Tecmo Super Bowl
Encyclopedia
Tecmo Super Bowl is an American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...

 (NES) that was released in 1991
1991 in video gaming
-Notable releases:*Microprose creates Civilization, Sid Meier's most successful game .*Electronic Arts releases James Pond 2 and Road Rash for Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, starting a series of games that were popular in the 1990s....

. Developed by Japanese video game company Tecmo, it was the first sports
Sports game
A sports game is a computer or video game that simulates the practice of traditional sports. Most sports have been recreated with a game, including team sports, athletics and extreme sports. Some games emphasize actually playing the sport , whilst others emphasize strategy and organization...

 video game that had licensing privileges with both the league it sought to emulate (National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

) and the player's association (National Football League Players Association), thus allowing the game to use both the names and attributes of real NFL teams and real NFL players. (Prior games used the real teams or the real players, but not both simultaneously.) Player attributes, except in the case of rookies, were based on the prior 1990 NFL season. Team rosters were based on the end of the 1991 NFL preseason. The original game utilized the 1991 NFL schedule only; therefore, playing multiple seasons was not possible. However, it was possible to replay the 1991 schedule ad infinitum
Ad infinitum
Ad infinitum is a Latin phrase meaning "to infinity."In context, it usually means "continue forever, without limit" and thus can be used to describe a non-terminating process, a non-terminating repeating process, or a set of instructions to be repeated "forever," among other uses...

. The game was very successful in the final years of the NES and, although more than 20 years old, it has maintained an extensive cult following
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...

.

Overview

After the initial success of the NES
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...

 version of Tecmo Bowl
Tecmo Bowl
is an arcade game developed and released in 1987 by Tecmo. While moderately successful in the arcades, the game became and remained widely popular and remembered when it was ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1989. The NES version was considered by many to be the first NES American...

 in 1989
1989 in video gaming
-Notable releases:* October 3, Brøderbund releases the Prince of Persia game, the first in a series of games, noted for its advancements in animation....

, Tecmo followed up with the release of Tecmo Super Bowl in 1991
1991 in video gaming
-Notable releases:*Microprose creates Civilization, Sid Meier's most successful game .*Electronic Arts releases James Pond 2 and Road Rash for Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, starting a series of games that were popular in the 1990s....

 in both North America and Japan. The original NES version of Tecmo Bowl was licensed by the National Football League Players Association, while another game, NFL Football
NFL Football
NFL Football is a 1989 football video game, developed by Enteractive and published by LJN exclusively for the Nintendo Entertainment System.- Gameplay modes :This game was the first to get an official National Football League license...

 for the NES, managed to obtain only an NFL team license. Tecmo Super Bowl added the NFL license making it the first NES game to feature both actual NFL teams and NFL players of the time. Unlike the original Tecmo Bowl for the NES, which consisted of twelve teams, a truncated
Truncation
In mathematics and computer science, truncation is the term for limiting the number of digits right of the decimal point, by discarding the least significant ones.For example, consider the real numbersThe result would be:- Truncation and floor function :...

 roster, and limited play selection; Tecmo Super Bowl featured all 28 NFL teams, expanded rosters, expanded playbooks, statistics tracking and many other improvements over its predecessor. Subsequent games in the series would build off of this foundation.

Gameplay and features

The main menu of Tecmo Super Bowl provided the player with options for NFL Preseason, Season Game (Regular Season) and Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...

 play. Team data could also be accessed from the main menu.
In the original NES Tecmo Bowl, each team had 20 players on its roster, with nine players for offense, nine players for defense, a kicker, and a punter. In Tecmo Super Bowl, each roster had 30 different players. Each team had eleven defensive players, which could not be substituted, nor injured. Each team had seventeen offensive players, which included eleven starters and six substitutes. At any given time, eleven players were on the field for each team, consistent with NFL rules. A kicker and a punter were also on the roster.

In addition to using real teams and players, TSB incorporated the full-length 1991 NFL regular season
1991 NFL season
The 1991 NFL season was the 72nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXVI when the Washington Redskins defeated the Buffalo Bills....

 schedule for the game. The playoff format, including the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...

 and the post-season Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...

 game, was also used.

Tecmo Super Bowl retained the arcade-style football gameplay of the original which included no penalties and the ability to break tackles (many players had "94" hitting power ratings, giving them the ability break any non-sliding tackles). However, the game added new features, such as statistics tracking, expanded and editable playbooks, the ability to substitute players, varying conditions of players, fumble
Fumble
A fumble in American and Canadian football occurs when a player, who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed or scoring. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking or successful handing that results in loss of player possession...

s, and player injuries. As it had previously, the game used cut scenes for important events like touchdowns and halftime shows. Tecmo Super Bowl also added cutscenes when injuries or big plays occurred.

