Tecmo Super Bowl

"The high point of the Tecmo franchise, and the high point of football games."

Tecmo usually makes a lot of high-quality games. They have made greats such as Ninja Gaiden and the Dead or Alive Series. Yet the series that stands out the most for me is the Tecmo Bowl series. This part of the series is the first truly phenomenal football game created, and still remains a classic until today.

I have always been somewhat of a fan of sports games, especially football for some reason. I grew up playing the SNES version, and bought this one to see what was so much better about it. I figured out why after playing it a couple of times. The graphics, sound, rosters, fun, everything is great in this game.

The graphics are the best you can possibly get for the NES. Sure the uniforms aren't perfect (The Kansas City Chiefs aren't pink, for example) and teams like the Eagles and Jets start looking similar after a while, but the uniforms are almost the only downside of this game. Unlike the SNES version, there are “portraits” of the characters in the Team Data window. There are “cutscenes” when you sack the quarterback, get a touchdown, and make a great catch, which add to the excitement. The dives for an opponent are semi-fluid (maybe a bit too fluid, as they dive a good 15 yards), and the passing and running looks very realistic. Again, for the NES, these graphics are a huge step up from its predecessors, even if they lack detail. Keep in mind that I can sympathize with the lack of detail for one reason: the sprites flash. That means they couldn't add anything else if they wanted to. This game takes graphics to the limit, and it shows in this game. The sound is great in this game as well. The music, the whistles, etc. are all great. There's not really much to say for a sound in a football game though, as it's not a big deal whether it's great or not. In this case the sound's great, which is great for people who think sound is a big deal in games.

What matter in football is gameplay, as this game does not disappoint in any way, shape, or form. You can play as any NFL team at that time, and make whatever playbook you want for any game. You just can't change it during the game. Plus, the clock moves extremely fast. With a fast game clock at 5 minutes, you could be running for a touchdown, and there's 20 seconds left, so you have to settle for a field goal. You will definitely have to keep your eye on the clock, as well as the opponents. Again, there's not much to say about gameplay for a football game as it can be summed up by: get the ball, get a touchdown, and stop the other guy from getting one.

What really makes this game phenomenal is the challenge. At the beginning of the season, the computer is extremely easy. This is your chance to rack up as many points and as many yards as possible. When you get near the end of a season, the computer becomes extremely difficult. It is nearly impossible to not get picked off, and it's impossible to stop the running game. This is where strategy comes into play. You have to find any hole in the other team and exploit it, which is hard to do, especially in the playoffs when the best teams are after you. This makes the game a lot of fun to get past, especially if you're a team like the Colts or Patriots, who suck in the game. (Look how history reciprocates 10 years later, heh.) Whether crushing the competition as the San Francisco 49ers or trying to win the division with the Colts, this game will keep you up for hours.

As fun as single player is, this game is my personal favorite to play with someone else. You could look for tournaments for this game and find them no problem, and it doesn't surprise me. This game is fun to play one-on-one, especially if you're beating a novice with the Patriots. Many a gamer has become addicted to this game, me being one of them, via playing with others and trying to win the Super Bowl with the Browns, who are almost as bad as the Colts and Pats.

In conclusion, the best parts of the game are the surprising quickness of the game, the gradual challenge and replayability, and the gameplay in general. The graphics are poor by today's standards, and the music can be enjoyable or annoying, but there is no denying that this game can, and already did, stand the test of time. Even with Madden and ESPN making great games, I would never give up this classic.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 01/24/05