soccer is without peer. So isn't it about time that Konami queered EA's FIFA pitch? Time for an Evolution...
Steve Bradley

Hurrah! The PlayStation football gravy train is still at the station!
But surely it's about to let out a shrill whistle? No, you're right. Football games just keep on coming. A cursory glance at the release schedules reveals that a raft of them are due before Claus, and that's not even counting the slew of management sims on the go. Still, it seems there's enough water in the pond for everyone to 'wet their beaks', as Marlon Brando famously said in The Godfather.

A whole new ball game?
The title Evolution suggests otherwise. Indeed, the title is spot on. Konami haven't exactly had to return to the drawing board, simply because the previous incarnation in the ISS series was blessed with the finest visuals and most fluid animation of any PlayStation sports game.

So what've they done, then?
Konami have further improved the visuals and polished the animation off to a shine. Those who are familiar with the other PlayStation ISS games may recall that the polygonal players tended to be rather sculpted, almost as if the artists were aiming for a stylised feel to the proceedings. In Evolution, the players are rounded and highly detailed. It adds up to the best looking football game yet, and by a long chalk.

What about the gameplay?
One of the criticisms levelled at the ISS series was that the games were simply too slow. The very size of the hulking great players has always given the action a rather pedestrian feel, and while they looked fabulous, many gamers preferred the speed and fluidity of action in, for instance, Actua Soccer.