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GameSpot editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 03/14/2007
- Released on: 03/12/2007
- Originally published on GameSpot: Tecmo Bowl (NES) (Wii) Review
With Madden growing more complex with every passing year, it's not uncommon to hear older players yearning for the old days, when sports games had just a couple of buttons, yet were still fun. One such game was Tecmo Bowl, a game that seems almost absurdly simple today but was impressive for its time, thanks to its roster of real players and limited selection of plays. Though the licensed players are gone, the game is still quite a bit of fun, and thanks to the Wii's Virtual Console, you can see what all of the fuss is about for just five dollars.
Bo still knows touchdowns.
Tecmo Bowl has 12 teams, though because Tecmo didn't (and still doesn't) have the NFL license, the teams are identified by location and not team name--so, there's a team named Chicago and its colors are pretty close to those of the Bears, but it's not called the Bears. When the game was originally released, it contained actual NFL players and statistics from the 1989 season. Tecmo no longer has the rights to use players' names, so they're only identified by number now. The 1989 season stats of the player you're controlling are still displayed across the top of the screen. It's not surprising that player names have been removed, but it's still a letdown to not be able to see your childhood favorites reliving their glory days. One of the great things about the game was wreaking havoc as Lawrence Taylor (his alter ego here can still block every kick) or making fools look bad with the incomparable Bo Jackson.
The game modes are simple, especially compared with the game's sequel, Tecmo Super Bowl. You can play what's essentially a season by picking a team and then playing a randomly selected opponent. When you beat that team, it's crossed off the list, and the eventual goal is to beat each team. After the game is over, you're given a password and can pick up where you left off later, or you can also save the game and resume that way. There's also a two-player mode and a coaching mode, where you call the plays and watch as they're executed by the CPU.
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