Virtua Striker 2 (バーチャストライカー 2, Bācha Sutoraikā Tsū) is a sports video game developed and published by Sega for arcades in 1997. It is the sequel to the 1994 video game Virtua Striker, and the second game in the Virtua Striker series. A series of updates was released from 1998 to 1999, starting with Virtua Striker 2 ver. 1998 and ending with Virtua Striker 2 ver. 2000.1 (バーチャストライカー2 ver.2000.1, Bācha Sutoraikā Tsū ver.2000.1), that latest update being released for the Dreamcast in Japan in 1999, and then internationally in 2000, with the North American version re-titled to Virtua Striker 2. A sequel, Virtua Striker 3, was released in 2001.
The arcade game was a major success in Japan, where it was the second highest-grossing arcade game of 1998 and the overall highest-grossing arcade game of 1999. The Dreamcast version, however, received mixed reviews from critics.
The Dreamcast version received mixed reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[3] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 33 out of 40.[9] In the United Kingdom, Computer and Video Games said the arcade gameplay "will initially dismay" International Superstar Soccer (ISS) fans, but that it is not a "simulation, it's a full-on arcade game." They called it "the finest arcade football game ever" and said, though some might criticise the lack of depth, "the massive andrenaline rush you get" from playing "more than compensates." They compared it to Crazy Taxi, in that both provide "instant" fun gaming.[6] In North America, Rob Smolka of NextGen said that the game "may look good, but the poor controls drag this one down to rental status."[19] Jake The Snake of GamePro said, "With its dazzling graphics and a speedy but authentic action, Virtua Striker 2 is at least a weekend rental for any soccer fan with a Dreamcast or for anyone who enjoys a fun, great-looking game."[23][c]
Notes
^In Electronic Gaming Monthly's review of the Dreamcast version, one critic gave it 3.5/10, two others gave it each a score of 4/10, and another gave it 4.5/10.
^In GameFan's viewpoint of the Dreamcast version, one critic gave it 88, and the other 90.
^GamePro gave the Dreamcast version 4.5/5 for graphics, 3.5/5 for sound, and two 4/5 scores for control and fun factor.
^Dunham, Jeremy (March 20, 2000). "Virtua Striker 2 Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
^Jake The Snake (April 2000). "Virtual Striker 2"(PDF). GamePro. No. 139. IDG. p. 126. Archived(PDF) from the original on November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 22, 2023.