Virtua Striker 2
Strategy Guide
Version 1.0
7/8/01
Author: DreThug
E-Mail:
[email protected]
Sections:
1: Introduction
2: Update History
3: Controls
4: Move Definitions
5: Game Modes
6: Offensive Strategy
7: Defensive Strategy
8: Shooting Penalty Kicks
9: Blocking Penalty Kicks
10. Personal Review
11: Codes/Secrets
12: Frequently Asked Questions
13: Before You E-mail Me
14: Credits
15: Final Thoughts
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1: Introduction
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Welcome to my Virtua Striker 2 Strategy Guide for the Sega Dreamcast.
Although Virtua Striker 2 isn't the best soccer game on the market it's not
that bad. With its arcade gameplay, fancy graphics, and dull sound Virtua
Striker reminds me of a game that could have been great but isn't. In this
strategy guide, you will get all the basic moves you need to know plus
strategies that I've made up myself. Trust me, if you are as good as me in
Virtua Striker 2 you won't be beaten.
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2: Update History
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July 8th 2001 - The first and probably the only version of my Virtua Striker
Strategy Guide. The only reason I would ever add anything is if I got any
good suggestions of things to put in this guide.
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3: Basic Controls
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Here are the offensive and defensive controls for Virtua Striker 2.
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Offensive
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D-Pad.....................Move Player
A.........................Short Pass
X.........................Long Pass
B.........................Shoot
Y.........................Change Formation/Strategy
Analog....................Not in Use
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Defensive
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D-Pad.....................Move Player
A.........................Slide Tackle
X.........................Not in Use
B.........................Not in Use
Y.........................Change Formation/Strategy
Analog....................Not in Use
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In the Air
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D-Pad.....................Move Player
A.........................Short Pass
X.........................Long Pass
B.........................Shoot
Y.........................Change Formation/Strategy
Analog....................Not in Use
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4: Move Definitions
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Wondering what the moves listed above means? Well, here I'll tell you.
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Offensive
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Move Player
Using the d-pad you can move your player around the field. Moving your
player means controlling your guy to where you want to go.
Short Pass
Have a guy wide open ahead? Use the short pass to get it to him. It's
accurate, fast, and works a lot.
Long Pass
The long pass is something that I don't use that much. It's hard to control
where the ball is going to land and when it lands it usually rolls out of
bounds or to an opponent.
Shoot
How could you score without shooting? To shoot, all you do is press X and
charge your shot. Make sure not to charge your shot too much, or it will go
over the net.
Change Formation
I never messed around with this at all. All it does is move some guys to the
midfield. I don't think it's necessary at all to use.
Change Strategy
Want to change your strategy to defensive or offensive? Well, I usually
don't use this but I guess you could.
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Defensive
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Slide Tackle
This is an essential move to win a game. Being the only defensive move in
the game slide tackling is easy to pull off. All you have to do is move your
guy to your opponent and press A. He will usually fall down and the ball
will become yours. Watch out though, because sometimes you will get a card
for it.
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5: Game Modes
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Here I have listed all of the Game Modes with a brief description of each.
Arcade Mode
Have you played Virtua Striker 2 for the arcade? Well, this is just like
the arcade game.
International Cup
Play against other teams in a season mode type of thing.
Tournament Mode
Play in a tournament with a number of other teams.
League
Play in a league with a number of other teams.
Ranking Mode
Have your performance ranked.
Match Play (vs)
Play a regular game with a friend.
Match Play (PK)
Play a penalty kick game with a friend.
Replay
Check out your saved replays of past games.
Options
Change the settings of the game.
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6: Offensive Strategy
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Although Virtua Striker 2 is partially controlled by the computer you can
still have a little strategy in playing the game. Here I have divided my
Offensive Strategy in to two parts. One is passing the ball around and the
other one is shooting. I hope this helps you out when playing Virtua
Striker 2.
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Passing the Ball
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Sadly, there isn't a turbo button in Virtua Striker 2 making one on one
situations with the goalie very rare. When you do have the ball try to
anticipate what your opponent is going to do. Usually, he will try to steal
the ball by slide tackling so make sure you don't run in a straight line
with the ball. Also, if you are trying to get the ball up field don't try
running with it. Use short passes a lot to get your opponent struggling.
Because the computer automatically switches who you control on defense, it
could mess up your opponents guy and have them running the wrong way. If
you use long kicks then your opponent will usually get the ball. If your
opponent knows how you play offense try fooling around with their head.
Don't always pass the ball up field. Sometimes try running it pass one
defender and then passing it to another player. This will cause your new
player (or a player close to him) to be wide open for an open shot.
