2014 marks the silver anniversary for the release of the original Tecmo Bowl. 25 years and counting for the grand daddy of football games. With sports gaming still in it's infancy, Tecmo Bowl presided at a level that was all its own in 1989. This gridiron great boasted real NFL players, infectious arcade styled fun, and even spectacular graphics based on the standards in place back in 1989. These components were fused together with incredibly smooth and fluid player movements, creating a stunning sports game experience. No other football game on the Nintendo entertainment system could rival Tecmo Bowl and it's pioneering features. It was also one of the earliest games on the market, along with R.B.I. Baseball to gain licensing rights to portray profession ball players by name.
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| Who could argue with this assessment?
Tecmo Bowl is most notorious for the "super human feats" that were performed on a regular basis. A rare or historic performance for a player in the NFL, was often a regular occurrence bound to happen in the next few games of Tecmo Bowl. Bo Jackson mercilessly shredding a defense was commonplace. A domineering Lawrence Taylor would exude blunt force characteristics, which only a wrecking ball could possess. It's even surmised...and deservedly so, that part of the aura and mystique surrounding the legendary Bo Jackson, was indeed partially fueled by his seemingly unstoppable Tecmo Bowl character! Let that sink in for a moment, because you know there's some truth to it.
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Tecmo Bowl showcased 12 NFL teams, and each roster had players with many contrasting abilities. The 12 teams were chosen because they were the predominantly successful franchises during the mid to late 1980's era. Each Tecmo Bowl team came equipped with a unique playbook. Often the 4 distinct plays they had were accentuated by the skills of their player personnel. Having elite players such as Joe Montana and Jerry Rice in San Francisco's pass oriented playbook created the most explosive offense. On the other hand, Chicago's pass plays are quite conservative with an average Jim McMahon at the helm. Despite the passing game impediment, running back Walter Payton becomes the focal point for the offense. The programmers for Tecmo Bowl did a sensational job mirroring the 8 bit offenses with their NFL equivalent.
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| How bout less passing, and more Payton? |
The strength of a defense was typically determined by how many fast defenders it has. Special teams can not be overlooked either, with dangerous kick returners that are always a threat to run one back for a touchdown. The kicking game is equally critical as the absolute best punters are able to flip the field with 70 yard punts. Every position group in Tecmo Bowl featured a game breaking player that could take over at any moment.
All in all, the star players are the central attraction of the game. Tecmo Bowl perfectly demonstrates the eccentric "super abilities" of the elite players in an arcade-esque setting. It did so while exhibiting a sense of realism in terms of what the teams were capable of compared to their actual NFL counterparts. The two dimensions of fantasy and reality in a sports setting had finally collided, and the results were phenomenal.
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| Tecmo is a super-star world, and you're just living in it |
Moving along to actually playing the game... Your options of game play included a 1-player mode against the computer. You need to defeat every team in the game en-route to winning "The Tecmo Bowl". After each win, a newspaper celebrates your victory with a code for the next opponent. There is also a coach mode where you call the plays and the computer carries out the assignments.
Where Tecmo Bowl ultimately shines however, is in the 2-player mode. The spirit of competition between friends in a sports setting is paramount for this game. With that said, controlling your favorite athletes may have been the crowning achievement for Tecmo Bowl. Especially considering when it was released, and how sports games going forward all migrated towards the trend of "real players" and "real teams".
In the game setting, the action is fast paced. The competitors are shown a playbook consisting of 4 plays. The offense selects their play, and the defense choose a counter. When the play calls are the same, the defense brings the house and either sacks the quarterback, or stuffs the running back. When the offense can outwit the defense, then there are yards to be had.
Back in our primitive years of playing, it was really just a guessing game. Randomly picking one of the 4 plays, and trying to key in on your opponents tendencies. Shoot outs were a common occurrence, especially when you only had a 25% chance to succeed defensively. It was the golden age of the Tecmo offense. We forged a few defensive ploys, but nothing groundbreaking.
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| Believe it or not, the Colts have the best playbook in the game. |
Over time, we learned how particular combinations of calls between the defense and offense would create pass coverages! This came in the form of help from a computer controlled player. With one target covered by the computer, your defender has less ground to cover. With some study and experimentation, defensive philosophies were constructed for every playbook.
No longer could Jerry Rice terrorize a defense. We could take him completely out of the game. For San Fran to be successful, they would have to work the ball almost exclusively to Roger Craig, and Mike Wilson. When the defense calls Pass 1 against San Fran, it ensures the computer will assign coverage on Rice, when they call either Pass 2 or Pass 3. At some point the defense has to relent from calling pass 1 and change things up, but in the meantime the 49ers had to work harder for their scores. No longer were both Rice and Wilson running wild through the defense at the top and bottom of the screen. Dink and dunk was upon us.
