View source for LiberoGrande

{{short description|1997 video game}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2024}}{{Infobox video game
|title     = LiberoGrande
|image     = Libero Grande Coverart.png
|caption   = PAL cover art of ''LiberoGrande''
|developer = [[Namco]]
|publisher = {{vgrelease|JP|Namco|PAL|[[Sony Computer Entertainment]]}}
|release   = '''Arcade'''<br>1997<br>'''PlayStation'''<br>{{vgrelease|PAL|October 31, 1998|JP|November 26, 1998}}
|genre     = [[Sports game|Sports]]
|modes     = [[Single-player]], [[multiplayer]]
|platforms = [[Arcade game|Arcade]], [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]]
|arcade system = [[Namco System 11|Namco System 12]]
}}

'''''LiberoGrande''''' is a 1997 [[association football]] [[video game]] developed and published by [[Namco]] for [[Arcade video game|arcades]]. It was converted for the [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] in 1998.

A typical arcade [[association football|football]] game in its nature, ''LiberoGrande'' introduced a novelty factor previously found in Namco's ''Top Striker'' for the Nintendo Entertainment System: the ability to play as just one player, instead of controlling the whole team, always swapping for players nearer the ball. This idea was later used by Konami in ''Winning Eleven'' / ''Pro Evolution Soccer'' titles in the Become a Legend mode, and by [[EA Sports]] in its various sports game franchises with the name [[career mode|Be a Pro]].

==Gameplay==
The player starts to choose one of the star players, and then a national team. Each star player, based on a real football player but with changed names, except for initials ([[Zinedine Zidane]] is Zenon Zadkine, for instance) is rated in both ball skill, speed and shooting abilities.

In addition to the original arcade mode, the home release adds an International mode (basically, the [[FIFA World Cup]] format), a league competition (up to eight star players/teams), which can be all human controlled and a skills mode where the player has to complete several training ground tasks such as hitting a target floating in the goal mouth or hitting an area from distance.

The player roster in the arcade version consists of:
{{Fs start}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=BRA|pos=|name=[[Ronaldo (Brazilian footballer)|Raimundo]]}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=NED|pos=|name=[[Ronald de Boer|Rudolf de Buys]]}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=ITA|pos=|name=[[Alessandro del Piero|Antonio Del Pacino]]}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=FRA|pos=|name=[[Zinedine Zidane|Zenon Zadkine]]}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=JPN|pos=|name=[[Hidetoshi Nakata|Naoki Hidaka]]}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=CMR|pos=|name=[[Patrick M'Boma|Philippe Empson]]}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=ENG|pos=|name=[[Alan Shearer|Alfred Shaffer]]}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=ARG|pos=|name=[[Gabriel Batistuta|Gaston Balmaceda]]}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=COL|pos=|name=[[Carlos Valderrama|Cornelio Valencia]]}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=GER|pos=|name=[[Jürgen Klinsmann|Jordan Krüger]]}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=ITA|pos=|name=[[Roberto Baggio|Raffaello Balbo]]}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=NED|pos=|name=[[Dennis Bergkamp|Dirk Berlarge]]}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=GER|pos=|name=[[Oliver Bierhoff|Oswald Bismarck]]}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=ITA|pos=|name=[[Paolo Maldini|Patrizio Mazzini]]}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=BRA|pos=|name=[[Roberto Carlos|Richard Castro]]}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=GER|pos=|name=[[Andreas Möller|Ajax Möbius]]}}
{{Fs mid}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=ROU|pos=|name=[[Gheorghe Hagi|Godwin Hasdeu]]}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=ESP|pos=|name=[[Raúl González|Renato Gallegos]]}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=CRO|pos=|name=[[Davor Suker|Deron Slojacek]]}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=WAL|pos=|name=[[Ryan Giggs|Robin Garrick]]}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=SER|pos=|name=[[Dragan Stojkovic|Dorman Smixolovic]]}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=ITA|pos=|name=[[Gianfranco Zola|Gregorio Zonaras]]}} (Hidden player)
{{Fs player|no=|nat=USA|pos=|name=[[Alexi Lalas|Arnold Lang]]}} (Hidden player)
{{Fs player|no=|nat=BRA|pos=|name=[[Romário|Roland]]}} (Hidden player)
{{Fs player|no=|nat=JPN|pos=|name=[[Kazuyoshi Miura|Minoru Kai]]}} (Hidden player)
{{Fs player|no=|nat=FRA|pos=|name=[[Eric Cantona|Edgard Cailaux]]}} (Hidden player)
{{Fs player|no=|nat=ENG|pos=|name=[[Paul Gascoigne|Powel Gardner]]}} (Hidden player)
{{Fs player|no=|nat=LBR|pos=|name=[[George Weah|Gerald Wells]]}} (Hidden player)
{{Fs player|no=|nat=NED|pos=|name=[[Ruud Gullit|Ruprech Goes]]}} (Hidden player)
{{Fs player|no=|nat=ARG|pos=|name=[[Diego Maradona|David Magellan]]}} (Hidden player)
{{Fs player|no=|nat=FRA|pos=|name=[[Michel Platini|Maurice Poulenc]]}} (Hidden player)
{{Fs end}}

