Tecmo Bowl provided me ESPN-worthy
gridiron insight.
A zig-zag running pattern, for
example, is nearly unstoppable in the open field, a quality quarterback should
throw at least 80 yards with pinpoint accuracy and a good playbook need only be
eight plays thick.
Of course, omniscient football gurus
like John Madden would scoff at these lessons, a difference in pigskin
philosophy made clear in video games. Madden games strive for realism, but Tecmo’s antithetical series has always focused on a fast-paced, simplified
version of the popular sport.
Through that old-school lens,
Kickoff is uncannily similar to the legendary Tecmo Bowl games before it, and
long-time fans of the series should immediately feel comfortable inside this
very familiar huddle.
Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff faithfully
follows the template set by the NES original Tecmo Bowl and the SNES follow-up
Tecmo Super Bowl with little deviation. A few minor alterations have been made,
but for the most part, Kickoff feels and looks virtually identical to its
celebrated predecessors.
Eight-play playbook? Check. Dramatic two-frame cut scenes? Check. The same easy controls and gameplay? Check. Just about everything that made Tecmo Bowl a great series has been
brought back for the revival.
Tecmo’s approach is simple and
always has been. But the result is addictive and fun, and unlike exaggerated
football series such as Blitz, Kickoff isn’t absurdly over-the-top. It fits
comfortably between realism and fantasy, a refreshing change from today’s
polarized football options.
Tecmo made a few additions for the
move to the Nintendo DS, including an entirely touch-based control scheme that
eliminates the need to cycle through receivers with a touch-to-pass system. But
aside from quickening the passing game, the new scheme is mostly cumbersome.
In another first the series, Kickoff
implements a system of experience points earned in season play. These allow
gamers to adjust teams’ and players’ abilities and even grant them special super
abilities, such as giving a quarterback the ability to throw a rocket pass or
juke around a sack. These moves happen automatically,
often changing a game’s dynamic.
Perhaps the most significant change
afforded Tecmo Bowl by modern platforms is online multiplayer, which is embraced
in Kickoff by an impressive, relatively elaborate system of code-fueled friend
matches and match-ups against strangers. You can even trade players online.
For me, Kickoff’s only major flaw is
its lack of an NFL license, a commodity exclusively owned today by Electronic
Arts. The game shipped instead with fictional, generically named teams and
players. Tecmo worked around this potential problem, however, with an ingenious
solution: Each of the game’s 32 teams is
completely customizable. From uniform colors and designs to
players’ names and abilities, every detail of Tecmo’s football league can be
edited. This unmitigated adjustability allows you to create every NFL team with
precision, sneaking around the lack of a license by allowing you to recreate the
NFL if you wish.
Playing a full season with my
hometown Pittsburgh Steelers and shutting down rivals like the Cleveland Browns
before meeting the New York Giants in the Super Bowl, the game felt as though it
were created with an NFL license thanks to the extent to which you can edit the
league.
The only problem with this
work-around is the time it requires. It took a week of dedicated, monotonous
editing to create a perfect NFL match with every uniform adjusted, name
corrected and roster fleshed out. It requires a gargantuan effort, of
course, and most players probably won’t bother. But for meticulous football
fans who want to play with authentic NFL teams and players, it’s a simple matter
of elbow grease and editing.
Even with a pseudo NFL and great
gameplay, though, Kickoff still fumbles on occasion. The cutscenes often won’t
recognize adjusted rosters; instead of crediting a touchdown to a created
LaDainian Tomlinson, for example, the cut scene will still highlight a fictional
back with a generic name. It doesn’t happen every time, but it
does happen often.
More important than a cosmetic
issue, however, are a few exceedingly rare gameplay glitches. Charging
downfield on a lucky pass, my opponent attempted his special power to gain extra
yards. This led to a strange glitch causing the next snap to be taken from
inside my own endzone. An automatic touchdown. Bummer.
This glitch occurred only once
during my ridiculously extended playtime with Kickoff, however, the only moment
of which I could accurately label a “bummer.” Otherwise, the latest Tecmo Bowl
delivered every yard of the enjoyable old-school gameplay I’d hoped for. It’s
an absolute joy to play.
Your experience with Tecmo Bowl:
Kickoff will inevitably be a direct product of your expectations. Make no
mistake, this game is a nostalgic piece in the vein of Capcom’s Mega Man 9. Innovation wasn’t a priority, but Tecmo has successfully refreshed the series
for a modern platform.
If you’re expecting a
reality-faithful, Madden-approved game of pigskin, look elsewhere. For players
seeking fun, simple and addictive football gameplay, though, Tecmo Bowl is still
the game’s unrivaled MVP. Hut, hut, hut…buy it!
Review Scoring Details for Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff |
Gameplay: 8.0
Tecmo’s simple gameplay and easy
controls have aged remarkably well, leaving the optional stylus controls
cumbersome in comparison.
Graphics: 7.0
Tecmo Bowl was never a visual
stunner. Neither is Kickoff, but the SNES-like sprites are colorful and fun,
harkening to simpler years.
Sound: 5.5
The first Tecmo Bowl games had the
same awful style of music, but at least the tunes were memorable. This time,
they’re just annoying.
Difficulty: Easy
Consistently winning by 50-point
margins gets old quickly. For a challenge, take Kickoff online for human
opponents; you won’t get it from AI.
Concept: 7.5
Some argue Tecmo Bowl feels archaic
in 2008, but the opposite is true. During an era in which sports games are
either too realistic or too over-the-top, Tecmo Bowl thrives as vibrantly as
ever in the middle.
Multiplayer: 8.5
I’ve literally spent cumulative days
of my life playing Tecmo Bowl with friends. Now that its online, it should
increase into cumulative months.
Overall: 8.0
Tecmo’s gridiron throwback is as
addictive and fun as it was in 1989.
