A fun, fast paced football game.
THE GOOD
-Fast pace gameplay
-Challenging single player mode
-Fun music
-Good controls
THE BAD
-Blitzes are way too strong and happen too frequently
-Small play book
OVERVIEW
Tecmo Bowl is a fast-paced football game where you can play as twelve NFL teams from the 1987 season. The teams depicted here are the Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Raiders, Washington Redskins, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants. You'll also get the chance to use some of the greatest NFL players of all time like Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Lawrence Taylor, Walter Payton and Bo Jackson.
GAMEPLAY
There are three different modes to choose from at the start menu. These modes are the single player, multiplayer and coach mode. The single player mode puts your football skills to the test because once you pick your team; you'll have to go through the remaining eleven. Now the first couple teams are a cake walk but after that the games get increasingly difficult, especially the playoff games. Now don't worry if you don't have the time to complete all eleven games in one sitting because there is a password system, which is a nice feature. One plus to Tecmo Bowl is the fact that the computer offers a really good but not unfair challenge. The multiplayer mode is a quick and easy way to pick up and play a game with a friend. Both players choose a team and then let the game begin. The last mode is the coach mode. Coach mode is completely different than the other styles because you only call the plays. Controlling of the players is done by the computer at all times. Coach mode offers a different twist to the game in a positive way.
So now we that we have the logistics out of the way, let's talk about the in-game play. A football game is played with the same rules as the NFL. The only exception is that the clock stops after every play. The second player or computer player always kicks off first. The team that is on offense will have their four plays listed on the screen. Typically, each team has two run plays and two pass plays. The offense selects which play to execute and the defense tries to pick the same play which will result in an all out blitz. You can see that this setup can lead to lots of frustration because the playbooks are small and unchangeable and the fact that because you only get to choose from four plays, a blitz will occur about 25% of the time. Now if you're a football fan you're probably thinking, "So what if they blitz." I'll tell you that a blitz in the real NFL is nothing compared to a Blitz in Tecmo Bowl. When a blitz happens, all of your linemen are tossed to the side and all the defensive line (including the line backers) make a "B-line" towards the ball carrier. Plus, all the defensive players in the secondary closely follow your receivers making it almost impossible to pass the ball too. This is how ridiculously powerful the blitz is in this game and it happens way too often. Other than that Tecmo Bowl is pretty much a really fast paced football game (3 minute quarters) which is a good thing because you can play a game in less than fifteen minutes.
The controls end up working very smoothly in Tecmo Bowl. Offensively, the A button is used to snap the ball, change receivers and defend tackles. Whereas the B button is used just to pass the ball. Defensively, the A button attempts a tackle and changes your player. Whereas the B button is just used to dive tackle (which is very effective if used correctly). It may not seem like there is a lot to do but once you start playing you'll realize how much the controls make sense and fit the game perfectly.
GRAPHICS & SOUND
The graphics for Tecmo Bowl aren't bad. The detail in the players and the playing field go to great lengths to make it feel as authentic as possible.
The music for each team, on the playing field, is fun and uplifting. The music compliments the game completely. Plus, the sound effects, like when players break tackles for example, are fun to listen too. However, you'll probably get annoyed, after a few games, with the Quarter-back when he says, "Ready, down…" and then the endless "huts" before every snap.
CONCLUSION
Tecmo Bowl has a few set backs but all in all this game offers some fun, fast passed football action. I would recommend this game to any football fan and probably a rental for non-football fans. The road to the Super Bowl is long and hard; will you be able to handle it?