Mega Man Soccer (SNES) Playthrough - NintendoComplete

A playthrough of Capcom's 1994 soccer game for the Super Nintendo, Mega Man Soccer.
This video shows a full run through the Capcom Championship mode.
Mega Man Soccer was the second Mega Man game for the SNES, released just four months after Mega Man X ( • Mega Man X (SNES) Play... ), and it was developed for Capcom by Sun L, the people behind Mega Man II ( • Mega Man II (Game Boy)... ), Bonkers ( • Bonkers (SNES) Playthr... ), and Magical Quest 3 Starring Mickey and Donald ( • Disney's Magical Quest... ).
In one of Capcom's more blatant and cynical cash grabs of the 16-bit era, Mega Man Soccer begins with Dr. Wily's 8-bit robot masters attacking, of all things, a televised soccer match. Instead of going after them in the traditional run-and-gun way that the series is known for, Dr. Light orders Mega Man to take the fight to the enemy out on the pitch. Because video game logic, I guess.
The structure is similar to the standard Mega Man games: you play a match against each of the eight selectable robot masters, and when you beat one, you recruit him as a member of your team. They each have their own soccer-related stats, special attacks, and positions that they are best suited for.
Once you've assembled your team, you head off to the flying skull castle to play space soccer against Enker and Protoman before finally taking on Dr. Wily himself.
Mega Man Soccer plays like pretty much any soccer game from the 8-bit era. You have a button to pass, to shoot, and to punt, you can head the ball and tackle, and since this is Mega Man, you get a special shot (which can stun an opponent or blow them out the way) to use once every half.
Unfortunately, the game is more than a bit stodgy at its center. The characters move sluggishly, you can't manually switch which character you're controlling, and the view is so zoomed in that you can't see what's going on unless you focus on the mini-map at the top of the screen. The action often slows down when too many players are on-screen at once, and the AI is dumb as a post. I actually managed to capture a fun instance of this: during the last match, since I had a huge lead, I was curious to see what the computer would do if I stopped pushing buttons. You can see the results for yourself at 3:16:38. You can also score goals against any goalie by shooting from directly below him or by luring him out of the box and tapping the ball in behind his back. That makes for a super easy game to win.
The game also lacks any sort of ending under normal circumstances. Though the ending is buried in the game's code, upon defeating Wily, the game normally dumps you straight back at the title screen. I was able to access it using a Game Genie code, so I show it at the end of the video at 3:18:11.
The characters have all received nice 16-bit facelifts and I suppose that it might be fun for a bit with a friend, but I've never had any love for Mega Man Soccer. The stages are ugly, the game's mechanics are riddled with oversights and glitches, and the music is awful across the board.
But don't let me stop you if the game piques your interest. I loathe it, but who knows? You might well find more fun with Mega Man Soccer than I did.
If you'd like too see more Mega Man, check out my playlist! • Mega Man Playthroughs I've played nearly 40 of them at this point.
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
NintendoComplete (www.nintendocom...) punches you in the face with in-depth reviews, screenshot archives, and music from classic 8-bit NES games!

[@yusakug]

Just think of all the classic gaming-sports crossovers we could have had if this idea caught on. Castlevania Volleyball. Tomb Raider Hockey. Resident Evil Polo. The possibilities are endless.

[@milesjoyner]

Like Metroid Pinba- nvm. 😂

[@NintendoComplete]

Ooh I want Cooking Mama at the Special Olympics.

[@jonathanturbide2232]

My biggest wish was a Mario wrestling game, I'm sure it would have been super fun. To this day I can't believe Nintendo didn't take advantage of the pro wrestling craze of the early 2000's, Mario Wrestling would have been far more marketable than Mario Tennis or Mario Golf 64. 😔😂

[@jeremyriley1238]

@@jonathanturbide2232 I believe a developer tried to make a Mario volleyball game with wrestling moves, but Nintendo rejected it for being too violent for the Mario franchise.

[@NintendoComplete]

@@jonathanturbide2232 That would've been great! The idea might've conflicted with their positioning of Smash Bros., though.

[@alfredtheamazing]

I love soccer and I love Mega Man, but putting the 2 together wasn't the best idea Capcom ever had

[@spencerkettley7294]

Maybe it would, even a sequel.

[@browndiddly2659]

To me, it's just the fact that the screen is small.

