Deep within your Tecmo Super Bowl cartridge a jittery, undersized guard is twitching for a head start. Across from him, a mammoth Nose Tackle is trying to time the snap count. Only a few missing bytes of code prevent them from committing penalties.
What if intercepting a Grogan lob meant timing your jump to avoid pass interference? What if making too much popcorn with LT earned an unsportsmanlike conduct flag? Lorenzo White’s fumbleitis is bad enough, can you imagine if Ron Solt’s constant false starts kept the ball from QB Eagles? It almost happened. Much like injury and fumbles, Tecmo programmers intended to include penalties in TSB.
How do we know Tecmo programmers wanted to include penalties? Because screens for Offside and False Start exist in TSB‘s code. Although there’s no code to let the yellow hankies fly, entering Game Genie code PTXEPAAE1 will show a glimpse of what our jittery lineman’s false start would have looked like:
Likewise, Game Genie code ZTXEPAAE shows the screen for offside(s):
Compared to the Touchdown screen below, these unused penalty screens look downright primitive. Tecmo’s in-game cut scenes feature animated graphics and colorful backgrounds. The penalty screens, on the other hand, are just flashing text and a weird box thing. This strongly suggests the penalty screens are placeholders, axed from development before Tecmo’s art department finalized cut-scene graphics.
Autograph? Eff off, kid.
Even penalty screens’ primitive design give some clues as to how penalties were supposed to look in Tecmo Super Bowl. The strange blue and grey box near center looks like glitched graphics. However, if we compare that box to another TSB art asset, we can see it is no glitch.
Boom. TSB programmers wanted to flash the offending dummy’s mugshot on the penalty screens. Given all the blank space beside the would-be photo, it’s probably fair to say the player’s name would be displayed as well. Every time TSB‘s worst defensive lineman jumped early, Tecmo wanted this screen to burn your eyes:
These screens aren’t the only traces of penalties in TSB. Pressing Left+B at the start screen brings up the sound test screen2. Sound number 32 plays a sad-sounding loop unused anywhere else in TSB. Though it’s pure conjecture, it’s possible sound 32 was meant to accompany Ron Solt’s constant false starts. Adding Track 32 to TSB’s unused penalty screen gives an approximation of what Tecmo programmers initially intended:
We say, “initially intended,” because we know penalties were dropped before TSB’s art style was finalized. Other TSB graphics suggest, even if the penalties were scrapped early, programmers gave at least some thought to their final look.
It’s common practice for NES games to re-use graphics to save space. For example, bushes and clouds in Super Mario Brothers are the same. In TSB, after missed field goals and some incomplete passes, the ref appears to rub failure in your dumb face. His “no good,” signal includes a frame of hands on hips. Hands to hips, of course, is the signal for offsides. Considering programmers re-use graphics wherever possible, its a fair hypothesis to say the art department intentionally drew “no good” to be doubled for “offsides.”
If that is indeed the case, Tecmo may have eventually replaced the penalty placeholder screens with something like this:
However they were intended to look, the presence of penalty screens in Tecmo Super Bowl raises an interesting question. How, exactly, would a player jump offsides? How would an o-lineman false start? Would offsides and false start be random events3 like fumbles and injuries? The fact only offsides and false start exist suggests a much more radical hypothesis. What if Tecmo had intended to allow pre-snap player movement? The fact that the only existing penalties involve moving pre-snap suggests Tecmo programmers initially envisioned a more Madden-esque game.
Can you imagine? Timing your opponent’s snap count with LT and getting into the backfield at full speed? People would get flat-out killed. And then we’d definitely need that unnecessary roughness penalty.
NOTES: 1 The Game Genie operates by adjusting the NES’s running memory. Our codes change the value at address 0x08029, forcing the game to load penalty screens instead of the opening cinematic. Pressing start at any time will bring up the title screen, after which the game can be played as normal. 2 A popular feature in Tecmo games, similar sound tests can be found in the Ninja Gaiden series, Fire n’ Ice, and others. 3 This isn’t to say fumbles and injuries are random. Both are occur based on specific stats, ball control and physical condition, respectively. The stats then plug into a random number generator (think a dice roll) which determines when the fumble/torn MCL occur.
