Tecmo World Cup '92

By: Übergeek

"Wha…World Cup '92!? There wasn't a World Cup in '92!" Yes, I know, thank you. And so do the gentlemen at Tecmo. But setting your World Cup in a year when there was, in fact, no World Cup helped this company skirt around such issues as a license, thus effectively saving up a lot of money. So what we have here is basically an unlicensed soccer game based on a fictitious World Cup. Sounds dodgy, doesn't it? So much so that it comes as a surprise to find out the game is actually not half bad.

Tecmo was a very popular Japanese game company from the early 1990's. They released a slew of platform/action games that were actually quite playable. TWC '92 is their attempt at a sports game. And what do you get for your hard-earned money? Two play modes, plus a two-player option. That's it. But this isn't necessarily a bad thing.

To fully accept TCW'92, you need to remember one thing: this was released in the halcyon days when FIFA was a blur in the horizon and ISS/PES was but a mirage. This redeems the game from a lot of its flaws. When, but in the pre-FIFA days, could a game get away with two play modes, a two-button, run-and-kick gameplay and faceless, featureless players? When but before 1994 could you accept such an unrealistic, cartoony "simulation?"

Because you see, TWC'92 is a heavily arcade-oriented title. The game does not strive for realism in the slightest, and instead focuses on delivering action-packed, frantic-paced matches. The players are unnamed and literally faceless - they all have nondescript brown hair and varying skin tones, according to where the team hails from (for example, Morocco has darker skin than Russia). But apart from that they're all exactly the same.

And they play the same, too. Don't come into this game expecting eye-popping dribbling, strategic positioning, and wildly unbalanced player abilities. Just like you don't get differentiated faces, you also don't get particularly differentiated abilities. Every player features the same amount of ball control, the same passing accuracy, the same shot power, and the same inability to dribble or otherwise overpower opposing players. The only difference between Brazil and Peru seems to be how fast their players can run, and how long they can last before they get tired. And even that is not particularly evident; not like, say, ISS. There also never seem to be more than 4/6 players on the field, and the ground itself looks more like a 5-a-side court than a full-blown soccer pitch, length-wise. You'll be able to stride from one end to the other in a couple of steps. This is a common flaw with early games, and never actually detracts from the fun.

It doesn't matter which one you choose - they all amount to the same

The reason for such simplistic gameplay is probably the fact that 2 out of the 3 Genesis buttons do the exact same thing. A short-passes and tackles, B and C long-pass and steal the ball. That's it. The passing direction is also automatically directed to the nearest player, so you won't even have to bother with that. A typical attacking move goes thusly: Your keeper throws the ball towards a defender. The defender lobs it forward and it lands smoothly and with pinpoint precision on a midfielder's feet. Run run run. Pass to somebody else on the midfield. Run run run. Get the ball to one of the wingers. Run run run, swerve, penetrate the area from a diagonal angle, DON'T cross, wait for the right moment and shoot. Goal.

This is what keepers in this game do. Mostly.

This, of course, means pretty soon you'll be achieving 14-0 scorelines against the weaker teams. But here enters another of the defining factors of this game. If you get an opposing team like, say, Cuba, it's a walk in the park. 14-0 and you're through to the next round. But if you get even an average team like South Korea, you'll be smothered in attacking moves and barely able to connect two passes before another opposing player infuriatingly regains possession. The fact that the game throws strategy completely out the window adds to this factor; no matter what "formation" the teams may play on, they'll all invariably do the same thing - send all their players forward in an attacking steamroller and mow down the opposition (you). While this leads to blazingly-paced matches, it also has a flipside - the only time you'll touch the ball in most matches is during sideline throw-ins, goal kicks, and the (very) occasional corner kick. Similarly, when you're attacking, the aforementioned move will ensure that if you can get to the goal, you will score.

But the keepers are not entirely useless. Sometimes they will pull off an incredible save (redeeming their earlier flubs) and, like with so many pre-FIFA games, the frontal shot will NOT work, no matter how strong it may be. Still, if you can figure out the sure-fire attacking move (note: go back two paragraphs and follow the instructions), you're bound to be mostly OK.

So, we've covered gameplay and graphics, what's left? Sound, of course. And this is perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of TWC '92. Or should I say notorious? The game has about two melodies, that accompany EVERY match and loop incessantly. Both are a horrible sort of MIDI version of a rock'n'roll tune, complete with guitar licks, and both have an acceptance span of about 10 seconds. Then you'll want to throw your Genesis out the window (or your computer screen, if you're playing it on an emulator). It gets even worse when you're being trounced by an opposing team and you're running around trying to get the ball and that STUPID FUCKING MELODY IS GETTING ON MY NERVES!!! Apart from these dire backing tracks, all you get are some fake-sounding referee whistles and a "shuffle" sound effect every time you kick the ball. Therefore, the best option will probably be to turn the sound off and just be done with it.

...that, and this.

And speaking of referee whistles… there are no fouls, sending-offs, or cards of any kind. That's right, the quintessential soccer moments - the miraculous last-second penalty, the beautifully swooping free kick, the entirely deserved direct red card - are entirely absent from this game. It is also actually possible to go through several entire games without seeing a corner-kick (believe me, I've experienced it). This only detracts further from the already inexistent realism of this game. But as noted, it helps keep the pace up. And to do the game justice, you do get to pull off some pretty impressive acrobactic kicks - but to do these you have to centre the ball, and most of the time you won't want to do that. So the beautifully rendered and easy to pull off bycicle kicks will mostly remain unseen, forsaken in favour of a more straightforward and basic run-and-kick approach.

In conclusion, is this game good or bad? Most signs would point to bad, except that it's so incredibly fun. While I'm trouncing the USA or Peru by 10-0, I'm not thinking about the game's many flaws. And that's a trapping only good games have. Don't expect anything fancy, and turn off the sound. If you do that, you will get to have a considerable amount of fun with this game.

-reviewed 2/27/08 - game copyright 1992 Sims Co. Ltd.

"You'll have fun, fun, fun, 'till your daddy takes the console away"

Overly basic, teams are just palette swaps, simplistic gameplay, no fouls or cards, HORRIBLE sound, only two game modes.

	6
	2
	8
	8
	67%

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