As part of the gameplay, players can adjust offensive plays and substitute players for each NFL team and for the two Pro Bowl teams. The Pro Bowl team's roster can be edited as well. Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams players could be viewed as an individual "player card" with their statistics and attributes and their status, which can improve or decrease, making the player better or worse.

Game modes

The game has multiple modes, including season, preseason, and Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...

. In season, a player controls a team through the entire NFL season. Multiple teams may be controlled. In addition, players can choose three styles of play in either season, preseason or Pro Bowl. The "MAN" option means the player calls plays and runs plays. The "COA" ("coach") option means players call the plays, but the computer runs them. The "COM" option means the computer plays all aspects, but the player can watch the game.

In all instances, season, preaseason and Pro Bowl, unless the player (or players) edit the Team Data beforehand (setting plays and starters), the default team depth chart and play selection would be used.

In preseason and Pro Bowl, injured players returned immediately after the game, statistics are not kept, and the computer AI was easier than season games.

Reception

In 1997
1997 in video gaming
-Events:*October 4 — Gunpei Yokoi dies after a double car accident.*November – Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association launched.*3rd annual E3...

, both Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...

 and IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...

 video game publications named TSB one of the top 100 video games of all time.

In 2005
2005 in video gaming
-Events:*March 6 — The television show 60 Minutes tackles issues within video game controversy. This segment of 60 Minutes has been criticized by video game players for encouraging video game censorship....

, GameFAQs
GameFAQs
GameFAQs is a website that hosts FAQs and walkthroughs for video games. It was created in November 1995 by Jeff "CJayC" Veasey and was bought by CNET Networks in May 2003. It is currently owned by CBS Interactive. The site has a database of video game information, cheat codes, reviews, game saves,...

 named TSB #84 of the top 100 video games of all time.

In 2005
2005 in video gaming
-Events:*March 6 — The television show 60 Minutes tackles issues within video game controversy. This segment of 60 Minutes has been criticized by video game players for encouraging video game censorship....

, Jadedgamer.net named TSB #22 of the top 100 video games of all time.

In 2009
2009 in video gaming
The year 2009 saw the release of many video games, including several sequels.-Events:-Scheduled releases:List of games scheduled for release in 2009 in North America....

, IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...

 ranked TSB #53 in its Top 100 NES games of all-time.

In 2011, ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....

 named Tecmo Super Bowl the greatest sports video games of all time.

Cult following

With the advent of modern console emulation
Video game console emulator
A video game console emulator is a program that allows a computer or modern console to emulate a different video game console's behavior. Emulators are most often used to play older video games on personal computers and modern video game consoles, but they are also used to play games translated...

 on computers and even other console gaming systems, Tecmo Super Bowl may be one of the most hacked and modified Nintendo games in existence. This has contributed greatly to the game's cult following as the game can be, and has been, constantly modified and updated. There have been, and continue to be, numerous sites, online leagues and message boards dedicated not only to the original TSB but also to ROMs
ROM image
A ROM image, or ROM file, is a computer file which contains a copy of the data from a read-only memory chip, often from a video game cartridge, a computer's firmware, or from an arcade game's main board...

 which contain current day rosters while maintaining the original gameplay. There is also a mod that has NCAA Football rosters from 1990 as well as an updated (2009) 32 team rom.

A number of tournaments for the game are held, such as an annual tournament held every spring, in Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....

.

Sequels

This list contains several games that are not, in actuality, direct sequels of Tecmo Super Bowl for the NES. However, they are games in the Tecmo Bowl series that were produced after the release of Tecmo Super Bowl for the NES and share a common origin in the original Tecmo Bowl vein.

Tecmo Super Bowl: A Super Nintendo
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...

 and Sega Mega Drive\Genesis version of Tecmo Super Bowl was released in 1993
1993 in video gaming
-Events:*March — In Sweden, the Swedish video game magazine Super PLAY starts. The original name is Super Power.*Midway Games embroiled in controversy for its game Mortal Kombat from 1992 when the game is launched for video game consoles in 1993....

, which fixed many bugs and added some new features. New features included: improved graphics and sound, NFL team logos were added to the endzones, user-controlled touchbacks, playbooks could be edited during the game, weather conditions (normal, rain, snow), and an automatic "dive play". Fifteen-minute quarters were made possible for preseason and Pro Bowl modes (albeit, still accelerated). The game also provided the ability to play three consecutive seasons (1991–1993).

Tecmo Super Bowl II: Special Edition: Released in 1994
1994 in video gaming
-Events:*Nintendo calls this year "1994: The Year of the Cartridge".*Nintendo Australia Pty. Ltd, the Australian subsidiary of Nintendo Co., Ltd is established and opened by Hiroshi Yamauchi and effectively ends Mattel Australia's distribution of Nintendo's products throughout Australia.*"Project...

 for the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis/Mega Drive. This game was a limited release. Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...

 magazine mentions that approximately 15,000 units were shipped to North America in its February 1995 issue (Issue #69). This was the first game in the series to depart from the true 2-D view and utilize an isometric
Isometric projection
Isometric projection is a method for visually representing three-dimensional objects in two dimensions in technical and engineering drawings...

 view.