[@mashpatayters]

I guess I'm to old this game was fun to play as a kid growing up

[@wjb4578]

Elecman and Cutman certainly carried the team once they were added.

[@roverplush2.0]

Um... do you stupid??? This is one of the best games EVER...

[@knuclear200x]

I feel like this game was made because of all the soccer hype in '94. I was in LA at the time too

[@tjy6557]

And also the 1994 World Cup, I think.

[@officegossip]

Damn u old.

[@SuperUkcats]

@@officegossip - You will be too decades from now!

[@jayonagame]

0:50 Damn those explosions are making a sick beat tho 😳

[@kbxthegamemaster06]

yeah

[@bruhbrehii]

yooo that's fire

[@Dcl92308]

YEAH!!!! :DDD

[@NintendoComplete]

The Mega Man brand would've been better off without this dingleberry clinging to it.

[@kevyjoe413]

Even if this game did well, I still think International Superstar Soccer would have eclipsed it anyways.

[@NintendoComplete]

@@kevyjoe413 ISS is a great game. This is pretty much the SNES soccer equivalent of LJN's MLB on NES.

[@Bloodreign1]

@@kevyjoe413 ISS was pretty much untouchable during the 16 bit era, the greatest soccer series of that era. Hat Trick Hero was pretty good though.

[@larrylaffer3246]

Yes because Mega-Man was the series that screamed ⚽. When obviously it should've been 🏒.

[@anthonyshort2478]

Or 🏀

[@larrylaffer3246]

@@anthonyshort2478 That too. Heck ⚾ even. You could borrow at Robot Master's power to use it for a crazy pitch ala Backyard ⚾. Soccer wasn't a good fit for Mega-Man.

[@anthonyshort2478]

@@larrylaffer3246 Between you and me, I definitely wouldn’t mind 🏒 🥅. If anything, if Mega Man was gonna have a ice hockey game, the plot should involve Iceman trying to take over the world himself to the point where Dr. Wily, Proto Man and Mega Man team up

[@SuperUkcats]

@@anthonyshort2478 - So Ice Man (a Dr. Light) robot malfunctions, and goes maverick again. Cool. Or better yet, Frost Man since he's actually one of Wily's bots.

[@SuperUkcats]

@@larrylaffer3246 - With the creation of Strike Man, a baseball game that plays like Baseball Stars 2 on the Neo*Geo is not a bad idea.

[@darkknightszy4674]

I love to imagine that Wily taking control of a soccer match is the true reason that Rock became Megaman. I’m sure the implication in the beginning is that Dr. Light is simply giving him soccer playing abilities, but the intro for this game is WAY too similar looking to MM4 to not think that this is the true origin of Megaman lmao

[@LITTLE1994]

AVGN: Oooh...aaaah...! Wa-wa-WHAT...were...they...THINKING!? (smashes through window)

[@joshuajames1246]

Yeah

[@PaulieAFantoneJays19]

& the funny thing is...I saw that Episode & came here to see it for myself thinking that it can't be that bad...but boy, this sucks, I agree 100%...What was Capcom smoking when they came up with?! haha

[@MatthewTheWolf2029]

This game came only a few months after Megaman X. But I have to say, this is rather unusual. Because once I started playing it, I quickly learned this isn't your typical Megaman game. For me though, the highlight of this game is the music. I like the musical tracks here. I noticed the stage select theme and the boss intro are from Megaman 5.

[@sonichacker141]

yes, and the mega man 5 tracks are great

[@houstoner]

Still better than any FIFA game. Played this with my friends in the neighborhood during summer break. Was fun to see and hear all the sights and sounds again. Thanks for sharing.

[@stephenmanuel9860]

I unironically enjoyed my one weekend renting this game as a wee lad. Might revisit it just so I can beat the campaign and be done with it.

[@bigbudtld4595]

i praise you for taking this game on like that. had no idea it existed until i was looking through a video game soundfont collection like wtf

[@jnicks7893]

I remember playing this game as a kid and enjoying it! To me I thought that it was a nice break from the other soccer games that were out. This game was soccer but you threw in the comic relief of having all of these special shots, and no penalties being called. That and see how many goals you could score in a matter of 5 minutes lol!

