Virtua Striker 2 (バーチャストライカー 2) is a sports video game developed and published by Sega for arcades in 1997. It is the sequel to the 1994 video game Virtua Striker, and the second game in the Virtua Striker series. A series of updates was released from 1998 to 1999, starting with Virtua Striker 2 ver. 1998 and ending with Virtua Striker 2 ver. 2000.1 (バーチャストライカー2 ver.2000.1, Bācha Sutoraikā Tsū ver.2000.1), that latest update being released for the Dreamcast in Japan in 1999, and then internationally in 2000, with the North American version re-titled to Virtua Striker 2. A sequel, Virtua Striker 3, was released in 2001. The arcade game was a major success in Japan, where it was the second highest-grossing arcade game of 1998 and the overall highest-grossing arcade game of 1999. The Dreamcast version, however, received mixed reviews from critics.

Amusement Arcades UK list

Virtua Striker 2 Virtua Striker 2 ver. 1998 Virtua Striker 2 Version '99

Reception

Arcade

The arcade game was a major hit in Japan, where it became the second highest-grossing arcade game of 1998, below Tekken 3. Virtua Striker 2 was later the overall highest-grossing arcade game of 1999 in Japan.

Dreamcast

The Dreamcast version received mixed reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings. In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 33 out of 40. In the United Kingdom, Computer and Video Games said the arcade gameplay "will initially dismay" International Superstar Soccer (ISS) fans, but that it is not a "simulation, it's a full-on arcade game." They called it "the finest arcade football game ever" and said, though some might criticise the lack of depth, "the massive andrenaline rush you get" from playing "more than compensates." They compared it to Crazy Taxi, in that both provide "instant" fun gaming. In North America, Rob Smolka of NextGen said that the game "may look good, but the poor controls drag this one down to rental status." Jake The Snake of GamePro said, "With its dazzling graphics and a speedy but authentic action, Virtua Striker 2 is at least a weekend rental for any soccer fan with a Dreamcast or for anyone who enjoys a fun, great-looking game."