Tecmo Bowl Throwback News Post

Rumor: 'Tecmo Bowl Throwback' Coming to XBLA, PSN (Joystiq)

11:21 PM - January 13, 2010 by Steve_OS

Joystiq has posted a rumor on Tecmo Bowl Throwback possibly coming to XBLA and PSN. How cool would that be?

Quote:


	"A trusted source (the same who provided us with early knowledge of Lucidity and NBA2K10 Draft Combine) has just informed Joystiq that Tecmo's planned Tecmo Bowl update for XBLA is also coming to PSN. Dubbed "Tecmo Bowl Throwback," the game is a remake of the NES classic, complete with HD graphics and an updated soundtrack -- it also retains the original plays and team stats. And for those of you who fear the fancy-schmancy graphics of high-def games, Tecmo is also including an option to play Tecmo Bowl in its original state. There's even team customization, ensuring your lifelong dream of creating a horribly out-of-shape and uncompetitive Joystiq team is a real possibility."

Game: Tecmo Bowl ThrowbackReader Score: 8.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: iPhone / PS3 / Xbox 360Votes for game: 9 - View All

Member Comments

# 21 HesTheCoach @ 01/15/10 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rm217


	Abomination it was. I actually called Tecmo (1-800-338-0336) about Tecmo Bowl Kickoff and how it should have never been released in the state it was and how it left a bad taste in a lot of Tecmo Bowl fans. How could they make a game as epic as Tecmo Bowl more boring than watching grass grow. I told them there is a reason people still play Tecmo Bowl today and it was because the gameplay still holds up. I advised them to simply make the exact same game except with updated graphics and more animations. Maybe a closer camera to show more detail in the players. Put it online with leagues and watch as this cult classic in football gaming flourishes unlike any Tecmo Bowl game before it! A very simple formula that I hope and pray they follow. I told them this is the last chance to keep there faithful TSB fans behind them. Screw this up and game over!

Yep, that's pretty much all I need in a football game at this point. Just give me an updated Tecmo Bowl with better animations/graphics with deeper gameplay. Cool idea about the zoomed in camera. Zoom it out on pass plays.

It's funny that you said that putting Tecmo Bowl online with leagues would make it flourish, because I pretty much said the same thing when I e-mailed Tecmo. These guys are sitting on a potential goldmine and aren't doing anything with it. They could even put on XBox Live and/or Wiiware and watch it take off. I think there's a couple problems with Tecmo. They're obviously not the same company that put out the original Tecmo Bowls and I doubt the original programmers of the game are even with the company anymore.

It's amazing the amount of no effort they put into the DS version. Did these guys even playtest that thing before releasing it?

# 22 jyoung @ 01/15/10 09:40 PM

Even if there is online play in this version, don't pin your hopes on it working.

The DS Tecmo Bowl had some of the worst lag I've even seen on any system, handheld or otherwise.

The Tecmo sports department has put out nothing but crap in their last couple of attempts (Family Fun Football, NBA Unrivaled), so it's hard to put any stock into this game coming out better.

# 23 CreatineKasey @ 01/15/10 11:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wEEman33


	Even if there is online play in this version, don't pin your hopes on it working. The DS Tecmo Bowl had some of the worst lag I've even seen on any system, handheld or otherwise. The Tecmo sports department has put out nothing but crap in their last couple of attempts (Family Fun Football, NBA Unrivaled), so it's hard to put any stock into this game coming out better.

wEEman... shatterer of dreams

I wonder what they'd charge for this game. I'd also be interested to see which version gets re-released. How about all of them? Tecmo Super Bowl Super Pack. All with online play and leaderboards in all of them

# 24 DJ @ 01/16/10 12:28 AM

Thankfully I still have a working NES so I can play Tecmo Super Bowl whenever I want. I'm actually running through a season with the Patriots (Hart Lee ****s FTW!!!) and it's a ton of fun.

I was one of the unfortunate ones that was lured by nostalgia and bought the DS version last year. I tried my hardest to make it work, editing ratings and rosters but in the end, it didn't matter and the game was a total fail. All of the things that made Tecmo Bowl and Tecmo Super Bowl great were either nutered down or completely eliminated, and the new additions added nothing to the game.

And yeah, online was a huge joke. Worst lag I've seen in a game on any console.

# 25 HesTheCoach @ 01/17/10 01:58 PM

Just so everyone knows, it looks like its the SNES version, not the NES version, which is fine by me. They're very similar.

# 26 Valdarez @ 01/20/10 04:07 AM

Would be great. Lets hope it has the NFL License.

# 27 KG @ 01/20/10 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheWatcher


	In my opinion, the last great Tecmo Football game was TSB 3: Final Edition for Super Nintendo. The last two have completely sucked. The PS1 version was one of the worst football games ever made. The DS version just makes me sad. It's just a case of a product and company that had a long dynasty run at one time, then forgot what made their game great in the first place. I think it eventually happens to all franchises. But it's been like 16 years since TSB 3 Final. I hope they finally get it right.

