What Makes Tecmo Super Bowl Special?

In 1991, the video game Tecmo Super Bowl was released which was the follow up to the highly successful “Tecmo Bowl” that debuted four years earlier. Tecmo Super Bowl would go on to be considered one of the greatest sports video games ever made. In today’s video, we’ll take a look back at how this iconic video game came to be, and why it has remained so beloved after all these years.

Development

The company behind Tecmo Super Bowl, “Tecmo” was originally founded in 1967 under a different name, “Tehkan”. At that point in time, they primarily were a cleaning equipment supplier and also managed building maintenance. But in 1969, Tehkan began to sell amusement equipment for games, and by the early 1980’s, the company went all in on primarily creating video games. In 1986, Tehkan merged with its sister company “Tecmo” to become one video game corporation. Some notable games that Tecmo and Tehkan created were Ninja Gaiden, Tehkan World Cup, and Gridiron Fight (a predecessor to Tecmo Bowl). In 1987 the company released Tecmo Bowl for arcades, and later released it for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1989.

The game was quite successful, although not without some controversy. Indianapolis Colts running back Erik Dickerson actually sued Tecmo for using his name and likeness in the game. Tecmo Bowl had permission from the NFLPA to use players names and likeness, however Dickerson claimed that the NFLPA wasn’t paying him enough for his likeness. Which is odd because Erik Dickerson’s name was actually too long to fit in the game menu, so the developers just dropped the last three letters in “Dickerson”. Also, due to the limitations of the 8-bit graphics, all of the players virtually looked exactly the same other than the swapping out team colors. In any case, because of the lawsuit, Dickerson was dropped from future editions of the Tecmo Bowl series.

In the original game, Tecmo Bowl only featured 12 teams and generic team names. This was due to Tecmo being unable to secure an official license from the NFL, as they had an exclusive video game license with the LJN published title “NFL” at that time. Which was interesting because the LJN game did not have a license from the NFLPA, so that game only featured generic players. But, that would all change with the follow up game, “Tecmo Super Bowl ” which was released in December of 1991. Tecmo was able to get an official license from both the NFL and the NFLPA for the first time. With the correct licenses in place, Tecmo Super Bowl featured all 28 NFL teams, and rosters for the 1990-91 season even though the game was released during the ‘91-’92 season. Sorry Brett, because the rosters were from the 1990 season, none of the rookies such as your jean short wearing self, who were drafted in the 1991 NFL draft were featured in the game.

Gameplay

Tecmo Super Bowl featured many of the stars of the early 90’s NFL, such as Joe Montanta, Bo Jackson, Barry Sanders, Lawrence Taylor, and many more. But, there were three star quarterbacks, Jim Kelly of the Buffalo Bills, Berine Kosar of the Cleveland Browns, and Randell Cunningham of the Philadelphia Eagles who did not appear in the game. This was because those three quarterbacks hadn’t agreed to the NFLPA’s marketing contract, and therefore couldn’t be featured in the game. Instead, Jim Kelly is referred to as “QB Bills”, Kosar as “QB Browns” and Cunningham as “QB Eagles”. Tecmo Super Bowl improved on elements from the original game, like showing all eleven players per team rather than the nine players that the first game had. The game also expanded the first Tecmo Bowls’ playbook, going from only four plays to eight plays.

The restrictive playbook also contributed to an interesting quirk in the gameplay due to the technical limitations at the time. While playing against the game’s computer, a player could call up essentially the same successful play over and over again without the game’s computer catching on or being able to stop it. Especially if playing with a player like Bo Jackson, who was programmed to be virtually unstoppable in the game. When asked about Bo Jackson, the games’ creators Shin-ichiro Tomie and Akihiko Shimoji had this to say, “In the end, we struggled with how to calibrate his max speed. We wanted to show how “unstoppable” he was in the game. As an opponent, his speed is a terror. But in a way, that also adds a different element to the game—how to stop the unstoppable. Not just Bo Jackson, but there are so many unique players in the NFL, so it is very important to make each of their characteristics different and fitted to them.” Other changes were adding in-game injuries, and substituting in backup players in their place for the first time. Tecmo Super Bowl also introduced a save feature utilizing a password system. This allowed a player the ability to play through the entire 1991 season, including the playoffs and the Super Bowl. If a player decided not to play the season mode, they could also play in an exhibition game or even the Pro Bowl between the AFC and NFC teams.

Legacy

Nearly a year after the game’s initial release, Tecmo Super Bowl was the top seller on Babbage’s (now known as GameStop) NES charts for the fall of 1992. Also, at that time the average game for the NES sold for around $40, but Tecmo Super Bowl had a retail price of $54.99, making it the one of most expensive NES titles. The game was popular enough that in 1993 Tecmo decided to port the game over to Nintendo’s new gaming system the Super Nintendo. Along with updated rosters for the 1993 season, Tecmo added in updated features like randomized weather when playing in season, and the ability to select the weather in preseason mode (where it could be sunny, rainy, or snowing). The game also featured updated graphics and sounds, particularly with the on field logos for each team’s endzones, and much more as well. The success of Tecmo Super Bowl spawned two more sequels, Tecmo Super Bowl II: Special Edition (released in late 1994 in Japan), and Tecmo Super Bowl III: Final Edition (released in 1995). Both games had further improved features, and included updated rosters for the 1994 and 1995 seasons.

The game’s popularity would create a lasting legacy as future generations of football fans would go on to discover the game. Since the rise in popularity of video game emulators in 2000’s, Tecmo Super Bowl has the distinction of being one of the most modified NES games ever. There are many online forums and sites dedicated to creating updated versions of the classic game with modern day rosters, featuring today’s star players and expansion teams. There are also numerous annual tournaments and live streams for Tecmo Super Bowl competitions every year. There have been a few attempts to revive the series over the years, with Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff in 2008 for the Nintendo DS, and Tecmo Bowl Throwback released in 2010 for the XBOX 360 and PlayStation 3. However due to EA Sports obtaining the exclusive licensing rights from the NFL for their Madden NFL series, the newer Tecmo Bowl games lacked the ability to play as real teams or players.

What set Tecmo Super Bowl apart was its fast-paced gameplay, smooth controls, and innovative features for its time. Players could choose their favorite NFL team and guide them through a full season, competing in both regular and postseason games. The game’s simplicity and accessibility contributed to its widespread appeal, making it a favorite among gamers and sports fans alike. In 2011, Bleacher Report even ranked it number 4, on their list of greatest sports video games of all time. Tecmo Super Bowl has left a lasting impact, and as mentioned, its fan community remains active by holding yearly tournaments and creating updated versions of the game with current rosters. All of which showcases the enduring influence and nostalgia associated with this iconic sports video game.

So what did you guys think about the lasting legacy of Tecmo Super Bowl? Do you believe that it’s one of the greatest sports games ever? Where would you rank it? Let me know in the comments below!