Nintendo World Cup
System: NES
Release Date: December 1990
Developer: Technos Japan
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Sports
Kunio-kun… I mean Alex… I mean Crash… is back and going for the Nintendo World Cup! This sequel to Super Dodge Ball puts all of the world’s best soccer teams up against one another in a hard hitting gauntlet of matchups. If you have a Four Score or Satellite, up to 4 players can go up against one another. Choose from your favorite countries of the late 80s and take a team of six to the top.
I picked the USA, because no one beats the good ol’ US of A. Well, not right away, at least. You begin by choosing the six players you want on the field. They all have stats, but you don’t get to know what they are, so check out a FAQ for more information. Then you get to set up your team’s AI. You see, you control the center and the center only. Do you want your teammates to pass it to you or dribble up field? Should they shoot the ball frequently, or less so? Should your goalie go on the offense? And should your guys go tackle crazy, or just cover the other team?
When you get on the field, you can override some of these settings by pressing the A or B Buttons. If you have the ball, the A Button passes. If you don’t, it calls for a pass. The B Button shoots, or calls for a shot. On defense, the A Button shoulder tackles your opponent, and the B Button does a slide tackle. These are necessary for getting the ball back. Pressing the A and B Buttons simultaneously pulls off a Super Kick, of which you get five attempts per half, but I was not good enough to pull these off. Argentina, on the other hand, pulled them off over and over again, even more than the five they are supposed to be allowed each half.
I played four games as the USA. The first three against Cameroon, Japan, and France. I walloped the computer in these games. The overall score in those three games was 43 – 1. My main strategy was to knock out all my opponents. Just look at the bodies strewn across the field. They pop up again after each goal, but don’t regain any health until half time. Then it was as easy as going for a shot and either kicking or dribbling the rebound in.
Each game took about 16 minutes to complete and I really didn’t want to play 12 games, so I took a password to the semifinals against Argentina and they murdered me. I could only score 2 goals to their 22. They have a nearly unstoppable Super Kick that they aren’t limited on. (11:50 vid 2) All their guys out-sped and out-healthed me, so I was no match. Good to know the game gets much harder.
Graphics: 2.0
The characters are straight out of River City Ransom and Super Dodge Ball. The sprite flickering is, too.
Sound: 2.0
The music sounds like what I’d expect from a Kunio-kun game, nothing amazing, but it’s serviceable.
Gameplay: 2.5
It’s not deep, but it seems like what is there works properly. You fight each other and try to score goals, it’s not that hard to get into.
Difficulty: 2.5
It starts out easy, but then gets hard at the end, I’m curious as to where it’s about even, but I probably won’t go any further to find out.
Fun Factor: 2.5
One of the more satisfying soccer games because there are no penalties to slow the pace of play.
Overall Rating: 2.3
Nintendo World Cup earns a C+. It’s an alright arcade soccer game. Not my sport, but there’s something to like, for sure.