Super Sidekicks 2

SNK didn't only make fighting games or the occasional shooter, they also developed or published some of the best arcade sports titles ever released. The Super Sidekicks series is SNK's premier soccer franchise with 4 numbered entries and one offshoot released to coincide with the 1998 World Cup. While most games in the series are solid efforts, Super Sidekicks 2 is one of the more critically well received arcade sports games of its era, and is a fan favorite of the series due to what it brought to the table over and above the first game in the series. While subsequent titles in the franchise would build upon this game's template, the level of polish in the second entry stands tall as the premier arcade soccer game from the early 1990's. 

I'm not a big fan of sports games or sports in general. That said, there have been a handful of arcade styled sports games that have grabbed my attention over the years - especially classic Sega arcade racing games and their Virtua Tennis series. In the 90's, though, I was oblivious to SNK's sports titles, and like many my age back then I was laser focused on their fighting games. As an adult I'm rediscovering classic SNK games I missed out on in my teenage years which led me to explore some of SNK's popular sports titles. Super Sidekicks 2 is lauded as the fan favorite of the series, so I thought I'd see what it has to offer. I don't know a ton about soccer, but I have a friend who is obsessed with the sport and has taught me a great deal about the strategy involved - enough to at least appreciate what SNK is doing here.

When you first boot up the game you get to select from 8 teams that represent 8 different regions in the world. You begin in a semi-final match against an opponent, and if you win you are entered into a final match in world cup style with three other teams. The matches are fast and fun, lasting less than 10 minutes each. Actually, the matches are the perfect length for an arcade sports game - not too long as to ensure the game continues to make money, but just long enough to give the player a satisfying spin on their quarter.

Controls are a breeze here, even for people completely new to the concept of soccer. You have a few different types of kicks and passes you can make, as well as the game seamlessly switching control to other players on your team when the ball travels close to them. Actually, the AI that drives the logic of what character you should be controlling is quite impressive. Never once do you feel that you should be controlling a different character, which is great considering I've played other soccer games in the past where this wasn't the case - leading to a world of frustration.

For a 2D soccer game from 1994, Super Sidekicks 2 is an absolute beauty! Player characters animate well and sprites are quite detailed given their age. The soccer field itself is super impressive with awesome scaling effects that bend and rotate the field to fit the best perspective that flawlessly tracks the position of the ball. To compliment the game's good looks, the sound design is spot on with great crowd noises and good commentary. In the year of 2020, this game does look dated if looking at static screenshots, but in motion the game really holds up well over 25 years later. 

Due to my ignorance of the sport, this is a short review. That said, I'm exceedingly glad this game is in my personal AES collection. Not only is it a fun time for a dude that generally shuns sports games, it is an excellent title that no Neo fan should be without. Super Sidekicks 2 is also a great game to bring out with friends who like sports games but want to check out the Neo. The approachability and ease of play make for a great gaming session with a buddy or two. 

Thankfully, Super Sidekicks 2 is one of the cheaper games on the AES running around $120 for a complete Japanese copy or just a bit more for a US edition. MVS and CD versions are also moderately priced. It's not widely available like other non-fighting games from SNK in the modern market, but it did see a release on Hamster's Arcade Archives series so you can try it out for yourself for $8 or so. SNK's Neo-Geo sports titles never received home ports to any other consoles of the day, so there are no 16 or 32-bit ports to talk about here. 

Casual or hardcore soccer fans should make this one of their first purchases if building a physical Neo-Geo library, but non sports fans should get some other important games on the console before picking this up. That said, a copy of Super Sidekicks 2 should eventually make its way into most AES libraries. Personally, given my general lack of enthusiasm for sports games, I have one game from each sports series just for some variety. Even if you don't play it much, the ability to throw a game like this in for a spin every so often is well worth the price of admission.