Tecmo Cup Football Game (Genesis) FAQ/Walkthrough By Orochi K kartelkertra caramail com v 2.25 August 5, 2002 Updated : - Tecmo Preliminary League notes - F.A.Q. © 2002 Orochi K. All rights reserved. This document is protected by US Copyright Law, and the Berne Copyright Convention of 1976. Any reproduction of this document without the author's express permission is strictly prohibited. Otherwise, I will tear your body apart, drink your blood and play golf with YO' HEAD. Since TCFG is a more of a collectors' game among Tsubasa fans, I have decided to allow this guide to be hosted on any non-commercial and non-profitable website. You however need to e-mail me first and ask for permission, sending me a link to the said site at the same time. Other conditions to be respected are that the guide remains unaltered and no pop-ups, banners or advertisement of any kind are attached to it. Alter the guide a bit and I'll alter YO' FACE a lot. Tecmo Cup Football Game © 1992, Tecmo. This game was inspired from the Captain Tsubasa series which is © 1986, Yôichi Takahashi. The latest version of this guide may be found at www.gamefaqs.com. If you found this elsewhere, you'd better check at GameFAQs first because 99.9% of the other sites that post guides never bother to keep them updated. This guide is best viewed in WordPad. +--------------------+ | CONTENTS | +--------------------+ I. Introduction II. Controls III. Starting the game IV. Walkthrough A) National tournament (Dreams F.C.) - vs. Bulls - vs. Ham - vs. Frog - vs. Rocks - vs. Rams - vs. Jets - vs. Royals B) Visiting games abroad (Ours) - vs. Eagles - vs. Hawks - vs. Sharks - vs. Lions C) Tecmo Cup Preliminary League (Ours) - vs. England - vs. France - vs. Korea - vs. Spain D) Tecmo Cup Tournament (Ours) - vs. Italy - vs. Brazil - vs. Germany V. General notes VI. Special techniques VII. Hints VIII. Passwords IX. Oddities X. Frequently Asked Questions XI. Revision history XII. Outro XIII. Credits If you are looking for a specific fixture's strategy, simply press CTRL+F in WordPad to bring up the Search Function and use the fixture name (eg. Dreams vs. Jets). Omit any other word (F.C., Country, etc...). +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | I. INTRODUCTION | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ Tecmo Cup Football Game is the only Captain Tsubasa-title that was originally translated in English (actually, I think it came out directly in English but due to the lack of information about this game, I have not been able to confirm this) and uses the same concept. However, while the Tsubasa influence is clearly visible, TCFG stands on its own due to the fact that the game comprises of completely different characters. Still, due to the fact that the plot is a bit similar and with all the other similarities (even most of the music of CT2 has made its way onto this Genesis counterpart), it is extremely obvious what Tecmo was trying to do with such a release. Consequently, this new guide will be much easier to write than the NES and SNES ones I already wrote some time ago. What you'll find in this guide is a brief explanation of all the controls (since they are self-explanatory) and a walkthrough section where I will give good strategies to beat the opponents. Finally, I'll be able to include games lists of players and special techniques, something which I couldn't do with the other Japanese games (I guess it's easy to guess why). As a side-note, Tecmo Cup Football Game is an extremely rare game which I miraculously got. It was pretty rare when the whole Captain Tsubasa anime was still showing and you can just imagine how it is nowadays. Hell, even as a rom, you have very low chances of getting this game. As a result, no need to e-mail me asking for the rom, I truthfully don't know where you may find one (and I wouldn't even tell you eveb if I knew ^_^). Without further pointless reminiscence about Tsubasa and his devastating techniques, let us move on to the real content of the guide (which, I suppose, is what really interests you). +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | II. CONTROLS | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ The controls are extremely simple, just like in the NES and SNES titles. Once you have the ball or whenever the menu pops up and you need to do something, simply hold a direction and make your choice. Each direction results in a different reaction. The major change with the Tsubasa titles in regards to the controls is that you actually have to keep holding that direction while confirming your choice (as far as I remember, the option would remain highlighted in the other games). All your choices are confirmed by pressing the C button. Use the directional buttons to move your players on the pitch until the menu appears. To switch between players on the pitch, press the B or C buttons. The menu is brought up by pressing the C button whenever you have possession. To know how many GUTS an action costs while the menu is up (since these vary from player to player, depending on that player's level), press and hold the A button. To cancel in-selections, press the B button. Note also that it is possible to see the closest opponent's stats when the option menu is up by pressing and holding A. I will explain about this later (see "Hints" section). Press Start to pause the game whenever you want, even when the menu is on-screen. Below are the different actions and what directions determine these. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- WHILE IN POSSESSION OF THE BALL ------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Left - Pass * Pass the ball to a team-mate. Upon choosing this option, a map of the pitch will be represented and you can select to whom you'll pass the ball. Don't try to pass the ball to someone if there is an opponent between you two as he may intercept the pass. Always go for players who are secluded in a spot where they will easily claim the ball. * Right - Shoot * Hold right and press C to have your player shoot. Special shots open up in a new window where you may choose whether you'll stick to the normal one or whether you'll try the stronger ones which cost more GUTS. Players who are between you and the net will obviously try to block the shot or at least deviate it. The closer you are to the net when you shoot, the better. * Up - Dribble * Pick this option to dribble any players who are around you. Robert is a wonderful dribbler, don't be afraid to choose this if passing the ball around seems impossible. Otherwise, you can choose the Dribble option to return to the pitch without doing anything if you brought up the menu yourself but you'll still lose GUTS in the process. * Down - One-Two * Obviously, the One-Two option will not always be available. Some players have special "combos" which are harder to intercept. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- WHEN SURROUNDED BY PLAYERS ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Same as when you have the ball! You however need to pick the same number of options as there are players around you if your initial choice is a Dribble as one dribble applies for one player. If you choose another option like Pass or Shoot on the first try, that will obviously be the sole decision you need to make. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- WHEN NEAR AN OPPONENT WHO HAS THE BALL ------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Left - Passcut * Try to cut the pass if the opponent ever attempts one. Useful only if that opponent does decide to pass the ball around. Otherwise, the action will just miss most of the time unless you are at a very high level. * Right - Block * Prevents the player from passing by running straight into his path. Can regularly cause fouls depending on the player's strength. * Up - Tackle * The player will tackle the player if he still has the ball or if he is just attempting a shot or a pass. In cases where that opponent may already have given the ball away, your player will try to intercept. * Down - Stay * The player doesn't do anything. Pick this if you wish to save GUTS. It is most of the time pointless to have four of your team-mates dribble an average opponent. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- AIR BALL IN PENALTY AREA ------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Left - Pass * Pass the ball to a team-mate. * Right - Shoot * Shoot, can be either a volley or a header depending on where the player is if he is in the penalty area. * Up - Trap * Trap the ball. * Down - Through * Lets the ball through. Check the ball's direction on the pitch to see if it make a good choice (most of the time, it doesn't). ------------------------------------------------------------------------- AIR BALL IN YOUR OWN AREA ------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Left - Pass * Pass the ball. * Right - Clear * Makes the player clear the ball. Best option if you are surrounded with opponents. * Up/Down - Trap * Control the ball. Note that this last option changes to Stay if an opponent is closer to the ball. The rest is the same. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- GOALKEEPER ------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Left/Up - Punch * Your keeper will attempt to punch the ball away. While a punch leaves the risk of a centre-forward heading the ball in while the keeper is still recovering, it has greater chances of succeeding. * Right/Down - Catch * Your keeper will attempt to catch the ball. This option has less chances of succeeding than the mere punch but when it works, the keeper throws the ball back to one of his team-mates which gives you the opportunity to strike back on the counter. However, the keeper doesn't always catch the ball since it happens that it hits his hand and gets deflected back upon impact. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- GOALKEEPER ALONE AGAINST PLAYER ------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Left/Up - Provide for shot * The keeper will block the ball if the player shoots. Option fails if player decides to dribble his way through. * Right/Down - Provide for dribble * The keeper will lunge forward and try to take the ball from the player as the latter tries to dribble him. The keeper will miss the ball if the player decides to shoot. +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ III. STARTING THE GAME +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ Upon inserting the game in you Genesis and after watching the little intro featuring Robert -the main character- and his brother, you will reach a menu with 3 options. *Kick Off The core of the game itself. Choose this and you will start the league. Gain new players as you move on, go onto the national team and claim the world champion title. *Continue Continue you Kick Off match by inputting the password you got upon advancing in the game. I suggest you keep a paper and a pen by you because the passwords are 30 characters long. *All Stars An exhibition match where a single player can test his skills against the CPU or you can even break your teeth on the sweet 2-player mode. All the best players from the whole game are available and you can set up a team by choosing the player you want once it's your turn. You first have to choose the duration of a half which varies from 5 to 35 minutes. Once you have done so, you'll reach a new menu where you can decide whether you'll set the teams yourself or whether the computer can just make random picks. Choose the latter option only if you have played Kick Off extensively before because you're about to get a thrashing against the abusive CPU. You'll then be brought to the locker room-menu where you can start the match. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | IV. WALKTHROUGH | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ The walkthrough will obviously deal with all the matches. Strategies will be listed and I will also add what player(s) should be marked. Before I move on to the next match, I'll just add that it is primordial to lose a lot of matches early on so that your characters' GUTS increase. You will have a lot of difficulty against the later opponents if you don't do so and may even be stuck since your keeper and defenders will be mere spectators on the pitch. The team rosters have also been included for easier reference. The player marked with the (GK) is the keeper --obviously-- while (~) means that the player in question should be marked. As a last side-note, all the football rules are respected in the game except for off-sides. There are no off-sides in this game, so you don't have to be afraid of those while going forward. Your team also remains on the same side of the pitch during the second half instead of switching to the other. = NATIONAL TOURNAMENT =================================================== The National Tournament sees you facing the other teams before the best players go on to claim the world champions title. Your team consists of mainly 4 good players in this tourney: Robert, David, James and Tony. Count David out too as he goes away after the second match. You have no substitutes during this tournament. 1. Guy (GK) 2. Rex 3. Tony 4. Frank 5. James 6. Louis 7. Kevin 8. Karl 9. Mark 10. Robert 11. Vaughn (David in first 2 matches) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dreams vs. Bulls ------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Roster * 1. Ash (GK) 2. Gordon 3. Leo 4. Oscar 5. Chris 6. Bruce 7. Oliver 8. Martin 9. Larry 10. Felix (!) 11. Keith This is your typical easy match. The only threat is Felix who plays as mid-fielder (which is weird because he ends up as a defender when he joins your team) and who has a special shot but just mark him with James and he won't do much in the game. His special shot can be blocked by 2 defenders. Have Mark up-front and he will be able to score a lot of goals. Support him with David while Robert should do the passing around until a player is unmarked so the latter can have an attempt on goal. Very easy! If you cannot win this match on the first try, I truthfully advise you to drop it and go play another game. Yeah, I know I'm being harsh, but this is by 1,000,000 miles the easiest match in the whole game. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dreams vs. Ham ------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Roster * 1. Rudolf (GK) 2. Hardy 3. Friedrich 4. Helmot 5. Ernst 6. Walter (!) 7. Paul 8. Konred 9. Alfred (!) 10. Ludwig 11. Gunther (!) Konred is extremely good at intercepting passes and dribbling (good luck stealing the ball from him) while Alfred is the rising star of the team and comes complete with special techniques in every possible department. Whatever you do, James must be the one to mark Alfred since he is your best defender and his Bonecrash Tackle will allow you to steal the ball from him. If possible, don't ever let him get the ball as his special shot is a real pain in the ass and tough to block at this stage of the game (since this is only the second match and you haven't levelled up enough). As a matter of fact, if you were wise enough to seek info from the coach before the match, he'll point out that this team is much better than you. David and Mark should be the strikers, opt for any strategy other than the 4-3-3. Having as much players as possible behind the ball is of course a great idea as your defenders may thus be able to block any shot. Walter is another guy you should watch out for. He tends to play as a defensive midfielder and is very good at blocking the ball. Try to steer clear of him to keep the ball and to do so, just pass the ball around so he cannot get close enough. Same applies to Gunther but the latter goes for the offensive strategy and isn't as dangerous as the other players. Of course, David and Robert remain your best chances of scoring as they have good shots. Their Golden Combo in particular will be extremely useful here but use it only when you have no other alternative since it costs so much GUTS and you need to save them for the shots. That won't suffice however since Alfred and Gunther may score up to five goals during the first half alone. When the second half starts, Alfred will attempt to make a pass but David will run forward and intercept it. He will then attempt to pull his Mega Drive Shot. However, because David hasn't yet mastered it, Rudolf will easily stop the shot. David will be hurt in the process and will hence leave your team at the end of the match, regardless of whether you win or lose. As a matter of fact, it is truthfully impossible to win this match however good you may be. Even levelling up a lot in the first match won't be very useful. It also does not matter whether you lose or not as you will move on to your second league match, regardless of the result. Remember, this is a friendly match which is extremely important to the plot. Still, try to concede as less goals as humanly possible. ;) This match is also a small example of how Germany, the last team, is like. You can start shivering with fear now. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dreams vs. Frogs ------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Roster * 1. Geroge (GK) 2. Victor 3. Ross 4. Ben 5. Irving 6. Ethan 7. Bert 8. Cliff 9. Nick (!) 10. Gerry 11. Tom (!) Nick and Tom are hands down the best players on this team. These twins share a powerful shot and have similar techniques. Have James mark Tom while Tony and Robert should keep Nick at bay. It is important to prevent them from passing the ball between them as they automatically pull their shots once they are close to the net. Obviously, choose the Passcut option whenever possible. As long as Nick and Tom are taken care of, you shouldn't have any problems beating this team. Have Vaughn, David's substitute, score goals with Mark supporting him. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dreams vs. Rocks ------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Roster * 1. Timothy (GK) 2. Hugh 3. Nat 4. Mike 5. Willard 6. Ted 7. Samuel 8. Eric 9. Ralph (!) 10. Barney 11. Adam Ralph may be the only notable player in this squad but if you don't watch him well, he'll more than make up for the other players. Mark him with Tony and James. Just remember that one defender will not be enough. The other players are not that good, so you can afford to put two of your team-mates behind him. The Rocks like to pass the ball to Ralph as soon as possible such that applying the strategy above makes Ralph pretty weak. Be on the look-out for his shots though, you'll want to have as many players as possible behind the ball whenever he shoots. Otherwise, it's the same old stuff. Have Robert pass the ball to Vaughn or Mark in the penalty area and put a lot of pressure on the keeper. