Football games just don't get any better than Tecmo Super Bowl.

User Rating: 10 | Tecmo Super Bowl NES
Ever since Tecmo Super Bowl arrived on the NES in 1991, a better football game hasn't been made. It may look and sound dated, but the gameplay is just as fun as it was seventeen years ago, and that's really all that matters.

Tecmo Super Bowl plays just like a football game should play. On offense, you have eight plays to choose from (excluding punting or kicking field goals) which are divided into run and pass. Four passing plays and four plays. Once you've choosen your play by putting in some button combination, it's onto the field. If you're running, your goal is to simply avoid the defense. No unneeded jukes or sprinting, just running right, left, up or down. There are few moments in video games as exciting as breaking a run to outside and threading through would-be tacklers in Tecmo Super Bowl. While passing, you use B to cycle through receivers and A to throw to the selected receiver. Once your receiver catches the ball, you take control of him.

On defense, you only get one play. Four defensive backs, four linebackers and three defensive lineman. It's not a problem that you only get one play on defense, because it can defend against anything the offense throws (or runs) at you. My only complaint about defense is the inability to switch between players after the play has started, but since your fellow defenders are generally smart (and fast) it doesn't detract from the game in any way.

Of course, being seventeen years old, the teams in Tecmo Super Bowl aren't all the same (Los Angeles Raiders! Houston Oilers!) and nearly all of the players are different (Howie Long! Barry Sanders! QB EAGLES?), but it doesn't bother me. I'd take Joe Montana over Peyton Manning any day.

One of the little things that add a lot to the game are the animations that pop in occasionally. If your defensive lineman is bearing down on the quarterback just as he releases the ball, you'll see an amusing animation where your lineman will literally fly through the air as the ball sails past him. When you throw a touchdown pass, your receiver will run through the endzone with an arm in the air and the quarterback will jump up an down, arms in the air. But wait, there's more! Defensive linemen will flex, cheerleaders will wink and receivers will drop sure first-downs. The animations are smooth, detailed and, most of all, just plain silly.

Tecmo Super Bowl has some awesome music, but before I talk about that, you need to know one thing: TECMO SUPER BOWL HAS VOICE-ACTING! AND IT'S CLEAR! There's not a lot of variety, but you'll hear "Touchdown!" and "Ready! Down! Hut! Hut!" a lot. Even though it's repetitive, the fact that it's clear makes it easy on the ears. But back to the music. Like I already said, it's awesome. I love the upbeat music that plays on both sides of the ball, while sweet tunes that play during half-time and touchdown celebrations are the icing on the cake.

Tecmo Super Bowl has colorful, nicely detailed graphics. Everything looks like it should. The players are pretty basic, basically either a white guy or a black guy wearing a jersey of some color, but it gets the point across and the way the players run, dive, throw, etc. look very detailed.

Tecmo Super Bowl is a spectacular game. It has no flaws, and football on any system has never been so fun.