Was there any question of what this week's game had to be? Tomorrow is the 44th Super Bowl and what better way to get yourself psyched for the big game than breaking out the NES (or Virtual Console) and grabbing Tecmo Bowl (or Tecmo Super Bowl).I am going out on a limb and saying that Tecmo Bowl is the best football game to ever be released. Now, Madden fanboys calm down. Madden is a great franchise and has proven itself to be the complete package when it comes to football games both in game play and in simulation. Hell, I bought pretty much every Madden game since the first one appeared for the Genesis in '90 (before the players had names - just numbers). However, when you break down a game for the purposes of playing it, in the end it comes down to fun. And, Tecmo Bowl is fun with a capital F.
If you ask retrogamers about the best baseball game for the NES, you will get a cacophony of answers, Baseball Stars. Bases Loaded. Original Baseball (ugh). RBI Baseball. But with football games, you will have a hard time finding someone who doesn't believe that Tecmo Bowl is the quintessential NES football game. 10-Yard Fight? LJN Football? John Elway's Football? Please.
Released in 1989 for the NES, it was actually a ported arcade game. However, no one played the arcade game which lead to Tecmo Bowl to be thought of as an original NES title. If you were to ask anyone about Tecmo Bowl, no one will mention the arcade version - just the NES.
Unlike Madden, Tecmo Bowl doesn't bother with extensive playbooks, only four plays and if the defense picks the right play, an interception or a mass tackle in the backfield is inevitable. Yet, it's Tecmo Bowl's imperfections that make it a perfect game. Yes, if you pick the right pass play, you will get the interception each time. Yes, Marcus Allen and Bo Jackson are an unstoppable duo. Yes, LT can block every extra point. Yes, breaking tackles is as easy as Mario jumping over a goomba. Yes, Mike Singletary has a strange knack for getting interceptions. It is these quirks that make the game fun.
NFL Blitz tried to steal some of Tecmo Bowl's magic in its arcade series and there was a sequel for the Super NES. Tecmo even tried to bring back the series for the DS but the classic NES title is still the best. So, in your preparation for this evening's festivities remember to break out the NES and Tecmo Bowl or cash in your 500 Wii points because Tecmo Bowl is a must to get you ready for Super Bowl 44!
Note: You can even save Tecmo Bowl for halftime tomorrow, it will probably be more entertaining than watching The Who play their CSI soundtrack to appease CBS.
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