Was TSB3 the one where u could create players?

I remember a version where I created either Kordell Stewart or Terry Glenn

# 28 TheWatcher @ 01/20/10 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kgx2thez


	Was TSB3 the one where u could create players? I remember a version where I created either Kordell Stewart or Terry Glenn

Yeah. You could trade and create, and also develop players. It was a sort of franchise mode kind of deal.

# 29 jyoung @ 01/20/10 04:15 PM

Tecmo Super Bowl III: Final Edition on the SNES was definitely the pinnacle of the series.

The only negative thing to say about it is that some idiot at Tecmo decided to take out the awesome background music that loops during plays!

But otherwise, just think about how advanced the Final Edition was for 1995:

You had two sets of customizable playbooks, a great create-a-player mode, and a multi-season "franchise" mode that let you trade players and sign free agents within the context of a points-based salary cap.

All that, of course, with an excellent simulation and stat-tracking engine that kept up with end-of-season awards, pro bowl births, all-time, single-game and single-season records.

Final Edition is a game that was truly way ahead of its time.

This XBLA version certainly has a lot to live up to, and based on the last couple of games they've put out, I'm not sure the modern-day version of Tecmo is up to the task.

# 30 Bellsprout @ 01/20/10 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wEEman33


	Tecmo Super Bowl III: Final Edition on the SNES was definitely the pinnacle of the series. The only negative thing to say about it is that some idiot at Tecmo decided to take out the awesome background music that loops during plays! But otherwise, just think about how advanced the Final Edition was for 1995: You had two sets of customizable playbooks, a great create-a-player mode, and a multi-season "franchise" mode that let you trade players and sign free agents within the context of a points-based salary cap. All that, of course, with an excellent simulation and stat-tracking engine that kept up with end-of-season awards, pro bowl births, all-time, single-game and single-season records. Final Edition is a game that was truly way ahead of its time. This XBLA version certainly has a lot to live up to, and based on the last couple of games they've put out, I'm not sure the modern-day version of Tecmo is up to the task.

Agreed with all of that. TSB3 was probably the game i've played the most in my lifetime. Between trading, free agents, and developing created players I burned most of my childhood with that game.

I remember developing Ronnie McAda (Who? Google it.) into the best QB in the game.

# 31 HesTheCoach @ 01/20/10 11:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wEEman33


	Tecmo Super Bowl III: Final Edition on the SNES was definitely the pinnacle of the series. The only negative thing to say about it is that some idiot at Tecmo decided to take out the awesome background music that loops during plays! But otherwise, just think about how advanced the Final Edition was for 1995: You had two sets of customizable playbooks, a great create-a-player mode, and a multi-season "franchise" mode that let you trade players and sign free agents within the context of a points-based salary cap. All that, of course, with an excellent simulation and stat-tracking engine that kept up with end-of-season awards, pro bowl births, all-time, single-game and single-season records. Final Edition is a game that was truly way ahead of its time. This XBLA version certainly has a lot to live up to, and based on the last couple of games they've put out, I'm not sure the modern-day version of Tecmo is up to the task.

Actually Tecmo Super Bowl II - Special Edition was the best SNES version, IMO. It nearly identical to III, but was more of a challenge play offense against the computer. When it came out it was nearly impossible to find, though.

Although I really liked the first SNES TSB as well. And I loved the speed of the NES version (this is still the most popular version). You really can't go wrong with any of the Tecmo Bowl games on an Nintendo system (except the DS).

The XBLA version will be fine if they just directly port over the SNES version and add HD graphics and online play. That way Tecmo can't screw it up. I'd prefer that they added some stuff to the game but I doubt that'll happen, or if it does it'll probably be for the worst.

# 32 TheWatcher @ 01/21/10 07:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wEEman33


	Tecmo Super Bowl III: Final Edition on the SNES was definitely the pinnacle of the series. The only negative thing to say about it is that some idiot at Tecmo decided to take out the awesome background music that loops during plays! But otherwise, just think about how advanced the Final Edition was for 1995: You had two sets of customizable playbooks, a great create-a-player mode, and a multi-season "franchise" mode that let you trade players and sign free agents within the context of a points-based salary cap. All that, of course, with an excellent simulation and stat-tracking engine that kept up with end-of-season awards, pro bowl births, all-time, single-game and single-season records. Final Edition is a game that was truly way ahead of its time. This XBLA version certainly has a lot to live up to, and based on the last couple of games they've put out, I'm not sure the modern-day version of Tecmo is up to the task.

All of that is why I remain baffled as to how they screwed up the PS1 version so badly.

# 33 CreatineKasey @ 01/21/10 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheWatcher


	All of that is why I remain baffled as to how they screwed up the PS1 version so badly.

I don't know if you actually played that game much, but it was brutal. I tried so hard to like it because of past versions, but really it wasn't even close.

They probably just decided they needed to "keep up with the Joneses" and try to go after 3-D graphics as a selling point. They had a 2D sidescroller that beat all other games because of the FUN gameplay... too bad they failed to keep that perspective.

