Captain Tsubasa

Tecmo Cup Football Game is a radical departure from traditional soccer simulators; the game resembles an RPG more than anything. The player runs around the field normally, navigating by means of a miniature overhead view of the field located at the bottom of the screen, on which they are represented by the number they occupy on the team. The player in possession of the ball is seen as a tiny football. As soon as the player comes into contact with an opponent a menu screen is shown, in which the player decides what to do next. Options differ depending on if the player is in possession of the ball or not. If in possession of the ball, the player has the option to dribble past the opponent, pass to a teammate, perform a one-two (multiple passes between player and teammate), or shoot. When not in possession of the ball, the player has the option tackle the opponent, perform a passcut (if anticipating a pass), block the opponent, or simply stay put. The player does not have to come in contact with an opponent to perform the above moves, he can perform them at any point during the game. In addition to the default options mentioned above, there are also player-specific variations of the moves such as Robert's Gigadrive shot or Alfred's Kaiser tackle. These special abilities seem to defy the laws of physics (in a manner similar to Shaolin Soccer), but contribute significantly to the dynamic action of the game. Before the start of each match, each player is assigned an amount of "guts" proportional to their level. Every default move they perform during the match takes a small amount from their guts. The more work a player does on the field, the more guts they lose. Thus, guts can be thought of as a measure of energy a player has. Special abilities will take a huge amount of guts from the player, rendering him useless after they perform one or two. When the player is low on guts, all he is able to do is pass to another player with more guts, or keep running with the ball. After every half-time, some of the player's guts are replenished, but the guts for a player do not regenerate when not controlling the player, unlike the Captain Tsubasa games. In a somewhat humorous gesture, commentary is provided by an orange parrot wearing a suit, who is heavily biased towards the player's team. He cries if the team loses, but celebrates when the team is victorious.