Captain Tsubasa 3

"Tsubasa out to kick your SNES"

The craziest anime and game now gets ported to the SNES. After 2 appearances on the NES, Tsubasa, Hyuga, Misaki and Wakabasayi come to play their spectacular football on the Super Nintendo and hope to make you another fan of a magnificent anime, both in terms of graphics and storyline [which is something rare for such animes…].

The principle of the game is still the same as in the 2 previous NES titles and hopefully, that will make things easier for you. This RPG-soccer title is still the same and people who've played any of the prequels will get used to the game's mechanics quite soon. That's a very good thing indeed since I didn't have to play trial-and-error during the first matches to know what was going on. For those who are new to Captain Tsubasa, I will still explain how everything is done ; no need to panic yet. You can panic later once you know how crazy this game is…

PLOT : 5

I'll have to admit I was confused here. I got the impression from playing the game that it was nothing more than an expansion of CT2 but I did some research and eventually found out that CT3 is supposed to be an entirely new title with its own plot. Yet, the more I think about it and the more I get the impression that this is just CT2 on SNES. And you can trust me to know such stuff considering the number of times I've played CT2. Still, the plot is very good and will keep you hooked up as long as you understand Japanese but only if this is your first CT game. Things will be different for those who've played the second in the series because they won't discover anything new in here and being a great fan of the series myself, I know how it feels when the storyline moves on and the players get better and more is unveiled about their past. This may be a drawback to the game but I think I'll just let those who've played CT2 decide for themselves.

I'll be frank here and explain how it hampers the game, thus explaining the ''low'' score. I'm guessing that if I hadn't played the other titles before laying my hand on the SNES version, I would probably have awarded the game's plot an 8, even a 9 since the plot is well done. But like I said earlier, this isn't my first CT title and having to play with the same plot as CT2 soon turned out to be annoying. Although I played CT2 a long time ago, I still remember the details of the intricate storyline considering how I couldn't think of anything else then. Thus, beating CT3 didn't strike me as much of those, which is a pity because the developers have done a great job once more. It's like those series which you can't watch more than one time and where the plot seems uninteresting once you know what will happen at the end…What a shame !

INNOVATION : 10

The system and mechanics which made it a hit on NES haven't been altered and since this is the first SNES Captain Tsubasa title, I'll put it as being very innovative here. Of course, biased football fans may not like it. If you just play the game a few minutes and just decide right then that you don't like it, you may be doing a mistake. Once you understand the game, you will probably like it as much as I did [maybe even more, but that sounds highly improbable :)]. So, I'll advise you to take the time to get used to the game instead of letting yourself fooled [or fouled…] during the first match.

For those who are learning about one of Tecmo's best title just now, this isn't an ordinary soccer game. I'll describe it the same way I described the prequels : Captain Tsubasa 3 is a soccer/RPG title. By this, I mean that it is played just like popular RPGS such as Final Fantasy, Chrono Cross, etc…[Some may now say that there are other RPGs besides SquareSoft's titles but I'll just ignore them !].

The matches are played like those annoying battles in RPG : by making choices using directional buttons and confirming those. The screen will thus always show you only the player that has the ball. When you want to do an action like passing the ball around or shooting from the midfield line [don't worry, it is not that hard to score goals from here in this game…], press B and a menu will show up. By pressing a direction, you'll choose an option and just press A to confirm your choice and the player will perform that action. There are only a few options at first but as you play on, your players develop and level-up just like in RPGs and they'll gain new moves. These new moves will open in another menu and you just have to choose the one you want just like you proceeded before. You won't take a lot of time to get used to it, it's very easy.

CRAZINESS : 10

Craziness…Is that a good or a bad thing ? Just read on to find out. Captain Tsubasa may be a football game but it is in no way like other titles such as FIFA and International Superstar Soccer besides the fact that you're on a pitch, that you kick a ball around, that you can score goals and that you can be show yellow or red cards depending on whether the referee likes you or not [I won't name a certain British referee…]. In CT, the players may be young but Zidane, Batistuta, Dabizas and Nakata will wish they never played football if they had to play against Tsubasa, the Lee brothers and any of the crazy youngsters that are featured here.

