Nintendo World Cup
Reviewed by Jeremiah Aker
Good sports games on the NES seemed few and far between. There were
the great ones like Tecmo Super Bowl and Baseball Stars, but there
weren't a lot. Another sleeper from Technos was this game, World Cup.
It has 13 customizable teams from around the world, a 4-player mode,
and a full season mode for 1-player. This one has it all, but never
seemed to be popular, much like the other Technos games (other than
Double Dragon). It's a shame though, because once you pick this one
up, you can't put it down!
Graphics 8 out of 10
The sprites and field in this game are huge, but it's too bad there isn't a lot
of beautiful stuff in the one player mode. Grass is grass, and there are no
recognizable backgrounds, since the field takes up the entire screen (like
the original Soccer game for the NES). The sprites animate nicely though,
as basically everything you want to see in a soccer game is here headers,
tackles and slide tackles, bicycle kicks, passes and two different shooting
techniques. All the players look completely different, and each have visible
differences in uniforms and such.
In the multiplayer games you can even select what field you play on, with
a few weird choices like Ice, Dirt, Rough (mainly just dirt with lots of
rocks and shrubs), Concrete, and sand. each field looks great and reacts
differently. The only flaw is that in some situations there is a lot of
glitching, since the crash detection sucks.
Music and Sound 8 out of 10
If you know Technos like I do, the Tunes feel right at home, and you'll
know it when you turn the game on. Some will get you into the game,
while others will turn you off somewhat. These aren't standard tunes
by any means, and I've always believed that Technos has some great
sound programmers, but, it's as good as you'll get for a soccer game.
The sounds on the other hand, are a little sub-par. I loved River City
Ransom's sounds because they all sounded different depending on what
was happening. With World Cup, you get the same sample for passing
and shooting, and a weird sound for dribbling. As the ball sails through
the air, it's sounds a little more like a 747 taking off. The tackles really
give you a feeling for impact, as if you just slammed a car door. Ouch.
Game Challenge 9 out of 10
This is a so so area for World Cup. The first 3 teams you face (Cameroon,
Japan, and France) are sinchy. The next 3 are also a little easy, but it's
teams like Mexico, Argentina, Italy, and the dreaded W.Germany that
make you work. This is one of the only games for the NES that has
different team rankings and so on. Certain teams are Great, while
some of the teams are mediocre. But, it's the teams like these that
keep you coming back for more. I can beat Japan 14-0, but a match
with Italy will primarily result in a close, low scoring game, as the
CPU learns your tactics.
Another aspect of the game in which I enjoyed was being able to select
your rosters and your game style. You get a roster of about 10 guys,
and can choose six of them to represent your team, each with a different
style of play. The overall game style is how your team works together.
Yo can choose whether to play an aggressive style (teammates always
shoot) or a defensive style (teammates never shoot), whether to mark
your opponent (chase him) or to tackle him on the spot. other choices
include whether your goalie should join in, or stay in the box at all times.
Its features like these that add immense replay value to the game. The only
flaw to speak of are the easy teams. Other than that, theres plenty
of challenge.
Game Play-Fun 10 out of 10
Get 4 friends together, a multitap, and have hours of fun. The multiplayer
mode allows you to select from 6 different teams, and 6 styles of field
France, USA, England, W.Germany, and two others, and an Ice field(slide
tackle someone and watch them zoom across the screen), Sand (the ball
will slop if it hits the ground), Concrete (the ball will bounce high and
far), Dirt (the ball will bounce low and short), Rough (like dirt, except
there are rocks and shrubs to trip over), and just normal grass. The two
player games last 9 minutes (which is more like 20 minutes the way the
clock runs) with no half time and no chance to switch game play styles.
I like this mode because it last a lot longer, and feels more like street
soccer than pro soccer.
The 1 player mode will get a bit old once you've beaten the game, since
there is no difficulty setting. And once you've beaten the game with the
weak teams, theres not a lot to keep you coming back. All in all though,
this is a fun game with plenty of replay value.
Frustration
Unfortunately, there are a few frustrating aspects, but no major gripes.
The biggest being the CPU's total lack of fairness with the good teams.
At the start of a game, your given 5 special shots to use per half, so a
total of 10 per game to use within the entire team. For the computer,
it seems as if they get 7 or 8 to use.
There also isn't a lot of challenge with some of the teams. you can basically
dribble or pass up field, and if you shoot towards the corner of the goal,
the Goalie will usually dive for it to bat it out of the way if he's too far
from it. This results in the ball being sent back at you, and if you shoot
in the opposite corner, you'll usually score. You can do this about 100
times, and the CPU doesn't seem to pick up on it. I would have liked it
better if instead of batting the ball away, the goalie would pull it into
himself as he dove towards it. This would make you work harder to score
a goal, and make accuracy a little more important, and also make the
games a little lower scoring. The two player or 4 player mode is best,
since most of this is preventable.
Replayability 9 out of 10
If you don't have a multitap or any friends, you might find this getting
a little repetitive. If you do, you'll have fun for hours. The good news
is that the options allow you to play so many different styles of games,
you won't get bored.
Game Value 9 out of 10
YES!!! I bought this game at Toy's R US for $9.99! It's the best $10 I ever
spent, and I'd probably pay full price for it even today. The only reason
it got a nine out of ten is because it may not appeal to non-sports fans,
or non-soccer fans.
I'm still disappointed Technos didn't make an entire sports line, with
a football, basketball, hockey, and Baseball game. This one was done
so well, I could just picture playing these on my NES. Even an Olympics
game would be cool, I mean, picture Crash N' The Boys: Street Challenge
without the funky weapons... it would work very well! Overall, you can't
go wrong buying this, unless you're anti-sports.
Control 10 out of 10
Characters do what you want them to, when you want them to, with little
effort on your part. The only thing you have to focus on is timing bicycle
kicks, corner kicks, bounce shots and certain passes, but all of these add
realistic aspects to the game. I'm still a bit disappointed you couldn't
play as the goalie...
Overall 9 out of 10
Like I said, it's a great addition to your sports library. You won't be sorry
if you get this one!!