OT: What was it about Tecmo Bowl?

[Maple Leafs]

A few of us have threadjacked the PS2 thread and started talking about Tecmo. I thought the topic could use its own thread.

Like a lot of you, I had more fun playing Tecmo than any football game I've ever played. More than any of the Maddens. More than FOF. I've played the emulator version. Hell, I have friends who still play it on an old NES. I know there are a lot of you who could say the same.

Why? What was it about Tecmo? Let's be honest, the graphics were crappy, the sound/music was annoying. And the game didn't even come close to realism, which is what all of us hard-core sports fans claim is what we want in a game (isn't it?)

So what was it about Tecmo that still works so well all these years later, and (maybe more interestingly) is there anything other games could learn from it?

[JeeberD]

Nostalgia, for one. It was the first game that I can remember that used real players and it seemed like the greatest concept ever. Just that memory of greatness keeps it alive in my heart...

[Axxon]

I think it's nostalgia. At the time of the game, we didn't know any better as it was the best game in town. It's hard to discard seminal moments from our youth.

I feel this way about various games in various genres and yet, even with emulators, I can't play them for long before my fix is satisfied. :)

[Desnudo]

You liked Tecmo more than the version of Madden where the ambulance could run over people? I certainly enjoyed Tecmo, but Madden was the real "wow!" game for me.

[The_herd]

The first tecmo bowl was the first game I played that had real players, but it didn't keep stats so I actually kept them myself for my offensive players.

The second one went above and beyond anything at that time. A game that actually let you play out a 16 game season, had real players, kept fairly detailed stats, had injuries, and alowed as many people as there were teams to join in on the season. These were things that video game sports fans had prayed for but really couldn't imagine happening at the time. Tecmo Super Bowl, and then the basketball version, were the only reason I kept a Nintendo after the Super Nintendo was released.

[cthomer5000]

The first game I saw to feature real stats, and real rosters with substitutes and injuries (on offense at least).

I really think it was the perfect blend of reality and great game play. And the cinema scene cutaways added a lot (like the DB and WR both leaping for the ball, Lineman trying to block a kick/pass).

Tecmo Super Bowl for me is still the greatest football game ever.

[MizzouRah]

I agree with what's been said by most. It was like FBPro, way ahead of its time. Probably #2 of my all-time football games, right behind FBPro series.


Todd

[korme]

Dude, if that guy would have ever put out a Tecmo Season or simple Franchise mode, I would have set up a dynasty thread and had an absolute blast with it.

[Axxon]

You liked Tecmo more than the version of Madden where the ambulance could run over people? I certainly enjoyed Tecmo, but Madden was the real "wow!" game for me.

But of course, because that happens so often in football. :)

I'll say I loved the madden where you could keep nailing a guy after the whistle and you wouldn't be flagged. I used to do this to Carruth. It was very, very satisfying. :)

[korme]

deion sanders primetime football you could do that too, for sega

[Axxon]

deion sanders primetime football you could do that too, for sega

Which? Run over them with an ambulance or cheap shot Carruth without penalty???

[LastWhiteSoxFanStanding]

Defenses that mattered.

When playing against another person there was a real chess match of being able to guess the other person's play.

All too often in Madden I get the feeling that I don't have enough control on defense. Maybe the defense I pick will work, maybe it won't and I will never be sure why. In tecmo you knew why your defense didn't work. Either because you picked a run play when the other person passed or vice versa.

There was real strategy in tecmo. You had to pay attention to the running game. Yes, it is totally unrealistic that Bo Jackson could rip off ten yards a carry, but if you were a defense you had to gameplan against that. In Madden, one can pretty much ignore the running game on both offense and defense. Yes, the yards per carry are more realistic, but the end result isnt. In tecmo Running and defense matters. That is why the gameplay lasts.

[j51]

It was exciting, fast-paced, easy to pick up and had a ton of depth to it for its time. You could get realistic stats in a normal 15 minute game without having to screw with sliders for hours or play a 10 minute quarter game that takes forever to finish. Its probably the only football game I've ever been scared to play a CPU opponent, even a horrible team like the Buccaneers were dangerous if Reggie Cobb was in excellent condition.

