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Adidas Power Soccer International 97 for PlayStation 1
Adidas Power Soccer International 97 for PlayStation 1 combines club football and international matches in a fast football game. You choose from five domestic leagues, including the English, Spanish and Italian leagues, and 56 national teams. You use them in individual matches, tournaments and leagues. On the three-dimensional pitch, you try to find space through short combinations, high balls and shots. You switch between players to continue an attack or stop an opponent.
Alongside ordinary football, there is an Arcade setting with special moves. The Predator Megakick adds spectacle to a shot, while other movements approach the boundary between football and a heavy foul. These moves use stamina: once the meter empties, you cannot keep repeating them and players recover more slowly from a tackle. You therefore need to weigh up when such a move will pay off. Four difficulty levels determine how much resistance the computer offers, from a first introduction to a longer series of difficult matches.
You can play alone or with up to four people simultaneously on the same PlayStation. Two players use two ordinary controllers; three or four also need one PlayStation Multitap and a controller for every participant. The original release uses digital controls. The game supports a PlayStation memory card and lists one save block. Its selection of clubs and countries belongs to this 1997 release: you play with football as it was then, not updated present-day teams.
Region and language
Our PlayStation 1 games are PAL editions and come with a Dutch or English box, unless stated otherwise. By default, you receive the version for the European market. We note it in the product details if the region is different or the box is in another language. In almost all cases, the game is playable at least in English, and often in the other five common European languages too.
Manual
Adidas Power Soccer International 97 for PlayStation 1 includes the manual unless the product title states otherwise. If the booklet is missing, the title says “No Manual”. This lets you see before ordering whether the game comes with a manual.
The manuals included with our games usually contain at least English and often around six European languages. The exact languages vary by edition, so Dutch is not always included. The booklet explains the controls and the main rules. You can use it to check how to control the game, which actions are available and how its different features work.
The history of Adidas Power Soccer International 97
Psygnosis published Adidas Power Soccer International 97 for the first PlayStation in 1997. It followed Adidas Power Soccer from 1996 and retained the combination of regular football and exaggerated arcade moves. The original PAL packaging lists five domestic leagues, 56 national teams and four difficulty levels. The Adidas brand remained an important part of the presentation, with the Predator name attached to one of the striking shots. It was therefore an expansion of a recognisable match concept.
The additional club leagues were a concrete change from the first game. Spain and Italy joined England, France and Germany, giving you more European football settings to play through. The three-dimensional presentation and the foundations of passing, shooting and defending remained familiar. Players’ fitness also mattered when using arcade moves. A striking attack therefore not only created a chance but also consumed energy that might be missing later in the same match.
International 97 is a separate release within the series, not simply different packaging for Adidas Power Soccer. It must also be distinguished from Adidas Power Soccer 2, which likewise appeared in 1997, and the later Adidas Power Soccer 98. Those titles have their own content and development. This PlayStation version preserves the intermediate step in which the original game gained more leagues and international choice. The old teams, digital controls and local multiplayer firmly place the release in the early PlayStation years.
Similar games for PlayStation 1
The first Adidas Power Soccer gives you the same combination of club football, national teams and a separate Arcade option with unusual shots. International 97 builds on it with five domestic leagues rather than three, now including Spain and Italy. The foundations of passing and transitions remain recognisable. If you know the first game, you mainly find a wider selection for matches and leagues here, while the strange moves still leave their own mark on the football.
Adidas Power Soccer 2 appeared later in 1997 on PlayStation with team data for the 1997–1998 season and eight new three-dimensional stadiums. It retains the separate Arcade option with special moves, so you can also alternate ordinary attacks with exaggerated actions there. International 97 mainly expands the first game’s club leagues by adding Spain and Italy. The shared brand name and unusual shots connect both games, but the team selections and grounds belong to their respective releases.
Actua Soccer also shows a three-dimensional football match, with movements based on real footballers. It emphasises national teams and the course of an ordinary match. International 97 additionally gives you five club leagues and an Arcade setting in which special shots and rough moves cost energy. The difference is therefore not just which teams you choose but also the style of play: at Adidas, building an attack can give way to a striking special move.
ISS Pro 98 shares control of a whole team, switching players and searching for an unmarked attacker. Its matches revolve strongly around passing timing and the direction in which you build an attack. International 97 offers ordinary matches but also lets you use special arcade moves with their own stamina meter. Both demand good teamwork; weighing up a normal attack against a powerful special move gives Adidas a different rhythm on the pitch.
Libero Grande on PlayStation puts you in the boots of one footballer whom you follow throughout the match. Off the ball, you have to find space yourself and ask for a pass. International 97 instead lets you switch teammates and take over the player involved in the action. Both depict football in three dimensions, but your responsibility differs: a fixed role within the side versus the team’s collective attack, defence and transitions.
