Nine Man Football
This was by far the best game produced by the time of 1989, and remains on the list of rare games that are actually fun in 2-player mode. Tecmo Bowl was the first game to feature the NFL players, although they did not have the NFL liscense to use the team names, so instead of the 'Minnesota Vikings', you were just the 'Minnesota.' TB is the only game to my knowledge to feature Tony Dorsett, Walter Payton, Tommy Kramer, Danny White, Randy White, and many other football greats on its roster who were near the end of their careers. These players would later pop-up in the Madden series, however they were banished to the 'all-time greats' sections.
| | Tecmo Bowl | Graphics: 4
This game had great graphics at the time, the players were very large (considering there were only 9 of them on the field at a time), there was very little flickering (which was a problem for Nintendo games, especially at the time), and it had large colorful cutscenes after touchdowns or when you won important games. |
Playability: 10
This game is more simple than its predecessor, as you only have four plays to choose from and most passing patterns only feature three wide receivers. One thing that some people either view as annoying or an advantageous 'Tecmoism' is that when you throw to a covered wide receiver it is always intercepted. I view this as an advantage, as there is almost always at least one open wide receiver so what are you doing throwing to the covered one anyway? |
Fun Factor: 8
I would still be playing this game regularly if Tecmo Super Bowl hadn't come along, although this games' overwhelming simplicity makes it more compatible for two-player games as a complete novice can nearly master the game in twenty minutes and therefore gives it an advantage over its sequel which has enough in-depth options to allow seasoned players a more distinct advantage. They just don't make games like this anymore, and it should be a crime. |
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