[Eaglesfan27]

Realistic stats? I can't agree with that one, but I was definitely a fan of the game :)

[Dawgfan1980]

Ah, Tecmo was beautiful just for all the reasons stated, and that first exposure to all of us of what a football game *could* be. And besides, Marcus Allen and Bo in the backfield together, and Howie Long intercepting passes downfield (the brother could motor) was great. There is some skill, luck, and it was always great to guess your friend's play. There was always that feeling like "I know what you are thinking, you are totally mine" {Sigh}

[Leonidas]

Tecmo was the first really good football game. Madden stole all its concepts from Tecmo. I recall many great nights buying a case of beer and playing through several seasons until the sun came up with my friend Scott as an airman at Luke AFB. We would usually either be the Bears or the Giants, sometimes the Raiders.

[stevew]

It was the first game that I remember, football at least that kept stats. I would say by being on this board, most of us have some sort of fascination with stats, and Tecmo fed that for me. While Madden was still using jersey numbers, tecmo actually had names.

[larrymcg421]

The original Tecmo Bowl was fun because it was a simple and quick football game that could be played endlessly. Super Tecmo Bowl was the real groundbreaker, as it kept stats and records for a full season. And you could play a full season in a few hours time. If only they had added a dynasty mode.

[TroyF]

I'll just agree with most of what's been said here. The WOW factor. The first time I played a football game where my jaw just dropped. I think most of us have a special place in our hearts for most of the "classics" There are countless more I remember as much as Tecmo:

Earl Weaver on the Amiga
Baseball Stars
Tecmo Bowl
Madden
NHL 93
XOR NFL Challenge
TV Sports Football
Baseball Mogul
Front Office Football
The first time CM "clicked" for me
Pursue the Pennant Computer Simulation
Cactus League basketball
FB Pro
PGA Championship (the first golf game with true swing

Some of the titles are newer than others. Some I played more than others. Still, all of these games hold a special place for different reasons.

I've just d/l Fast Break College Basketball and am playing the demo. This is the first time in awhile I've had that "wow" factor. I'm fairly certain it will be added to that list very soon. :)

[IMetTrentGreen]

for me it was the gameplay. there is nothing like juking out an entire team several times each on one run. running around juking the shit out of your friends and nintendos could not be beat

[Maple Leafs]

Earl Weaver on the Amiga
NHL 93
TV Sports Football
I heart TroyF.

[JeeberD]

Baseball Stars
Tecmo Bowl
NHL 93
Front Office Football


I heart TroyF too... :)

Baseball Stars was the best baseball game ever. Period.

[Maple Leafs]

I heart TroyF too... :)
If he had mentioned Omniplay Basketball and Hockey League Simulator he would have pretty much summed up my sports-game-playing youth.

[stevew]

I wish that they would make an updated version of Baseball Stars, too. Does anyone that has a Gamecube have any of those "Big Head" Baseball games? Jikkyo Pro I think? I know they are imports. But I hear they play like Baseball Stars

[MikeVic]

Earl Weaver on the Amiga


This is the game with the old-time guys like Ruth, right? And the players were all tall and skinny?

[Maple Leafs]

This is the game with the old-time guys like Ruth, right? And the players were all tall and skinny?Yep. The one that showed people would buy a game even if it didn't have super-keen graphics, as long as it got the realism-level right. Arguably the first real big-time sports sim.

[TroyF]

Yep. The one that showed people would buy a game even if it didn't have super-keen graphics, as long as it got the realism-level right. Arguably the first real big-time sports sim.


The only sad thing about Earl Weaver is that you have to remember that there was a second version.

***runs away crying***

Biggest dissapointment of all time, tied with the last version of FBPro

[Maple Leafs]

The only sad thing about Earl Weaver is that you have to remember that there was a second version. Not on the Amiga there wasn't.

(Um, was there? I looked for it for years and never found a copy.)

[ahbrady]

When I was in college, we had a bunch of guys that would pick teams and then play through the season. We simulated a season through and made a rule that you couldn't pick any team that made the playoffs. That was what I loved most about Tecmo.

[korme]

Would anyone have basic knowledge of how to take the Tecmo SuperBowl Ultra that was put out and spit out stats, atleast HTML wise at the end of each game? I would love to turn it as-is into a season mode where I could easily keep stats.

