Joystiq

Joystiq impressions: Tecmo Bowl Kickoff (DS)

Zack Stern — 2008-10-06T19:45:00+00:00

Filed under: Nintendo DS, Features, Retro, Sports, Galleries

Game companies must find old IP profitable, with yet another retro remake on the way in Tecmo Bowl Kickoff. This DS diversion plunges into the nostalgia glands within our hypothalamus; we fondly associate the NES original with grade-school sleep-overs. Maybe there's a direct connection between our memories and Visa card after all.

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)

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Tecmo Bowl Kickoff trailer touches down

Randy Nelson — 2008-09-18T23:45:00+00:00

Filed under: Nintendo DS, Sports

With its epic voice-over and claims that you've pretty much never played football like this ever, the latest trailer for Tecmo Bowl Kickoff nearly makes the game seem like it will have you saving the universe. Of course, unless you squint to catch the actual gameplay on the bottom screen, you'd also think it's comprised entirely of cinematics.

Still, it's nice to see this level of production being lavished on a handheld treatment of the bona fide classic, even if it is a bit extreme ... as extreme as pint-sized pigskin can get, at least. Oh, and we think you have played a football game like this before: the original Tecmo Bowl. (That's not a bad thing.)

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Joystiq hands-on: Tecmo Bowl Kickoff

Randy Nelson — 2008-05-29T16:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Nintendo Wii, Sports

We tried to get Hank Williams, Jr. to kick off this post with "Are You Ready for Some Football?" but he was booked. So, we're just going to assume that you are, in fact, ready for some football ... in this case, a rundown of our recent hands-and-stylus-on with Tecmo Bowl Kickoff for Nintendo DS.

It's been 19 years since the original Tecmo Bowl hit the field on NES, making it one of the earliest football sims, not to mention one of the most famous. For its return on modern hardware, Tecmo drafted its first US executive producer, Ryan Gilbo, to head the project, and he promptly set out to update the game just enough, but not change too much.

Read on for our full impressions and see first video of the game in action after the break.

Gallery: Tecmo Bowl Kickoff

Firing up the game, we were greeted with ... simplicity. Just as in the 8-bit original, we could choose from pre-season and season play. Our eyes were quickly drawn to the two new options: multiplayer and customization. The former is pretty basic stuff: play head-to-head versus another DS owner locally or via Nintendo WFC. The latter is surprisingly in-depth. It's possible to edit any of the 32 built-in teams to your liking.

You can change their name, city, nickname, emblem, uniform style & color, and playbook (by choosing four running and four passing plays from the game's presets, which include all of the plays from the original NES title). It's also possible to edit each player's name and stats. We know what you're thinking: "Ah-hah! A way to get around the lack of an NFL license!" Well, technically ... although Tecmo doesn't officially condone it. No, not at all.

It's a little odd that you can ramp all of your players' stats up to 90 out of 100, since it obviously introduces a balance issue with multiplayer. Tecmo simply hopes people abide by an "honor system," with producer Gilbo stating that no "real" Tecmo Bowl fan would ever cheat. We anticipate finding a lot of "fake" Tecmo Bowl fans online.

The basic gameplay has stayed, well ... basic. We started a game, kicked off, then picked from one of our eight plays using the same mechanic as in the original (holding A or B in tandem with a direction on the D-Pad selects different plays). The stylus could have been used, if we'd chosen to.

On the field, it was a matter of sacking the other team's quarterback or getting the ball downfield - it's very simple yet fun stuff; you don't need a degree in "Advanced Maddenism" to play, or even that much knowledge of football. We played using the D-Pad, but it's also possible to control players with the DS stylus. We tried it and went back to the pad. We also tried out the one major new gameplay addition: super moves. We only got to see one - a fiery fast pass - but it was a nice, if subtle progression of the classic gameplay formula. Like the game's touchdowns, interceptions, QB sacks, and the likes it was accompanied by a two-screen-tall "cinematic."

Tecmo Bowl Kickoff looks nice and sharp on the DS screens. It's basic looking; the players are a little on the tiny side, and there's not a polygon to be found, but that's fine by us as long as it's fun - and, a couple of months out from its September release, it definitely is.

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Tecmo returning to E3 this year

Ludwig Kietzmann — 2008-05-09T19:00:00+00:00

Filed under: E3

Last year's smaller and considerably more inconvenient E3 marked quite a dramatic change from the glitz and glare we had grown accustomed to. Gone was the inescapable nexus of pulsating lights and the deafening roar of booths competing to be the loudest, instead replaced by warmly lit hotel rooms and, of course, tastefully dressed women. No wonder Tecmo didn't bother to show up.

Jokes aside, the publisher has confirmed to Joystiq that it will be attending the E3 Media & Business Summit in Los Angeles this July, though it's unclear which games will be shown off. With Microsoft-published Ninja Gaiden II out of the way in June, we'll likely see more of Tecmo Bowl Kickoff, Rygar: The Battle of Argus and possibly some game about ninja babes slapping each other on the beach.

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Tecmo Bowl Kickoff lands on DS this fall

James Ransom-Wiley — 2008-05-01T16:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Nintendo DS, Sports

Tecmo today announced Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff for DS, a revival of the classic sports franchise that will have to make due without an NFL license. Tecmo first confirmed the work-in-progress nearly a year ago, but at the time declined to specify the intended platform, saying only, "it's probably not going to be on the platform that you're expecting." But really, is there any other system better suited to Tecmo Bowl's patented zig-zagging runs than the DS with its stylus?

Kickoff will feature arcade-style gameplay with various customization options, reports IGN. The game will also support local wireless multiplayer, as well as a Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection mode. Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff is due this fall.

Update: Here are some additional details straight from Tecmo:

Based on the most popular Tecmo Super Bowl
Customizable Teams: Choose team colors, emblems, player names, team cities and abilities
Super Abilities: Tactically use over-the-top plays to take over a game
Wi-Fi and Wireless Multiplayer: Play against friends across the country or across the room
Stylus Control: Feel the action by using the stylus to control your player
Variety of Teams: Choose from 32 different teams
Cut-Scenes: All-new cut-scenes showing off the dramatic presentation of various plays
Customizable Playbook: Prepare for gridiron greatness by customizing your playbook
Music and Sound Effects: Turn up the heat on your opponent as you play the game to rock 'n' roll remixes of the most memorable tunes in football gaming history!

[Via DS Fanboy]

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