Captain Tsubasa 3

"Why Isn't This Game Released Outside Japan??? Read On To Find Out Why!!!"

Introduction

Captain Tsubasa is based on an anime/manga series in Japan. Captain Tsubasa III was made by Tecmo in 1992. And, the game was rather popular in Japan. One look of this game engine and you will easily understand why this game wasn't released outside Japan. Too complicated to understand? Maybe so? Just in case, you don't know what Captain Tsubasa is, I will now give you a brief introduction of what it is about.

Yes. It's all about soccer. Remember Slam Dunk, a basketball anime/manga series. That got to be at least one on soccer when there's already a basketball, right? Okay, back to the main point! What's all about? Tsubasa Ohzora is the captain of the Japan soccer team. Since young, Tsubasa has shown a lot of potential in playing soccer. And, after he grew up, he went to Brazil and began his soccer training there, hoping that he would become a professional soccer player one day and bring glory to Japan. Of course, this isn't all. After Tsubasa returns to Japan, he becomes the captain of the Japan soccer team, and determines to win the World Cup for Japan.

I have to admit that I didn't really catch on with the series well. I only read a few of its comics, as well as watch only a few shows on it. Anyway, anyone who has watched the show or read the comic, will somehow agree with me that the author creates it in a more 'fantasy' and 'imaginative' side. Why? Read below?

The Astonishment???

Many of the stances are somewhat too unbelieveable. For example, Tsubasa has a special shoot called 'Eagle' [I don't know the exact English name of the shot.] and when he shoots the ball, an eagle will appear. kojiro Hyuga also has a special shoot, and when he shoots the ball, a tiger will appear. And, some of the players can even jump up to a few storeys high and perform a bicycle kick, rather unbelievable, right? Furthurmore, sometimes, a powerful kick is able to send a player flying back and even able to make the ball deflated when the ball collides with the goal post. And, during many times when you execute special moves, the ball will curve around or even circling around in an unbelievable way. [Luckily, Japan has a very talented goal keeper called Genzo Wakabayashi.] And, when a player tries to kick the ball, the ball will stay there for a few seconds before it flies off. [Yeah, to enhance the animation feel. Slow motion, anyone?] Okay, enough of the introduction, now! Anyway, for those who do not know much about Captain Tsubasa, you may find it quite hard to accept the way the animation is. But, for those who likes animation or is a fan of Captain Tsubasa, you will definitely welcome it!

How To Play???

It's very much different from the normal soccer game you have played. Unlike any other soccer game, there isn't any 2-D overhead view of a field but there's a small layout or the map of the field at the centre bottom screen, which shows all the positions of all the players, as well as the player who has the ball, as indicated by a ball in the map. Basically, the top screen shows all the animations, such as the character and the ball.

So, how do you play the game? Simply use the d-pad to control the character and let him dribble in the field. Now, to select a command. Press B and a menu will pop up and from there, you will be able to choose a command such as passing, shooting, tackle and so on. When your opponent is near you and you are dribbling the ball, the menu will also pop up, and you will need to choose a command. This is because your opponent will choose a command such as tackling, blocking you, in order to get the ball from you, and that's why you need to choose a command to dodge him. The same applies when you are near to your opponent who is dribbling the ball. Simple to understand, right? Or are you confused?

How to choose a command is rather easy. For example, if you want to pass, at the main menu screen, hold left and press A. If the player has a special pass, then a list of commands will appear. The same thing goes to shooting as well but you hold right instead.

Each person has statistics too. If you keep on dribbling, your stamina will decrease, that includes performing a special pass, shoot, tackle, dribble and so on. And, if your stamina is low, it will affect the player's performance drastically. To let him regain his stamina, simply let him rest by not letting him perform any moves or not dribbling the ball. There are also attributes for passing, shooting, dribbling and so on.

Features

There are a total of two modes, the kick Off mode and the All Star mode. The Kick Off mode is actually much like the story mode. In the story mode, depending on how your players perform, their statistics may increase at the end of the match. Of course, it's obvious that if the players get many chances of dribbling the ball, shooting and so on, chances of them, raising their statistics at the end, are higher. Also, there are special animation scenes to guide you along in this mode. In the All Star Mode, you can play 1 player VS CPU or two players. Options in this mode includes allowing you to select your own team members or letting the computer do a random team selection.

Well, that's not all. Captain Tsubasa III also allows you to create strategies like marking an opponent, choosing your own team formation, switching players' positions and so on.

An Animation Soccer Game???

The greatest accomplishment is the creation of a strong anime style atmosphere. Tecmo has done a great job! Characters are pretty well animated and the announcer looks pretty cute. Overall, the visual is very bright and colourful. Still, there are rooms for improvements. Considering that the game was made in 1992, i think the graphics was pretty good.

On the other hand, you really get a lot of repeated animations, like what Dingo Jellybean said in his review. But, this is a soccer game, so it's inevitable that the animations do repeat. After all, it's the usual tackle, dribble, pass and kicks. I have to admit that during the animations, the game do slow down a bit. This is one of the game's downside. Still, it's nice to see the game freeze for a little while. Why? As i have mentioned earlier, when a player kicks the ball, the ball will stay there for about one to two seconds before flying off from the player's leg. I think it does enhance the animation feel this way and if you have watched the show, there are always some sort of ''slow motion'' before the ball eventually flies off from the player's leg and enters the net, right? [Replay, huh? Not exactly but... Or Confused???]

Music And Sound

During the game, there are two different background musics. One is for player 1 and the other is either for the CPU or Player 2 [depend on which mode you have choosen.] So, if player 1 has the ball, the background music will be that of player 1's. The same goes to player 2. In my opinion, I don't really find the background musics boring even though there are only two. In fact, I find the tunes rather inspiring as they manage to create a strong anime style atmosphere. I am not sure about anyone but that's what I personally think. The sound effects are pretty good as every single sound made by kicking, tackling, dribbling etc can be heard very clearly. The introduction animation is also pretty good, with decent music and sound and is rather inspiring.

The Greatest Downside???

The downside of it, is that the game is pretty easy, especially when you have all the best players like Tsubasa, Kojiro and so on in your team. Still, there is a variation of challenges, as each team will have about one to four talented players, who can use special moves and it gets tougher as the story in the Kick Off mode goes on.

My Favourite and Everyone's Favourite Team

My favourite team is, of course, the Japan team. It seems like, according to the manga, the Japan team is always the strongest. Why? Because the team has so many talented players like Tsubasa, Kojiro, Genzo and so on.

Conclusion

Overall, Tecmo's Captain Tsubasa III is definitely one of the greatest soccer games that I will recommend to anyone but you must be aware that this isn't your typical normal soccer game. It's not about realism but about animation. Neither does it bear any similarities to Konami's Winning Eleven series or Electronic Arts's Fifa Soccer. It's definitely an original game. Though the gameplay is rather weird for some of you and it's not totally flawless, it is rather fun. If you are interested in the game, it's pretty hard to find one nowasdays but you might want to download the rom from the internet to play it.

Story : 6.0/10.0
Graphics : 7.5/10.0
Concept : 8.0/10.0
Control : 7.0/10.0
Music : 7.5/10.0
Sound : 7.0/10.0
Gameplay : 8.0/10.0
Replay : 8.0/10.0
Challenge : 5.0/10.0
Overall : 7.0/10.0

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 07/02/00, Updated 12/16/02