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dreams vs. Rams ------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Roster * 1. Edward (GK) 2. Vernon 3. Usher 4. Joseph 5. Arnold 6. Sean 7. Ned 8. Craig 9. Roy 10. Ares (Nigel (!) during second half) 11. Terry Nigel, the real captain, comes in only during the second half. The other players are just decent with the keeper being average. Score as many goals as possible during the first half. During the second half, concentrate on preventing Nigel from getting the ball instead. If he manages to get the ball, he'll probably go on and score as it is tough to steal it from him. Mark him with Robert and James and opt for the defensive strategy. You may still have attempts on goal during the second half but if you went ahead and scored as many as possible during the first as I said, just sit back and prevent the Rams from attacking. Just remember than Nigel alone can turn this into a one-sided contest. Also avoid one-on-one confrontations with Edward since he wins most of the time. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dreams vs. Jets ------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Roster * 1. Bervin (GK) 2. Bill 3. Leroy 4. Owen 5. Joe 6. Fred 7. Gary 8. Danny 9. Bruce 10. Roger (!) 11. Arthur If you thought Nigel was good at protecting the ball, meet Roger! My best advice would be to mark him with Robert himself but unfortunately, doing so also lowers your own chances of scoring. Obviously, that wouldn't be a good thing. What you can do is use mark Roger with James or Tony in the first half. At the same time, use the W.M. formation with Robert as centre-forward and a Press strategy. This will give you more occasions to score. Once the first half is over, switch to the Sweeper formation and you may now mark Roger with valiant Robert. Applying the Counter strategy would also be a good idea since your centre-forwards may still have good opportunities to score. When going forward, don't use the wings too much. They are pretty well-covered and you may have a lot of trouble going onto the Jets' penalty area. Otherwise, you should also be weary of the Jets' teamwork which is their main strength. They use a lot of short passes to get the ball around and its midfielders are equally good at keeping the ball. Intercepting their passes may be a challenge if Roger is in the middle of the pitch, try blocking them instead or, if you are feeling brave, just go and guard the net. This match can be quite difficult if you play like a goofball. Mark must always remain as centre-forward to take advantage of any lost balls. You can use Karl too of course but Mark remains a better option. I just hope you listened to me and lost some matches before-hand. ;) At a reasonable level, this match is as easy as the first introductory one. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dreams vs. Royals ------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Roster * 1. Riccardo (GK) (!) 2. Peter 3. Abel 4. Niels 5. Jhon 6. Gabriel 7. Stanly 8. Edwin 9. Adolf (!) 10. Sidney 11. Will Riccardo is the best keeper in this tournament. Robert has reasonable chances of scoring against him during normal play. Riccardo does have the habit to get out and to leave the net unguarded though such that you can eventually score by constantly shooting until he cannot get back in time or just plain misses. Other than the keeper himself, Adolf is the main threat in this match. Simply put, Adolf is a real venom. He's swift and his cool Meteo Shot will surely beat your keeper more than once if you never lost prior to this match. Mark Adolf with James and let your laterals handle Royals' centre-forwards for more effect. This way, you have good chances of obtaining the ball back should Adolf ever decide to pass the ball to his attacking teammates instead of shooting himself. If Adolf tries to dribble your players, get Robert close to him so he may attempt to steal the ball. As usual, have Mark and Vaughn do the front job. This match isn't exactly that hard, you just need to play carefully. One more thing ; although Adolf's Meteo Shot is practically unstoppable, it does have the tendency to hit the post when the keeper is already beaten. This certainly happened a lot while I wrote this guide. After you have won this match, there will be some scenes involving Robert, Adolf and Alice. When the celebrations are finally over, a woman named Silvia contacts Robert and tells him of her idea to have a team participate in the Tecmo Cup. The team will be called the 'Ours' (Tecmo, couldn't you think of anything else?) and will regroup all the talented players who showed their skills during the national tournament. However, the team will play some friendly games before the next tournament finally starts. = VISITING GAMES ABROAD ================================================= Here, the Ours will play a few friendly matches which serve mainly as tests so your player can get better. You can at last use substitutes although you have only 4 of those for the time being (but David joins you later). Moreover, as in the real sport, you can make only 3 substitutions per match. 1. Riccardo (GK) 2. James 3. Ralph 4. Roger 5. Felix 6. Nigel 7. Tom 8. Nick 9. Adolf 10. Robert 11. Leroy Substitutes : Guy (GK) Usher Hugh Tony David (joins you after the match against the Sharks) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ours vs. Eagles ------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Roster * 1. Albert (GK) 2. Georges 3. Gerard (!) 4. Gustave 5. Aristide 6. Michel 7. Gilles 8. Marcel 9. Alain (!) 10. Francis (!) 11. Lionel First of all, mark Francis well since he is the Eagles' star player. Ralph is the more appropriate option and he should be enough if you are playing with the 4-3-3 formation since Felix will normally act as a last defender. With him relatively out of the way, your life should be easier. If he still gets to shoot, use Riccardo's Rolling Sobat (the bad thing is that you may have to substitute him in the second half though). Alain is good too, but he is rarely a menace compared to Francis. When going up-front, watch out for Gerard who is very good at tackling and intercepting passes. Don't let him get past you or you may lose the ball and even concede a goal on the counter. Otherwise, Albert is just a decent keeper and you're bound to score with the high caliber strikers in your line-up. In spite of the decent players, the Eagles is still a quite strong opposition. They know how to pass the ball along and rarely give the ball away or make mistakes. However, with such a line-up, you obviously start as the favorite. Don't brush this match away as filler and goof around though, they may punish you. Specially Francis! ;) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ours vs. Hawks ------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Roster * 1. Carlos (GK) 2. Fernand 3. Jesus 4. Rodrigo 5. Osualdo 6. Fidel 7. Regis 8. Lvis 9. Nicolas (!) 10. Antonio 11. Ramon The Hawks are notorious for playing a rough football. The amazing thing is that they don't concede fouls and free kicks in spite of their rash challenges...You'd think the referee is blind! As your coach will tell you before the match if you bothered to seek information from him, watch out for Nicolas. Nicolas is not only a rough player who does not hesitate to throw himself in a challenge, he's also very talented. His Diablo Shot in particular is tough to cope with, specially if you were obliged to have Guy come in during the match because Riccardo's GUTS were too low. Be equally wary of the whole defense. They may not look like it, but Hawk's defenders are brilliant at tackles and passcuts. The best way to deal with it is to avoid them, usually by using the wings to get forward until you can pass the ball to someone in the penalty area. Carlos, the keeper, is good but your strikers will be able to fool him if you attack wisely. As usual, have Adolf up-front and if he gets tired, replace him with someone who has a special shot. I advise against switching Adolf with someone else though, he seems to have bigger chances of scoring than anybody else. This match can be very tough if Robert isn't at least at level 16. Alfred will come to see Robert with news of David after the match. I still think he's just spying the team there (in real life, it's called "Strategy" -- go figure!). ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ours vs. Sharks ------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Sharks is the club for which David now plays. There will be a short conversation between the two brothers before the match starts. * Roster * 1. Dirk (GK) 2. Dennis 3. Henry 4. Greg 5. Billy 6. Jeff 7. Brian (!) 8. Kurt 9. Stuart (!) 