9.9

OVERALL: This is my first ever review, so bear with me. I decided to make it easy for myself, as Tecmo Super Bowl is not just my favorite game for the NES...but my favorite game EVER! That's right...my favorite game of all-time is a game for the NES. It is the greatest game ever created! I know that we're already halfway through the year 2013 and the game is 22 years old, but that doesn't matter. No game out there has eclipsed the greatness of this game, whether its the Madden franchise, the NFL2K games, or any game whatsoever. This game is just way too original, way too good, and most importantly way too fun. You can't expect any game to be absolutely perfect, so I gave it a 9.9. Its one of the most simple sport games to play, but you can't expect a game made in the early 90s to have similar controls to the games made today.GRAPHICS: Lets face it...this game was made in the early 90s. So the first thing you'll actually notice about the game is the graphics. Of course they're not going to blow you away, but they won't make you run and hide under a table, or something. I guess what I'm trying to say is the graphics weren't all that great, but they weren't bad either. In which part, I'll give the graphics a healthy 7. Every time you go to a different menu, the color doesn't really change that much. It makes it pretty bland and boring but once you start a game, its all good. Each team's logo looks almost exactly like the actual team logo, nicely detailed and everything. The team's jerseys each have two colors to them, which would be the actual team's colors...duh. There is nothing that jumps out at you about that, but its not like you'll be able to tell the players apart from each other. After a good play is made, whether its a touchdown, a field goal, a sack, or a safety, a little cut scene will play and you'll feel good about yourself. During the halftime scene, you'll get a picture of what the stadium looks like (which looks the same every time) and cheerleaders will cheer and other stuff will happen. Like I said earlier, the graphics...not that good, not that bad.SOUND: As you're playing Tecmo Super Bowl, you'll hear a variety of noises. Yes...that's what we video game fanatics like to call "the sound," and its fairly basic. Just like the graphics, the music in this game is nothing like the music in games today. However, it won't make you smash your speakers in. When you start the game, you'll hear a little tune that plays up to the point to where you actually start playing the game, and then the crowd will cheer, and other things. Once you kickoff, you'll start to hear the real sounds of football. Right before each snap, the quarterback will yell "hut, hut, hut" until you hike the ball. Then the offensive and defensive lineman will grapple with one another. If you get a first down, some bright-sounding music will play, signifying you've done something good. When an interception is made, the music flips quickly, and whatever happens, happens. As you play through the regular season into the postseason (playoffs), the music changes and makes the atmosphere more nerve-racking. Personally, I think the music sounds cooler in the playoffs. In short, sound gets a 9.ADDICTIVENESS: Addictiveness gets a quick 10 from me. Its a no-brainer. I've been playing this game for almost 20 years, and I still play it just as much as when I started, and I will play it until I die. The hacks that have been created with this game, with up-to-date players and teams, make it even more addicting. For the ultimate experience, play with your friends and play with multiple teams when playing a season.STORY: Like any football game, there really is no "story" so I gave it a 5 because no aspect of this game deserves to get anything lower than a 5 on a scale to 10. You play 16 games in a season, the top 8 teams from each conference make the playoffs every year, then each conference winner play each other in the Super Bowl. The next year, it starts all over again. There's your story.DEPTH: Compared to the "other game" simply titled Tecmo Bowl, Tecmo SUPER Bowl added many features to the game. They added all 28 NFL teams (now 32) by adding the NFL team license. This allowed them to use team names and colors and the actual NFL schedule from the 1991 season. As I said earlier, players could take control of multiple teams but they also could skip any game they're not interested in, or let the computer play out the season for them. The Pro Bowl option was also added which allowed users to fill out the All-Star rosters with any player they chose, and have them play the actual All-Star game...the Pro Bowl. The playbooks are expanded from 4 plays to 8 plays, and players could customize their playbook to better fit their play style and strengths. If the defense picks the same play as the offense, the defense will enter a "jailbreak mode" which will more than likely cause the offensive team to lose yardage or turn the ball over. Additional features include player substitutions, conditions of players, fumbles, and injuries. The kicking game is even modified! By putting very little force behind a kickoff, you will have triggered an "onside kick" which is a quick attempt to steal the ball from the other team. But players do not control the distance of an extra point or field goal attempt, but rather an arrow moves back and forth to determine the direction of the kick. Depth, in my perception, receives a 9.DIFFICULTY: I gave difficulty an 8. If you've played this game as much as I have, than you'll realize there is no "challenging" aspect to it. The game is fairly simple, but some games throughout the season can randomly turn hard. If you're undefeated, like 12-0 or something, you'll come across an average team that will ride you the whole game and end up defeated you. It happens. Sure its frustrating, but in the end it gives the game a more challenging feel. Especially when you're even later into the season, like Week 15 or 16, and you're up against somebody like Barry Sanders, Thurman Thomas, or dare I say Bo Jackson (can't get through a Tecmo Super Bowl review without mentioning his name)...once they get past your defense, they're gone. You can't even come close to catching them. If you want a REAL challenge from this game, try playing a season with the New England Patriots, and try winning a Super Bowl with them. Its next to impossible!In conclusion, Tecmo Super Bowl is very easily the greatest football game...no...the greatest GAME ever made! And I'm sure I'm not the only one that thinks so. I hope you find it in your heart to go out and find this gem of a game as soon as humanly possible. The characteristics of the game as I described them aren't nearly overpowering, but the gameplay is just so fun and fantastic and it will keep you coming back for more.

9

9.5