[oykib]

I wish that they would make an updated version of Baseball Stars, too. Does anyone that has a Gamecube have any of those "Big Head" Baseball games? Jikkyo Pro I think? I know they are imports. But I hear they play like Baseball Stars

Jikyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu. I think that this series is in it's tenth iteration. Actually, they release a tweaked and updated version at the end of the summer every year. So we could call it the nineteenth version.

I have had a couple vrsions of it. The physics are really good. There's also a roleplayig mode in them where you can be a rookie and train and lay your way up from the from team and try to become a regular on the prosquad. It includes aspects of chemistry (with teammates, supporters, and management), impressing your manager, and performance in game situations.

I could never really get into it, though. Mainly, because I can read Japanese. But I also have a problem with it's cursor batting system.

FYI, the role-playing and management aspects of Japanese console sports games blow away what crap we get with Madden, et al.

[Barkeep49]

I think something that's been alluded to that made the game is the fact that you could play as so many different teams and be competitive and have a really good time.

[sterlingice]

Wasn't NHL93 called NHLPA or was that '91?

SI

[kingnebwsu]

The first tecmo bowl was the first game I played that had real players, but it didn't keep stats so I actually kept them myself for my offensive players.

The second one went above and beyond anything at that time. A game that actually let you play out a 16 game season, had real players, kept fairly detailed stats, had injuries, and alowed as many people as there were teams to join in on the season. These were things that video game sports fans had prayed for but really couldn't imagine happening at the time. Tecmo Super Bowl, and then the basketball version, were the only reason I kept a Nintendo after the Super Nintendo was released.

To me, this was the big thing. Being in junior high at the time Tecmo Super Bowl came out, doing a whole season and seeing semi-realistic stats was just awesome. I remember I'd just sim out whole seasons to see what would happen. I played the game so much I even saw the Patriots&Colts make the playoffs once. It was so weird, as they were your typical 3-13 teams. Taking NE to a Tecmo Bowl Championship could easily be ranked as one of the greatest accomplishments in video game history.

I wish my old Nintendo still worked. There's a store around here that sells top-loading NES's for like $70 or $80. I'm quite tempted to snag one. If it's in good shape, it's way worth the money. PLUS the price of old game systems has nowhere to go but up, so I guess now is as good a time as any.

Seriously, if they re-released Tecmo Super Bowl for the GBA and maybe MAYBE included an infinite dynasty mode...you'd have the greatest football game that could ever be made.

Hell, re-release it on the PS2 for $20 or $100. I'd pay either amount for a solid port of the aforementioned game (and I know thousands of other would also).

Tecmo Super Bowl forever!!!

[Logan]

Wasn't NHL93 called NHLPA or was that '91?

SI

I believe the full name was NHLPA Hockey '93.

The previous version was just NHL Hockey.

[cthomer5000]

Would anyone have basic knowledge of how to take the Tecmo SuperBowl Ultra that was put out and spit out stats, atleast HTML wise at the end of each game? I would love to turn it as-is into a season mode where I could easily keep stats.
I believe this has already been done actually.

[korme]

I believe this has already been done actually.
Where? The TSBUltra Repository seems to be dead and nothing more than single game action, with some stats at the end but no way to save or print or anything useful.

[stevew]

To me, this was the big thing. Being in junior high at the time Tecmo Super Bowl came out, doing a whole season and seeing semi-realistic stats was just awesome. I remember I'd just sim out whole seasons to see what would happen. I played the game so much I even saw the Patriots&Colts make the playoffs once. It was so weird, as they were your typical 3-13 teams. Taking NE to a Tecmo Bowl Championship could easily be ranked as one of the greatest accomplishments in video game history.

I wish my old Nintendo still worked. There's a store around here that sells top-loading NES's for like $70 or $80. I'm quite tempted to snag one. If it's in good shape, it's way worth the money. PLUS the price of old game systems has nowhere to go but up, so I guess now is as good a time as any.

Seriously, if they re-released Tecmo Super Bowl for the GBA and maybe MAYBE included an infinite dynasty mode...you'd have the greatest football game that could ever be made.

Hell, re-release it on the PS2 for $20 or $100. I'd pay either amount for a solid port of the aforementioned game (and I know thousands of other would also).

Tecmo Super Bowl forever!!!