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| Some serious thought started to go into the game of Tecmo Bowl |
This strategy worked for other teams, but the combinations would be different, so some serious documentation was in order. Other stars such as Steve Largent could also be nullified. Granted it opens the door for Curt Warner to have big games, but you could pick your poison. It could also lead to luring the offense into a false sense of security, when you go to some timely deviations with your calls. In some cases calling a run play would also offer beneficial pass coverage. You could essentially limit the damage the offense could do on 3 of the 4 plays! We dubbed it the Trifecta call. On 3rd and long you had a pretty good shot at getting off the field.
More study revealed a combination of calls which would "short circuit" the run blocking scheme. Defenders with great speed such as middle linebacker Karl Mecklenburg were no match for Walter Payton and Eric Dickerson. Trying to fight off a blocker and run down the fastest backs in the game just led to huge rushing days. Our playbook study unlocked the combinations that set certain defenders free on run plays. With little risk against the run, you could utilize Mecklenburg, Fredd Young, and John Offerdahl in passing lanes, and completely stuff the run game.
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| What used to be a game of chance was turning into a chess like battle! |
At this point, the game had taken on a life of it's own for us. The varying match-up aspect between any two teams still existed, as it did the first time we played it. However things had gotten far more complex. In total there were many different defensive schemes we could employ for each offense, depending on the defensive personnel. The game had reached its cerebral max, and we were playing it heavily.
Not bad for a game with only 4 play options, considering we could run 1 of about 6 different defensive styles based on the match-up. Lemme see here...there's -Strong Side run defense, -Bunk bed defense, -Cat and mouse defense, -Computer Controlled Coverage defense, -Linebacker or D-tackle protect defense, and my personal favorite -Trifecta defense. Some are situational, some are game long ploys, and some merely set up a snare for later. The days of random calls on defense were long gone.
The offensive revolt was about to mount its charge in response to all of this. The glory days of facing weak coverages and immediately identifying an open receiver while delivering a laser quick pass were over. To combat the defensive strategies, the offense now had to get deeper into playbook study.
This required pre-snap reads! Yeah, freaking pre-snap reads. Before the snap, I might go through the offense/defense coverage invoking call combinations just to get an idea of what I'm going to see. Knowing what I called, I think to myself that if the defense calls "Play X", and they have selected "Player X", my bottom wide receiver should be open immediately, and my window to fit it in there should be a certain size. That becomes my immediate read after the snap. In the event that they called something unanticipated, then I have to be careful with the ball. Down and distance coupled with defender selection can be very telling for the offense when you do a pre-snap read.
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| In this scenario the defense is going to get coverage help from the computer. Their top safety will cover my top WR. With a pre-snap read I can anticipate that, and be ready to hit my bottom WR before he gets into his slant. Seeing my opponent pick Hairston also tips me off with the size of my passing lane window. |
Pre-snap reads were just half the battle. Patience being the other offensive ploy. The general idea is to set up in the pocket, let the receivers run their full routes, and stretch the defense as far as possible. This typically occurs while getting out of a sack or two by showing off some quick A-button tapping. Crafty scrambling skills in the face of heavy pressure are also needed while keeping an eye trained down field. Targets get stretched out far apart and not even Lawrence Taylor can cover that much ground.
Who would have thought a simple and archaic game with only 4 stinking plays could be so complicated? I gotta hand it to the programmers though. The deeper we dug, the more provisions we unearthed that continued to ramp up the play-call battles we waged. I really wonder if they knew what they were doing, or if all the coverages and linebacker protect combo calls were just by chance?
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| Were they geniuses or was it just dumb luck? Who cares, it's awesome! |
So what does a small group of guys do with the world's biggest knowledge base of the greatest video game of all time? We played the hell out of it of course, that's what. To the tune of 700+ games against my best friend over the last 10 years. He's a geometry teacher and likes numbers. We kept spreadsheets and data on who won, and what teams we had, and the final scores.
For those keeping score at home, that's roughly the equivalent of playing 13 straight days of Tecmo Bowl! No bathroom breaks, no downtime for food. Just 2 consecutive weeks of no doz, and a green Tecmo field permanently burnt into my retina. I tried to convince the wife that my Tecmo career over the last decade only encompassed 13 days, but she wasn't hearing that.
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| That's a lot of Tecmo Bowl, but our Canadian friends have played a few hundred more games than us... |
There are 4 things I can clearly point to that have driven me to continue playing Tecmo Bowl after 25 years. The nostalgia surrounding the late 1980's NFL during my childhood has always been a key contributor to my love of Tecmo Bowl. For me that was a golden era in the NFL, and always shall be. Tecmo Bowl is clearly the most direct link I have to that part of my life. I watched my first Super Bowl with my dad with the 85 Bears. We watched Elway's "drive" in Cleveland together. We were together the first time I played Tecmo Bowl. My dad passed away nearly 5 years ago, and those are special Tecmo related memories I have.
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| Sorry Cleveland, I was rooting for you but this is still a good memory for me. |
The strategies we came up with forever made the game better, and keep us coming back to enjoy the cerebral side of the game. However the downside is that the 49ers/Giants match-up is the same yesterday, as it is today, as it shall be tomorrow. At this point, it just comes down to who executes better or who lands the knockout blows with a few wrinkles in the playcalls.
