The developers were aware of this issue but did not get around to addressing it due to the game being rushed to release; as a result, playback of the commentary stops and starts again in a manner similar to stuttering.

[8][16][17] The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly particularly complained at the inability to change the position of players during breaks in the play, and John Ricciardi summarized that "The addition of Club teams is nice, and the engine seems to have been polished up a bit, but otherwise this is pretty much the same game as last year with some annoying faults.

Sure, it has all the current Premiership sides and players, but at the end of the day, it plays virtually identically ..."[16] GamePro similarly held that there weren't enough changes, and recommended holding out for the Saturn port of FIFA: Road to World Cup 98 instead.

[17][c] Next Generation was an exception, arguing that "Sega has made a wise decision to leave well enough alone with the third game in the series.

"[14] Some reviewers particularly criticized the lack of improvement in the goalie AI,[8][16] though the greater racial accuracy of the player models as compared to Sega Worldwide Soccer '97 was praised.