In this article, you will learn more about the basics of running in Tecmo Super Bowl. We would be using a R and S playbook to show our examples just like in the previous articles. You will learn more about the versatility and flexibility of this specific playbook. As you read on, I’ll also be explaining why certain plays are chosen and why others are not.
Running Basics
In Tecmo Super Bowl, winning a game requires you to use several run plays to beat your opponent. But in order to implement more complex and sophisticated plays, you must first learn the basics of running.
Let’s start and discuss the basics of running in Tecmo Super Bowl.
We see the lineup that I chose earlier at the image below.
In the previous article, I showed you a video when I was playing against Pittsburg. The running offense in this set focuses on discouraging the use of DB1 and LB1 (which happen to be the two best players on Pittsburg defense). In the first two running plays, I sent two blockers to crush LB1. At the same time, the top WR follows around Woodson. Let’s not forget the sweep also affects players on the opposite side of the field. Finally, the QB sneak is very effective against cornerbacks and the first three linebackers.
You can run it both as designed down or up. It is also very useful in the redzone if you need 4-6 yards.
Note: Most people would assume that you’re running it if you need a yard but if you need fiver and they have been a LB2 all game, they will be left wide open for you.
Use this playbook against most teams
This playbook is very effective against most teams such as Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Pittsburg, GB, SD, Wash, Dal, KC and other corner back/ LB1 strong teams. But if you’re against teams that have a strong safety such as Chi, Cin, Det, NYJ and SF, this may not be a good playbook to use. All teams have different strengths and weaknesses; some even have unique players on their team ;ike Hou with a great DB1 and a tough LB4. It all depends on how good the player is, most of the time.
Against a team that has a strong safety
If you’re playing with a team that has a strong safety, I suggest chaining the second run to one of these plays.
The T power dive
If you are looking for a play that works well all around, then the T power dive is for you! In most games, you’d find this play to work pretty well. Perfect for beginners! But of course there are other plays that are stronger in different situations.
Note: If you can tap good, weakside open would work great for you. Oneback sweep is also a good option for you if you are a good tapper.
Most running plays in Tecmo Super Bowl do not have many lead blockers. Instead, most of the action happens at the line of scrimmage at the snap. If you’re not a great tapper then you need deception, a human mistake or a blocker to be more effective in running.
Picking a 4th Linebacker
When picking runs, it is also important to recognize a great 4th Linebacker. Here are some players that work great as a 4th Linebacker:
Greene on the rams
Childress on Hou
Fletcher (Den)
Bennett (Buf)
Haley (SF)
Banks on the Giants
Running a T power dive might be impossible against them. In fact, any up the middle run or a play action might get blown up at the snap.
Instead, a great strategy would be to use Weakside open and the LB 4 will be blocked naturally. He might not even pick the LB 4. But if he does, simply run the ball away from the LB 4. With this strategy, he would have out-tapped the defender by the time you get down there.
Running the ball
In Tecmo Super Bowl, running the ball requires great skill. When running the ball, the trick is to avoid the human defender at all costs. In the worst case scenario when you cannot escape you will be left with two options:
Go out-of-bounds
Get as close to the sidelines as possible
Doing these will definitely reduce the chances of a fumble. In Tecmo Super Bowl, play is similar to hockey which means that the defenders are all behind you. In order to score, you must practice and master a few basic jukes since running straight would make your opponent catch you easily. But if you zig zag too much, human players would easily be able to predict your movement.
We’ll make it easy and pick out a nice 50 MS running back. You should progressively work your way back down until you can fool AI players with as low as a 31 MS back. You may ask me, “Why 31 MS?” Well, because New England’s fastest back is 31 MS and Tecmo Super Bowl’s lowest MS rating for a player is 31.