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Shooting the Ball
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Unlike other soccer games, Virtua Striker 2 takes more skill to shoot a
shot. I found it easiest to shoot a shot from an angle then it is to shoot
straight forward. Also, it is a lot easier to shoot when you are really
close to the goalie. If you have an open break, try to run up to the goalie
(as close as possible) and shoot to the left. This works because if the
goalie blocks it, he will be down and there will be a chance for another
player to shoot the ball in. Just remember it takes about a second or two
to shoot the ball because your player has to be shooting with his right foot
and also because he has to be in control. When shooting, try to get the
shooting meter in the middle. Letting the shooting meter go too high will
cause the ball to fly over the net. Letting the shooting meter go too low
will make your kick a lot softer and a lot easier to block.
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7: Defensive Strategy
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In Virtua Striker 2, defense is not a main issue. Why's that you ask?
Because the computer messes you up every time it changes players on you. So
how can you prevent this? Well, you can't really. Even great players like
myself can get pissed off because of the computer messing me up. Luckily, I
still have a strategy for defense. It's not as good as my offensive
strategy, but it will do.
For defense, your only major way of getting the ball out of your opponent's
possession is by slide tackling him. Sadly, that is your only move on
defense but I have found out other ways to take the ball away. First off,
right when your opponent gets the ball go straight at him. If you overrun
him, the computer will switch to your next closet guy so don't worry. When
you are about 5 feet away from him go for a slide tackle. This will usually
steal the ball away from your opponent. If you go too close to him, you
will get called for a penalty. If you slide tackle too far away from him,
he will go right pass you. It may take a while to get your timing down, but
in a few games or so you'll be a pro like I am. Another way you can get the
ball from your opponent is by just running in to him. Usually, if your
opponent is running one way and you're running the other way and meet you
will steal the ball from him. It's not as good as a slide tackle but it
works nevertheless. There is really no point in mentioning controlling your
goalie because if you get to control him (remember the computer picks) your
reflexes will usually just have you dive where the ball is going.
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8: Shooting Penalty Kicks
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Penalty kicks are a major factor in Virtua Striker 2 for two reasons. One
reason is that games are usually really close and if you're lucky enough to
get to take a penalty shot in a game it can make a big difference. The
other reason is after Golden Goal (Sudden Death) you'll have to finish the
game off by shooting penalty kicks. I have developed my own strategy for
shooting penalty kicks. It's more like a guessing game for the goalie but
it works.
When shooting penalty kicks you probably think you have three different ways
of shooting. Actually, you have 9. You can shoot left, center, right,
high, low, and medium. If you tie all these factors in, the goalie you are
playing with will be guessing which way to dive.
After golden goal ends, you'll get 5 penalty kicks. When kicking, make sure
you position all your kicks in different directions. The way I usually do
my 5 kicks goes like:
Kick #1
Medium and Left
Kick #2
Low and straight
Kick #3
High and Left
Kick #4
Medium and Right
Kick #5
Low and Right
Doing the above will leave your opponent guessing where to dive. You can
make up your own sequence of kicks, but make sure it doesn't go in any sort
of pattern.
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9: Blocking Penalty Kicks
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I rarely watch soccer on television but I've seen enough of it to know how
hard it is to block penalty kicks. Just like in real life, Virtua Striker 2
takes a lot of skill (guessing) to block a penalty kick. There is really no
strategy in blocking a penalty kick except for knowing how to guess or if
you are a good cheater...Here I have listed both a honest and cheap way to
block penalty kicks.
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Honest Way
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The only I block penalty kicks is by diving the same way every time. I
figure at least 1 in 5 times your opponent will kick it the same way I dive.
When playing the computer, you will usually always block at least one kick
if you dive the same way each time. When playing a friend or foe, it may
take a little common sense. When I am trying to block a penalty kick when
playing a friend I usually have the intent to dive the same way 5 times
straight. I usually always dive medium right. Medium right is usually the
best way to go because most people who play Virtua Striker 2, kicks the ball
each time at a medium height. This leaves you with 3 ways to guess. Even
if your opponent knows that you are going to dive the same way 5 times, he
will probably try to fake you out once by thinking you will dive the other
way. If you stick to your guard, he will make a mistake before you do.
Please don't get mad at me if this strategy doesn't work, it takes some
common sense to go with it.
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Cheap Way
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This only works when you are playing with a friend. When your opponent is
choosing what way to kick the ball, slightly move your eyes to his
controller. When he chooses what way to kick, there will be a one or two
second delay before the kick goes off. Right when you see where he chooses
the kick the ball, dive to that side. Trust me, your friend will have no
idea that you are doing this to him. I've done it many times to my brothers
and they have no clue that I am doing it. If you are going to do this
though, please use common sense. Don't look every time at his controller or
he will know that you are cheating. Like I said above, this is a cheap and
dumb way to block penalty kicks but it works.
