If anyone needed confirmation of Sega's full-on commitment to Nintendo, this is a prime example.

Sega have been pouring development time into Nintendo's new purple box, and it's paying off. Super Monkey Ball and Sonic Adventure 2:Battle have both been well received in Japan and America, and with Virtua Striker released quite recently, it seems there is no stopping Sega.

Sega's newest offering for the Gamecube is Sega Soccer Slam, a bizarre take on England's beloved sport. Developed by Visual Concepts, known for their Virtua Tennis series. By this, you should know that the controls for Sega Soccer Slam will be top-notch. Very little information has been released, so Sega are keeping things quiet right now. So, here's what I know.

This is certainly not realistic, no ISS or FIFA clone here. It looks fantastic, with each character having their own animations and wardrobe. The graphics are very chunky and well-built, and look odd in their surroundings. Speaking of surroundings, the stadiums are brilliantly detailed, and host a believable amount of supporters in the stands, who each cheer and boo accordingly. The characters can also pick up power-ups on field to boost their shooting power, their distance shots and can also increase their speed the unbelievable new heights.

Info was released about 2 months ago about one of the characters, who is known as “El Diablo”. He wears some colourful spandex, with a championship belt of some kind. He seems sort of misplaced in a soccer game, but this being Sega soccer slam, he should fit right in with the other wacky and wonderful characters.

For people who are looking for a deep, long lasting challenge may be put off by this games unique style, but im sure that Sega will create longevity-boosting extras to keep your eyes glued to the screen.

The playing pitch is relatively unchanged, and keeps the same simple layout. The players, as mentioned before, wear different clothes, but have the same colour theme. Players also differ in variety also, so liking individual characters is possible. They possess special powers, like a boost to run ahead of their competitors.

News on Multiplayer is very scarce, but we hope to get more information later on in the month. You can probably assume that this game holds a 4 player Multiplayer mode that will probably be packed with customisable extras. Nice. The multiplayer could be a total Knockout, if treated properly.

For Sega to mess with such a popular genre is risky, but could be done. Soccer fans looking for a game to get them into the World-Cup mood should probably go for something along the lines of FIFA 2002 or ISS2. All the same, the game seems to be aimed at everyone, and is looking to be a Sega hit for the year 2002. I wish them all the luck I can, as I cant wait for this to come out on its supposed April-May American release Date.