The players of CT have special shots like Hyuaga's Tiger Shot, Tsubasa's Over Drive Shot, and their twin shot [well…what did you expect from an anime ?]. And don't think that it's just about their shots. Did you really think they would just stick to those ? Any real-life move is just a pretext for the developers to create sensational moves and everything, from tackles to dribbles, is done exceptionally by a lot of players. And I won't even mention the keepers [Oh Wakabayashi, How Do I Fear Thoust ?] who will defend their net acrobatically in a very surrealistic way. All the players without exception are as tough as Wolverine…Understand by this that they may be injured by a ''missile'' shot but that you'll find them back on their feet a few seconds after, chasing the ball as if nothing happened.

Even the Super Sayajins from Dragon Ball Z will be amazed when they see Tsubasa and his friends jump even higher than them to intercept a pass. Yikes, this game is crazy !! I wanna play football like them !! And that's where the interest of the game lies. Damn, this game is truly awesome. The moves the players can pull will amaze you and will make you start wishing all this was true too since they're very well-designed. Of course, this is also the reason why some may not like the game but it's really fun as long as you take some time to grasp the controls.

GRAPHICS : 8

This may be considered a somewhat low score since I gave CT and CT2 7 and 10 respectively for their graphics. The fact is that I keep on thinking that the graphics of CT3 should have been better. I'm not saying they're bad, don't get me wrong. In fact, I do find the visuals great but I would have expected something better considering the supremacy of CT2 in this field. Oh well, if this is your first game, you won't find any problem and will like the graphics. I might as well do into more details since my purpose is to make you like the game as much as I did [maybe even more but that's enough matter !].

The players, the pitch, the ball and everything else are drawn anime-style [wow, what a surprise…]. By anime, I mean that the players have big faces and big eyes, and everything else is very colorful and flashy. Now, is that really news considering how I rambled on about how CT is, above all, one of the best animes ever created ? The best thing still remains the ball which is very well-drawn and since this is said by a hardcore football fan who watches every match he can, you know you can trust me here.

The players are very well-done. Instead of the small dull characters in the other football games, they're beautifully done and the way they're shown on the screen makes you feel the developers have done an amazing work here. The pitch is quite good too but truthfully, you aren't shown much of it since the ball seems to travel in the air most of the time. Still, you'll see how it's very clearly done with its neatly arranged green tiles [things you don't see in real life…] the few times you see it.

The best thing remains the little events though and this time, I'll admit that they're way better than the NES version. You'll notice how the players seem to come straight from animes then and like all animes, sport clear details and you won't ever find a mistake in their design. The backgrounds are breath-taking and will most likely make you wish you had put a tape on to record it [otherwise, you'll have to play the game once more just for the pleasure of seeing that event again]. The design of the ball as they swirl around is amazing and you'll even see Tigers and Eagles behind the players when they do exceptional moves.

A very nice feature is how time seems to stop when the players pull out their special shots. The players will be shown in a different view with the ball at their feet at first. They will then seem to concentrate and will strike the ball after a short time. And something incredible will happen…The ball will remain glued to their feet for several seconds before they're unleashed and this time, there'll be a dark background. This is one of the best moments in old-console videogaming and even today, I can't seem to get over such inventiveness.

However, I'm still deceived the rest of the time. This mainly concerns the graphics during the match. CT2 was wonderful here !! OK, maybe I'm making a mistake in comparing these 2 but I don't think it is one because both have been made by TECMO. Well, maybe TECMO needed to test the system's potential [what a lame excuse] and I'll do an effort and go along with that since the game is fun !