There are other ways Coughromsondreamcastcough. If you look online, there are a lot of tutorials on how to fix an old NES too. A lot of it seems to involve you cleaning dust, and bending pins into shape. That will eliminate the "Blue Flicker."

[larrymcg421]

For me it was Omni-Play Basketball on the C-64. One of the earliest dynasty mode games (although I think the same company had Soccer and Hockey games before it). I played it countless hours and still play it every now and then.

[Bearcat729]

Not on the Amiga there wasn't.

(Um, was there? I looked for it for years and never found a copy.)



I think that I remember seeing the second version on the Amiga once. Never played it though.


My constant playing of Earl Weaver is the only reason my mother knows players like Eddie Plank and Rogers Hornsby.

[Hoya1]

Did anyone play baseball simulator 1000? Tecmo football + baseball simulator= years of fun. Baseball simulator was the 1st game to have stats kept in a season for the NES.

[General Mike]

Did anyone play baseball simulator 1000? Tecmo football + baseball simulator= years of fun. Baseball simulator was the 1st game to have stats kept in a season for the NES.

Best baseball game ever. :D

[JeeberD]

Best baseball game ever. :D

Ahem. Apparently you missed my earlier post about Baseball Stars... ;)

[Hurst2112]

Tecmo Super Bowl 3: Final Edition did have a small franchise mode. You played 3 seasons and got hidden F/As. There was a F/A signing period with Deion being the best F/A only costing about 275 points.

I still have a sega and the game. I never played more than 3 season. Maybe I will try soon.

LT could block xtra points like a muther.

[JeeberD]

The best part of that game was being able to creat your own teams. I created a monster team using guys from my floor of the dorm. Good times...

[stevew]

Tecmo Super Bowl 3: Final Edition did have a small franchise mode. You played 3 seasons and got hidden F/As. There was a F/A signing period with Deion being the best F/A only costing about 275 points.

I still have a sega and the game. I never played more than 3 season. Maybe I will try soon.

LT could block xtra points like a muther.


whoa......is this a special print or something? I never remember this in my TSB:3 for Genesis.

[Hurst2112]

I should explain where I got my information:

I purchased Tecmo Super Bowl 3 Final Edition for the SNES when it came out (sometime in 96...had the jags and panthers).

I can attest to every detail in the SNES version of the game because I played it constantly for about 8 months.

About 2 years ago, I purchased a used genesis and a new version of TSB3 final edition for it. I wanted to be able to have it, just in case I felt the need to have fun again. I started playing it, and quit after about 2 seasons of play (got a PS2 and put the Genesis in the closet).

Because you asked, and were suprised, I will make it a point to play more than 3 seasons on the Genesis version. I would assume that the features would be the same as the SNES version. I will be more than happy to report my findings.

I'll let you know

EDIT:

Just to fill you in, after the 3rd year (I think you had to win 3 Super Bowls or something. I could be wrong), a bunch of players were available in the FA period. They would be named after the team and position they played for. For instance, Lambert would be named LB STEELERS 58 or something. Singletary would be named LB BEARS 50. You get the idea. You would get a bunch of players from older teams after the 3rd year. You would have to figure out how to make room (have enough points available for signing) on your roster. Just because you put a bid in on a player, it didn't mean that you got him. He could sign with another team if he chose, which made it really fun.

[sooner333]

whoa......is this a special print or something? I never remember this in my TSB:3 for Genesis.

It's definetly out there for Genesis...I know, I have it. It's a pretty fun game, but of course, Tecmo Super Bowl for NES is still the best game of all time.

[Maple Leafs]

It's definetly out there for Genesis...I know, I have it. It's a pretty fun game, but of course, Tecmo Super Bowl for NES is still the best game of all time.Yep, I had it too. The franchise mode was pretty sparse compared to what we have now or even to what many games had back then. But it was still fun to bid on your favorite Tecmo stars.

[kcchief19]

I heart TroyF.I heart Troy and Maple Leafs. Throw the first Micro League Baseball for the Apple II and you have the perfect list.

I agree with pretty much everything above. Two things about TSB that stand out are the multiplayer aspects and the WOW factor combined. TSB was deceptively simple -- the limited number of plays and the style of play made the game a psychological battle and evened the playing field for players of different skill levels. Combine that with the record-keeping and you had yourself a monster.

