Tecmo Bowl

The original arcade version is distinguished by a large two-monitor cabinet, support for up to four players, and the ability to break tackles. Only two fictional teams can be chosen: the Wildcats and the Bulldogs. Its 2D graphics are more advanced than the NES version, with a larger color palette and more detailed sprites.

The NES version allows two players to play rather than the arcade's four players. The player can choose between three modes: one-player, two-player, and coach. In one-player mode, the player picks a football team and plays against the computer. After every game that the player wins, it is given a password to continue their quest for the championship and the computer picks another team to play as, and the player stays with the original choice. In the two-player and coach modes, the player and another human will play one game but the players only choose the plays in the coach mode (which cannot be done in the arcade version).

In both versions, the playbook consists of only four offensive plays. When on defense, a player selects a play based on the anticipation of the offense's choice; if chosen correctly, it results in a collapse of the offensive line and well-covered receivers, therefore setting up either a potential sack or an interception.

Although featuring the names, rosters, and statistics of real National Football League (NFL) players from a mix of the 1987 and 1988 seasons, the gameplay limits how closely the video game players mimics real-life players. Unlike standard American football rules which have 11 players on each team, the arcade version only allows ten players on the field at a time and the NES version only allows nine for each. The offense tries to avoid the defense, and the defense tries to either avoid blockers, tackle the ball carrier, or intercept a pass.

Tecmo Bowl contains twelve teams, each equipped with four plays. Most teams have two running plays and two passing plays. The exceptions are San Francisco and Miami, who have three passing plays and one running play.

Tecmo was not able an obtain an NFL league license to use real team names, as that had been given to LJN's NFL video game for the NES.^[4] As a result, the teams in the game are identified solely by their home city or state, but through the NFLPA license, each roster mimics that of the NFL team based out of the same city or state. Tecmo Bowl only uses players from twelve of the best and most popular teams of the time.

The teams featured in the game are Indianapolis, Miami, Cleveland, Denver, Seattle, Los Angeles (Raiders), Washington, San Francisco, Dallas, New York (Giants), Chicago, and Minnesota.

Each team has a different level of effectiveness based on its personnel and play selection.

Two NES versions were released in the U.S. The first is identified by its black and gold seal of quality, Eric Dickerson as running back, and Albert Bentley as a kick returner for Indianapolis. The second is identified by its white and gold seal, Albert Bentley as running back, and Clarence Verdin as a kick returner. One year later, the Famicom version has many roster changes (from the same twelve teams available in the North American version) to reflect being released during the real 1990 NFL season.

According to Tecmo USA's Dimitri Criona, the game was a smash hit in American arcades and an even bigger hit for the Nintendo Entertainment System, becoming a cultural phenomenon in the United States.^[10] As of June 2007, the Tecmo Bowl series had sold 5 million units worldwide.^[11]

Sinclair User reviewed the arcade game in 1988, scoring it 8 out of 10. They called it a "superb" game that significantly improved on earlier American football games such as 10-Yard Fight (1983).^[12]

In the September 1997 issue of Nintendo Power, twelve staff members voted in a list for the top 100 games of all time,^[13] putting Tecmo Bowl at 30th place.^[14] Both GameSpot^[15] and Time have also listed Tecmo Bowl for the NES in their lists of all-time greatest video games.^[16] Time noted that the arcade-like controls and "quasi-realistic teams and players" made it a "breakout hit that's still fun to pick up and play to this very day".^[16] Game Informer placed the game 38th on its top 100 video games of all time in 2001.^[17]

Bo Jackson's character in Tecmo Bowl was called the "greatest video game athlete of all-time" by ESPN^[18] and USA Today.^[19] Some gamers claimed that Jackson's character could run for as many as 1,000 yards in a single game.^[18]

TechTimes noted that the game's character of Bo Jackson was "[a]bsolutely, positively—and absurdly—unstoppable", reflecting the real Jackson's extraordinary athletic abilities. Players considered using Jackson as effectively cheating within the game.^[20] Lawrence Taylor's character was used similarly on defense.

A documentary feature about the best Tecmo Bowl players in the world was shot in 2022 by CJ Wallis. The film takes place in Omaha, Nebraska where the National Championship takes place every year and features Super Bowl winning quarterback Jim McMahon and SEC host Cole Cubelic.^[21]

• Gridiron Fight (1985 arcade game) – American football game by Tehkan (before it was known as Tecmo), a precursor to Tecmo Bowl.
• NFL (video game) – contemporary NES game developed by Atlus, featuring real NFL teams but no real NFL players.
• Retro Bowl (2020 video game) – American football game developed by New Star Games, featuring gameplay and graphics directly inspired by Tecmo Bowl.

• Tecmo Bowl at the Killer List of Videogames
• Tecmo Bowl at MobyGames
• Retro Bowl College