"One of the best NES sports games!!"

World Cup Soccer defines what an exciting NES sports game should be. There's brutal slidetackling, shouldertackling, all without referees! The game is fairly easy to acclimate to, and though it'll take awhile to win the championship, it's only a matter of time.

But seriously, this game is serious fun. Aside from having choices of 1 player, or 2 players on the same team, you also have the option of 3 or 4 players in versus mode provided you have the proper NES console that allows for up to four players.

The goal is to win the world cup. I'm writing this review just as Italy has defeated France to win the real 2006 cup. The teams you play get progressively more difficult. The semifinal match against Argentina is very challenging, as your opponents move twice as fast as you, and fire off a bevy of power kicks right past your goalie. I just played the game today (by myself) after a LONG hiatus and got my tail kicked twice by the South American country before making a stand and holding them off for an 11-10 win. The final match against West Germany is a letdown, as they are nowhere near as tough as Argentina. I smoked them the first time for an easy 10-5 victory.

The cool thing about this game is that each team has a special trademark power kick, achieved by standing directly beneath the ball as its falling, and pressing A and B at the same time, at the right time. Mexico and Argentina are evenly matched with the same impressive power kick attributes while other countries, including the USA, are not as fortunate. I noticed that the goalies are not the same either, some teams have a better one than others. It makes a huge difference when you get into the tougher teams. If you play 2p on the same team, unless both players are very skilled, winning the cup is almost impossible, ask my wife lol.

I could play this game over and over again just for the Argentina match, but as another reviewer stated, the versus mode provides lasting enjoyment.

Highly recommended!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/10/06