Game Players (February 1994)

Game Players (February 1994)



Pele! is a soccer game that was released for the Sega Genesis in 1993 and named for the famous Brazilian player. I don't recall ever playing this one or even seeing it at the time so I don't believe this was one of the more popular choices for a soccer game.


From the description, it sounds as if this game was very realistic for the time, including accurate rules and various moves that were all well animated. However, Pele! seemed to get mediocre reviews for the most part. Part of the problem may be the odd two-player mode. Instead of just being able to face off against another player, each player had to compete in a series of one-player matches in order for their teams to face-off in the tournament.


Interestingly, the a Pele soccer game had been previously released on the Atari 2600 years before though it bears little resemblance to its Genesis namesake. There was also a sequel to Pele! on the Genesis called Pele 2: World Tournament Soccer that was released in 1994 to coincide with the 1994 World Cup in the United States.


If you want to play Pele! you will have to track down a Genesis and an original cartridge or use emulation. However, most 'realistic' sports games don't age all that well and I don't think this one is an exception.