How to play International Soccer online
The game is made for two players, one per joystick. There is no computer opponent to play against, so you need a friend at the same keyboard.
- Yellow team (Player 1): arrow keys to run and dribble in eight directions, Space to pass or shoot
- Blue team (Player 2): T/F/G/H to run and dribble, A to pass or shoot
- Start a new game: F12 (the consoleās Reset switch)
- Save and load a match: Ctrl + 0ā9 saves to a slot, Alt + 0ā9 loads it
The difficulty switches do nothing in this game: speed and difficulty are always the same.
Gameplay
Each side has four men on the pitch. You steer one of them, and the computer moves the other three so the team behaves like a full side. Your man has a slightly different shape from his teammates when he stands still, which helps you spot him. The match is two simulated 45-minute halves. Yellow defends the top goal and kicks off first; the teams swap ends at half-time, and the side that concedes a goal restarts play from the centre circle.
The rules are stripped down. There are no goalkeepers, offsides, throw-ins, corners or penalties, and no extra time. When you press fire, the ball goes in the last direction you pushed the joystick. The screen shows about a third of the field and scrolls as the ball moves. A player who runs off the top or bottom of the screen reappears at the opposite edge, and much of the gameās strategy comes from that odd rule.
Tips
- Pass more than you dribble. Your man runs slower with the ball, so a defender can catch him. A quick pass is harder to stop.
- Use the screen edges. If a teammate runs off one end of the screen, pass to the spot where he will come back on.
- Defend by wrapping around. If you are stranded far from your own goal, run away from it off the end of the screen and you will reappear near it.
- Guard the goal yourself. With no goalkeeper, the computer-controlled defenders will not always stop a shot.
- Donāt shoot straight at a wall up close. The ball can bounce back through your own man and give possession away.
History
Mattelās Intellivision soccer game was licensed from the North American Soccer League and won a Best Sports Game award at the 1981 Arkie Awards. When Mattel began releasing Atari 2600 cartridges under the M Network name in 1982, the game came over as International Soccer, without the league licence. Video magazineās 1982 guide found its angled, scrolling field interesting even for people who donāt follow the sport. Telegames later reissued the cartridge, and several unofficial South American versions exist.
