The most eagerly awaited titles in the Sega world at the moment are, surprisingly, not just the Big Three. As well as the conversion of Zoop, other games high on the Mean Machines list of Saturn pant-wetters include the legendary FIFA Soccer. The tried and tested formula of a single isometric viewpoint (used in all the 16-bit versions) has been thrown out of the window and replaced with a multi-angle TV style perspective. The Playstation version of FIFA was widely regarded as the finest football title yet to appear on any machine, and reassuringly the Saturn version seems near identical.

Football is probably the most popular game field for any machine, and if recent hurried attempts to get a game out first (Victory Goal and Hat-trick Heroes anyone?) are anything to go by, people will cash in on it any way they can. FIFA looks set to add a bit of class to proceedings, if nothing else. Virtual Stadium Soccer, to give the game its proper title, incorporates all the features that you would come to expect from a football match except the manky half-time pies and puddles of piss in dark corners.

And in keeping with the 'upgrades' that appeared in the latest FIFA on the Megadrive, this features real player names and teams. As EA themselves boast, "If it's in the game, it's in the game!" Couldn't have put it better myself.

FIFA's first outing on the Saturn, continuing the well-received 'next gen' series. Originally one of the best-selling Megadrive titles of all time.

It's footie. Cool. Swap ends at half time. Easy. Score goals. Hard.

The better things in the game are, sadly, eclipsed by the cutting insight of John Motson in his running commentary. Having seen Clive Tyldsley in Championship Manager 2, and Barry Davies making his appearance in Actua Soccer, the reject commentator was the only one left for EA to pick from so they cut their losses and went for it.

His legendary style of waffling has made many an armchair football fan reach for the mute button, and this game is no different. Whistle a shot by the post to hear a cry of "Ooooohhhhh", or attempt an audacious back-heel to hear surprisingly "Nice back heel".

But the icing on the cake is the amazing Motty Rap. When the game is paused, if you're fortunate snippets of Johnny boy's archive have been jumbled together for a tune to humble Take That. Trust us, this has to be heard to be believed.

As with the original games, the number of teams to choose from is very broad, enabling many a derby to be battled out in your own home.

Be it the Scouse derby between Everton and Liverpool at Goodison Park, or the Milan derby in the San Siro, nothing has been passed up. And to make things even better, all the real players are included, adding even more authenticity to the proceedings. But the well known teams aren't the only ones.

The more exotic among you have been catered for with the inclusion of the American league, and even the Malaysian competition. Quite who they are, or if they are any good, remains a mystery, but until they manage to beat England (which isn't too difficult these days) then they are to football what Madonna is to the Celibacy fund.

The movements for the players have all been copied straight from the horse's mouth, as it were. Three Sheffield Wednesday players were drafted in to perform a range of their best tricks. These were wireframed, then texture-mapped, and stuck into the game.

Quite why they got Sheffield Wednesday players to do this is a mystery, considering the only trick they know is how to pick the ball out of the back of the net. This does, howevver, mean that the animation is thoroughly realistic and gives a far greater perspective on the game.

As with the other versions, the crowd songs are an integral part of the proceedings. But this time they seem to have adopted a more abusive air than usual. For instance, when the scoreline was reading 5-0, one chant sounded distinctly like "What a load of rubbish". And when playing against Man Utd, a chorus resembling, "What a waste of money," could be heard. Wonder why?

The FIFA legend not only survives the next gen transition intact, but surpasses anything previously seen in this genre. This is a formidable achievement that deserves the attention of anybody to whom gameplay is a priority, but this scores on the sheer polish of its appearance as well.

Motty's hilarious commentary didn't bug me the way it bothered Steve (in fact, that unbelievable rap demands to be a single) until it started getting a bit repetitive. A wider library of comments would have been a minimal touch that would have lent the game a much greater degree of realism.

Elsewhere there is little to find fault in here, the FIFA series having finally entered the arena of superb simulation alongside excellent gameplay. One minor gripe (except the ability of this to bring out the very worst 'sore loser' aspect of Steve's personality) is the occasinal non-sensical player behaviour.

There's nothing more annoying than carefully setting up a pass, only to see a player running away from the ball. But these are high expectations that only a game of this quality arouses. And the fulfilment of even the highest expectations from the FIFA series surely can't be far away.

Many of my more recent Saturdays have been spent watching my beloved Everton in London and around Liverpool, and in my opinion you just can't beat a good footie match. So when Virtual Stadium arrived all my armchair soccer fantasies seem to take a dramatic twist into reality.

This game really puts you there, with CD quality crowd songs, far more realistic player attributes and movements, and the duff commentary of Johnny Boy Motson. Graphics on the whole are really smart, with the view panning around to give the TV feel that is being aimed for.

The sounds are sparse, apart from crowd sounds, but all that is forgotten when you hear the Motty rap. Unbelievable.

But the most important thing here is the playability. Having to live up to the other FIFAs was the task ahead of the programmers, so the realistic feel (haven't I mentioned that before?) has been utilised fully.

The players' running and general movements are all good. And because they look real, it means that it feels the same way. Passes generally go where you want them to, and it's impossible to do the same tactics to keep scoring, as it's so much harder to score anyway. If it's football you want then you won't be disappointed in this. But I feel there may be better to come just around the corner.

Graphics 92%
P. The stadium, and the presentation, is all top notch.
N. The FMV sequences at half time could have been better.

Animation 90%
P. Players look and move so realistically that it's almost like being there.

Music 90%
P. Some of the tunes grind a bit, but when you've got the Motty rap, who cares?

Effects 91%
P. Crowd noises have all been sharpened and made clearer.
N. There are no really ecstatic yells when a goal is scored.

Playability 89%
P. Easy to get into, difficult to put down.
N. Sometimes playing the computer is too difficult.

Lastability 87%
P. Lots of tournaments and leagues to play around with, and secret bits as well.
N. A bit boring in one-player mode.

Overall 88%
The best football game on the Saturn so far, and it's going to take some beating.