[@ClairvoyantDreams358]

This game feels like a weird dream

[@DarksparkNecrobat]

23:13-23:20 ElecMan: Electrifying! CutMan goalie: *Short-circuited* 33:27-33:36 Cut Man: I'm going to make paper dolls out of you! Mega Man goalie: *turned into paper dolls* 38:02-38:10 FireMan: My flames of Justice triumps again! Mega Man goalie: *roasted into marshmallows* 1:08:27-1:08:38 WoodMan: You can't stop Nature! Mega Man goalie: *failed to stop Nature* 1:21:38-1:21:48 SkullMan: By the power of Grayskull!! WoodMan goalie: *failed to stop the power of Grayskull* 1:21:56-1:22:06 Mega Man: Plasma Power! SkullMan: I'm blasting off again!!! 1:38:43-1:38:46 NeedleMan: Get my point? SkullMan: *turned into pieces* 1:59:08-1:59:15 DustMan: Time to take out the garbage. WoodMan goalie: *buried in junk* 2:17:30-2:17:35 & 2:17:57-2:18:02 PharaohMan: Feel the power of the Pharaoh! PharaohMan clone: *barbequed* Me: Darn it,PharaohMan! That's your teammate you're roasting! 2:30:50-2:30:55 Enker: Let's see you fly! SkullMan: Not again! *blasted off again* 2:31:36-2:31:41 ElecMan: That was for SkullMan,Enker! Enker: I'll get you next time,ElecMan; Next time! 2:39:40-2:39:50 Enker: Up,up,and away! WoodMan goalie: Heeeelp! 2:48:02-2:48:05 ProtoMan: Eat this! NeedleMan: NOOOOO!!! 3:03:11-3:03:15 Dr. Wily: You failed,DustMan! DustMan: Youch! Wily,you jerk! 3:03:23-3:03:26 Dr. Wliy: Taste my power! Dr. Wily clone: Ouch!

[@darkkyosukecrono]

Lmao

[@JFJD]

The thumbnail image basically says it all, doesn’t it? Good choice.

[@JonesDylan874]

Should I be sad, angry, or happy that this exists?

[@JustTooManyPuppies]

“Augh.. AWGH.. W-W-WHA W-WHAT… WHERE… THEY… THINKIIIIIIIIIIING?!?!?”

[@codywelter5302]

AVGN

[@JustTooManyPuppies]

@@codywelter5302 based chad found

[@journeymanproject1756]

This game was slammed in Game Players magazine, which provided the most unbiased reviews available at the time, for good reason. Besides all the problems OP pointed out, there happens to be a sweet spot on the field. Go just below the arc at the top of the box and shoot diagonally for the other corner. Instant goal. Once you get it down there’s no challenge or strategy involved in the main story because you can beat everyone by 20-2 or worse. This gets old REALLY fast. My brother took advantage of this and raced through the main mode in a weekend. It’s the only Mega Man game he ever beat.

[@mariusamber3237]

Still not "as bad" as the DOS games, but honestly, just checking bits and pieces of it, I've seen dishwater that was less dull. It's just the same thing over and over with almost zero variation - football games can be much better than this.:v

[@AaronC143]

AVGN brought me here. "What Were They Thinking?" -AVGN

[@mcneilarriola2854]

me too after watching the avgn mega man games

[@PsychoMadHatter2]

What were they thinking?!!!! AVGN - 2015

[@solarflare9078]

The cast sprites use THE EXACT SAME SPRITES FROM THE NES GAMES, just with more color. Even Wily Wars looked 10x better. And when a poorly optimized complication looks better than a 16-bit Soccer spin-off, you know it's bad, lol

[@Bloodreign1]

It was just a quick sports title Capcom put out with little to no effort put behind it, not like it's some grand epic Mega Man adventure. Rockman and Forte took care of that need later on. These sprites also look nothing like something the NES could do. Pointless to compare an SNES sports game to 3 rehashed (with one short new game) compilation on another system (that Capcom outsourced to Michinoku Engineering instead of doing themselves). It's like comparing Joe Montana Football to NFL Blitz, pointless banter.

[@solarflare9078]

@@Bloodreign1 No. I meant the end cast sprites that started in 3:19:12, the part where they use the familiar graphics we all see in Mega Man. Not the ingame sprites. Of course the NES can't do the latter. Also, I think NintendoComplete said that this wasn't developed by Capcom specifically. He mentioned it was developed by the same team that made Mega Man World 2, and we all know how _that_ turned out.

[@Dorian_Scott]

That is the derpiest Megaman expression I've ever seen.😆 It looks like he's in the middle of taking a dump lol.

