Maximum Letdown: Mega Man Soccer (SNES)

As with any great franchise, there is the potential for spinoffs. As with any spinoff, there is also a chance for it to get out of hand. This is one of those times it got out of hand.

Mega Man is a franchise that has seen it’s share of spinoffs. Some were classics in their own right (Mega Man X, Mega Man ZX), some were just okay (Mega Man Battle Network), then there were some that were just dreadful. Mega Man Soccer is one of them.

Basically Dr. Wily for whatever reason decides to replace the soccer players on the field with his robot masters. How this is supposed to aid him in world domination is anyone guess. I suppose he’s trying to make his mark in the sports world, creating a Vince-McMahon style monopoly. Maybe after he got done with soccer, he can launch his own football league, a’la the XFL. Anyway, Mega Man decides to meet him on the field. Thanks to Dr Light’s tech, he is able to replicate himself enough times to form a team which leads me to wonder why Light didn’t do this in the first place when Wily started showing his ass. Think about how much easier the next Mega Man game would be is Mega Man faced Wily with an army of similarly powered robots.

You’ll face the robot masters in a series of matches. After you beat their team, you gain the robot master as a player. Each player has a special shot they can use, and these add variety to the game. There is also tournament and league play available, but I can’t see anyone wanting to stick with this game long enough to enjoy them. The gameplay is horrible, and after a few minutes with it, you’ll long for a real Mega Man game. Look on the bright side, this could have been Street Fighter basketball or Resident Evil boxing.