"A new Captain Tsubasa game? Will Konami do it this time? Check out this review"

Introduction: Well, this game has been out for a while but no one thought about writing any FAQs or even a review, except for one Italian website if my memory serves me right. Since i'm a Captain Tsubasa (CT) fan since the ol' NES days (...Tecmo!!) i thought about poping the disk into my GameCube once again in order to sum up what i think about this game and write a helpful review! Oh yeah, and one more thing, this review will cover a ''Fan'' point of view and how would a normal gamer feel towards the game. I gotta be fair, right? Even if i'm a fan :p

*Hajimemishimasho...or something like that*

Gameplay: (8 / 10)
First, before you start, you have to choose a name for your player and a playing position (forward, midfield or defender). After that, you go through training procedures where on the top of the screen there will be four different bars which indicate your physical health, mental health and such. Of course after some training and taking some well deserved rest, training matches would occur, where you'll have to impress your coach (shooting and scoring if you're a forward player,etc). Then, if the coach liked the way you play against Japan greatest you'll get to join the next official match where you get to play side by side with awesome players such as Kojiro Hyuga :)

System: (8.5 / 10)
The gameplay system is a mixture of Tecmo's games (lists) for example (dribble, pass, special pass, special shot) and konami's CT game on the PS1 where events occur in each game such as when Espadas (Mexico's GK) runs with the ball towards your goal (I dare you to take the ball from his feet!!) :p
For CT fans, the gameplay system is quite fulfilling, where you get to see cool special moves and events, however, what bothers me most is that when the ball rebounds, the CPU seems a lil bit too lucky 'cause the ball always seems to end up between it's feet -_-
Passing is a bit harsh too!
For our normal Joe who's looking for a game like winning eleven, this game is not what you're looking for. CT is more of a strategy game. One more thing, this game is very very restrictive. You can't choose your players and you can't even change the formation, anyhow, for an average CT fan, this won't sound too bad :p

Story: (7 / 10)
World Youth Team story line! nuff said! You've seen it in Konami's PS1 game :p
You get to play against the exact seven teams (Thailand, Saudi Arabia, etc). So don't go and expect a new story line or something :)

Graphics: (7.5 / 10)
This game is showing it's age...When the camera goes close to the player models, they look a lil jaggy and blocky. Also, you get a drawing of your player on the side of the screen. What freaks me out is that everyone don't have any faces! Yes you heard that right! no eyes, no noses and no mouths!(well, maybe a nose...but that could be another jagged polygon) :p
But you could recognize the players from their hair styles and how they wear their shirts and stuff (like when hyuga curls up his shirt sleeves) without looking at their illustrations. The models look smooth when running and shooting (You gotta see the Mexican team acrobatics to beleive it!!). What bugs me more is that the game needs more animation scenes! One scene for a goal keeper pouncing on the ball is not enough, also one goal celebration scene is not enough too...There are more instances like these, Konami should have taken their time and not rush everything out of the door. I actually laughed when i won my first game, only to see three of my players lying on the ground, tossing their arms and legs up into the air at the same time!! :D

Sound: (8 / 10)
Whoa! nice music, it actually got me into tapping my feet. Moreover, Captain Tsubasa now actually speaks (Tomokazu Seki rocks!! :p) and every other players too, when there is a special scene and such! :)

Play Time and replayability: (7.5 / 10)
Seven teams, three different positions to play in, different moves to learn. Fans would eat this up like a snickers bar! You'll want to play over and over to see all the different storyline scenes in the game, like when Tsubasa goes face to face against Mark al Owairan (Saudia Arabia's captain) !!

Final Recommendations: I'm a captain tsubasa fan, and i got this game (yeah, even with it's little problems here and there) and i'm having a blast playing it over and over again (well, three times actually :p ). I won't recommend this game for a non-captain tsubasa fan, but for any fan who would try this game out, they won't be disappointed :)

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/09/03, Updated 07/10/03