I'm really looking forward to this... more than Backbreaker.

# 34 aukevin @ 01/21/10 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbeth


	I hope it's TONS better than their DS remake. That game was straight garbage! Teams were "customizable", but if you didn't change anything, every player had the same player #s and every game had 1 of 2 or 3 stat combinations. Just garbage. Plus, the game wasn't even close to challenging...at the hardest level. I hope Tecmo learned from this and does a TRUE remake this time.

For real. That game was not good at all.

# 35 jyoung @ 01/21/10 02:05 PM

I think the reason TBS III has a rep for being too easy is because most people would make a team full of CAPs who would become unstoppable after 2 or 3 seasons of earning XP.

If you just take over one of the normal NFL teams and have a season with them, the game has just as much challenge as the other TSB games, especially once you get to the playoffs and the CPU difficulty ramps up.

Coming out of the NFC and taking down teams like the 49ers and Cowboys is incredibly difficult!

The only bad thing I have to say about TSB III is the lack of background music during plays.

Otherwise, it's pretty much the perfect rendition of the TSB formula.

# 36 CreatineKasey @ 01/21/10 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wEEman33


	I think the reason TBS III has a rep for being too easy is because most people would make a team full of CAPs who would become unstoppable after 2 or 3 seasons of earning XP. If you just take over one of the normal NFL teams and have a season with them, the game has just as much challenge as the other TSB games, especially once you get to the playoffs and the CPU difficulty ramps up. Coming out of the NFC and taking down teams like the 49ers and Cowboys is incredibly difficult! The only bad thing I have to say about TSB III is the lack of background music during plays. Otherwise, it's pretty much the perfect rendition of the TSB formula.

Yeah the strategy got deep in that game.... more defensive options and offensive styles. I miss it

# 37 TheWatcher @ 01/22/10 07:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CreatineKasey


	I don't know if you actually played that game much, but it was brutal. I tried so hard to like it because of past versions, but really it wasn't even close. They probably just decided they needed to "keep up with the Joneses" and try to go after 3-D graphics as a selling point. They had a 2D sidescroller that beat all other games because of the FUN gameplay... too bad they failed to keep that perspective. I'm really looking forward to this... more than Backbreaker.

I agree. They abandoned what they'd done in the past, and the sad part is that what they'd done before was right. This may be a bold statement, but in terms of cam view, Tecmo Bowl is still ahead of all other games even in this era. Think about what they're trying to do with the Broadcast Cam in Madden, and then consider how perfectly it already works in Tecmo Bowl because of its simplistic WR-marker system? You never feel like you lose sight of anything. They were geniuses. When they drew the field with a simulated 3D depth starting with TSB 2, they had something special.

About the TSB PS1 disaster... I remember renting this game from Blockbuster (haha, remember when Blockbuster was THEE place to get new games?)... I popped it in, and was horrified. I never actually finished a full game. I made 3 attempts and kept stopping. I returned it THAT DAY and never spoke of it again.

# 38 CreatineKasey @ 01/22/10 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheWatcher


	I agree. They abandoned what they'd done in the past, and the sad part is that what they'd done before was right. This may be a bold statement, but in terms of cam view, Tecmo Bowl is still ahead of all other games even in this era. Think about what they're trying to do with the Broadcast Cam in Madden, and then consider how perfectly it already works in Tecmo Bowl because of its simplistic WR-marker system? You never feel like you lose sight of anything. They were geniuses. When they drew the field with a simulated 3D depth starting with TSB 2, they had something special. About the TSB PS1 disaster... I remember renting this game from Blockbuster (haha, remember when Blockbuster was THEE place to get new games?)... I popped it in, and was horrified. I never actually finished a full game. I made 3 attempts and kept stopping. I returned it THAT DAY and never spoke of it again.

I bought my copy at "Funcoland" (remember that place?!). It was super cheap... I figured out why pretty quick.

It'd be SO easy for Tecmo just to plop out one of those older TSB games (ANY of them) with added online play and have a massive success. Hopefully they catch that drift.

# 39 TheWatcher @ 01/26/10 07:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CreatineKasey


	I bought my copy at "Funcoland" (remember that place?!). It was super cheap... I figured out why pretty quick.

You know, I'd never been to Funcoland before. But for some reason even though I never signed up for it (or any magazine), I used to get their magazine (the original Game Informer) through the mail up until 1999, lol. That's where I saw the first editorial on NFL 2K with screenshots and went crazy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CreatineKasey


	It'd be SO easy for Tecmo just to plop out one of those older TSB games (ANY of them) with added online play and have a massive success. Hopefully they catch that drift.

Just as long as they don't do this again, we should be good:

# 40 jyoung @ 01/26/10 01:20 PM

Yep, I remember renting that game at Blockbuster and taking it home expecting something like the old TSB games.

Instead, it sucked so much I ended up taking it back the next day.

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Rumor: 'Tecmo Bowl Throwback' Coming to XBLA, PSN (Joystiq)