[@SuperPonySaiyan9000]

MegaMan Soccer > Every FIFA games

[@jonathanturbide2232]

I'm ashamed to say so but man, as a kid I liked that game so much! I just liked the idea of picking who's going to be on your team, and liked the different "arenas" because they were so colorful! I was dying to buy it, it was so FN tough to get a copy at my video store. 😂😂😂😂

[@jeremyriley1238]

Never be ashamed that you like this game. Many people like games that most hate.

[@lithiasaur8219]

After 11 goals, Dr. Wily had a break down.

[@justworkingfortheweekend8504]

This game helped create all those different Mario games

[@christopherthibeault7502]

I thought about getting this game, but even then it garnered an unwholesome reputation. Final Fantasy X's Blitz Ball (both games) is more approachable. You want a management-based Soccer game worth your time? Try Konami's International Superstar Soccer 64.

[@DevinPlayzYT2007]

FUN FACT: Heat Man was originally going to be in this game.

[@SuperUkcats]

And so was Guts Man.

[@thecunninlynguist]

Wow didn't think an LP would be 3 hrs...I remember renting this being disappointed as hell

[@joshuajames1246]

When the avgn saw this he yeeted himself outta his house! Just watch the vid

[@computergamesplayed3718]

Love Mega Man, but this I have never tried. Will soon 😀

[@RosyTheRed]

The sprites in this games belongs in an Mega Man RPG.

[@scottakanumba1heathen379]

I've always wanted to play this and have the game ROM.

[@Snyperwolf91]

Im still waiting for capcoms : -Resident evil Allstar American football -Devil may cry's Stylish Basketball -Cyberbots Masterclass Chess -Darkstalkers Championship Nascar racing -Dino crisis Dino Wrestling -Street fighter Bowling tournament -Monster hunter International Boxing masters

[@elguishe229]

The goal keepers are a shiny version of the others XD

[@handsomestik]

Playing a bunch of SNES this week , is this good?

[@NintendoComplete]

I hated it 🤣

[@johnnybudweisser3074]

Wonder if Dr. Wily and FIFA arranged this together? Would also explain why Wily had to reuse old Robot Masters. He couldn't afford designing new ones 'cause he had to bribe Gianni Infantino.

[@capamerica012]

Dr. Wily: HAHAHAHAAAA RONALDINHO MEGA MAN SOCCER!!

[@amimizuno3696]

For me this idea for a Megaman game it's not bad, just imagine this actually with all characters and content from Megaman 1-11

[@HectorCartoons]

3:16:43 - Nearly everyone on screen contemplates their life decisions for the rest of the game.

[@wjb4578]

All the music in this game is top notch but the Dr Wiley stage theme is **chef's kiss**. Capcom really stepped their bgm game up for this.

[@Gyrokun]

Did they???

[@wjb4578]

​@@Gyrokunyes, yes they did.

[@billmartovich9009]

Can I nominate this as the absolute most half-assed game ever programmed and released, and yes, I will include knowledge of Hong Kong 97 during my nomination of this travesty

[@jhdeleon2013]

HAPPY 30 YEARS😃⚽️

[@dillontam9752]

Just wanted to point out- Sun L didn't do Mega Man II, that was Biox (aka Japan System House). I believe they did do Street Fighter II on Game Boy, though!

[@CyberKnightProbably]

Thank you capcom, MM8 would have been amazing on the snes but soccer is cool I guess.

[@Ryowhosakazaki]

@@vladimir9248 We'll never talk about it.

[@SpaceScreaminJohn]

This was one of those games that, as ridiculous as the premise was, it still could have been fun, if not for a laugh.

What are they thinking?

[@Nbjk01]

what could have made this game better was if it was made like a cpt tsubasa soccer game where the only things shown were the action parts, with affiliations between characters and weaknesses. Like Guts man and cut man having a fast ball special move if they were on the same team, and both in strike mode. Mega man and proto having a reflector shot where mega man kicks it off of protos shield. Or for a save goalie action dustman vaccums it too him and gets smacked in the face with the ball. In short i think Mario and tohou did it and said it best. If you're going to cheat at a sport, and add your abilities... Go above and beyond, nuke the stadium, get your rush adapter, have air man and tornado man cause a typhoon . make it less about soccer and more about property damage

[@benitosierrajr3958]

I feel that there are better Soccer (Association Football, Fútbol to my native Mexican Spanish speakers) on the Super Nintendo, like International Superstar Soccer, FIFA, and even obscure ones like, Tony Meola's Sidekicks Soccer, which saw a release in Latin America, and was localized as Super Copa.