Tecmo Super Bowl III: Final Edition: Released in 1995
1995 in video gaming
-Events:*May 11 – Introduction of trade magazine GameWeek *May 11-16 — The 1st annual Electronic Entertainment Expo is held in Los Angeles, California...

 for the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis/Mega Drive.

Tecmo Super Bowl: Released in 1996
1996 in video gaming
-Notable releases:*January 29 — Duke Nukem 3D, successor to the simple side-scrolling originals, and a genre-redefining title for first person shooters....

 for the PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...

.

Tecmo Bowl: Released in 2003
2003 in video gaming
-Events:*February 27 — Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts 6th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts Yu Suzuki of Sega to the AIAS Hall of Fame....

 for Mobile Phones/Devices. Basically a partial re-make of the NES version of Tecmo Bowl. The game only featured 4 teams, named only by city affiliation and no real players.

Tecmo Classic Arcade
Tecmo Classic Arcade
Tecmo Classic Arcade is a collection of classic Tecmo arcade games for the Microsoft Xbox. This collection was released on September 13, 2005 in the U.S. and October 27, 2005 in Japan. This game was published and developed by Tecmo...

: Released in 2005
2005 in video gaming
-Events:*March 6 — The television show 60 Minutes tackles issues within video game controversy. This segment of 60 Minutes has been criticized by video game players for encouraging video game censorship....

 for the Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...

. This game anthology had a port of the original Tecmo Bowl Arcade as its headline game.

Tecmo Bowl: Released in 2007
2007 in video gaming
-Events:*March 14: Microsoft announces Games for Windows - Live, a version of Xbox Live for the Windows platform. The service launched on May 8.*March 27: Microsoft announces the new "Xbox 360 Elite" stock-keeping unit . The revision comes with a bigger hard drive and the ability to output HDMI...

 for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...

 Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...

. A re-make of the original NES version of Tecmo Bowl. Due to Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...

' exclusive licensing rights with the NFL and NFLPA, Tecmo Bowl for the Wii was unable to legally use player names and likenesses that were originally represented in the 1989 game.

Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff
Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff
Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff is a video game, the Nintendo DS adaptation of Tecmo Super Bowl, developed by Polygon Magic and published by Tecmo. The game was released on November 18, 2008., and a Wii version has been announced, to be released in 2010.-Teams:...

: The Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...

 adaptation of the original video game developed and published by Tecmo and was released in the Fall of 2008
2008 in video gaming
Notable events of 2008 in video gaming. See also history of video games. The release dates listed in this article are the games' original release dates.-Events:...

. The game retains many of the same features and play style of the original games in the series, in particular the original Tecmo Super Bowl for the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis/Mega Drive. Due to Electronic Arts' exclusive licensing rights with the NFL and NFLPA, Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff was unable to legally use player names and likenesses or the real NFL teams. However, Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff does allow for some modification of the game, allowing players to create a somewhat accurate representation of the modern NFL teams and players. A team from Los Angeles replaces one of the New York teams.

Tecmo Bowl Throwback
Tecmo Bowl Throwback
Tecmo Bowl Throwback is a video game released by Tecmo for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade. The PlayStation 3 version was released via the PlayStation Network store on June 1, 2010...

: As of March 2, 2010 it was reported by the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....

 that a new, downloadable, version of Tecmo Bowl would be released on Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network. This game features an updated graphics engine and new features, including online play, but also has the option of playing the game in 16-bit Super Nintendo-style graphics. Due to Electronic Arts' exclusive licensing rights with the NFL and NFLPA, Tecmo Bowl: Throwback uses fictional teams and players. However, Tecmo Bowl: Throwback includes an editor to allow for some modification of the game, allowing players to create a somewhat accurate representation of the modern NFL teams and players. Among the default teams is one from Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

, replacing one of the New York teams. The game was released to Xbox Live Arcade in April, 2010.

External links


See also

  • Tecmo Bowl
    Tecmo Bowl
    is an arcade game developed and released in 1987 by Tecmo. While moderately successful in the arcades, the game became and remained widely popular and remembered when it was ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1989. The NES version was considered by many to be the first NES American...

  • Tecmo Super Bowl II: Special Edition
  • Tecmo Super Bowl III: Final Edition
  • Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff
    Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff
    Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff is a video game, the Nintendo DS adaptation of Tecmo Super Bowl, developed by Polygon Magic and published by Tecmo. The game was released on November 18, 2008., and a Wii version has been announced, to be released in 2010.-Teams:...

  • Tecmo Bowl Throwback
    Tecmo Bowl Throwback
    Tecmo Bowl Throwback is a video game released by Tecmo for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade. The PlayStation 3 version was released via the PlayStation Network store on June 1, 2010...

  • List of American football video games
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