For us to keep playing, we had to make our own way. What I essentially consider the true corner stone of our Tecmo Bowl playing experience, is simply the formats and different styles of the competitions we play. You don't just blaze through 700 games by playing a bunch of random meaningless match-ups for the hell of it. Over the years we've organized a league and played multiple season, which we drew up from scratch. Held a draft and made schedules, and we played it all out. 80 games long to decide a champion. You get a little invested in that scenario as you duke it out over a few months whenever we get some free time. We came up with competitions like the "Royal Rumble" which we can blast through in one night to the tune of 11 games. The World cup styled Tecmo Cup is a 25 game jaunt we could knock out over a couple weekends culminating in a 8 team playoffs.
In total we have about 6 different formats we currently use. Regardless of the style, the random elements we introduce always keep the story lines changing. Whether the Giants and 49ers are sharing a division this season, or they are in opposite conferences with a shot to meet in the title game...it keeps things interesting and fresh. Metroid, Zelda, Metal Gear...they all have the same predetermined story line when you play them over and over. Our Tecmo experience is always changing it's shape and form.
The last facet of the four that's been instrumental for us, was the acquisition of the 1990 Japan version of Tecmo Bowl. Released only in Japan for the Famicom system nearly a year and half later. It featured all the same teams and game play functions, but had an interesting twist with roster updates. The updates featured some players who were better or worse, and ultimately changed the make-up of a few teams drastically, while others pretty much stayed the same.
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| USA vs Japan versions Note the player name differences. Replacing elite defensive end Dexter Manley with Stokes is not to Washington's advantage. Major step down in talent there. McMahon & Tomczak were basically a wash. The Japan version put a whole new slant on Tecmo Bowl for us. We got our hands on this back in 2005, and it really gave us a shot in the arm. It was like we were experiencing Tecmo again for the first time. In recent years, some programmers were able to combine the USA and Japan versions together, and that's been the absolute pinnacle for us. We got our 1st taste of the combined USA/Japan Tecmo over the summer of 2013 so it's definitely still new to us, despite already playing close to 100 games of it. All the match-ups we speculated about for years between the two versions, are finally coming into fruition. |
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| USA & Japan teams together on the same version There's not many things from your childhood that can appropriately apply to your adult life, but Tecmo Bowl has made the cut. As myself and some dear friends have aged, gotten married, and started families, it's still our go source for entertainment. It's a great thing to still be able to conjure up an occasional sense of childlike enthusiasm and excitement, and Tecmo still delivers that. The entertainment value is still sky high 25 years later. |
Over the years I've lost some good friends, one of which was tragically killed the night Patriots played the Panthers in the Super Bowl. Brian was the best Tecmo player I knew back in 1989. He destroyed us, and everyone else quit playing because he was too damn good. I hung with it determined to reach his level. Eventually I did, and those were very enjoyable times, and looking back he's really the main reason I'm a Tecmo Bowl fanatic to this day. We had battles...nuff said.
Shortly after his death I started up a friendship online with Cam, who I came to know over the last 10 years as the only other person on the planet who shares the same level of enthusiasm I do towards the original Tecmo Bowl. There are no replacements for lost friends, but occasionally a damn good substitute comes along. When I got married last year, Cam flew down from Canada to be in the wedding. My best friend Nate, whom I've sat next to for over 700 games of Tecmo Bowl served as the officiant for the wedding. My other groomsman was my nephew, who I taught the ropes of Tecmo Bowl to back in the late 90's when he was still a kid. Needless to say, It was a very Tecmo centric wedding that my wife put up with. My last night as a free man didn't have strippers and coke, but it did have a bar with a few Nintendos hooked up and some Tecmo Bowl was played.
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| Wife got me this cake topper. Seems pretty accurate. |
My best man at the wedding was Curtis. He's been my R.B.I. baseball rival for many years now. Curtis and Brian were close friends for many years. Despite having a mutual friend, we never met each other until quite a few years after Brian's death. It always seemed fitting that we became great friends as we had that connection with Brian. Sometimes it's a really small world.
Speaking of small worlds...In the next few weeks, I'm going to become a dad for the 1st time. While I plan to still play Tecmo Bowl 25 years from now with my friends on occasion, I hope to eventually play a few games with my son. With any luck when he turns 25 we can get a few games in on his birthday and celebrate 50 years of Tecmo Bowl! I might keep a few tricks to myself and show him some wrinkles he hasn't seen before. He probably won't be named Gentry McNeil Bell, which would be 3 of the kick returners from Tecmo Bowl, but there's still time to talk the wife into it....Cam says it's the most obvious name out there for him, and I tend to agree. How could he not be destined to take it to the house with a name like that?
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| My son already has pictures of his extended family on the walls in his room. |
That's my Tecmo Bowl story, and I'm sticking with it for at least another 25 years.
