Review: Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff

Background

Virtually anybody who had a Nintendo Entertainment System has memories of Tecmo Super Bowl in some iteration. The game was considered the pinnacle of sports action on the fledgling console. The gameplay has been burned into the memory of many a fanboy, but will the nostalgia be enough to elevate the new Nintendo DS game or will its lack of development inspire bitter frustration?

The Story

touchdown_cut As with most football games, there is no story, just a collection of differing game modes. Tecmo Bowl Kickoff breathes fresh life into the same single player mode featured on the prior versions, while still giving justice to the multiplayer perfection that the series is remembered for. In single player there are the standard modes of Preseason, Season and All-Star Bowl. As you would guess Preseason allows the player to select both teams taking part in the game, the Season mode chronicles the full sixteen game season of any team in the league, and the All-Star Bowl is the collection of the best players from every team, duking it out for gridiron supremacy.

Multiplayer mode is where the real changes have been made. As with its predecessors, a lot of thought has been put into the multiplayer, helping to merge the old school gameplay with current generation features. Some of the best changes include the addition of Wi-Fi play. This is not just local games though, because there is now a fully implemented matchmaking system that seamlessly integrates with the Nintendo Wi-Fi Club.

The Good

Hearkening back to the old-school NES era, it has a look and feel that is akin to the original 8 bit game. Everything from the overhead viewpoint to the microscopic players is emulated with great care. Even the play selection screen looks like it could have been a screenshot from 1989. The memorable cut scene special events have also made a comeback in full pre-rendered glory. Nothing could be more authentic to the source material, while still retaining the quirky and fun atmosphere.

Another notable return is the same simplistic control scheme that made the NES version a hit. The simple controls lend themselves well to an impromptu gaming session for players of any experience level. To select a play there is no navigation of a gigantic playbook. Instead, the player is provided with eight simple plays to choose from. With only 2 buttons to control the action on the field, the action is a fast paced arcade romp that leaves everyone involved with a sense of satisfaction that is hard to match.

The Bad

One of the biggest downfalls of Tecmo Bowl is the lack of the NFL license. This means that all of the teams are humorously renamed and staffed with nonexistent players. For example, one of the teams in the game is the Los Angles Supercocks. The phallic friendly football team’s mascot is a rooster… I mean, what else could it be? A huge disadvantage to the fake rosters is the fact that before the game starts, it is impossible to know who the opposing team’s best players are. Along with making gameplay more confusing, it renders pregame planning absolutely useless.

A problem the plagues the gameplay is the lack of the ability to audible plays after having second thoughts about an initial selection. There is nothing more frustrating than accidentally selecting the wrong option when trying to kick a field goal, which by default will select to punt. When you get to the line of scrimmage with the punt team, there is no way to change the play or even call timeout, which leaves you no other option then to punt the ball out of the back of the endzone. This is one of several strategic oversights that mar the game, detracting from the overall experience.

Some players have special powers that set them apart from the rest of the competition. These special moves will be activated, displaying a cutscene that mimics what the player would otherwise be doing on the field. Once this is complete, the game reverts back to the normal field view. The problem is that these special abilities, while both surprising and fun, are not controlled by the player. They have a tendency to fire off at random intervals, severely breaking the balance of the game. It might have been best to leave this feature on the cutting room floor.

The Ugly

Arcade sports games tend to have one common thread that they all share, frequent blowouts. Rarely is there a game that doesn’t involve a very one sided victory. When you are winning, it seems like you are a god among mere mortals. However, sometimes is seems that everything has been rigged against you. This can lead to a frustrating meltdown that puts your Nintendo DS in serious jeopardy of becoming a permanent ceiling fixture.

To make the situation worse, turnovers happen at a ridiculously exaggerated rate. It would not be shocking to look at the box score after a game and see ten to fifteen turnovers documented. Situations like this continue to hammer home the fact that this is anything but a simulation.

The most shocking modification to the game is that the computer now makes accurate tackles, preventing the patented Bo Jackson Rushing Method that dominated the previous installments. It seems counter-intuitive to complain about an improvement, but that was one of the most amusing “features” of the classic game. There was nothing better than running circles around the field, with not a single computer player being able to lay a finger on you. Below is an example of such a run:

RIP Bo Jackson… you will be missed.

Conclusion

Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff is a great game for those that are hoping for a nostalgic trip down memory lane. The game stays true to past entries in the franchise, while still adapting to the heightened expectations of the current generation. However, if you are looking for a hard core simulation, then the vintage gameplay will not measure up. The bottom line is unless you are looking to relive your childhood, this is a definite punt.