Every week we aim to bring you a featured game that time may have left behind in your minds. This is the first installment so hopefully I can keep up with it and bring the masses(or the few of you who visit this site) a gaming gem from the past or present. Without further ado I present the game of the week.
The grand daddy of all console football games is without a doubt Tecmo Super Bowl. Released in 1991 for the NES this improved on the original Tecmo Bowl in every way imaginable. It’s not ultra realistic, it doesn’t have amazing graphics, but in terms of fun it can’t be beat. It practically created the football game genre for the home console with full season mode, stat tracking, and custom playbooks. Also one of the first games to feature real players, real teams, and sometimes realistic attributes are just icing on the cake.
The controls in Tecmo Super Bowl are as simple as it gets. There are after all only 2 buttons. You select either a run play or a pass play(or to defend against either) by holding down a directional button followed by A or B. Ease of use carries over on to the field. You can only change defenders before the snap(A Button) and there is one button to dive(B Button) and the other produces a delayed speed boost when chasing down defenders.
Offense is the heart and soul of the game. Do you stick to a punishing ground attack or do you just air the ball out with those glorious 80 yard passes? Thankfully the controls take about 20 seconds to learn so you should have ample to decide and while the game may not seem deep on the surface, being versitile on offense is essential. There are no jukes, spins, or dives. No stiff arms or game breaker sticks. In fact you can only mash the A Button to break out of tackles. A button hikes the ball and scrolls through receivers while the B Button passes. I said it took about 20 seconds to learn.
If you haven’t heard of the Tecmo Bowl legend that is Bo Jackson then just play as the Raiders for a few plays. You’ll never forget it. The sure level of dominance that is Bo Jackson in this game has never been equaled in a sports game to this day. He is simply untouchable. That’s not to say however that his team cannot be stopped. Thankfully the Raiders stink. That is the beauty of this game. For every Bo Jackson or Jerry Rice there is a counter balance. You can keep the ball out of their hands and if you are skilled at the safety position somewhat contain them. Realizing the level of depth that Tecmo Super Bowl has is really what makes it far and away the best sports game of the 8-bit era and without a doubt one of the most revolutionary sports games ever made.
Posted by Brett 
Posted by Brett 
Any hardcore sports gamer can agree that there was no topping ESPN NFL 2k5. In this gamers opinion it is without a doubt the most complete football game ever made(although not to say that Tecmo Super Bowl isn’t number 1). I was saddened to hear so many years ago that EA decided to flex it’s billion dollar muscles and buy out the rights to the NFL player and teams license. Great…now gamers would only be able to play as their favorite players by playing an inferior, flawed, and feature less franchise.
Posted by Brett 
Even though I hate the word blog(always have) I still cannot resist making one.