Let’s go with the Wash against Dal. As you master this technique, every play should be a TD with only a small amount of zig zags. As you practice, you can make player two coach and pick one of the other runs. This will make it even tougher for you.
Watch the video below to watch proper running plays in action. Do you think this guide has been helpful in teaching you running basics in Tecmo Super Bowl? Share us your thoughts and we’ll be happy to hear them.
It’s easy for younger Packers fans to disassociate from just how brutal the 70s and 80s were for the NFL’s only publicly owned franchise. During these decades of darkness, visions of Ice Bowl glory shifted to taunting lore as the proud “frozen tundra” metaphor was turned on its head, making the struggling Green Bay a Siberian wasteland where careers went to perish. A 10-win 1989 season came like a balm from the spirit of Lombardi, despite the Packers getting crowded out of the post-season in a highly competitive NFC playoff race. There were few offensive tandems that year as electric as Majkowski to Sharpe, and few sack masters on defense as ferocious as Tim Harris. Then in the 1990 draft, Tony Bennet and two future Pro Bowlers gave the the Packers a healthy glow of youth on a defense that promised good things to come.
However, the 1990 Packers of Tecmo Super Bowl accurately embody a team that fell flat after a single season of promise. Hopes were alive when three straight mid-season wins brought them to 6-5, but dropping their final five contests sealed the identity of another Packers “gory” year. While Tecmo’s Sterling Sharpe remains a wide receiver with top ten skills, Don Majkowski lacks a supporting cast of note to elevate his own middle-of-the-road attributes. Tim Harris offers some star power on defense, but is not nearly the dominant force of his 19.5 sack campaign in his previous Pro Bowl year. While gaining invaluable experience in supporting roles during the 1990 season, the Packers’ young talent appear are left out behind a linebacker and secondary corps manned by stiff-jointed veterans.
But such is the stuff that sleepers are made of. Because in Tecmo, working to the strengths of a single star on an otherwise ungifted offense can quickly bring your equally matched opponent from feelings of overconfidence to helplessness. Don’t be misled: it’s never an easy task to lead a weak Tecmo team to victory, even when playing a team in your tier group. There’s just too much that can go wrong. But that is why we play Tecmo: the outcome is never guaranteed until each gamer has had his say. For the power of a sleeper lies in orchestrating the unexpected.
Offense
Line-up — With just a couple more productive seasons, Sterling Sharpe would today find himself in an NFL Hall of Fame that is already chock full of wide receivers. During his neck injury-shortened career of seven seasons (in which he never missed a start), Sharpe was a Pro Bowler five times. He led the league in receptions three times and receiving touchdowns twice. It stands to reason that he sticks out like a sore thumb on this way below average Tecmo Packers squad. The game equips Sharpe with a 50 MS (max speed) and 75 REC (reception ability) that mirror those of Stephone Paige, the Chiefs receiver who often goes unnoticed on a run-first offense featuring human anomaly Christian Okoye. As another point of reference, on the receiver totem pole Sharpe ranks just below Gary Clark, the rising Super Bowl Champion Redskin’s best wide-out, and just above Curtis Duncan, the freakish Oiler’s number four receiver. While Don Majkowski is no bumbling fool of a quarterback, it’s accurate to say that Sharpe often makes him look better than he actually is. Still, if the quarterback position weren’t so rediculously central to success in Tecmo, this Packers offense would be eight parts Sharpe and only one part Majkowski.
That one other part would belong to running back Keith Woodside. While his 44 MS isn’t what one would call pathetic, there are four teams with a rusher other than their feature back who is faster than Woodside, while back-ups from four other teams match him stride for stride (the Rams and 49ers have three backs at 44+ MS apiece). But the running game is paramount in Tecmo, even for poor rushing teams, if for any other reason than to set up the pass. And as should be abundantly clear by now, the Packers are all about the pass. Woodside’s 38 REC doesn’t help his bid for balls thrown his way on an offense whose supporting trio of receivers bear a 50 MS each. Trust me: during a live tournament game I’ve made the mistake of flipping to Woodside on a blitzed pass, only to have it picked off by a Saints linebacker at my own five yard-line. I ended up winning the match in over-time, however, so I’ve been able to show restraint from knighting the unexceptional Packers back with the monicer “Dead Wood.”
