Mega Man Soccer (Super NES)
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Fact: People are into the World Cup. You may not be into soccer (or football, as the rest of the world calls it), but everybody else is. To honor the countries left playing in the athletic event, we're going to spend today looking at Mega Man Soccer on the Super NES. Were critics won over by Dr. Wily's robots, or did they balk at the terrible play control? We dig through old issues of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Super Play, GamePro and Nintendo Power for the answer.
(NOTE: Although we occasionally cut for length, no other edits are made to the review. Defunct Games does not change any of the wording, grammar or punctuation use. Also keep in mind that our score is the average of all critics at the time, not just the sample that is reprinted on this page. If you still have more questions, I recommend you check out the
Review Crew FAQ, where we address the review guidelines, converting scores, magazine covers and more.)
ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY #58
"A good soccer game, with Mega Man as the main selling point. The game is incredibly playable, with the great option of selecting teammates who are friends and foes alike. This will keep you and a friend playing for hours!"
(7 out of 10)
NINTENDO POWER (May 1994)
"Dr. Wily has provided the ultimate challenge -- a team of robotic super soccer fiends to torment a team of Megamen. This soccer simulation with characters from the popular action series as the participants. Some of the highlights of Mega Man's Soccer include customized team lineups, super kicks, Championship, Tournament, Exhibition and League play. Plus: Mega Man fans may get a kick out of the unique concept and fun characters. Minus: The poor control is uncharacteristic of Capcom games."
(3.5 out of 5)
SUPER PLAY #20
"Imagine a team with the talent of The Dog and Bucket's Sunday squad being transported into the future, enclosed in tight-fitting metal suits and then smothered in toffee. You're now half-way to discovering the feel of Mega Man Soccer. Mega Man Soccer has absolutely nothing to offer any kind of player, it has appeared at a time when there's already a glut of football games, and it's by far the worst of the bunch." -Simon Kirrane
(62% out of 100%)
GAMEPRO (May 1994)
"Game play boils down to run-of-the-mill soccer. The rules are standard, except that fouls are never called, the field boundaries are definitely by high walls, and your players can fire up to nine Super Shots per match. With all these yellow cards, MM Soccer remains fun only as a repetitive exercise in beating up the CPU, or as a decent two-player Versus contest. Inexperienced players looking for simplicity might consider a rental." -Colorful Commentator
(2.5 out of 5)
REVIEW CREW AVERAGE: 60% -
While I may not be a soccer fan, I have to admit that the concept of forming a team of Mega Man bosses sounds incredible. Apparently that was not the case, as critics were not kind to Mega Man Soccer. It has "poor control," says Nintendo Power. GamePro called it a "repetitive exercise." Hell, even Super Play said it had "nothing to offer any kind of player." Yikes!
Oddly enough, Electronic Gaming Monthly was kind of into it. This was one of those times when the magazine opted for a capsule review (instead of letting all four editors say their piece). The critic ended up liking the game more than most, calling the game "incredibly playable." No other critic agreed, which is why Mega Man Soccer averages a piss-poor 60%. It's a shame, because this really is a great concept.
ON WEDNESDAY'S EPISODE:
Forget soccer, because Friday's episode is more interested in thwarting an alien invasion than playing a round of soccer. From the mind of Hideo Kojima comes one of the craziest Sega CD games of all time -- Snatcher! See what the critics thought of this CD-ROM on Friday's episode of Review Crew.
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