[@Dcl92308]

Ngl, this game is really cool :DDD 🌟

[@diobrando-qv3uv]

Thank you for going through this terrible game so I don't have to.

[@aidnumber10]

Ok, it’s not THAT bad

[@diobrando-qv3uv]

@@aidnumber10 don't worry old me was stupid.

[@wolffiegaming]

what is this delightfully fun looking nonsense!?

[@kirbaran2039]

So mm8 isn't the first game where mega man started ballin

[@krystalfan]

i would rather play this then any of the fifa games that came out in the last 7 years *AND I DO*

[@Megameansbusiness]

4:04 Mario Strikers: Battle League in a nutshell

[@bruhbrehii]

how is this so entertaining?

[@Oscar.53]

Un meme que nunca olvidaré de megaman llamado: megaman soccer lol

[@axelcastro6572]

03:16:43 Perú v/s Colombia 2017 eliminatorias mundialistas

[@KareemHillJr]

Without a doubt, one of the most pointless games ever made.

[@Drizz1717]

Best game ever. I had so much fun

[@smiley77777]

Lmfao I had to look this up, man I saw this game at a retro video game store and it’s like $80 to $120 some up there and I’m like what’s so special about this game. Haha 😂 makes sense now reading the comments haha

[@Knizzle28]

Loved this game. Not a real life soccer fan at all.

[@Peter-zg3em]

woodman theme clears

[@Kickingit06]

I loved it when I heard Mega Man had soccer, and then I saw this video. I'm not against it; but this is worse than most the soccer games of its time; and it's certainly not groundbreaking like Mario Strikers.

[@kemdaman159]

I never beat this game. I need my get back asap

[@rockymitsu]

I never understood why I liked this game so much, for sure it was because I liked generic soccer games

[@cowgaming7186]

megaman playing soccer

[@mathiastube4716]

Maybe it was Capcom's first sport game.

[@cayo0194]

Hahahaha this part 3:03:23

[@FidoArtz]

Have your heard of battle soccer 1 and 2 with toei characters?

[@MaverickChomper]

55:22 xd 3:04:28 uff 3:12:46 😎

[@rosadiaz-tg6ib]

Teen Wolf

[@ElephantMariotheRHDNhater3293]

The Music is just too goofy (Not in a good form) for a Mega Man game...

[@rosadiaz-tg6ib]

Bda SUPER BOMBERMAN 4 Buenos días América

[@DevinPlayzYT2007]

1:10

[@80ssnorklover7]

How come Mario gets to play soccer but not Megaman, don't you think you people are being a little too cruel about this, hell, can't a hero catch a break.

[@rosadiaz-tg6ib]

Bda Buenos días América

[@kilizero1979]

Megaman the wily wars snes

[@solarflare9078]

Makes me wonder how people can say Mega Man 3 is the worst Mega Man game when shit like this exists.

[@NintendoComplete]

Wait, really? People hate Mega Man 3? That's my favorite game of the entire series.

[@Bloodreign1]

Anyone saying that needs help, that was a game that had development time and love and care, this was just a quick cash grab.

[@TheGoldenJiggy]

I was never a fan of 3, I thought the weapons were kinda lame imo. Although I appreciate it for being the game that introduced the slide. I don't hate it though, but it's not my favorite.

[@Pal_TheMemeBoi012]

I like 3!

[@J.Contado2024]

Football, not soccer.

[@Bloodreign1]

I have this game, it's not great, but it's an odd little game.

[@Ryowhosakazaki]

They should have made a Disney Afternoon or a new IP Capcom game than this. What a waste...

[@SuperUkcats]

Mickey Mouse Soccer? Works for me. Of course, there is still the rush job factor to take into consideration since Capcom wanted this soccer game out before the FIFA playoffs were finished that year.

[@xcidgaf]

Heard this game is bad, like real bad. Like how the Taliban are bad.

[@thesmilingman7576]

Ost reminds me of Mega Man 5 (guess that's because this takes place before that game)

[@FiftyFour54]

Here's The Worst Mega Man Game...

[@NintendoComplete]

I'd be inclined to agree if the PS2 games had never happened.

[@turbomario]

…Who thought this was a good idea? Mega Man is bland and lazy enough already.