PlayStation 3
Released in 2010 by Tecmo
Grade: B-
This downloadable game is a close recreation of the 16-bit Tecmo Super Bowl from 1993, but with modern graphics. Like its inspiration, it’s fun in short spurts.
Where it falls in the series
Tecmo Bowl had two games on NES, three on SNES and Genesis, and one on PS1. My favorite in the series is Tecmo Super Bowl III: Final Edition on SNES.
Praises and gripes
It’s just what it sounds like. This game really does play just like it did in 1993, but with very nice 3D graphics and an analog stick.
I like the look, but the cutscenes and music are oddly … Japanese, for lack of a better descriptor. The made-up teams have some questionable uniforms, especially when both teams look similar and are hard to tell apart (and honestly, maybe my eyes suck, but this happens too often, and I feel like I’m picking a team based mainly on their uniforms).
In case you don’t know, Tecmo Super Bowl is a very simple form of football. You choose from 8 plays, and the defense chooses from the offense’s plays. Guess right, and you magically rush the QB for a sack. Otherwise, your defense does whatever, usually resulting in plenty of open space for receivers to run wild.
The passing system requires you to press a button to shuffle through receivers and press a button to throw. It’s not intuitive for modern gamers, but it’s easy to pick up.
This game has the most unusual feature, where you can switch to SNES graphics with a single button press in the middle of a play. When playing for any length of time, I ignored this option and played with the default graphics.
In all, it’s a fun time for a game or two. It doesn’t try to add anything to the old school Tecmo gameplay. It even lacks 2-point conversions, which seems crazy for a 2010 football game.
It’s probably most valuable for someone without an SNES or Genesis. Otherwise, you gotta be a dork like me to drop some cash on it.
I like the idea though. I would love something similar for the 16-bit NBA Live games, which are arguably some of the most delightful forms of video basketball you can play.