The guys in my dorm and I took TSB obsession to a whole new level. We formed a league that required everyone to play a full season with one team. We then took the stats and records and ranked the players 1-28, then we ranked the teams in the game 1-28 giving the worst player the best team and the best player the worst team, then would play full season tournaments. We would keep track of how people did with what team and that would determine the rankings for the following season. It was gold.

Off-topic: had a great moment with NHLPA '93. My friend Craig got a little toasted one night and came into my room demanding to play hockey. We fired up the game and at one point one of us took a shot just as a penalty was called. The timing was perfect. The puck continued racing, but the players came to a halt. The puck hit a defenseman square in the head and dropped him like a sack of bricks. We laughed so hard we eventually hooked up the VCR so we could record the play-by-play. We tried to recreate it but could never get the timing right. In all the time I played that game, I never saw that again.

[Dawgfan1980]

For me it was Omni-Play Basketball on the C-64. One of the earliest dynasty mode games (although I think the same company had Soccer and Hockey games before it). I played it countless hours and still play it every now and then.

I played that game so much, and the soccer game from them (I think it was Sporttime) that my C64 went up in a poof of smoke one day. My favorite aspect of Omni-Play, besides getting the Forward named Day who had a 9 for outside, and Samuel, who had a 9 for Control, was the pregame talk between the announcers. You don't get stuff like that anymore. Also, the original Madden, where you could make your own plays for the C64. I think me and my buddy made somewhere near 15 playbooks over the course of one lonely week in the summer. {Sigh} Not much to do up here in Washington when you are 10.

[Maple Leafs]

I think people have hit on the basic reason why Tecmo was such a winner:
- It was fun
- It was easy to play
- It was just realistic enough, but didn't try so hard to be a true simulation that it drove you crazy

You could be sitting around with your buddies playing Tecmo and someone who had never seen the game could walk in the room and ask to play. You'd spend 30 seconds explaining it to them and then off they went. You could learn 95% of the game in the first quarter you played (of course, the other 5% took a lifetime to really master...)

Compare that to Madden, with its three pages of button combinations. Every year it's the same thing -- Brand New feature! Just hit R3 while holding X and L2 and your player will... I've been playing Madden for a decade and I still have to do the "pause and grab the manual" dance for every new version. God help you if you're new to the game and trying to play.

I think it's similar to the way many of us hockey types still prefer the old NHL games (circa 93-95) to the modern ones. Part of it is nostalgia, sure, but I don't think that's all of it. Those games were simple, fun and still yielded relatively realistic results if that's what you were looking for. Today's games feel like the designers spend more time getting the sun's rays to reflect properly off the helmets than on fundamental game play.

Or maybe I'm just a crusty old man.

[MJ4H]

Baseball Simulator 1000 would be the best baseball game ever if it didn't take 5 minutes to sim one CPU vs CPU game :(

So, it's Baseball Stars :)

[stevew]

Baseball stars was awesome, but Baseball Stars 2 kind of sucked. I desperately wanted Baseball Stars for the Neo Geo, but that jank was like 300 bucks for the system.

[stevew]

I should explain where I got my information:

I purchased Tecmo Super Bowl 3 Final Edition for the SNES when it came out (sometime in 96...had the jags and panthers).

I can attest to every detail in the SNES version of the game because I played it constantly for about 8 months.

About 2 years ago, I purchased a used genesis and a new version of TSB3 final edition for it. I wanted to be able to have it, just in case I felt the need to have fun again. I started playing it, and quit after about 2 seasons of play (got a PS2 and put the Genesis in the closet).

Because you asked, and were suprised, I will make it a point to play more than 3 seasons on the Genesis version. I would assume that the features would be the same as the SNES version. I will be more than happy to report my findings.

I'll let you know

EDIT:

Just to fill you in, after the 3rd year (I think you had to win 3 Super Bowls or something. I could be wrong), a bunch of players were available in the FA period. They would be named after the team and position they played for. For instance, Lambert would be named LB STEELERS 58 or something. Singletary would be named LB BEARS 50. You get the idea. You would get a bunch of players from older teams after the 3rd year. You would have to figure out how to make room (have enough points available for signing) on your roster. Just because you put a bid in on a player, it didn't mean that you got him. He could sign with another team if he chose, which made it really fun.