10. Alex 11. David (!) Mark both Stuart and David and, if possible, prevent them from even getting close to the ball. They both have special shots and in addition, it can be terribly frustrating to try and take the ball away from them. Jeff is not really that skilled but he can make a real mess of your goal-scoring opportunities by appearing out of nowhere to intercept your passes or block your shots. This match will be tough. All the players are skilled in their position and passing the ball around too much means you will lose possession and probably even concede a goal. If possible, use the 4-3-3 formation in the first half with the Pressure defense and try to rack up the damn scoreline. If you managed to keep a goal difference of at least 2, switch to the sweeper and try scoring on the counter (it helps if both Adolf and Tom are playing with the latter as supporting mid-field). Try to keep all the best defenders in the match too. Their special tackles and blocks have very low chances of working against David and Stuart. Hence, don't use them if these two players have the ball or you'll just be wasting your precious GUTS. On the other hand, use them against the other players when you think they will perhaps save your sorry ass. Dirk is good but with Adolf and Tom doing the vicious job, you'll score as you persevere. Don't try to dribble him though, he'll steal the ball most of the time. On the other hand, getting close to the net and shooting may work as Dirk misses the ball or is too slow. Finally, note that Stuart and Brian like to pass the ball between them when attacking. It would be wise to mark Brian too and try to get a couple of players between them to intercept the ball (or at least deflect it away). There'll be some more scenes after the match and David will return to play for the OURS. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ours vs. Lions ------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Don't forget that David is now a member of your team.) * Roster * 1. Lino (GK) (!) 2. Marco 3. Daniele 4. Yves 5. Julius 6. Rossan 7. Bernardo 8. Sylvester 9. Gian (!) 10. Marcello 11. Rocky The Lions are an Italian club and thus have that typical compact Italian defense. Consequently, avoid showing too much of the ball to the defenders. At a first glance, it may seem very hard to break through and create occasions but don't worry, the Lion's defense is not totally impervious. The way to attack is to use the wing when you kick off (or from any action) and once you have covered half the distance to the net, pass the ball to someone mid-field. From here, it is usually easy to get the ball across to an unmarked player in the box. This specially holds true in a 4-3-3 set-up since you'll have an 'optional' striker. However, getting to the box will not be enough. You still need to beat the keeper and bad news, Lino seems to be a younger Oliver Kahn. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating but he's _that_ good. Use special shots from a short distance to fool him or keep shooting away with your forwards until he makes a mistake. A good thing to do in this match to increase your chances of scoring goals is to use Adolf in the first half, use up his GUTS (Meteo Shot!) and substitute him with David afterwards. As I mentioned above, use the 4-3-3 formation if you intend to follow my advice. Another way of scoring is to pass the ball to the centre-forward when he is as close to the net as possibly. As you do so, Lino will spring forward and try to punch it away (or catch it) before it reaches your player. If he misses (which he does 50% of the time), that's already one goal for you. Finally, you can just use one of your special shots when Lino is blocking your way but he may still block them (the only exception is the Meteo Shot). Gian's Diablo Shot is a pain, mark him with at least two defenders. Be ready for counter-attacks because that's how the Lions tend to play. They let you do the attacking, the keeper stops your shots, they counter-attack. It is also better to score first so you do not have to give in to just attacking. Note that Gian isn't very good at avoiding tackles (particularly those of Robert), use them to steal the ball from him. After the match, there will be a very short scene involving Robert and the team will then prepare for the almighty Tecmo Cup. Understand by this that they won't do anything related to football at all (such as training). = TECMO CUP PRELIMINARY LEAGUE ========================================== This is the Tecmo Cup Preliminary League which is really a sort of Group phase. It should be noted that you must win all the match to move on, this isn't really a league. On the other hand, it sure is a preliminary one. Another thing you should note here is that the teams which you face may also change and the order too subquently changes. As of now, I only have the strategies against England, France, Korea and Spain done. The others are missing because I have faced them only one or worse yet, I have never faced them (such as U.S.A. which comes with Charly). 1. Riccardo (GK) 2. James 3. Ralph 4. Roger 5. Felix 6. Nigel 7. Tom 8. Nick 9. Adolf 10. Robert 11. Leroy Substitutes : Guy (GK) Usher Hugh Tony David ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ours vs. England ------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Roster * 1. Edger (GK) 2. Raymond 3. Henry 4. Justin 5. Otto 6. Norman 7. Brian (!) 8. Douglas 9. Stuart (!) 10. Walt 11. Alex Obviously, it'll be all about Stuart here. It's truthfully just as if you're facing a stronger Sharks side but this time, David is in your team. Mark Stuart with someone and to make things easier, have another defender guard the net. This will allow him to try and stop the ball which will cause its velocity to decrease. Hopefully, Riccardo or Guy will then be able to handle the ball without too much problems. Stuart and Brian still like to pass the ball between them as they head towards your net. I like to make Nigel or Nick tag behind Brian but Nigel is always tbe best option because you will need Nick to support whoever is in front. And guess who should be there? David, of course. I suppose that's because he actually played with them but he has greater chances of scoring against Edger. Try to have him in your team the whole match if possible. If he does get tired, have Leroy take his place. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ours vs. France ------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Roster * 1. Albert (GK) 2. Jhan 3. Charles 4. Serge 5. Gerard 6. Michel 7. Claude 8. Emile 9. Pierre 10. Francis (!) 11. Alain (!) Mark Francis and Alain, and concentrate on scoring yourself. These 2 players will always be the ones to shoot (occasionally Pierre too) and their techniques can totally blow your keeper away. However, France has a disorganized defense and you can easily take advantage of this to score first and to lead the match from beginning to end. Use the 4-3-3 and with the extra centre-forward, scoring goals will be quite easy. If that player gets tired, take him out. Lather, rinse, repeat. The match against France is really _that_ easy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ours vs. Korea ------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Roster * 1. Punju (GK) 2. Sokuchu 3. Chonbe 4. Sanbom 5. Yonfan 6. Kyonho 7. Munsun 8. Teshiku 9. Kanhi (!) 10. Yonjin (!) 11. Sunho (!) Firstly, I'd really like to know what Korea is doing in these finals. The Choi brothers, Kanhi and Sunho, are the attacking counterparts of what Tom and Nick, the other twins, are to your team. Needless to say, mark both of them and if you can spare another defender, mark Yonjin too because he sometimes likes to make a nuisance of himself. Have Riccardo use his special techniques so you don't go behind on the scoreline early in the match. Korea has a strong defense and you will need to attack wisely if you wish to score yourself. If you find you cannot move on without losing the ball (since the defenders are almost always bound to claim it), don't hesitate to backtrack. When you do so, they will chase you and this will cause more space to appear in mid-field and defense. Pass the ball until your forward has it and hope you can fool Punju. If you can't, be ready for the counter because it almost always happens. The wisest thing here would be to have both David and Adolf play. They should be at high levels now and will be able to avoid the keeper. Don't waste their guts on their super shots, you may regret it during the second half. Korea is a much tougher opposition than England and France. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ours vs. Spain ------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Roster * 1. Pedro (GK) 2. Jesus 3. Salvador 4. Rodrigo 5. Gabriel 6. Luis 7. Daniel 8. Jose 9. Nicolas (!) 10. Antonio 11. Mario Spain may be a cool team with good midfielders and defenders while Nicolas will do all the shooting but Pedro, the goalkeeper, is a total goofball and lets almost everything through. Sure, Nicolas's shots will be too much for your own keeper and you'll be almost forced to let him score a couple of times but Adolf, David and whoever else plays as centre-forward will feel like this is a practice session. In other words, this match is damn easy. Avoid opponents, get into penalty area, shoot. And you don't even have to waste GUTS on your special shots although I recommend using their tackling and dribbling counterparts so you havest of the possession. Now would also be the time to eat and drink to recover from the past frights... ...I refuse to consider the Spanish team as a football one! Oh yeah, if you cannot win this, then...er...!! The Tecmo Cup finals will begin after this match. wOOt (or not)! = TECMO CUP TOURNAMENT ================================================== You have at last reached the last round. This is pretty much like a real tournament now. You will be playing the quarter-finals (Italy), the semi-finals and eventually the finals. Obviously, these teams have absolutely nothing to do with the previous ones. I hope you did level up a couple of times. 