Notes from the Gamers — If all goes according to plan, campaigning with the Packers can look like Kamp’s victory over Laztlain in this “Tecmo Tournament League XII” video [below]. Kamp opens by kicking to Laztlain, and it’s actually the latter who gets on the board first with a deep completion to Kane followed by a few good runs. Kamp responds with his own epic bomb to Sterling who has been neglected by the Seahawks’ secondary AI. A hot route dump off plus two runs later and the score is knotted up. Kamp’s defense afllows another heave to Kane, who’s not quick enough to gain paydirt, leading to Harris’ block of Norm Johnson’s field goal attempt (utilizing the LB1 maneuver that isn’t legal in some competitive scenarios). With three minutes left in the second quarter, Kamp now has the perfect amount of time to orchestrate a ten play, four first down drive to essentially end out the half.
After the half, momentum is unquestionably in Kamp’s favor as he gets the ball back already up a score. He can allow his receivers to spread the field while Majkowski nibbles up enough yards with his feet to move the chains several times. Laztlain, primarily manning speedy defensive end Jacob Green, has too much to contend with in keeping an eye on open receivers and trying to help on Sharpe as well. This is the exact scenario that works in Kamp’s favor, and after his third straight TD drive, there’s not a whole lot Laztlain can do at that point to get back in the game. Some teams — and the Seahawks are definitely one of them — are just not equipped to come back from a two-score deficate with little over a quarter to play.
You could contend that a couple lucky things went Kamp’s way in this game that propelled him to victory, such as getting the field goal block and sneaking in a touchdown before half, both which significantly shifted the complexion of the game. But Kamp does a couple other impressive things that shows he knows what he’s doing and that he is in fact guiding the odds toward his favor. I wouldn’t call the opening bomb to Sharpe anything out of the ordinary, because that’s a pretty standard mode of Tecmoers operation the Packers. Sharpe’s second touchdown to close out the half, however, was a perfectly timed route whereby Kamp needed to throw into an exact window that left Sharpe open, but didn’t allow Majik to throw past the endzone. On his third drive, Kamp again shows route awareness by threading the needle to an unspeedy Haddix, who is on a lower screen go-route from the tight end position. Haddix getting past the secondary, you say? That’s what you call user awareness.
The other tecnique Kamp uses to his advantage is in the running game. On both of his first half drives, Kamp exectues a T Power Sweep with a twist, one with each Woodside and Haddix. In either case Kamp benefits from having his rusher in the sphere of a lineman who comes to the aid of the Packers running back when he is grappled with a Seahawks defender. In either case Laztlain’s avatar gets popped out the play, allowing Woodside and Haddix to rumble for a drive sustaining first down. Now in addition to figuring out a way to make a comeback, Latzlain has an unexpected wrinkle to ponder in the back of his mind, “how do I stop that damn T power sweep?” Anytime you can dish out that kind of distraction to your opponent it’s a major plus
Common Opponent Game Plans —
vs Patriots playbook
Patriots— The Patriots have a slightly better defense than the Packers, not that this is saying much. A slower-than-Harris Andre Tippit leads the linebacker corps from the LB1 position. Like the Packers’ Nelson, defensive end Ray. Agnew brings D-line speed that is helpful in preventing third-and-long conversions. What the Patriots have that the Packers don’t is an esteemed defensive back in Ronnie Lipppett, whose no-joke 63 INT is worth a leaping pick-off if Majik Man forces the envelope. However, the Patriots are easily schemed against using a standard R&S playbook designed to account for a CB/LB1 defense. Sharpe can be interchanged between the WR1 and WR2 positions: the first option forces a manned Lippett to cover the whole field, while the second makes a 31 INT Rod McSwain putty in the hands of Sharpe if Lippett doesn’t do his free safety a solid and offer double coverage.
