Sega Genesis
Released in 1995 by Tecmo
Grade: B+
Tecmo gives Madden a run for its money as the best football game on Genesis by doing everything different.
Where it falls in the series
Tecmo Bowl’s heyday may have been on the original Nintendo, but Genesis and SNES owners were treated to three fun Tecmo games. The first is a faithful recreation of the Tecmo’s classic 8-bit gameplay. The second and third slowed down the action, added a bit of playcalling depth, and spruced up the graphics. The SNES versions have a slightly cleaner look, but the gameplay is the same.
Praises and gripes
Playing this game back to back with Tecmo Super Bowl, it seems slow as hell, but it’s actually quite a nice change. It’s downright cute.
It uses Tecmo’s unique playcall system, where the defense chooses from the other team’s offensive plays, hoping to guess right and bull rush the offensive line for a sure loss of yards. The key differences are that there are now 16 plays instead of 8, and the defense chooses a formation in addition to a play, adding much needed control of your defensive tactics.
Plays feel less chaotic. They develop more slowly, so in theory they’re easier to run, but this is offset by defenders who clutter the field better than before.
The control is very basic. Runners make sharp 45- and 90-degree cuts with no momentum effect like in Madden games. Quarterbacks shuffle through receivers with one button and throw with another. It’s simpler to learn than it might sound to you if you’ve never played a Tecmo Bowl game.
On the downside, you can’t switch control of your defenders once the play starts, and on offense, deep receivers can end up offscreen.
Games are usually high-scoring but not quite the shootouts you get in the classic Tecmo games. Anything can happen, which I love.
The ease of play and the charm of this game outweigh the problems. It’s one of my favorites, although it’s best enjoyed in short spurts. It boasted a franchise mode that was impressive for its time, but it’s really made for maybe a weekend of fun before I snap back to reality.