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Adidas Power Soccer for PlayStation 1
Adidas Power Soccer for PlayStation 1 puts you in control of a whole team in fast football matches. You choose clubs or national teams and play a single match, a cup tournament or a league. Short passes keep the ball on the ground, high balls seek a teammate further away and aftertouch changes the direction of a shot. Different camera views help you survey the pitch, while commentary, crowds and replays provide the match atmosphere.
You can play with ordinary football rules or choose the Arcade setting. This adds extra moves, including exaggerated powerful shots and tackles you would not attempt on a real pitch. The well-known Predator attack belongs to this exuberant side of the game. Finding space, passing at the right moment and seeking a good shooting position still matter. You also adjust the formation, the referee’s strictness and pitch conditions; a wet or snowy pitch affects how players and the ball move.
You play alone against the computer or with up to four people on the same console. Three or four players require one PlayStation Multitap, with a controller for everyone. The ordinary digital PlayStation controller is supported. After matches in a season or tournament, you can save progress to a PlayStation memory card through the save menu. You select SAVE yourself; your settings also have a separate save option.
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 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
Psygnosis brought Adidas Power Soccer to the first PlayStation in 1996. The Adidas name and references to Predator boots connected the game to a recognisable football brand. A preserved press release from May 1996 already listed the PlayStation release for the summer. The game appeared at a time when football games were moving to three-dimensional pitches and movable cameras. Adidas Power Soccer also used motion capture of footballers for its player animations.
The combination of an ordinary match and exuberant special moves gave this early release a clear direction of its own. The simulation option emphasised football rules, while Arcade made room for striking shots and fouls. That distinction existed within the same game: you did not need a separate sequel to change the style of play. The pitch and referee settings also fitted this approach, because they could noticeably change the course of a familiar match.
The series received a sequel in 1997 with Adidas Power Soccer International 97. That release expanded the range of leagues but stayed close to the original match concept. Adidas Power Soccer 2 and Adidas Power Soccer 98 followed later, each with further changes. This listing concerns the first game for PlayStation 1, without a year in its title. Later team selections and adjustments therefore belong to different releases. The original combination of club football, national teams and unusual arcade moves is central here.
Similar games for PlayStation 1
Adidas Power Soccer International 97 carries over the fast matches and the choice between ordinary football and special arcade moves. The sequel expands the original three domestic leagues to five, adding Spain and Italy. There are also 56 national teams. The first Adidas Power Soccer has a smaller league selection. International 97 therefore also lets you lead a Spanish or Italian club through a whole season, while the unusual shots and switching between teammates remain familiar.
Actua Soccer also depicts three-dimensional footballers and uses recorded movements to portray tackling, running and shooting. It emphasises matches between national teams and following play through different cameras. Adidas Power Soccer combines clubs and countries with a separate Arcade option for exaggerated moves. You build an attack in Actua Soccer through passes and runs; at Adidas, a Predator attack can abruptly interrupt ordinary teamwork.
FIFA Soccer 96 on PlayStation uses a three-dimensional stadium with sprite-based players. Adidas Power Soccer instead provides fully three-dimensional footballers with motion-captured movements. Both let you guide a team towards goal through passes, crosses and shots, and offer leagues alongside individual matches. FIFA builds familiarity through official football presentation and team data. Adidas adds a distinctly playful side once you enable its special arcade moves, so an attack can also end differently.
ISS Pro 98 lets you attack, defend and find space with a whole team on the same PlayStation. Konami places considerable weight on the timing of passes, a well-directed through ball and building towards the penalty area. Adidas Power Soccer also offers ordinary matches, but Arcade’s unusual shots and rough moves change the balance on the pitch. Playing both particularly reveals the difference between carefully constructed combinations and a setting in which spectacle takes a larger role.
Libero Grande views football through one chosen player rather than continually putting you in charge of the footballer near the ball. You find space off the ball and try to make the most of your place in the team. Adidas Power Soccer instead lets you switch players and take over the whole team’s attack or defence. Both use a three-dimensional pitch but ask you to look differently: maintain your own position or continually react to where the ball is.