SOUND : 7

Again, CT2 crushes its NES counterpart here. And this time, there's no doubt that the developers had been sleeping while they worked on the music of CT3 [my guess is that they were stoned by people who are afraid of Hyuga…]. The themes are good, entertaining, and well-done but not as good as CT2 or even CT1. They're still motivating and have that ''enthusiastic'' feel about them which made me like every single CT soundtrack but I miss the old themes which seemed to come directly from heaven [yeah, right, the heaven of anime !].

But those who have not listened [you don't know what you have missed, start looking for it NOW !!!] to one of the best NES soundtracks are bound to like the music and the sound effects here. There are still 2 themes in each tournament, one when you have possession and a second one which plays when you have been stupid enough to give the ball to the opponent. And the small theme as you lose possession or gain back possession is one hell of a theme ! There's also a dumb music at half-time, and before and after matches though…

The sound effects are good but they're basically the same as in the prequels with some new stuff added [trying to fool me, huh ?]. The ball still makes some weird but excellent sounds as it travel sa distance 5 times the size of the pitch before fooling the keeper. The best effects are still the ones during the special shots and where the players concentrate before striking the ball just like in the NES titles. I particularly like that ''Matrix'' sound when they are still concentrating. Too bad the ''Guts'' are still included to control my savage instincts.

GAMEPLAY : 8

As good as before ! You'll love every second of it. Err, maybe not when you're losing…Unless you're a sicko like me, that is…The first matches are easy but you'll soon find out by yourself how the game is difficult as from the second match. And I'm not even mentioning how supposedly weak national teams will treat all your players like 5-year old kids once you're controlling the Japan All-Stars Team, which is an exploit in itself. The developers at TECMO are as crazy as their game !! Run for your lives !!

The game is fairly long if you know how to play the game and amazing long if you don't know what you're doing or you're just fooling around. You'll have to play most of the matches at least twice : the first time to know where their weakness lies and the second time to try and win. Don't even think of winning on the first try unless you consider yourself a true master at RPGs. Besides, this isn't really a RPG, the soccer part is bound to confuse you, heheheh [Orochi K's vain attempt to comfort himself…].

And if the 1P mode isn't enough, there's the 2P All Stars mode which, like its name implies, enables you to play against a friend. Here, you can create your own line-up from the players available and make up a devastating attack or a solid defense which will make your poor pal throw the pad away in disgust [pervert !]. Of course, this is just a bonus mode to prevent you from discarding the game after you've beaten it once. It seems very unlikely that you'll bother with it while you're still controlling Tsubasa and his friends in the 1P mode.

REPLAY VALUE : 3

The weakest point in the game. Captain Tsubasa 3 lacks replay value just like its predecessors. You're probably thinking that this is a bad point but personally, I understand TECMO. Unlike true RPGs, CT doesn't have much replay value because there can't be secrets and the typical-RPG-enhance-lifespan thingies. What can they include more ? Secret characters maybe but then, they would be screwing the anime and I'd feel very disappointed by their flawed attempt. And since the game was made for the anime fans, TECMO wouldn't want to risk that. So, I hope you'll agree with me that even though CT3 has practically no replay value, it isn't that important. Besides, who on earth will have the courage to play against those freaks once more !?

OVERALL : 8

While Captain Tsubasa 3 isn't as good as I expected upon playing 2, it's a well-made title that will take away a lot of your time. But be warned that you'll become a CT3 addict if you haven't played the NES titles because you'll find it a perfect game. This is a very good port onto the SNES and kuddos to TECMO for the great work they're doing in adapting the anime so wonderfully.

Orochi K's final words

Captain Tsubasa 3 is a very good title in an entirely different genre for those who haven't heard of it yet. The real problem lies in finding the game though. It is very rare and moreover, it is only available in Japanese, which is a shame. But don't let that deter you from looking for the game, it isn't hard to understand and you'll enjoy every second of it once you've grasped the controls. Now, if you will please excuse me, I have to go make Tsubasa get past Karlheinz…

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/17/01, Updated 11/09/02