As someone who once dreamed of becoming a professional athlete, I find the above trailer for Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff highly depressing, though I suppose it’s an interesting marketing tactic for the game. The trailer starts out by proclaiming, “You’re never going to throw like this, you’re never going to catch like this, and you’re never going to score the winning touchdown.” I think I might have cried if I had seen this at, say, age 6.
But then, of course, the trailer goes on to say “…until now!” In case you haven’t heard, Tecmo is bringing the football classic to the DS this fall, and they’re advertising it as an “adaptation” of the original Tecmo Super Bowl. The setup looks to have the gameplay on the DS’ touch screen (in a “press box” camera perspective, i.e., a horizontal field like the original game) with a scoreboard on the upper screen.
The game is going to have a new feature set to bring the series into the 21st century — namely, DS stylus controls, customizable teams and playbooks, a “more metal” soundtrack, a DS Wi-Fi Connection multiplayer mode, and special abilities with cut scenes to go along with them. Of course, you won’t see any NFL teams in the game due to EA’s exclusivity deal, but fear not — Tecmo’s got some hilariously awesome team names in the game, including the Los Angeles Supercocks and the Phoenix Horntoads.
Apparently, Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff plays very much like the original, so I’m sure many of you will, at the very least, be familiar enough with the gameplay to have fun. What do you guys think? Yay or nay on the “adaptation,” Dtoiders? The game’s official Web site is pretty sparse for now, but you can click on the main image to be taken to a standard description page. Check it out!
[Update: Tecmo also sent over the box art, but I — oh, forget it, you guys don’t care about an excuse. Suffice it to say that I’ve now attached it. -Samit]
