Drink a Beer and Play a Game Present - Tecmo Bowl (NES) Game Review
38Drink a Beer and Play a Game Review - Tecmo Bowl for the NES
What's that? We're doing a game people have heard of? The hell is going on!?!?!
Released on the arcade in 1988 and later ported to the NES in 1989, the Tecmo Bowl series is one of the most loved of the NES. When people talk about their favorite sports games, this or it's younger brother are always mentioned. The arcade version was an interesting game for the time. It had a dual-screen cabinet and could support up to 4 players at one time. It was a hard game to find, and only featured two teams, neither which actually existed in the NFL. It was a pretty game, with a lot of detail being put into the player sprites and the crowd, which could be seen once a team scores. It wasn't the smoothest game, running somewhat slow and the controls, while easy, were a bit clunky.
The NES version is a different story. For one, it was the first game on the NES to be licensed by the NFLPA (NFL Player's Association), enabling it to feature real player names, and full rosters of real life teams. The teams were represented by the city, not by team name, because they lacked the license. The players in the game acted differently as to who you were, bringing a bit more realism to the game. Teams with good running attacks in real life had good running ability in game. Same goes for pass heavy teams, defense, etc. Not all of the NFL teams are represented here, just 12 of the most popular of the time.
Each team gets 4 plays, and except for two teams, gets two run plays and two pass plays. This may be annoying to football purists, since many other games of the time had more plays, but it keeps with the original arcade feel of the game. Running plays are your standard fare, and passing plays are easy to play out. During the course of the play, you can switch between one of two targets (normally the wideouts). Many people complain that interceptions are way too easy and too frequent in this game, but it wasn't THAT big a problem for us (especially after playing some other games).
The graphics are decent. The sprites resemble football players, but are definitely lacking detail. The team colors try to match their colors in real life, which is a nice touch. You also get the end crowd again when you score, though it is simplified. Also, you get some cool cutscenes when players score, and scenes for both halftime and the end of the game. The images are bright and colorful, and easily resemble the style you would find in similar Tecmo games like Ninja Gaiden.
When it comes down to it, this is a game that is just fun. It runs at a brisk, yet not too fast pace, keeping the action quick and exciting. The control is great, and really keeps the action flowing. It is also very intuitive, easily a game that you can pick up and play with even the slightest knowledge of football. The game is also original in some ways, especially in the way players can break tackles and the coach mode. Also, it is brimming with personality, which can be seen when players bounce off each other.
With or without drinking, this is a perfect party game. If you have buddies over, you can spend hours playing this game while killing off a case. It is easy enough to play that you can play and drink for hours. Also, there is no bad beer when i comes to this game, so drink up. It's a great game, and if you can get your hands on it then there is no reason not to. #TecmoBowl #Tecmo #NES
Subscribe to the Power Hour Podcast !!
iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/drink-a-beer-and-play-a-game/id1247300838?mt=2
Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/drink-a-beer-and-play-a-game
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6kPoL246e2OMXsdySNFXKX?si=p_P3o65MSrqC1rYG6AQ-Yw
Want to support the show? Check out our Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/drinkabeerandplayagame
BUY OUR MERCH!!
https://teespring.com/stores/drink-a-beer-and-play-a-game
**Designated Drivers **
- CyberSix
- NerdyNick_91 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnkxUWCquGnAjwCg_c0sj1A
Intro Theme:
Chipho Instrumental by RoccoW
Website: http://www.drinkabeerandplayagame.com/
Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkEXtBQymCMPmRdkLIzNCtA
Twitch: http://www.twitch.tv/drinkabeerandplayagame
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/DrinkABeerAndPlayAGame
Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/ABeerAndAGame
Instagram: http://instagram.com/drinkabeerandplayagame#
Google +: https://plus.google.com/b/114934858855667432202/+Drinkabeerandplayagameofficial/posts
Want to donate something for us to try or review? Send to:
DrinkABeerandPlayAGame
PO Box 11537
Philadelphia PA 19116
Other Videos By Drink a Beer and Play a Game
Other Statistics
Tecmo Bowl Statistics For Drink a Beer and Play a Game
At this time, Drink a Beer and Play a Game has 2,484 views for Tecmo Bowl spread across 1 video. Less than an hour worth of Tecmo Bowl videos were uploaded to his channel, making up less than 0.02% of the total overall content on Drink a Beer and Play a Game's YouTube channel.