vs Saints playbook
Saints— The Saints defense is in a distinctly higher class than the lowly Packers ‘D’, but thanks to the countering magic of Sharpe, overall these teams form an even and interesting match-up. Forming the top half of the linebacker corps, Pat Swilling and Vaughan Johson’s identically respectable attributes suggest they could be brothers. Defensive end Renaldo Turnbell and nose tackle Jim Wilks differ on just one tick of HP, but they both bring a three-tick advantage when grappling the Packers’ Rich Moran and James Campen, respectively. While this disparity won’t automatically cause issues for Majkowski’s bubble, it’s certainly in the realm of possibilities given the malleability of Tecmo conditions from quarter to quarter. And if P Swill or VJ start pulling stunts up front, Majik may have no choice other than a shuttle pass to Dead Wood, er, Woodside. A man opponent will likely make occasional use of second cornerback Robert Massey’s 50 MS / 56 INT in efforts to contain Sterling’s ever-present deep threat. Given the Saints’ wide variety of talent, a balanced run/pass offense attack is your best choice against the them.
vs Falcons playbook
Falcons— At first one might think the Packers are mismatched when up against the Falcons, a team whose offense pairs running back Mike Rozier’s 50 MS with a top-five wide receiver in Andre Rison. But even with Deion Sanders’ every-down coverage capability, the Falcons ‘D’ is otherwise so lethargic that the Packers hold their own attacking advantage. There are running plays aplenty which are built to render your opponent’s upper cornerback ineffective. If Woodside is able to take advantage of these plays for some early first downs, you just might find your opponent reluctantly manning one the of Falcons’ flat-footed safeties, allowing Sharpe to claim the night. A playbook with some anamolies offers Sharpe play-making opportunities from either wide-out position while giving Deion constant confusion on defense.
Defense
Line-up — The Packers defense has double the number of stars as their offense: that is to say, two. Tim Harris boasts a 50 RP (speed acceleration) and 56 MS, both which rank as excellent for linebackers. His raw ability is on par with John Offerdahl (less speed, higher INT than Harris) of the Dolphins and Carl Banks (less speed, higher HP) of the Giants. However, unlike Offerdahl who as an MLB is well-positioned to cover the center of the field or occassionally blitz past the guards, Harris lines up high and outside at the LB1 position. And while Banks can blow plays up the middle with his reasonable speed and hella muscles, Harris is easily gameplanned against. The Packers’ other defensive star is one Bob Nelson, a nose tackle whose programmer-mistake 69 RP makes him a top-five lineman and, by extension, the best Packer Backer on paper. As a nose tackle, Nelson has the misfortune of being an unplayable position in certain live tournaments, making his sprinting powers an inevitable waste in the hands of the AI. However, If one is allowed to man Nelson then he is an excellent choice on passing downs, since he in essence can become a nickel back. He is uniquely gifted in his ability to chase after runs to the outside, much moreso than our friend Harris. Rely on him too much, however, and your opponent will quickly take advantage of a line of scrimmage you have left abandoned.
Every Tecmo defense has its share of curious roster omissions, and the Green Bay Packers are no different. While Tony Bennett was primed for consecutive 13-sack season in 91-2, he wasn’t yet a starter in ’90 and therefore does not appear in the game. Ditto with future pro bowl linebacker Bryce Paup, a 1990 rookie who would earn 7.5 force three fumbles in 1991 despite not starting until the final year. Another 1990 rookie, eventual four-time Pro Bowler LeRoy Butler, had the kind of hands, speed and smarts the Packers secondary sorely lacked, but alas he didn’t start until the following year, either. As luck would have it, the Packers leading interception leader in 1989, Dave Brown, was put on PUP the following year (then retired) and is understandably ommitted. All told, the Packers are just a year or two from developing some serious talent. But until then, well, swiss cheese.
