Tecmo Bowl To Evolve With ‘Throwback’

If you check out my list of games that I’ve played, you’ll be hard pressed to find any sports titles on there. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy most sports & their gaming counterparts, although I may not be as much of a fan as your average male. It’s just been a combination of a lot of really good games in other genres & my total irritation at the thought that, in order to stay current, I would have to buy a new title each year. It’s even more of an issue this generation when online connectivity & downloadable content is the standard. Why make me pay $60 a year just to get some minor tweeks that in most cases could be addressed via a patch? What happened to the good old days where there was no squabbling over player’s organization licensing, team licensing, or annual changes? Hmmmm….last time I remember it being like that was during the Tecmo Bowl era (that includes both the NES original & Tecmo Super Bowl on the SNES). Apparently Tecmo understands this issue & proposes a fix: Bring the Tecmo Bowl franchise back!

I know, I know, Tecmo has tried this magic resurrection act before. We’ve seen the original return from the grave all over the place. Unfortunately, it hasn’t aged well. We’ve also seen an updated DS version, dubbed Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff, hit retail shelves with mixed results. This time around through, the team at Southend Interactive has been tasked with taking Tecmo Super Bowl & revamping it for the current generation of pigskin players. Setting it’s sights on a digital distribution end zone (i.e. XBLA & the Playstation Network), Throwback will support Online Multiplayer, Leaderboards, & Customizable Teams & Rosters. Plus, you can play it in either a classic 2D style or with a more current 3D pallet. Throw in the classic 3 game mode from the original (Preseason, Season or Pro Bowl) & you have a retro football party in the making. Considering how disappointing the original feels these days, I have high hopes that this modernization make-over will be just what the franchise needs. Can Tecmo Bowl Throwback bring me back to the sports genre? With a planned Spring 2010 launch, it looks like we won’t have to wait too long to find out!

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