FAQ

What is Tecmo Bowl?

A popular football game for the Nintendo Entertainment System (aka NES). It was one of the first football games for the NES and it was the first one to use authentic rosters from the National Football League. Tecmo Bowl still has a good following but the majority lean towards Tecmo Super Bowl for unknown reasons.

When was Tecmo Bowl released?

February, 1989.

What company made Tecmo Bowl?

Shockingly enough Tecmo.

How many versions of Tecmo Bowl are there?

There a lot of conflicting reports. The original version is labeled "USA" on the cart, and features Eric Dickeron at running back for Indianapolis and Albert Bentley doing the kick returning. This version can also be identified by all the copyrights being designated by TM. A second version was released with Dickerson replaced by Bentley at running back and Bentley replaced by Verdin at kick returner. This version uses the registered symbol (a R in a circle) instead of TM. This is labeled "USA-1." They are the only versions I have seen, but I've read and heard about other versions featuring totally different rosters released in Japan only. You can see the differences in the rosters here.

The rom for this mystery Japan version can be found at the bottom of this page. And I created a spreadsheet comparing the player skills in each version, which you can see by clicking here.Normal Tecmo players are in black, the bizarro Japan version players are in blue. Notably Bo Jackson is FASTER and STRONGER in this bizarro version, and the stats are based on real life 1989 totals.

Bo Jackson is FASTER and STRONGER? Are you f-*%!@# kidding me?

No, I'm not. Bizarro Bo Jackson is indeed faster and stronger then the standard USA version.

What year are the player stats from?

No year. They're all made up. Although I think player's real stats were used as a rough guideline to determine who the better players are in the game. Real-life 1989 stats are used in the 1990 Japan version.

Which Tecmo cartridge is more rare?

I'm not sure how rare the game is but I do know it is difficult to find in stores. I'm not sure what version (Dickerson/No Dickerson) is rarer either.

What teams are in Tecmo Bowl?

There are 12 teams:

Why did Tecmo choose those 12 teams?

The 12 teams represented in Tecmo Bowl aren't entirely from the 1987 play-offs. 8 of them are. (Seattle, Cleveland, Indy, Denver, Minnesota, San Francisco, Washington, and Chicago) The other 4 teams (New York, Dallas, Miami and Los Angeles) got included somehow, but I'm not sure why. Maybe New York because they won the Super Bowl in 1986, and Dallas because they are "America's Team" but those are wild and crazy theories. So really it's a mystery why it's these 12 teams as all 12 were never in the same play-offs together during the Tecmo development era, which I'm guessing is 1986 to 1988.

What gives with the weird symbols for teams?

Tecmo only bought the NFLPA license and not the NFL license so it could not use "real teams" but could use real players. This resulted in some good comedy like the Chicago Penguin Kings and the Minnesota Transformers.

How many players are on each team?

Nine of the teams have 21 players - (9 on offense, 9 on defense, and 3 special team players.) 

Three of the teams have only 20 as 1 player plays 2 positions, such as Los Angeles (Tim Brown both as wide receiver and kick returner). The 3 teams are Los Angeles, Washington and Minnesota.

What gives with only 9 players on each side of the ball?

Techincal answer: Probably because Nintendo didn't have enough memory and stuff to have that many things on the screen back in 1988. Real answer: It's better with only 9 players on each side of the ball.

What does a player's in-game stats/rating do?

Well officially, nothing. However the in-game ratings/stats correspond well to the player's actual "skills" which you can see here: Ratings Spreadsheet. Some players get the royal screwjob on their in-game stats compared to their skills, such as Tim Brown, Tony Dorsett, and Bo Jackson.

What do all these skill attributes (Max, Initial, Accel, Power, Special, Arm) mean and do?

All the attribute terms are explained in the glossary.

Who can run the fastest?

Bo Jackson has the highest maximum speed rating with a 11. He can run 10 yards in approximately 1.65 seconds. Close behind are Eric Dickerson, Walter Payton, Mike Gentry, and Gerald McNeil who all have a 10 max speed rating.

Who is the best player in Tecmo Bowl?

Lawrence Taylor.

Who is the best player at each position?

My picks are here: All-Tecmo Team.

Who has the best in-game stats?

LT has the higest number of sacks with 21. Montana has the most TDs with 31. Payton has the most rushing yards with 1852. Jerry Rice has the most receptions with 95. Ronnie Lott has the most interceptions with 10.

What team is the best?

Under our rules the best team is the New York Giants. In an "anything goes" game I think Chicago might be the best. It all depends on what rules you use so it's debatable.

What team is the worst?

Minnesota, Washington, and Dallas are all about equally bad.