1. Riccardo (GK) 2. James 3. Ralph 4. Roger 5. Felix 6. Nigel 7. Tom 8. Nick 9. Adolf 10. Robert 11. Leroy Substitutes : Guy (GK) Usher Hugh Tony David ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ours. vs. Italy ------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Roster * 1. Lino (GK) (!) 2. Daniele 3. Luige 4. Givliano 5. Michele 6. Rossan 7. Vgo 8. Fracno 9. Gian (!) 10. Amedeo 11. Marcello As you have already guessed, you will really have to strive to score in this match. Thankfully, your strikers are now better and you have very good ones too in Adolf, David and Leroy. Trying to fool Lino by getting him to come out doesn't seem to work, so you'll have to revert to the classic usual methods to score. If you can afford it, pull a special shot close to the net before each half ends. Of course, you first need to get in the penalty area to score. And this is Italy we are talking about; the team with the best defense. To create more openings, don't hesitate to backtrack. As I said ealier, this will cause the players to chase you and they'll abandon their designated zones (this doesn't apply to markers though). That should give you enough space to pass the ball forward. Next, mark Gian with at least two defenders because he's the one who will do most of the shooting. You can mark Marcello too if you wish, but I find it better to have the remaining defenders intercept any pass between the two forwards. Once Gian is out of the way (sort of), concentrate on throwing this damn defense off-guard and hope that Lino isn't feeling invincible (which he irritatingly always does). ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ours vs. Brazil ------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Roster * 1. Benito (GK) 2. Bod 3. Federico 4. El 5. Horatio 6. Pablo 7. Andres 8. Lorenzo (!) 9. Sandro 10. Paolo (!) 11. Hernan Paolo claims himself to be the best player in the world and while he is somewhat exaggerating, he certainly is extremely good. He likes to play individually and simply loves to dribble his way through your defense (like everybody else on the Brazilian team). As a matter of fact, everybody on the Brazilian team is very talented but Paolo is the biggest threat. Mark him with Ralph and try to prevent him from ever getting the ball because it's VERY difficult to steal the ball from him as he's VERY special technique-happy. The good thing with Paolo (if you can still use the word "Good") is that he plays alone and will never pass the ball around. Consequently, you don't have too worry about marking the other players in case he passes the ball to them. But I advise marking them too though, you never know what may happen... Second on this Brazilian side comes Lorenzo, the midfielder. He isn't as good as Paolo but he can avoid all your tackles and will present himself alone in front of the net more than once if you don't watch out. The other players are all equally good but at a reasonable level, it'll be a balanced contest in mid-field (which, I'll say it again, influences the whole match). The defense is very compact and you'll have to use a system of short passes if you wish to score. The only problem is that this causes your offensive players to be sandwiched and getting out of this situation usually implies losing the ball. The Brazilian players do have the habit of coming to take the ball in groups and it's always hard to outrun more than two of them. You'll be better using both Adolf and David from the start in this match. This is because these two players are equally good in mid-field and may thus come back to defend if you need help. And, of course, they are the best at scoring goals. If you manage to get the lead, don't hesitate to lose time. If you can afford it, secure the lead with Adolf's special shots by using them during one-on-one situations against the keeper and have Leroy or Hugh take his place afterwards. Otherwise, you can just end your own misery by shooting your Genesis right there. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ours vs. Germany ------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Roster * 1. Rudolf (GK) (!) 2. Curt (!) 3. Theodor (!) 4. Erwin (!) 5. Karl (!) 6. Gustav (!) 7. Fritz (!) 8. Heinrich (!) 9. Alfred (!) 10. Klaus (!) 11. Erich (!) I hope you are ready to cry because that's why Germany is in the game. Their only purpose is to make you bang your head against a wall in frustration until you eventually destroy your Genesis. And their superiority in every field do make them feel godly. I swear, the only game that is tougher to beat than TCFG is Captain Tsubasa II (which would literally make you become mad and kill everybody around you). You must probably think I let loose on the exclamation marks in the above roster. YOU ARE THINKING TOO MUCH! Because, you see, Germany is really that good! Sure, Alfred may be the sole "outstanding" player but that doesn't necessarily means the others are wimps. As a matter of fact, they are far from being wimps due to their high levels. Mark all the attacking players (Alfred, Klaus, Erich -- Heinrich likes to come forward from time to time too but he's most of the time busy passing the ball so Alfred can make your keeper see stars). As for the defenders, don't show them too much of the ball. They almost always win challenges and their passing is extremely accurate. Besides, if you are at a low level, your own players will never be able to intercept the ball. As if all this isn't enough, Rudolf seems to be able to predict all your shots. The best tactic to score remains to have him rush forward and hope he misses the ball. With Adolf, David and Leroy forward, you should hence have pretty good chances of scoring. If you cannot score, you may as well sit back and allow Germany let all hell loose. And they are bound to do it! Aside from a well-thought strategy, high levels are what matters here. If you came into this match without losing many matches beforehand, get reading to replay this fixture A LOT! Now, I'm not saying Germany is unbeatable, but it takes a lot of luck and patience to prevent them from constantly shooting...But seriously, if you made it this far, you must have both qualities, so you'll win. ...I hope. ...Good luck! :) Enjoy the one-minute ending and congratulate yourself for beating this game. If you feel the game was too easy, go play Captain Tsubasa II (NES). Or bang your head against a wall! +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | V. GENERAL NOTES | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ So, you've read the walkthrough and still need some general strategy to win all the matches, heh? Well, this is exactly where you may find what you're looking for. Before I go on, I'd like to state that monkeys are cute. Yeah, I know this has nothing to do with the game but I reckon monkeys are being ignored these days. Do like Joey Starr (just do a search in Google if you don't know who he is)! To get on with the guide, the most important thing is your strategy, formation and style of playing. In the default settings, Robert is a mid-fielder. Unless you desperately need to score goals or your defenders are looking elsewhere, keep him where he is. Besides, his main job is to create actions instead of running up-front like a striker would do. Put him in another spot only when you really need to do so. As far as formations are concerned, the 4-3-3 remains the best in any tournament. Coupled with the Pressure defence, it will work wonders and you'll thus be able to create a lot of goal-scoring opportunities. The W.M. should be forgotten because it leaves you vulnerable on a counter and is highly punishing against a team with skilled strikers. The sweeper and two-top formations are good on their own, but only under certain conditions. In the first case, it is always a good idea to switch to it during the second half if you managed to score at least 4 goals previously. This will allow you to retain possession longer and if need be, you can pass the ball between the defenders until there is an opening. Always make sure the last defender (the one who'll be directly in front of the net) is among the best at your disposal. Two-top, on the other hand, is effective only against not-so-powerful opponents. A good option is to alternate between two-top and sweeper to successfully cope with any aspect of the match. Finally, 4-2-4 is as good as W.M. ; don't bother about it. A lot of people seem to automatically assume that the formation is not important since this is more like a fantastic game. I can assure this is completely wrong. Although it certainly is a wacky game, Tecmo Cup relies on a normal football scheme. Consequently, don't hesitate to rely on set strategies you would normally use in any other footy title. Finally, your character levels themselves are extremely important. The GUTS don't just show how much a move costs, they are indeed player stats. The higher a certain player's stats, the more likely he will intercept passes, successfully tackle, etc...If a player's overall GUTS is low (I'm talking about the maximum stat, the in-match one is merely vitality), don't try to dribble other opponents. You will very likely