Wow. I definately need to check this out when I go back home where the genesis is.

[DanGarion]

I loved NHL 94 for Sega, it was nearly perfect. Although they didn't include the records that they had on the SNES version (can't remember what year). But if you brought up a player it would show the record # of goals the player had scored in a game. I liked that feature. Honestly any feature that saves "records" was always cool.

[cuervo72]

Yep. The one that showed people would buy a game even if it didn't have super-keen graphics, as long as it got the realism-level right. Arguably the first real big-time sports sim.

Bah, give me MicroLeague Baseball (and the little pink and white smurfs) on the C64 any day!

That and I'll take Sporttime's Superstar Ice Hockey (covered here before), and Baseball Simulator 2000. Oh, and Super Techmo Bowl of course.

[wishbone]

The thing about Tecmo bowl for me is that I never went undefeated against the CPU. I would get 1-3 games per season where I got no breaks and would lose 34-14 or worse. Even with sliders, house rules and play-calling limitations, I can not get the same experience in any version of Madden.

[Honolulu_Blue]

The thing about Tecmo bowl for me is that I never went undefeated against the CPU. I would get 1-3 games per season where I got no breaks and would lose 34-14 or worse. Even with sliders, house rules and play-calling limitations, I can not get the same experience in any version of Madden.

I went undefeated once with the Cheifs. 16-0. There was a point in the season where the computer (er, Nintendo) would get harder and harder until it picked your plays, your guys got hurt, and nothing would work. I found a trick, however, in which you could gain yards even if the computer picked your play. I think it was the "motion" play. It was a pass play to the RB, but you could also scramble pretty easily. DeBerg eecked out enough 4 yard 'scrambles' that I was able to control the game and win. Ahhh...

That ranks up there with the time my Erik Wilhelm led Bengals went 15-1 and won the Superbowl!

[MikeVic]

Damn you guys. Despite having a couple of newer games, and a few older games I still wanna play.... I'm playing Tecmo NBA Basketball now. My goal is to make Pervis Ellison the leading block man, Michael Adams the leading steals man, and A.J. English the leading scorer on the Bullets.... If only I didn't read this thread...

[Philliesfan980]

Damn you guys. Despite having a couple of newer games, and a few older games I still wanna play.... I'm playing Tecmo NBA Basketball now. My goal is to make Pervis Ellison the leading block man, Michael Adams the leading steals man, and A.J. English the leading scorer on the Bullets.... If only I didn't read this thread...


I hear ya. A head to head Tecmo league would be great at FOFC. Even if it was just a simple tourney.

[haji1]

Baseball Stars was awesome. I played that game too may times until the wee hours of the morning in college. Your team always sucked to begin with and you had to slowly build them up over time made it challenging. I always did my own paper stats for that game and kept them nice and neat in a folder. Then I would go and spend hours pouring over the stats. God I was pathetic. I still have it and the old Tecmo games for my sons 5 and 8 to play. They love them. Easy to understand, easy to get into and a hell of a lot of fun.

[Maple Leafs]

Damn you guys. Despite having a couple of newer games, and a few older games I still wanna play.... I'm playing Tecmo NBA Basketball now. My goal is to make Pervis Ellison the leading block man, Michael Adams the leading steals man, and A.J. English the leading scorer on the Bullets.... If only I didn't read this thread...
Ah, the oft-forgotten Tecmo Basketball.

Now does anyone remember Tecmo Hockey?

[RawIsDan]

Biggest dissapointment of all time, tied with the last version of FBPro

The biggest dissapointment was not the last version but that Sierra bailed out on it. Asswipes ! :mad:

[DanGarion]

Yeah. I remember them all. Tecmo Baseball for the Sega wasn't too bad either.

[stevew]

Yeah. I remember them all. Tecmo Baseball for the Sega wasn't too bad either.

There was some bug in tecmo baseball tho, where a LH hitter couldnt successfully pull the ball. Only way to hit was opposite field.

[korme]

That ranks up there with the time my Erik Wilhelm led Bengals went 15-1 and won the Superbowl!
Hell yeah dude! Wilhelm is probably my favorite player, who, um, never played. Every year I'd get excited when he returned to Cincy.