Great Soccer is a very basic football game played from a top-down perspective with a vertically oriented pitch. It always features a generic red team playing against a generic blue team. Teams consist of five players plus a goalkeeper. Games are divided into two halves, each five minutes long.
From the title screen, a one-player game can be started by pressing on the first control pad, with three difficulty levels for the computer team (Amateur, Semipro, and Professional). A two-player game can be started by pressing on the second control pad. Player one controls the red team (the Red Hurricanes), and player two or the computer controls the blue team (the Blue Cyclones).
Kickoff
Each half starts with a kickoff at the center circle (and also after a team scores a point). All players are required to stay on their half of the field, and the kicker can kick the ball down the field with or pass the ball to a teammate with . The ball is passed to the closest teammate that the kicker was last facing (who is marked by a white arrow).
In the first half, the red team starts on attack and defends the bottom goal, and the blue team starts on defense and defends the top goal. The teams switch sides in the second half. After a goal is scored, the defending team goes on attack and gets to kick the ball.
Defense
When the opposing team has possession of the ball, the team member that is closest to the ball (who is indicated by a solid-colored arrow) can be moved in any direction using the D-Pad. The other team members follow automatically. When in view, the goalkeeper can be moved concurrently by pressing and . Moving a player onto the ball steals the ball, or the player can slide by holding the D-Pad toward the ball while pressing .
After a goal is scored (or if a member of the attacking team crosses the ball over the goal line without scoring a goal), the goalkeeper on the defending team gets a goal kick and kicks the ball back into play. The player can cycle between the team members using the D-Pad and kick the ball down the field with or pass the ball to the selected teammate with .
If the attacking team moves the ball past a touch line (side line), the defending team gets a throw-in where one member of that team moves to the ball's position and throws it in to another team member (who is marked by a white arrow). The player can cycle between the team members using the D-Pad and throw the ball to the selected teammate with or .
If the attacking team makes an offside pass, the defending team gets a free kick where a member of that team moves to the ball's position and kicks the ball back into play. The player can cycle between the team members using the D-Pad and kick the ball to the selected teammate with or .
Offense
When the player's team has possession of the ball, the team member with the ball (who is indicated by a solid-colored arrow) can be moved in any direction using the D-Pad. The team member dribbles automatically, and the other team members follow automatically. The player can kick the ball down the field with or pass the ball with . When the goal is in view, the kick can be aimed by pressing and to move an arrow in front of the goal. When passing, the ball is passed to the closest teammate that the player was last facing (who is marked by a white arrow). If a pass is received by a team member who is closer to the goal (at the start of the pass) than the furthest defender (not counting the goalkeeper), it is considered an offside pass, and the opposing team gets a free kick.
If the defender moves the ball past the goal line (without scoring a goal), the attacking team gets a corner kick where one member of that team moves to the corner of the field and kicks the ball back into play. The player can cycle between the team members using the D-Pad and kick the ball toward the goal with or pass the ball to the selected teammate with or .
Playoff
In the event that the game ends in a tie, players can choose between two methods of breaking the tie: Sudden Death or Penalty Kick.
If players choose Sudden Death, the teams play another "half." There is no time limit, and the first team to score a point wins the game.
If players choose Penalty Kick, every member of each team takes turn shooting the ball. The team with the most goals after every member has kicked wins the game (unless there is another tie, in which case the team members start shooting from the first member again). The kicking team kicks with and can aim the kick using the D-Pad. The other team can move the goalkeeper with and to defend.