What is wrong with Minnesota and Washington?

Basically the same thing that is wrong with LA. Washington and Minnesota are done because one day a long, long, time ago a man called Lucifer created a thing called “WR Reverse.” This terrible play essentially makes it so you do not get blocked on either run and thus are free to call pass just like against LA. There is less outrage about this situation though since no one likes Washington or Minnesota. Look it up, it’s a fact. Against Minnesota you be a bottom safety to stop them and against Washington you use a TOLB or sometimes a RE.

What's up with LA?

There was a gimmick found out about LA, a way to stop them through a flaw. Before this LA was the most powerful offensive team in the game, now they are reduced to nothing. The gimmick is if you are a TOLB then you do not have to call the Bo Jackson play and you will not get blocked on either run. Thus you can stop both running plays without ever having to call run, that’s the kind of power God feels when he doesn't have to call run. This leaves you free to call nothing but pass. Therefore LA cannot A) pass, because you have it called or B) run because no one blocks your guy. That is what is up with LA.

Why are some of the player's skin colours wrong?

I don't know. Fredd Young is white in the game but a black guy in real life, as is Albert Bentley. (Bentley was switched to black in the version with him at running back.) There are several more examples.

Why is the punt coverage so amazing in Tecmo?

I don't know. I guess because Tecmo knew getting beat by a punt return would probably cause a lot of bodily harm to somebody, so they juiced the punt return coverage wisely. I've never seen a punt return for a touchdown, but Brad of the Fort Dodge league tells me he has gotten one against the computer thanks to the right circumstances (fast kick returner, team backed up inside their 5 and a short punt) so it is possible.

What's the point of Coach Mode?

When loading up Tecmo, you can choose to start a 1 or 2 player game. Another curious selection is the Coach Mode choice, which lets you pick the two teams and let the CPU duke it out as you select the plays they run.

What are the most important positions for offense and defense?

It depends. I'd say running back for offense, and right end or top outside linebacker for defense.

How do you win a 1-Player game?

Beat all the teams. The computer gets progressively better as you play, but still can be beat easily as it is very stupid.

Why do you like Tecmo Bowl so much?

1) It's the best game ever and 2) It's Tecmo Bowl.

Could I beat anyone of you in a game of Tecmo Bowl?

To quote Darryl Strawberry: “Are you better than me?” “Well I have never seen you play, but - yes”

Are there secret codes?

Other then GameGenie stuff I don't think so. You can read the passwords to play in the Tecmo Bowl here though: Tecmo Bowl Passwords.

What Tecmo Bowl players are in the NFL Hall of Fame?

You can see the list of HOFers on the miscellaneous page. Other lists of this sort (active players, Heisman winners, coaches, the '83 draft class, etc.) are there as well.

What are the different rules people play by?

Well there are our great rules and there are others. "Anything goes" can be used, or cominations of things. Like no blocking field goals, throwing on cuts on 4th down etc. You can see the rules the Fort Dodge league uses here.

Why do you have these rules?

Because it's makes the game more playable and more enjoyable. We know what we're doing.

Why do field goal attempts go further for Player 1?

Well Player 1 is the powerful home team. And the flags below the scoreboard indicate the wind going left to right. Other then that I have no idea.

I have heard rumours of diving being awesome, is diving awesome?

No. We've tested these rumors and found that diving is what we thought is was, a desperation move to save a big play from happening against you. Some swear by diving as a strategy, but we just don't see it.

Why do people have such a big hard-on for Tecmo Super Bowl?

I don't know. Keeping stats is pretty cool and the other options are pretty extensive but the gameplay is too random for our tastes. Things we don't like about Tecmo Super Bowl:

1) Passes landing is based on a random number generator, so you could hit a wide-open WR in the end zone and he drops it. In Tecmo, a wide open guy catches the ball every time. 

2) Offence runs rampant. When you are on defense you basically A) charge the QB and hope he isn’t paying attention or B) run around and hope the pass comes close enough to you that your guy deflects it, and you don’t even know if you are going to get blocked on run or not. 

3) You try being up by 4 with time running out in the game and you pick a running play and your RB fumbles in your own end and you end up giving up a game-winning touchdown. Not good times.

Why do morons have a hard time distinguishing between Tecmo Bowl and Tecmo Super Bowl, especially when building a site?

God put those people on earth specifically to build web sites about Tecmo Super Bowl only to call it Tecmo Bowl just to get your hopes up when you are searching the web that there might actually be another Tecmo Bowl site out there. I've complied some Tecmo Bowl links which you can find on the links page. if you're feeling adventurous.

This didn't answer my questions at all, how can I find out what I want to know?

Check out the contact info page and feel free to send an e-mail.