There is a total of 48 national teams, but only 32 of them to choose from, depending on which version:
{{col-start}}
{{col-break}}
'''North America'''
*{{fb|CAN}}<sup>a</sup>
*{{fb|JAM}}<sup>b</sup>
*{{fb|MEX}}
*{{fb|USA}}
{{col-break}}
'''South America'''
*{{fb|ARG}}
*{{fb|BRA}}
*{{fb|CHI}}
*{{fb|COL}}
*{{fb|PAR}}<sup>ab</sup>
*{{fb|URU}}<sup>a</sup>
{{col-break}}
'''Africa'''
*{{fb|CMR}}
*{{fb|MAR}}<sup>b</sup>
*{{fb|NGA}}
*{{fb|RSA}}<sup>b</sup>
*{{fb|TUN}}<sup>b</sup>
{{col-break}}
'''Europe'''
*{{fb|AUT}}
*{{fb|BEL}}
*{{fb|BUL}}<sup>bc</sup>
*{{fb|CRO}}<sup>bc</sup>
*{{fb|CZE}}<sup>a</sup>
*{{fb|DEN}}
*{{fb|ENG}}
*{{fb|FRA}}
*{{fb|GER}}
*{{fb|GRE}}<sup>a</sup>
*{{fb|HUN}}<sup>c</sup>
*{{fb|ITA}}
*{{fb|NED}}
*{{fb|NOR}}
*{{fb|POL}}<sup>c</sup>
*{{fb|POR}}
*{{fb|IRL}}<sup>ac</sup>
*{{fb|ROU}}<sup>bc</sup>
*{{fb|RUS}}<sup>c</sup>
*{{fb|SCO}}<sup>bc</sup>
*{{fb|ESP}}
*{{fb|SWE}}<sup>ac</sup>
*{{fb|SUI}}<sup>c</sup>
*{{fb|YUG}}<sup>bc</sup>
{{col-break}}
'''Asia'''
*{{fb|TPE}}<sup>a</sup>
*{{fb|HKG}}<sup>a</sup>
*{{fb|IRN}}<sup>b</sup>
*{{fb|JPN}}
*{{fb|MYS}}<sup>a</sup>
*{{fb|KSA}}<sup>ab</sup>
*{{fb|KOR}}
{{col-end}}
<sup>a</sup> Only playable in the Arcade version<br>
<sup>b</sup> Only playable in the Japanese version<br>
<sup>c</sup> Only playable in the PAL version

A sequel, ''LiberoGrande 2'' (known as ''LiberoGrande International'' in Europe) was released for PlayStation in [[Europe]] and [[Japan]] only, but with less success than the first title.

A playable demo of the game was included in ''Ridge Racer Turbo'' (''Ridge Racer Hi-Spec'' in Europe), which was sold with ''[[R4: Ridge Racer Type 4|Ridge Racer Type 4]]''. The demo includes three players (Zenon Zadkine, Alfred Shaffer and Jordan Krüger) and three teams (England, France and Italy), which a person could use to play a ten-minute game.

== Reception ==
{{Video game reviews
|GR = 81%<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gamerankings.com/ps/197784-libero-grande/index.html|title=Libero Grande|website=[[GameRankings]]|publisher=[[CBS Interactive]]|accessdate=2018-01-07}}</ref>
|GSpot = 8.1/10<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/libero-grande-import-review/1900-2548132/|author=James Mielke|title=Libero Grande (Import) Review|website=[[GameSpot]]|publisher=CBS Interactive|date=1998-12-30|accessdate=2018-01-07|archive-date=2018-01-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180107174923/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/libero-grande-import-review/1900-2548132/|url-status=live}}</ref>
}}

In Japan, ''Game Machine'' listed ''LiberoGrande'' on their February 15, 1998 issue as being the seventh most-successful arcade game of the month.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - TVゲーム機ーソフトウェア (Video Game Software)|magazine=Game Machine|issue=558|publisher=Amusement Press, Inc.|date=15 February 1998|page=21|lang=ja}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{KLOV game|id=8426}}
*{{moby game|id=/liberogrande}}

{{Bandai Namco franchises}}

[[Category:1997 video games]]
[[Category:Arcade video games]]
[[Category:Association football video games]]
[[Category:Multiplayer and single-player video games]]
[[Category:Namco games]]
[[Category:PlayStation (console) games]]
[[Category:Sony Interactive Entertainment games]]
[[Category:Video games developed in Japan]]

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