Tecmo Bowl

Tecmo Bowl (series)

Year: 1989, 1991
Platform(s): Nintendo Entertainment System
Designer(s): S. Tomie
Developer: Tecmo
Publisher: Tecmo

"[T]he game’s beauty is in its simplicity. While today’s NFL and college football games require military level tactics in order to survive, Tecmo Bowl was all about execution. Forget the double reverse wide-receiver pass and the 3-4 zone blitzes; Tecmo Bowl had only four plays on either side of the ball to choose from. This kept the action moving and pressured you to find the open receiver or bust through the hole in the offensive line (or stop the other team from doing so, as the case may be). Like any sports game, Tecmo Bowl had its flaws due to its simplicity (high completion rate, for example) [but] it was just plain fun — and that’s what is truly important in a video game." - Racketboy

Recommended Titles:
Tecmo Bowl (1989) [Nintendo Entertainment System]
Tecmo Super Bowl (1991) [Nintendo Entertainment System]