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10: Personal Review
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Overall Rating...5.0
Graphics.........8.5
Sound............2.5
Control..........2.7
Fresh Factor.....6.2
Game Life........5.1
The Skinny-
When I first got Virtua Striker 2 I was very excited. I don't watch soccer
at all, but I love soccer games, so I was expecting a quality soccer game
from Sega. Sadly, that didn't happen. Based on the arcade hit (in Japan),
Virtua Striker 2 is an arcade like soccer game. I tried to like this game
but I couldn't.
The graphics in Virtua Striker 2 are great. For some reason, I loved how
the grass looked on the field. The soccer players also look great but the
crowd sucks. I was hoping for a crowd like NFL 2K but instead I got a
person holding up a flag jumping up and down. The goalie nets look really
nice and I love how this game reminds me of the arcades.
Although the graphics are great, the gameplay is crap. There is a
tournament mode that is a bit fun but nothing special. The only thing I
liked about Virtua Striker 2 gameplay wise, was the time of the games. If I
had to leave in 5 minutes I could easily get a game or two in. Other than
that, the gameplay is lacking an essential quality.
I have no idea what Sega Sports Arcade was thinking. The controls in Virtua
Striker 2 are horrible. For some reason, the computer picks the guy that
you control. This can be very stressful when you are on defense because the
computer is always switching the person you are controlling. Shooting is
near impossible because it takes so long to get the shot off. On defense,
all you have to do is slide tackle to get the ball back. Does that take any
skill? I don't think so. The thing that really made me mad was the lack of
analog support. Why do I have to play with the d-pad when I have a nice
analog stick right there?
The sound in Virtua Striker 2 is just as bad as the controls. There is
barely any sound in the game. The announcer is really dull and he doesn't
even talk while the game is going. The crowd noise is repetitive. Other
than that, there is barely any other sound in Virtua Striker 2.
Virtua Striker 2 is a soccer game that you should not buy. If you like
soccer make sure you rent this game before you buy it. If you don't like
soccer, then you probably aren't even reading this review. I know that some
of you won't listen to me but I would really recommend you renting this game
before buying it.
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11: Codes/Secrets
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I would like to thank GameSages (www.gamesages.com) for providing me with
these codes. Without them, this part of my Strategy Guide would not have
been possible. Thank you.
Team MVP Yuki Chan
Enter arcade mode and highlight Yugoslavia (don't select them with A) and
press start, then go onto USA and press start, go onto Korea and press
start, and finally highlight Italy and press start. Team Yuckichan should
appear on the top left of the screen.
submitted by Tim Evans
Unlock New Stadiums
Hold Start and press A at the stadium selection screen.
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12: Frequently Asked Questions
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Question:
Does Virtua Striker 2 come with online play?
Answer:
Sadly, Sega Sports didn't add online play to this game.
Question:
I heard that you don't have full control in this game. Is that true?
Answer:
Yes, being true to it's arcade counterpart, the computer picks what guy you
control.
Question:
Now that there are other soccer games on the market should I look elsewhere?
Answer:
Well, that's a tough decision. Although, Virtua Striker 2 isn't a great
soccer game it's worth a rent for soccer fans.
Question:
Is Virtua Striker 2 created by the same people who made NFL 2K and NBA 2K?
Answer:
No.
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13: Before You E-mail Me
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Please don't e-mail me asking stupid questions or I won't respond. When I
use to write strategy guides under a different name I would get 100's of
e-mails asking the same question which I already answered in my FAQ. Don't
think I'm being mean if I don't respond to your e-mail, it's just that I
have many other FAQs and I get tons of e-mail a day. Also, if you want to
e-mail me about the game please put in the Subject of the email Virtua
Striker 2 so I know what game I'm getting e-mailed about. If I just see hey
or something like that, I might think it's porn and just delete it. Now if
you write an educated e-mail to me, then for sure you will get a response.
Thanks.
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14: Credits
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This Virtua Striker 2 Strategy Guide was made basically all by myself. The
ONLY people I would like to thank for helping me finish this guide would be
the people at:
GameSages (www.gamesages.com)
For providing the codes to put into this strategy guide.
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15: Final Thoughts
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Well, everything has to come to an end sometimes. I hope that you enjoyed
this strategy guide on Virtua Striker 2 as much as I did. Although I didn't
like this game, I had a lot of fun writing out my strategy on how to play
it. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions please e-mail me at
[email protected]. Also, make sure you check out all my other Strategy
Guides I have made for my fans.
