As super as football gets on the NES.
PLAYERS: 1-2 simultaneous
PUBLISHER: Tecmo
DEVELOPER: Tecmo
GENRE: Sports
RELEASE DATE: December 1991
Tecmo Super Bowl is Tecmo Bowl on athlete-endorsed steroids. Everything you appreciated about the original – tight controls, infinite replayability, outlandish cut scenes – is here, plus more. This bowl ’round, Tecmo got both the NFLPA and the NFL’s approval to use player and team names respectively. Each of the 28 teams of the ’90-’91 NFL season is accounted for, along with expanded stats for each player. Choose from Preseason Game, Season Game (seventeen games total), and a Pro-Bowl Game; you can also pit the computer against each other, play against a friend, or coach a team, like in Tecmo Bowl. There are a total of eight running and passing plays, up from four in the original. The individual games are faster (seconds fly by), and the players hit harder, which makes for a more intense experience. Unlike the original, where it didn’t seem to matter what team I chose, in Tecmo Super Bowl it’s critical that you pick a decent team. The San Francisco 49ers (with MVP Joe Montana) are a phenomenal team, whereas you should probably think twice about picking the Cleveland Browns (not your fault that your team sucks, Kosar). For the full-on embracer of the pigskin, Tecmo Super Bowl is a game to luxuriate in. For us football Luddites, it’s still enjoyable, but not an essential upgrade.
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9 replies on “#646 – Tecmo Super Bowl”
Logged in tons of hours on this one, probably the best sports game on the nes.
Poor Kosar. Extremely accurate, but no one can get open
So.
Much.
Time.
Spent.
Seriously – I spent so much time playing this game it's ridiculous. It was this game that made me realize I might actually like the real NFL, and I started watching shortly after.
Kosar was just picked up for DUI. I can only assume its because he read this review.
Best comment ever.
I've never been a fan of football, but I used to play this occasionally with a friend and we always fought over who got the 49ers
It's amazing to me that Tecmo Super Bowl transcends one's like or dislike of football.
Bo Jackson is unstoppable in this game.
Good review. This game had a fuckton of replayability, although the game does require a bit of football fanboyism in the gamer.
Good job doing this whole thing! Your work is to be applauded!