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Here’s the last of the three games we recorded with four players one Saturday afternoon in November.

As a youngster I strongly felt that “real” video games were the first-party Nintendo titles like Mario. A soccer game would have seemed generic and only worth playing if it were the only game around. These days I am barely more open minded, so I let myself enjoy games like this one, at least if a friend introduces me to it.

The part I like best about Nintendo World Cup is that you get to punch your opponents. Why is this still not done in regular soccer?? Also wonderful is how some players eventually lie down on the field like they’re dead, which seems to gradually diminish the number of active players on the field (I prefer to believe they’re just tired).

An interesting dimension is that this game supposedly belongs to a universe that includes River City Ransom, which I think is a street-fighting game. How they fit together I have no idea.

The players

• “1” – Nate Lockhart
• “2” – Marc Doull
• “3” – JohnWaynesGhost
• “4” – A nice nerd

Recorded November 1, 2025

Played on an original NES modified with Tim Worthington’s NESRGB mod version 4.0. gscart switch v5.3 and RetroTINK 5X.