lose the ball. And once you can at last make substitutions, don't forget to do so in every match even if it involves taking out a very good player for an only decent one. This way, your players will improve faster. Luck too is another important factor in TCFG. While precise strategy and good build-ups are required, the outcome of a match may sometimes depend on sheer luck. I hear you asking : "But what amounts to luck in such a game?" In TCFM, luck can be all of the following : - The ball constantly hitting the post (play CT3 to see plenty of those!). - Your players being able to stop ultra-powerful shots even at low levels. - Your keeper beautifully handling every shot, going as far as catching the ball although it was spawned off a special technique. - The opponent not even being able to attack (although your formation and strategy does come into play here). - A weak shot being out of range of the opposite keeper. You should however never rely on luck alone. Use efficient strategies and rely on a patient build-up. And if you are lucky, it's for the better. Also note that you can sometimes be on the bad end (i.e. all your own shots hit the post, etc...). If you find that your own keeper can never reach the ball and all your players fail to intercept or at least touch it, your levels are too low. That should be enough. If you still need a point discussed, just e-mail me and any other additional info will be added in the next update. Finally, here are the dream line-ups you can have in the game! The lists actually regroup all the characters from the game but you can use them when selecting your own line-up in All-Stars team. (All line-ups are in 4-3-3 formation unless otherwise stated) All-Stars European Team ----------------------- 1. Lino (GK) 2. Erwin 3. Gabriel 4. Gerard 5. Karl 6. Alain 7. Francis 8. Stuart 9. Alfred 10. Nicolas 11. Gian This is pretty much the most balanced European team you can have in the game. The attack is extremely powerful, the mid-field apt to win al challenges, and Lino and Karl alone ensure nobody will get through. Gian and Alfred can switch places, it doesn't really matter on which wing they are. Rest of the World ----------------- 1. Riccardo (GK) 2. El 3. Sokuchu 4. Roger 5. Felix 6. Kanhi 7. Sunho 8. Nick 9. Tom 10. Robert 11. David Unrealistically, the Rest of the World team is better than the European one mainly due to its awesome mid-field. Offense will drill through any defense too, but it's not as strong as its European counterpart. Dream Line-up ------------- 1. Lino (GK) 2. Sokuchu 3. Roger 4. Gerard 5. Felix 6. Nicolas 7. Alfred 8. Stuart 9. David 10. Robert 11. Paolo *Drools* Oh yeah, you can replace Paolo with Adolf, but I consider Paolo to be a better choice due to his dribbling abilities (open to debate). All Offense ----------- 1. Lino (GK) 2. Stuart 3. Nicolas 4. Francis 5. Roger 6. Juan 7. Gian 8. Adolf 9. Paolo 10. David 11. Alfred Obviously, this line-up concentrates on offensive play. Even more obviously, the defense is weak since nobody (except Roger) is a real defender but who cares? For each goal you concede with such a team, you're retaliating with at least 3. If you want to share your own line-ups, just e-mail me and they'll be included in an update. Try to give reasons for your choices. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | VI. SPECIAL TECHNIQUES | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ In this section, I will list the special techniques of the characters you control at one point or another, as well as how many GUTS each move costs. Most techniques have names that blatantly show to which genre they belong (pass, shot, etc...) but if that is missing, I'll add that genre next to the move. Further notes will also be required where necessary. All the players are also selectable in All-Stars mode unless stated otherwise. Each player's initial club and country is also included for convenient reference. Some players' clubs are not revealed in the game itself as they only appear for their country. In addition, your own players' country isn't listed for obvious reasons. Note: Techniques that are shared between 2 different players cost GUTS only to the one who did the command. Eg, if you are controlling Nick and decide to pull his Twin Shot (combination with Tom), only Nick's GUTS will decrease. Adolf ----- Club : Royals Big Bang Shot - 400 *Obtained before the Tecmo Cup Preliminary League starts Meteo Shot - 340 Power Dribble - 60 Thunder Tackle - 180 Alain ----- Club : Eagles Country : France Splender Dribble - 60 Alfred ------ Club : Ham Country : Germany Bicycle Shot - 160 Flare Shot - 340 Kaiser Tackle - 220 Magaflare Shot - 400 Power Dribble - 60 Charly ------ Country : U.S.A. Lightning Tackle - 180 Hyper Volley - 160 Stealth Dribble - 80 Tomahawk Shot - 280 David ----- Club : Dreams / Sharks Bicycle Shot - 160 Drive Shot - 160 Golden Combo - 120 *One-Two with Robert Mega Drive Shot - 340 *Obtains this shot when he joins the OURS Twin Shot - 340 *Simultaneous volley with Robert, obtains when he joins the OURS Felix ----- Club : Bulls Great Tackle - 160 Great Shot - 160 Hyper Volley - 160 Francis ------- Club : Eagles Country : France Bicycle Shot - 160 Slider Shot - 280 Splender Dribble - 60 Gian ---- Club : Lions Country : Italy Buster Tackle - 180 Diablo Shot - 280 Hyper Volley - 160 James ----- Club : Dreams Bonecrush Tackle - 140 Juan ---- Bicyle Shot - 160 Drive Shot - 160 Phantom Shot - 280 Power Tackle - 160 Kanhi ----- Country : Korea Acrobat Shot - 280 *Combination with Sunho, header Twin Shot - 280 *Simultaneous shot with Sunho Lino ---- Club : Lions Country : Italy Patriot Catch - 200 Mikhail ------- Country : Russia Buster Tackle - 180 Diamond Dust - 280 *Shot Hyper Volley - 160 Nick ---- Club: Frogs Hurricane Shot - 280 *Combination with Tom, header Twin Shot - 220 *Simultaneous Shot with Tom Nicolas ------- Club : Hawks Country : Spain Diablo Shot - 280 Hyper Volley - 160 Tornado Shot - 160 Nigel ----- Club : Rams Bicycle Shot - 160 Splender Dribble - 60 Paolo ----- Country : Brazil Banana Shot - 340 Bicycle Shot - 160 Drive Shot - 160 Illusion Dribble - 80 Ralph ----- Club : Rocks Bicycle Shot - 160 Tornado Tackle - 160 Tornado Shot - 220 Riccardo -------- Club : Royals Dragon Catch - 200 Rolling Sobat - 150 *Punch Robert ------ Club : Dreams Bicycle Shot - 160 Drive Shot - 160 Golden Combo - 120 *One-Two with David Giga Drive Shot - 400 *Obtained before the Tecmo Cup Preliminary League starts Twin Shot - 340 *Simultaneous volley with David, obtain when David joins the OURS Roger ----- Club : Jets Atomic Shot - 340 Bicycle Shot - 160 Power Tackle - 160 Stuart ------ Club : Sharks Country : England Great Tackle - 160 Great Shot - 160 Hyper Volley - 160 Sunho ----- Country : Korea Acrobat Shot - 280 *Combination with Kanhi, header Twin Shot - 280 *Simultaneous shot with Kanhi Tom --- Club : Frogs Hurricane Shot - 280 *Combination with Nick, header Twin Shot - 220 *Simultaneous shot with Nick +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | VII. HINTS | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ Actually, Tecmo Cup doesn't really have codes that will see you through to the ending in less time than it takes to make a substitution, but there are still some hints and hips which should be very helpful. Some of these are very obvious but I'm still adding them for the sake of completion. - Lose some matches to level up. Even if you can easily win, I advise losing early on so you can tackle the best opponents without much difficulty. With a weak team, you have absolutely no chance of beating this game. Sure, it may not be as tough as Captain Tsubasa 2 --which is a complete nightmare if you goof around-- but Tecmo Cup is still a very challenging game. - If you want to pass the ball around, always make sure there are no opponents between you and that team-mate when you do so. Otherwise, these players will attempt to intercept the ball or deflect it. If the path is blocked, try going for another option. - If you're going to take out either Nick or Tom, you may as well take both twins out. They're better supporting each other and you'll access their combination techniques throughout the match. If only one plays, his performance will be lower. The same things applies to Sunho and Kanhi if you are playing with them in All-Stars mode. - The following is not exactly a hint, but it is a very useful "feature" I discovered in TCFG. As I explained in the Controls section, pressing A while the menu up is will show you the opposing player's stats. Now, look at the player's shooting GUTS (any action will do, but I'm better with this one) and compare it with your own. If the opponent's GUTS exceed yours by more than 10, this means you have not levelled up enough and is also an indication that it will take a lot to win the current match. On the other hand, if your own GUTS is bigger, you can sit back since you will win most challenges. Use this neat option at the start of each match to know what to expect and to check whether your team is at a satisfying level. - A very good "cheat" consists in the following technique which also works in all the other CT titles. The cheat involves having your centre-forward run ahead several steps without losing any GUTS. To do so, one of the conditions is that there must not be any players near or ahead of the centre-forward as shown