Tecmo Bowl Throwback Review

[RaychelSnr]

Growing up in the late 80's/early 90's, one sports game reigned supreme when it came to neighborhood bragging rights -- Tecmo Bowl. Before the Madden franchise became the juggernaut it is today, Tecmo Bowl was the quintasential virtual football experience. Utilizing it's "chess" like playcalling mechanics, reliance on homemade gamepad moves, and NFL/NFLPA licenses, Tecmo Bowl came to define a generation.


Twenty years after the first games release -- and 18 after the release of the series' stellar sequel, Tecmo Super Bowl -- fans of the game are being treated to a completely new HD experience in Tecmo Bowl Throwback. For those of you unfamiliar with Throwback, Tecmo has taken the teams and rosters from 1993's Super Tecmo Bowl, added new HD graphics and presentation -- with an option to switch back to the old 8-bit graphics in HD on the fly -- and added online play for the first time in series history.

So is Tecmo Bowl Throwback an enjoyable trip down memory lane? Or should the series have been left to die in the 90's like Ryan Leaf's career? Read on to find out.

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[CreatineKasey]

Re: Tecmo Bowl Throwback Review

I agree that it's definitely a must-buy for anyone who enjoyed Tecmo in the past. The gameplay is solid and I've already had some legendary finishes.

I won a game tonight 10-7 in overtime. Despite dominating in yardage and time of possession, I still barely won because my Steeler offense struggles to generate points without some help from special teams or defense. In this game, the tides actually turned and my opponent got the defensive TD to tie it up. It was a great game. Just an example of what Tecmo can do for ya.

Editing the rosters has added a lot to the game. Colors don't even bother me. It only too about 10 minutes per team. The only thing that is kind of disappointing for me is that you can't change playbooks so some teams are a big challenge to use. Other than that, the game is rock solid and offers more than enough to do to get your $10 worth.

[Valdarez]

Considering I payed $20 to $30 for the original Tecmo Bowl, and this one is far better than the original, at $10 it's not just a buy, it's a steal! Good review!

[RaychelSnr]

Considering I payed $20 to $30 for the original Tecmo Bowl, and this one is far better than the original, at $10 it's not just a buy, it's a steal! Good review MMChris!

Christian McLeod wrote this review...

[Valdarez]

Re: Tecmo Bowl Throwback Review

Christian McLeod wrote this review...

lol, I was just about to fix that! Blast you quote button, forever castigating my mistake!

[rm217]

Now that's how you review an all-time classic game. Your review shows you understand what made this game so great! $10 for this classic in football gaming is a can't miss no brainer purchase. For that price your guaranteed a fun time and sure to make just as many friends as enemies with a the competitive nature of this title. It's sure to build many great memories and for that there is no price tag.

[TheWatcher]

Re: Tecmo Bowl Throwback Review

Yeah, it's a solid game. It gets better as the season progresses and teams play harder.

Tecmo Bowl is back, and hopefully they'll stick around this time.

[swiftychampleone]

Authentic 93 rosters via transfer kit? Just curious on how this works and what it means? I have a PS3, by the way.

[GaryT531]

might be a little off on those original release dates. original tecmo bowl is at least 21 years old, and came out in 1988-89. NES tecmo super bowl is 19 years old. i got the day it came out in late november 1991. i was 13 years old. tsb for super nes came out in fall 1993. another great review CM, thanks!

[coogrfan]

Re: Tecmo Bowl Throwback Review

Utilizing it's "chess" like playcalling mechanics...

"Chess like"? Are you kidding me? TSB isn't even "checkers like". A better comparison would be "rock, scissors, paper".

Don't get me wrong... I, too played the hell out of TSB back in the day. I also had braces and a mullet. Knowing what I now know, I'm in no hurry to repeat any of those experiences.

[CreatineKasey]

Re: Tecmo Bowl Throwback Review

"Chess like"? Are you kidding me? TSB isn't even "checkers like". A better comparison would be "rock, scissors, paper".

Don't get me wrong... I, too played the hell out of TSB back in the day. I also had braces and a mullet. Knowing what I now know, I'm in no hurry to repeat any of those experiences.

LMAO!

There's some chess like functions. For one, when you guess a run play but not the run play the offense ran, you get better support. This means TSB has both soft and hard counters. That gives it more than rock, paper, scissors depth IMO. There's a 50% chance you'll have "good" defense on a play, and a 12.5% chance you'll demolish the play. There's a 50% chance your D messes up hard.

[GlennN]

"Chess like"? Are you kidding me? TSB isn't even "checkers like". A better comparison would be "rock, scissors, paper".

Don't get me wrong... I, too played the hell out of TSB back in the day. I also had braces and a mullet. Knowing what I now know, I'm in no hurry to repeat any of those experiences.

Very well stated. Honor, remember and cherish the past . . . but I do not plan to game in it.

[rm217]

Re: Tecmo Bowl Throwback Review

Very well stated. Honor, remember and cherish the past . . . but I do not plan to game in it.

Your loss. All I can say is I'm having more fun with this game then I've had with the next gen Maddens. To each his own. Tecmo Bowl for life!

[rocket21]

Your loss. All I can say is I'm having more fun with this game then I've had with the next gen Maddens. To each his own. Tecmo Bowl for life!

I second this. I'm having a blast reliving the past, even if it isn't exactly as I remember it. This is the best $10 I've spent in a while!

[swaldo]

Re: Tecmo Bowl Throwback Review

To each his own. Tecmo Bowl for life!

My all time favorite is APF2K8 which was rated much lower this this game

In the new OXM magazine they rated 'Tecmo Bowl Throwback' a 4/10 ...

+ Great for old school fans who want the original.
+ Can shift between old & new graphics with a button press.
- No NFL license (the original had it)
- Bare-bones season mode.
- Extremely dated gameplay = frustrating football. A few control & gameplay upgrades would've make for a better experience.
- Glitchy animations
- Handfull of plays with results largely left up to chance.
- Slow as mollasses ball carriers largely invalidates the running game.
- Must cycle through all receivers.