Tecmo Super Bowl: When Sports Games Grew Up
Written: Jan 19 '04 (Updated Jan 20 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: well balanced, polished, fun, real NFL teams and players, relevant stats
Cons: doesn't hold up to modern sports games, hut hut hut hut hut ....
The Bottom Line: You want to know why I like football and sports games so much? Look no further ...
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| kjell1979's Full Review: Tecmo Superbowl for Nintendo |
This review is in celebration of the week (or 2 weeks in this case) leading up to the Super Bowl. I was thinking of doing an all things football write-off, but decided against it.
From Ignorance To Obsession
Before I delve into the details, let me tell you a tale about the sheer influence of this game. The year I met my best friend he knew nothing of football. He always talked up this show called Star Trek The Next Generation (perhaps you've heard of it?) but never anything sports related other than tennis of soccer. Then I introduced him to Tecmo Super Bowl. After about a dozen games he was hooked. Without knowing anything about football before we played our first game, he quickly picked up the rules. Months past and soon he was informing me of NFL doings that I wasn't even aware of yet. Well to make a long story short, his wardrobe consists mainly of clothing that's either red or has Kansas City Chiefs logos all over it and he never misses an NFL game even though he's been getting all of them on tape for the past 10 years. This was the game that got him hooked.
A Game Before Its Time
Before all the Maddens, the Gamedays, and the NFL2KXs, there was Tecmo Super Bowl. The selection of football games before this game came out in 1991 was bleak at best. Only one game, its predecessor Tecmo Bowl, could hold a candle to this game and I didn't even find that game mildly interesting.
So what made this game so great anyway?
The major draw that tantalized most game reviews at the time and especially the all mighty Nintendo Power, was that this was the first console football game to include authentic NFL teams and players. Not to mention this game played clean and smooth as well, but more on that later. You had all 28 teams (at the time there was only that many) with their helmet logos, and nicknames, which sent chills down my spine as soon as I heard about it. The game also had a full season mode in which you can take on one or more teams on a full NFL 16 game schedule. The control screen is where you can change control of any team to one of 4 settings in season mode: MAN (you control them), COA (you call the plays but don't move the players themselves), COM (the computer plays out the game), and SKP (the computer will quickly simulate any match up between SKP teams).
The authentic players, while available in other games like its predecessor Tecmo Bowl, added one more element of realism to the game. Each player had between 4 and 8 different skill ratings depending on his position. The ratings range from 6 to 100 and increase at set intervals. During preseason, season, and postseason games, players rating change adjust at the end of each quarter based on their condition. Conditions start out "average" and can lower to "bad" or increase to "good" or even "excellent". This adds another dimension to the game when you factor player substitutions. On offense you have backups for the quarterback, the 2 starting running backs, the 2 wide receivers and the tight end. You can also choose which player from the offense you want to return kicks and punts. Even though this part is pretty open to customization, there are other aspects that aren't. For instance you can only substitute players on offense, not defense. Also, certain teams have a run and shoot lineup or a 3 wide receiver lineup to work with that you cannot change. The good part is that you don't have to put wide receivers in those slots, instead you can put a RB and for certain plays they will line up correctly and you'll never know the difference.
In addition to these customizations, you can also edit your offensive playbook. Each of the 8 slots has 8 different plays to select from. This means that there are 64 total plays in the entire game. You'll have to choose carefully because certain plays can tip off the defense where the play is going based on the formation or the shifting before the snap. There are a wide array of formations to choose from including, pro set, staggered I, one back, run and shoot, and shotgun. Some plays even put men in motion. There are many different types of plays as well including, sweeps, draws, dives, short passes, long bombs, flea flickers, reverses, and fake reverses.
What It's Like When You Strap It Up
With all these great options, the actual on the field football action doesn't disappoint. The game at the time was intended to be the closest thing you could get to a simulation on the old Nintendo. For an 8-bit Nintendo game, it succeeded. If you set a computer versus computer match up you could see plausible scores. Good defenses will post the occasional shutout, while good offenses could put up 40+ points against bad defenses. The main problem with this is that you only had 5-minute quarters and only a fraction of the plays in a typical football game. The result is 8+ yard per carry averages and QB ratings where anything below 100 is average or even below average. Receivers might break 1000 yards in a season, but do it on 50 catches. This was the balance between fun and realistic that Tecmo Super Bowl straddled.
