There are video game characters who have papal dispensation to do whatever they want. Think of Super Mario, for example: he started his adventures fighting against Donkey Kong, moved on to platform games, and now there’s nothing he hasn’t done, from kart racing driver to doctor, including paranormal investigator (well, Luigi, rather) and even soccer player. Because Mario puts on whatever costume is needed and always fits into a game. Something similar happens with Sonic, although to a lesser extent, or even with Pac-man.
But in 1994, Capcom decided that their character dedicated to making spin-offs would be the least suitable for it: Mega Man. If Mario does whatever he wants in Nintendo, why shouldn’t the blue robot play soccer? You can answer that question yourselves, yes, but you can expand on it by taking a look at one of the strangest and most unnecessary video games in history: Mega Man Soccer.
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But to understand why, we have to go back a year in time. Capcom releases a game installment every year, and it’s already on the sixth. Nothing seems to indicate that the public is getting tired of it, and they decide it’s time to diversify it with a title that is, at the very least, risky: Wily & Right no RockBoard: That’s Paradise. Doesn’t ring a bell? Normal, because it was… a business simulation game where the player had to buy properties, somewhat in the style of Monopoly.
Just what one would expect as a spin-off from a shooting game: real estate simulators. Among the bad reviews that didn’t understand the reason for this digression, Capcom held onto something good: Reggae, a new character that later appeared as a nod to the most loyal fans (and has been important in the Mega Man comic series). It never left Japan, and rightly so: no one was interested in the slightest.
But at Capcom, they were willing to keep milking the cow, and on February 17, 1994 (a month later in the United States), they released Mega Man Soccer at a time when series like Kick-Off and other sports games were a sales success. So the sum was obvious, right? If sports are a success and Mega Man is a success, you just have to combine them to achieve… one of the least successful titles of that era.
Offside
The story of the game takes place after Mega Man 4 and begins with a news bulletin: Dr. Willy’s robots have invaded and blown up a soccer field! Something must be done to stop them! Before Mega Man goes to do what he does best, Dr. Light stops him because he is going to make some modifications to “give them a match they won’t forget.” The robot that used to solve everything by shooting through platforms is now going to play soccer… for no apparent reason.
Not only that: their enemies are also willing to get to it. Yes, yes, I know, it’s just a mere excuse to put the title into action, but it doesn’t make the slightest sense: Didn’t they just invade a stadium? Why have they decided that the only valid strategy from then on is to do an Escape to Victory? Are you sure it’s the right way to defend the planet, to start kicking the ball?
No matter the complaints we may have as players: this is called Mega Man Soccer and that’s what it is. But of course, Mario also had his soccer game and is still treated well, why? Well, because the plumber can use all kinds of powers during the match, making the sport a mere excuse for chaos. In Mega Man Soccer, you only have basic options: run, pass the ball, shoot at the goal, and steal the ball from the enemy. Wow. Pure Mega Man.
Energetic Kick!
Furthermore, the control is far from being perfect and meticulous, as the rest of the saga was, where any small slip could end your adventure prematurely. Here you barely feel in control of anything, beyond choosing where the characters of your team (a group of little “Mega Mans”) will play. There are better options for soccer games, there are many better options for Mega Man games: Who was this made for?
Well, the truth is that the main problem with the game is the lack of refinement… because Capcom insisted on releasing it as soon as possible. This led, of course, to the confrontation with Doctor Willy not being programmed and, in fact, there isn’t even an ending. Maybe with a few more months we could talk about a saga that would last over time? Maybe, but certainly not this one.
Scoring goals is very easy (it’s normal to finish matches winning by more than ten), the controls require you to be patient, and the only thing it has from Mega Man are the characters and the match selection screen, which uses the same style as the usual saga and in which – supposedly – each villain has unique statistics and a different special shot (although only two can be launched during matches). And on paper, it sounds great, but in reality, it doesn’t show.
Mega Man Soccer did not bear fruit, and the saga gradually sank into oblivion with the arrival of new consoles: Mega Man 8 appeared in 1996 and we didn’t have a new numbered game until 2008. Capcom decided to experiment with soda, and since then there have only been a few titles that more or less deviate from the character’s foundations.
One of them is Super Adventure Rockman, which was released only in Japan and was an interactive on-rails movie that even Keiji Inafune, the character’s creator, despises. Another, more recent, is Street Fighter X Mega Man, a curiosity that holds no significant importance and was offered for free. With the franchise gradually falling into oblivion once again (beyond its numbered titles and special appearances in Super Smash Bros), has the time come to properly make Mega Man Soccer? Who knows.
