World Cup Italia 90 review - Sega Master System

If you enjoyed the World Cup over the summer, you'll be pleased to hear that you can relive all the cheers and tears of footballing's premier event thanks to this latest Sega cartridge.

World Cup Italia 90 can be played by one or two competitors, and is divided into three sections. The penalty shoot-out pits your wits against the foe in both roles - you play attacker and keeper alternately. The Test Match option has nothing to do with cricket, but is simply a one-on-one contest between the chosen teams. The World Cup is the main event, with all six groups represented.

Each team has individual strengths and weaknesses, but some are stronger than others (the reverse holds true as well - don't choose the United Arab Emirates unless you're a glutton for punishment!). However the teams are represented on the pitch by only eight players each; this is probably a good thing, as the pitch is very small indeed. An arrow shows which player is "on" the ball, and running, passing and shooting are achieved through judicious use of the buttons and control pad.

So whether you want to be England, Argentina, or China, the choice - and the responsibility - is yours. Just don't cry if you're booked in the semi finals!

What the Mean Machines staff thought

Football games are traditionally a hit-or-miss affair, and I'm afraid this is definitely a miss. I suppose it could be said that I've been spoiled by World Cup Soccer, but this game is awful by anyone's standards. The graphics are all right, but why only eight players per team - and why such a minuscule pitch? The control is appalling and awkward, with no discernibly easy way of making the nearest player chase the ball; at least not until the opposition has got there first. When possession is gained, however, it's simply a question of running towards the goal. Your opponent stands next to no chance of halting your progress. A football game that does not reward skill easily is no football game at all - and sadly, that's the case here.

World Cup Italia 90 looks good when you load it, since it features some excellent presentation screens. However, when you play the game itself, disappointment is the order of the day. The graphics are dreadful and the pitch is so tiny, you've got no room to manoeuvre. Control is very poor - you can plough through the opposition, shoot diagonally and stick it into the net easily! And that's not all. The graphics are all out of scale (the men are nearly as big as the goal!), the ball movement is utterly unrealistic and the sound is dreadful. In fact the only thing that's good is the penalty shoot out! If you haven't got a football game, get the vastly superior (and cheaper) World Cup Soccer. Otherwise wait for something better.

Retrospective comments

Ack! What a stinker. And you thought the Megadrive version was bad!

The World Cup licence probably helped shift a fair few copies of this turd, but I'm willing to bet many of those ended up either back in the store or relegated to the shelf to gather dust. This is a terrible representation of the national sport, with fuzzy, ill-defined visuals and annoying, tinny sound. Avoid.

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World Cup Italia 90 review - Sega Master System

What the Mean Machines staff thought

Retrospective comments

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