The ball movement is from left to right on a screen that captures 30 yards of the field at a time. First down markers signify where you start and where the first down is. There are well-marked yard lines, hash marks, and colored end zones. There's even an NFL logo at midfield. There are the full 11 players per side on each play. There are no penalties for anything and you cannot do anything that's illegal in the pro game. That is, you can't move before the snap, nor can you interfere with the receiver. The offense has different formations based on 8 different plays in your playbook. The defense comes out in a straight 3-4 (3 defensive lineman and 4 linebackers) each time. What the defense does is based on the play you pick as a defense. The defense doesn't have any plays to choose from; rather you choose an offensive play based on the controller pattern in the playbook screen. If you choose a pass play, your defense will drop back in pass coverage. Similarly if you pick a run, your team will run up to defend the run, and in many cases leave receivers wide open. There is also a bonus on defense where if you pick the exact same play the offense does; your entire team will blitz their line with speed 3 times faster than their normal speed. This will almost always result in a loss on the play for the offense.
On offense you have many different options to get the ball in the end zone. If you hand the ball off, your goal is to try and use your running style to beat your opponent. If you have a fast running back, then you try and avoid as many defenders as possible. If you're a powerful runner, you can run into weak computer controlled defenders and they'll bounce right off you. Defenders can slide into you, resulting in an instant tackle or run into you causing a "grapple". In a grapple you must press the "A" button as quick as you can and the fastest thumb wins. Against the computer you don't need that fast a thumb to win grapples. However when two human controlled players grapple, the fastest thumb always wins despite what the hitting power is for both players. When the defender wins the grapple, the player is tackled, however if the defender loses the grapple he is strewn aside and is essentially taken out of the play. If the defender decides to go for the slide, there is a split second when you can see the defender preparing to slide and you can move out of their sliding path. This results in a zigzag motion down the field for long runs. Although there are a lot of breakaway runs, the defender almost always has enough speed to catch up with a streaking player. This always gives the defense enough of a chance to catch up.
The passing game is the greatest element in the learning curve for most players. Although it sounds simple, it's hard to execute when you have pocket pressure. When the quarterback takes the snap he drops back, then there will appear an arrow over a certain receiver. You can change the arrow to another receiver by pressing the "A" button. The changing of receivers is a set pattern that cycles, so you always know which is the next receiver in the line once you're familiar with the play. When you want to throw to that receiver press the "B" button. All during this time you can move around in or outside of the pocket. Once you cross the line of scrimmage the arrows disappear and you can no longer throw. If your quarterback is behind the line of scrimmage and starts to grapple with a defender, you can still press the "A" button to grapple, however you will see your arrow change rapidly between receivers. If a receiver runs off the screen you will see an arrow, but there's no indication as to how far back they are.
As I explained in the running section, you have limited options on defense. Before the snap you can select any of your 11 defenders. However, once the ball is snapped, you control that defender and only that defender until the end of the play. You can either choose to try and grapple with players who have the ball or dive and tackle them immediately. Diving is much riskier since you're the only human defender and your "drones" aren't all that smart either. However if you're grappling, even against a computer player, you aren't guaranteed to win even if you have the fastest thumb in the west. A teammate can run into the grapple and have a 50/50 chance of winning it for his teammate. So if you're on defense, you run the risk of having an offensive player run into your grapple and take you out of the play. There is an advantage to trying the grapple for powerful defenders. If a powerful defender simply touches a weak computer controlled player on offense, they'll be tackled instantly. This means that a fast and powerful defender like Lawrence Taylor can sack an opposing quarterback by simply running over him.
The kicking game is simple. On punts there is a bar that fills up and you try and hit it at its peak. However if you're a split second too late it will reset and you'll get the lowest amount of power on your kick. This is similar on kickoffs, the only difference is that there's a blue section of the bar where if you select that part, it'll be an onside kick. This gives you a chance to get the ball back at the risk of the opposing team getting much better field position. On field goals there is no power meter. Instead there's a directional arrow that strafes from side to side. If you line it up perfectly in the middle, your field goal will be good from as far away as 60 yards.
