Dave’s Football Blog

Brian Cook, one of my many cohorts at the NFL FanHouse, shares a report from IGN which reveals that Tecmo Inc. is reviving the Tecmo Bowl franchise.

Clearly, all you 30-somethings who grew up playing Tecmo Super Bowl on the NES will read this and discover an instant cure for dry mouth. Sadly, I have to be the one who pops your bubble. This version of Tecmo Bowl won’t have NFL players like those old NES and SNES versions. EA Sports has exclusive rights to the NFL and NFLPA licenses through 2009.

Granted, the new Tecmo Bowl could still be a better game than, say, Arena Football: Road to Glory, but without the ability to run Bo Jackson 800 yards for a touchdown, gamers aren’t going to take a shine to this like they did Tecmo Super Bowl. Playing as fake franchises with rosters full of names you don’t know just isn’t the same as playing as your Sunday afternoon heroes. That’s what helped to make Tecmo Bowl so beloved in the first place.

I wish ‘em luck, but unless EA grants Tecmo a sub-license — which is somewhat less likely than the Pittsburgh Steelers trading Ben Roethlisberger — the new Tecmo Bowl just won’t have the same allure as the classic.

I hope the NFL doesn’t let EA keep those exclusive rights beyond this deal. Lack of competition is going to stifle Madden in the long run.

UPDATE (5/17): Our pal MJD has a fantastic take on the return of Tecmo Bowl. He uses the phrase, “Mariah Carey’s naughty pillows.” It’s awesome. Go read it.