ESPN MLS GameNight review (PlayStation)

Graphically, ESPN MLS GameNight can't hold a candle to the level of animation and detail found in FIFA 2001. On the other hand, it makes up for this disparity with a hefty number of isolated player animations. When gaining control of the ball, your player will sometimes stumble or falter in order to keep pace with the ball as it moves down the field. If you're tackled, jostled, or otherwise contacted by opposing team members, a variety of realistic physical reactions result, such as falls, stumbles, flips, face plants, or skids. From a player model standpoint, everyone seems to come from the same mold in terms of body shape and size, with major variations coming solely in the form of changes in hairstyle or stance. The game isn't exactly up to the minute in terms of field detail or texture quality, but it also never slows down, flickers, or otherwise exhibits any of the graphical flaws common to PlayStation games. If anything, the game is a touch faster and more fluid than ISS, a fact that's primarily noticeable in goalkeeper animations and camera movement. Speaking of cameras, GameNight also features nine adjustable camera angles, as well as a fully controllable instant replay feature. Replays can even be saved to a memory card for later viewing.

Another area where GameNight improves, if only slightly, over ISS is audio. Digitized kicking and tackle samples compose the upper tier of GameNight's sound effects, with canned audience chatter rounding out an otherwise sufficient attempt at auditory realism. Where the game really shines is in terms of play-by-play commentary, which is provided by two familiar broadcast personalities: Bob Ley of ESPN and Luis Tapia of ESPN and international broadcast fame. Don't know who Luis Tapia is? If you've ever heard someone exclaim, "Goal! GOAL!! GOOOOOAAAAAAAAALLLLLL!!!" at the top of his or her lungs, he's the guy that inspired it. Unfortunately, the two commentators don't take the play-by-play reins together, meaning that you'll either have to endure Ley's sardonic commentary on the game's English setting or remain boggled by an overly excited Tapia in the game's Spanish mode. If you're lucky enough to understand Spanish, however, Tapia's energy is priceless.

It's almost as if Konami is trying to fashion the Triple Play Baseball of soccer games with ESPN MLS GameNight. The levels of strategy, variety, and realism are nowhere near those found in EA's FIFA, but GameNight ends up being the more inviting of the two games. Furthermore, Konami has gone to great lengths to integrate two- and four-player capability into each of the game's non-season modes, which opens up the possibility of introducing your sports-phobic friends to a soccer game they can actually play. If you're frustrated by simulations, ESPN MLS GameNight is the game for you.