Yeah,this is a kind of game where it's more fun to play with friends.
Just like Virtua Fighter, Virtua Striker franchise was built specifically for arcades (running on hardware like Model 2, Model 3, and NAOMI) rather than standard home console development.
That's why it was abandoned when arcade games started to decline. They make more money in arcade version, a lot compared to console versions.
For console games, now it's hard to make a football game to compete with EA because of exclusive their licensing deals, massive budgets, and brand power. EA has too much power in that area.
But it's also the other way around in football management game.
Football Manager franchise has decades of database advantage since Sports Interactive has spent over 30 years refining a vast network of real-life scouts globally, a scale no new entrant can easily replicate.
Their database remains unmatched and unchallenged in the industry.
Why Football Manager Has No Competition
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKDaDUjonIA
But aren't EA terrible?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-LE0ycgkBQEven if Virtua Striker, along with all the Virtua games, were made for arcades, their console/PC ports were still good in their own rights. So just because EA has the lead of football games doesn't mean Virtua Striker wouldn't stand a chance.
Take Virtua Fighter for example. It's major competitors are Tekken, Dead or Alive and Street Fighter. But Sega still made ports of these arcade games to console and eventually PC.
Other than that, Virtua Strike has more brand-recognition than "EA Sports FC", I had to Google the name because it was that forgettable to me. Even if EA has the higher budget, both Sega fans and Football fans would appreciate choice. Hell, having the "Sonic FC" be a reoccuring thing for each Virtua Striker game would really set it apart from EA Sport FC.
Other than that, given Sega produces Football Manager, I wouldn't be against Virtua Striker reusing assets from Football Manager. Even if someone with a keen-eye noticed a new Virtua Striker game recycled from Football Manager, as long as Virtua Striker carries the gameplay it has, that's what matters.
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