below. ___________________________ | x x x | %%%% | |¯¯¯¯¯¯| | 11%|%¯¯¯¯¯| |¯¯¯| 4| | | |¯¯¯| |3 2|6·| 8 | x | | x | |___| 5| |10 | |___| |______| | x x |______| | x x 7 |9 x | ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ · - ball n - your players x - opponents % - squares where your player will chase the ball Here, No. 11 can grab the ball once No. 6 has passed it to him even if the latter goes 3 squares forward. In other situations, he would even have a good range downwards but the opponent directly below him represents an obstacle. Use this technique successfully and you'll manage to score goals out of scratch. - However powerful a shot may be, it loses strength as it travels towards the net. The further the player is from the net when he shoots, the greater will be the decrease in strength. Thus, use your special techniques only when you are close to the net if possible. A Meteo Shot from the half-way line comes down as a mere normal shot once it gets close to the keeper. Similarly, the ball loses its velocity each time it hits a player. - Don't use special techniques endlessly. Use them only when in dire need of a saviour. Techniques cost GUTS and if all your players are tired after the first half, you'll barely oppose some resistance when the match resumes. This may sound a logical point but you'd be surprised to see how many gamers tend to forget that (don't worry, I was one of those when I first discovered the Captain Tsubasa games ;). - Since you can make only 3 substitutions per match, manage those well. Moreover, don't forget that the substitutions are saved to the next match. Thus, you'll have to make the appropriate changes before the following match if you want to revert to the original starting line-up. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | VIII. PASSWORDS | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ This section contains all the passwords up to the final match. I however strongly advise against using them unless you're absolutely stuck because you will skip all the in-game dialogues and will thus miss out the entire storyline (not that it really matters, but still...). Another thing is that the password I got were obtained with only a few matches lost since I'm very good at the game, all modesty put aside. Use them at your own risks. If someone wants to contribute higher levels' passwords, feel free to do so. The passwords will actually bring you to the following match, i.e. using the 'Dreams vs. Ham' password will make you skip to the next mach which is against the Frogs. The last passwords are actually cheats that make your players ultra-gods. I'll delve into that part as I reach it. NATIONAL TOURNAMENT ------------------- * Dreams vs. Bulls * AL555 555AU AQAAA AAAIR AAAAA AAB2A * Dreams vs. Ham * AP555 555AU BAAAA AAAIR AAAAA AACAA * Dreams vs. Frogs * AT555 555AU BRAAA AAAJB AAAAA AAGDA * Dreams vs. Rocks * AX555 555AU CBAAA AAAJR AAAAA AADMA * Dreams vs. Rams * A5555 555AU CTAAA ACAKR AAAAA AAGWA * Dreams vs. Jets * BD555 555AU DDAAA ACALB AAAAA AAG2A * Dreams vs. Royals * B5555 555AU DQAAA AAAAA AAAAA AABAA VISITING GAMES ABROAD --------------------- * Ours vs. Eagles * CD555 555AU EAAAA AAAIQ AAAAA AACGA * Ours vs. Hawks * CH555 555AU EQAAA AAARA AAAAA AADMA * Ours vs. Sharks * CL555 555AU FBAAA AAAZA AAAAA AAFQA * Ours vs. Lions * CP555 555AU FRAAA AABBA AAABA AAGWA TECMO CUP PRELIMINARY LEAGUE ---------------------------- * Ours vs. England * CSCP5 555AU GBAAA AABJA AAACA AAAGA * Ours vs. France * CWCID 555AU GRAAA AABRA AAADA AAJQA * Ours vs. Korea * C0CIC ZP5AU HBAAA AABRA AAAEA AAACA * Ours vs. Spain * C4CIC ZLUAU HRAAA AABRA AAAEA AAHQA CHEATER PASSWORDS ----------------- These 2 passwords were created by VioLENCE JHACK and he originally posted them on the TCFG GameFAQs message board. All the credit goes to him for satistying our cheating habits. ;) ML555 555AU DQAAA AAAAA AAAAA AAGGA - Ours vs. Eagles, all players at level 98 MKADA IAQAU IREEI TCJKR AAAGA AAAIA - Ours vs. Germany (final match), all players at level 99 (the 1, 3 and any other levels you'll see are just glitches) Your team will be unbeatable with these two passwords. Since the players have max stats in every aspect, they will never lose the ball and even shots from the halfway line will be goals (since nobody will be able to block them). Lastly, I obtained the following ones myself from the 2 above: ML555 555AU FQCAI BGBAT AIABA AACYA - start of Tecmo Cup Preliminary League, all players at level 99 MJYBB ABAAU HQCEQ CICBD AIAFA AALWA - start of Tecmo Cup Finals, all players at level 99 Even if you actually want to, you cannot lose with these passwords. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | IX. ODDITIES | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ TCFG has so many peculiar things (even for such a crazy game) that the absence of such a section almost seems like a crime. Let's start with the fun but pointless stuff found in TCFG. i. The commentator is a bird. What the hell is up with this!? ii. Since this game isn't based off Captain Tsubasa, Tecmo obviously didn't have to bother too much about drawing individuals. Only a bunch of characters like Robert, Lino, Adolf or Paolo are unique. The rest is merely the same couple of designs with different palette swaps. iii. In addition, a player with short hair may even look like having long hair on the pitch and vice-versa. iv. You never even know what country you are supposed to represent (but I'm assuming it's Japan). v. Before the match against Italy, your coach will tell you to watch out for Carlos when there isn't a single player with a name even close to this on the team. vi. In the situation that your keeper manages to kick the ball out before being thrown back (most likely observed with Riccardo's Rolling Sobat), it will still count as a goal even though you can clearly see the ball going away. How's that for cheap? vii. Riccardo looks so much like Wakashimazu I had to change pants when I first saw him (and don't forget that he has similar techniques). The same can be said for Lino who looks like another top-class keeper, Gino, who had Tsubasa strive for a new special shot in CTII. viii. If you win by more than 9 goals during the Tecmo Cup Preliminary League, the scoreline shows letters instead. The first time I saw this, I thought they were just being hexadecimally shown but apparently, it's just that the table cannot handle such scores. ix. The bird-like commentator is completely biased towards your side and even goes as far as crying when your opponent scores. x. The timer includes both 00 and 60 seconds such that it always shows x:60 -> x-1:00 when counting down. Time distortion, anybody? xi. The German sides are so strong it's frigging ridiculous. Tecmo's tribute to Germany's 3 World Cup titles (TCFG was released in 1992, two years after Germany became the world champions for the third time)? xii. The ball keeps turning on itself even when a certain player is taking his special shot's stance. xiii. The last stage of the Tecmo Cup begins directly with the quarter-finals. xiv. When Paolo attempts his Illusion Dribble, he cries out "Try to stop my shot if you can!!". Someone at Tecmo must have been slacking off... xv. If you don't press the appropriate button to resume the game or to kick off, the commentator goes to sleep. xvi. The cup Robert holds in his hand during the endings look so much like the World Cup I almost freaked out when I saw this. xvii. Alfred has a technique called the 'Kaiser Tackle'. Alfred is German. Is Alfred also related to the infamous Franz 'Kaiser' Beckenbauer (considered as the best German player of all time)? xviii. The ball never gets deflated, something which occurs in every other CT title. xix. The goalkeepers need not recover even after coming out and missing the ball. Although the commentator may state that the keeper remains on the ground, the super-human is back to defend his net seconds afterwards. xx. Still concerning goalkeepers, it is almost impossible to dribble them unless you are at a very high level. Otherwise, they win 95% of the time. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | X. