Joystiq impressions: Tecmo Bowl Kickoff (DS)
by Zack Stern 
{ Oct 6th 2008 at 7:45PM }
And on that level, Tecmo Bowl wins. It's hokey, clunky, and fun. We think gamers who missed the NES or SNES versions won't enjoy it nearly as much as their John Maddens. But the Tecmo Bowl simplicity can even be elegant. You're limited to just a few runs and passes. There's no play clock. Team names and players are fictitious. Cut-scene interludes show the biggest graphical effects, with on-field play just clear enough to make out what's happening.
Gallery: Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff (10-6-08)
We punt, passed, and kicked through a few quarters, and Tecmo Bowl felt much like we remember. The biggest Tecmo Bowl updates come with online matches and customized rosters. As you play through a single-player season, you'll earn more points with which to upgrade player stats. Updated from what we'd heard earlier, you'll have to choose to spend points between things like hit power and speed, instead of just maxing everything at no cost.
You'll then be able to play a friend or stranger online (or locally) with the custom team. The game won't include a ranking system, so we expect a lot of blowouts. Here's hoping you're on the winning side. You'll also be able to trade customized players – and even full teams – online.
Planned for release tentatively on November 18, Tecmo Bowl Kickoff should hit old(er) gamers square in the numbers of nostalgia. It's a simple enough game that a younger audience could also enjoy it, but kids these days are probably too busy listening to emo music to care. Also, get off our lawn!
Gallery: Tecmo Bowl Kickoff
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Bigfoot @ Oct 6th 2008 7:55PM
Beats the pants off of Madden.
DBuck_Eye @ Oct 6th 2008 8:27PM
I'm 15, so naturally I never played the original when it first came out. At a garage sale one day, someone was foolish enough to sell a working-condition SNES and their games, so I bought it. One of the games was Tecmo Super Bowl, and I haven't played Madden since I first picked TSB up.
Long story short, this game is going to be an EPIC WIN!
Anticrawl @ Oct 6th 2008 8:43PM
Often I find myself wanting to whip out my DS Lite and challenge the nearest person on the street to a game of football. Glad to hear I can play with strangers locally with Techmo Bowl.
Habiib @ Oct 7th 2008 8:43AM
Obligatory:
TOUCHDOWN THURMAN THOMAS
whosmav @ Oct 7th 2008 9:19AM
I still play the Tecmo Super Bowl on the regular
DakranII @ Oct 7th 2008 9:31AM
I understand that the teams and names are re-name-able? If so, I don't imagine it'll be long until someone has the correct teams and names up to make it an "official" nfl game.
I loved doing that with Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball on SNES, it had all the real players but with fake names. By using their stats and a sheet of stats from the previous season you could give yourself the players license.
focussxe @ Oct 7th 2008 11:14AM
Tecmo Bowl still beats the pants off any other football game. For those who prefer more of an arcade feel to a sim, this is where it is at.
Check out http://www.knobbe.org/ for hacked tecmo bowl roms. People have hacked in the new teams, updated all of the players and stats (using the new madden stats as a baseline), and it is the best of both worlds. Current player license, original nes fun.