Some Comments About Graphics, Sound, Replay Value, and Controls
The graphics are dated, but for the most part it does an effective job. Each player is the same type of sprite with pallet switches that determine their team uniform and their race. The field is a good green color that contrasts well with the players. However, when there's too much action on the field, players will begin to flicker to the point where some almost disappear. This can effect gameplay, but it doesn't come up too often. During some plays there are graphical mini cut scenes. This is where it might show a player jump up to make a catch or see a defender rushing the quarterback's throw. These are some really nice additions that do not detract from the gameplay. They only last just a few seconds, which is enough to make you sit up on the edge of your seat, but not too long where you're struggling to pick up where you left off. These cut scenes are not graphical masterpieces by today's standards, but they do take advantage of what limited hardware the 8-bit Nintendo has.
The sound I would say is somewhat underrated. By today's standards in order to have a sports game's sound good, you have to have play-by-play, authentic sounding bumps and grunts, and a true stadium feel. Tecmo Super Bowl doesn't do any of that. There is no play by play. The game sounds are more generic and rarely sound anything close to what you'd hear on the football field. However, isn't that was the 8-bit Mario games were? The sound effects, with some notable exceptions, aren't annoying and they add to the lore of the game. The most notable exception being the endless "hut hut hut hut hut hut hut hut ..." that can go on forever before the snap. The music does its job. The music becomes more intense depending on the type of game it is. The Probowl and Preseason game tunes are much different than season or postseason game tracks. The songs are nothing more than just your typical 8-bit Nintendo songs. Some will find nostalgic value in it, but it's not something you'll typically burn to a CD and play it in your car.
The controls are a mixed bag for me. I like the simple layout that doesn't overwhelm you with buttons that perform certain nuances. However, I think that they are oversimplified to the point where they leave out too much. For instance, when you're running with the ball, the "B" button does nothing. That's right nothing. No spins, no speed bursts, no dives, no hurdles. Start and select rarely do anything beyond the menu screens. While it is not exactly needed, it would be nice to be able to pause in the middle of a play in a single player game. Plays typically don't last too long and you can sit in your playbook menu until your house loses power if you cared, but it is a Nintendo standard that Tecmo ignores here and I can't think of any reason to exclude it due to cheating. Other than that the buttons are well laid out, simple to learn, and respond well in the game.
This is one of the few sports games that gets a nearly perfect score in my book for replay value. It's good because it works well with a basic premise of good balanced gameplay and relies on its teams to provide difficulty rather than adjusting the artificial intelligence. Most sports games today try and tighten up the artificial intelligence of the computer player to try and provide a better challenge. In the end you're left with some holes in the AI, and some ways that the computer cheats you in order to win. This is the best way to kill off a game when the computer does things you can't hope to do. In Tecmo Super Bowl, the premise is simple: The more games you win in season mode, the faster the computer drones get on the other side. If you're team isn't doing well, they won't give you much trouble. If you can still go undefeated, then just go to another team that has worse personnel. Trust me, it takes a long time, if ever, before you can go undefeated and win the Super Bowl with the Colts. In addition, teams have their own dynamics. Some are powerhouses like San Francisco and the New York Giants. Others specialize in a strong passing game or a strong running game. Others just have a good defense, while others have good special teams. Add in the strong stats engine and some fun gameplay and you have a great game.
Multiplayer is where this game really shines. The game is really competitive when played between 2 people. It can be intense enough to get your palms sweating and your heart rate up. There are new dynamics added to the game when you have an opponent trying to solve your offensive play-picking pattern while on defense trying to solve theirs. Add in player names and real NFL teams and it brings the level of play to an even greater high of taunts and trash talk.
By today's standards, this game will probably not impress younger kids. Sometimes, I wonder what the game would be like with a franchise mode and/or fantasy draft. The game is fun to play and there are still people out there who swear by it, refusing to play the Maddens of the world. Although I'm not one to go that far, I still find myself playing it every once in a while, just to see if I can pull off that elusive 1000 yard rushing game with Bo Jackson. Then again, it's only a matter of time before football games start coming out with nearly naked cheerleaders.
Recommended:
Yes
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kjell1979
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Location: Oxford, Mass
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Ecclesiastes 6:11 (the NIV translation is the best)
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