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ I've compiled most questions from the feedback I received for my CT guides and queries which I had myself when I first got this game (around 7 years back). You will also find the answers to any question that doesn't quite pertain to the walkthrough itself. Q : What is Tecmo Cup Football Game about? A : Tecmo Cup Football Game was released by Tecmo in 1992. This title is actually considered to be an European version of the Captain Tsubasa series which is also produced by Tecmo. The genre is a blend between RPG and football (soccer). From what I've gathered, TCFG was reprogrammed for the Genesis following the success of Captain Tsubasa 3 on the SNES. Q : In what ways is it different from the other titles? A : It is the sole game that was duly translated and consists of entirely new characters (although, of course, there are the various references and offshoots). My researches have led me to believe that this game was actually directly released in Europe but haven't been able to confirm it yet (besides, the poor English really hurts my theory :). It is also much easier and shorter than any Captain Tsubasa title. And...er...it's on the Genesis (aside from CTJ which was ported to the PSX, all titles appear on Nintendo consoles). Q : Couldn't it just be based on another translated version of the anime? A : I have checked this and I can definitely say this isn't true. Firstly, Tsubasa was never called Robert in other countries and secondly, they don't look alike. Other than that, Tsubasa never had a brother. Q : Where can I find this game? A : Since this game was never actually a hit (on the other hand, CT3 broke records in Japan), it is extremely rare. I would also like to point out that, even as a rom, you will have to search a lot (and still never get it). I looked for it myself to create Game Genie Codes but never found it. (Note : I don't intend to add links to the rom in the guide, so don't bother sending them. Sorry about that.) Q : What does the coach mean when he says stuff like "Robert, Adolf, Roger, you have all gotten better"? A : This means that the said characters gained two levels instead of the regular one. Q : What will cause a character to gain 2 levels? A : Use him a lot and effectively. In the case of regular players, try to score goals. In the case of the keeper, concede as less goals as possible and don't make mistakes. Q : Do characters that never play gain levels too? A : Yes, but it is always better to use a rotation system that will allow everybody to play even if that's a short time. Characters' stats increase faster if they do play (anyway, you'll be doomed to make substitutions as soon as you can :). Q : Does TCFG obey the real football rules? A : Most of them. The only rules are that don't exist here are off-sides and the teams don't switch sides at half-time, meaning your net is always on the left-hand side of the pitch. It should also be noted that fouls are based on extreme 'injuries' since the game is so crazy. Q : How does Robert get the Twin Shot? A : He automatically gets it when David joins the Ours. You'll see it listed if you check the levels before the match. Q : I tried pulling Robert's Giga Drive Shot but the keeper easily blocks it. Why? A : Robert must be at a reasonable level for the shot to become really 'unstoppable'. If you don't lose any match, it'll achieve its true rank when the Tecmo Cup Finals starts. Q : What happens if I can beat Ham F.C.? A : Personally, I have never managed this and probably never will (I own the cartridge). However, according to Dark Lord Seifer (who posted at the TCFG board), nothing changes. David still goes away and everything swiftly moves on as stated in the walkthrough. Q : Is it possible to take a player out and put him in again when he has regained some of his GUTS? A : No. Anyway, any substituted player will not recover his GUTS while on the bench. Q : Is there any sure method of scoring goals? A : A highly effective way of doing so is to get close to the keeper until he blocks your way and perform one of your special techniques. This is more easily observed with characters that have more than one shot (David, Roger, Adolf) since their most powerful shots (+300 GUTS) always have priority. Moreover, the "weaker" shots don't always work (100-250 GUTS). Your total GUTS also seems to affect the outcome. Q : Is it possible to have the keeper turn into a striker and vice-versa? A : No. It'd be pretty pointless anyway. Q : Can the teams in the Tecmo Cup tournament and the order in which they appear change? A : Yes. Other teams like Russia, U.S.A. can also show up and the fixtures can take place in any order, as Seifer Sephiroth was quick to notice. It however seems that England, Korea, Spain and France are encountered most often (I have played against Russia only once). I don't know if something determines which teams you will be facing though. Q : Why the hell is the commentator a bird? A : I don't know, ask Tecmo. I have to agree that's really weird though. Q : I have some info/contributions you could use. How do I contact you? A : E-mail me (the address is found at the top of this guide), putting the game name as the subject (TCFG is enough). If you don't do so, I will not read your e-mail. Please try using proper English too, I will not try to dechiper your e-mail if I don't understand what you're trying to say. I also won't answer questions already found in any part of this guide. You can also post at the TCFG GameFAQs board : http://s1.cgi.gamefaqs.com/boards/gentopic.asp?board=33455 I usually go there at least once a week but assuming I do not, just bump your topic and I'll reply when I see it. Q : What's this about certain games being called 'Boys Soccer Team'? A : Some people attempted to translate the NES and SNES roms and, in doing so, changed the name to 'Boys Soccer Team' (which, in my opinion, is dumb!). Q : This genre rules! Any other game that uses a similar engine? A : Captain Tsubasa 1 & 2 (NES ; CT2 is subtitled Super Striker) Captain Tsubasa 3, 4, 5 (SNES ; CT5 is quite different) Captain Tsubasa J (SNES & PSX ; never played either) All of them are in Japanese though, but they are not that hard to understand. There are also a couple of GameBoy titles but I've never played them and don't know if they use the same concept (which I don't think they do as it's the dumb GameBoy). The latest CT release is a card game for the GameBoy Advance. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | XI. REVISION HISTORY | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ [v 0.10 - ???] Started the guide so long ago I don't even remember the date. Contained only the FAQ portion back then but was already completely formatted. [v 0.35 - May 18, 2002] Walkthrough done up to Sharks (along with passwords, etc...). Roster lists, general notes and hints started too. [v 0.40 - May 20, 2002] Got around to updating the general walkthrough and threw in the cheater passwords after goofing around with them. Man, I feel so dirty! [v 0.95 - July 14, 2002] Finally, after being delayed by the World Cup and other stuff, this FAQ is complete. Any other updates will merely provide corrections and additional notes. Should I discover better strategies, the given sections will be edited as well (but don't count on this to happen very often. :) [v 1.00 - July 19, 2002] Fixed minor mistakes and proofread. First release (I hope). [v 2.00 - August 4, 2002] Added some important notes thanks to -- consult the F.A.Q. and Tecmo Preliminary League introductory notes for a brief run-down. Also brushed up various strategies and altered the lay-out. [v 2.25 - August 5, 2002] Edited some glaring mistakes in the walkthrough. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | XII. OUTRO | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ The only things that remain to be added in this guide are the strategies against the other teams you may face during the Tecmo Cup Preliminary League. Unluckily, tight schedules are preventing me from restarting the game again, but I hope to get them done...er, before the end of the year. I also hope to add more passwords (specially cheater ones that make it possible to start the game at a pretty high level) very soon. If you strangely want to send me good strategies meanwhile (or anything else that may find a place in this guide), do so anytime you want. Your help would be appreciated, but refrain from sending me bullshit. It will just annoy me and will make you look stupid. You don't want that, do you? ... And remember: "If all else fails, attack." Or something something... +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | XIII. CREDITS | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ Obviously, I wrote this guide myself but other people still deserve a lot of credit for directly or indirectly supporting this project. - Tecmo Of course, the prime credit goes to Tecmo for creating a great series out of an anime, something unheard of at the time. Actually, such a feat is still unheard of, but I disgress. - Yôichi Takahashi The man behind Captain Tsubasa, which inspired this game. And it does take a lot to rank among my favorite games, which is where CT2 has been for some time now (my fourth favorite game of all time). - Jeff "CJayC" Veasey For creating GameFAQs, which kicks maj0r @$$, and for hosting my reviews, guides and my delusional behaviour. - VioLENCE JHACK For creating and posting the cheater passwords on the TCFG message board. - Dark Lord Seifer For clarifying the point that's been bugging the greatest scientists for years : "What happens if I beat the Hams?" The answer is found in the Frequently Asked Questions section. Kudos also for supplying me with Gino's name (CTII & J ; Italian goalkeeper). - Seifer Sephiroth For reminding me about the other teams that may pop up during the Tecmo Cup Preliminary League and for pointing out that the order may indeed change. - Video Game Addicted Person For his help back when I was writing my Captain Tsubasa guides. This game actually helped me confirm all the info found in the other guides. - Tony Hedstrom For his great hacking guides. Hopefully, now that I have reformatted my computer, I'll get around to creating more passwords soon. That would be all, folks. Thanks for reading. Shameless plug: http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/8556.html Going there may have adverse effects on your health (like making you want to rule over this planet)! © 2002 Orochi K. All rights reserved. Any reproduction of this document without my express permission is strictly prohibited. ~ Fin ~