Notes from the Gamers — Let it be known, the Packers have an extremely weak secondary. At the lower cornerback position, Mark Lee is nearly as pitiful as they come in Tecmo with a 31 INT, making teams with decent receivers lick their chops. Free Safety Chuck Cecil offers hardly any help at 38 INT, and both are only a 38 MS, making it a possibility that they aren’t even in closing distance when the ball is thrown to the receiver they’re supposed to be guarding. Jerry Holmes and Mark Murphey offer a 50 INT, at least, but a 31 MS each makes them hardly reliable for offering help. So how is one expected to guard the pass, especially against teams with a decent passing attack such as the Browns, Falcons and Jets? One option is to cover the field with Harris. Another choice is to do the same with Nelson. Yet another method is to put pressure on the QB with either, come what may. But really, there isn’t an ideal method in any of this.
Kamp again takes the Packers in another “Tecmo Tournament League XII” match-up, this time against Eightbitt’s Browns. Kamp tries his darndest to put a stop to the ‘onSlaughter’ by manning Nelson, Harris, and finally Holmes, but each effort is the same result: Webster Slaughter raising a celebratory finger in the air and QB Browns air-boxing a hapless opponent. Eightbitt doesn’t even try to diguise his method of attack. Immediately recognizing when the defense isn’t blitzing, QB Browns sets a reverse course from the line of scrimmage which makes it impractical for a manned Packers defender to give chase who hasn’t begun his rush immediately after the snap. Eightbitt then allows simple math to do the work: QB Browns’ 75 PC plus Slaughter’s 56 REC make it improbable for a gaggle of Packers defenders to make a play. Even Holmes’ attempt to chip in with his 50 INT is helpless to sway the odds. Could Kamp have played it better? Possibly, but that’s hindsight: in general, you have no choice but to count on your drones to make an occassional play in Tecmo. One manned defender can’t do everything.
Down by ten after giving up three first half touchdowns plus a field goal after a Majkowski INT, Kamp connects on a bomb of his own before finally getting a third quarter defensive stop. After allowing one first down, Kamp is able to survive three downs of deep chucks from QB Browns to Slaughter, putting Eightbitt at 4th and 10 on his own 25 yardline. Instead of punting, Eightbitt makes the curious decision to run a sweep, and he’s easily stopped for the turnover on downs. However, his strategy seems intentional: despite giving the ball over to Kamp in easy scoring position, Eightbitt has essentially turned the game into a two-possession contest. Even though Kamp scores a TD to go up by four points, Eightbitt has a healthy three minutes left to play “last posession.” You can bet it’s not his intention to huck and chuck to Slaughter for a quick score this time. The Browns run five straight times for three first downs, then QB Browns scrambles for another. Two last runs puts Metcalf in the endzone. After the kickoff the odds are stacked against Kamp for one final, desperate JJ lunge.
Common Opponent Gameplans —
Patriots— Thanks to one of the game’s worst starting quarterbacks in Marc Wilson combined with the slowest running back tandem Temo has to offer (31 MS each), the Patriots are never too much of a threat on offense. Even with with Marv Cook and Irving Fryar toting a 63 REC apiece, Wilson’s 44 PC doesn’t make them very dangerous unless they are in isolated coverage with a below-50 INT defensive back. This means that Harris can be manned by the user for virtually every play. Sure, the Patriots can gameplan for this, but their runing game likely won’t be effective enough to matter that much. That is, if they can even commit to the run at all.
Saints— The Saints provide one of the most even match-ups available for the Packers on both sides of the ball. While they lack offensive speed all-around, they have a power running game combined with a 69 REC Eric Martin out wide that makes things interesting. Harris can again be used as an everydown defender, but the Saints’ lack of speed makes it viable to choose other positions than the Packers LB1 when conducive.
Falcons— The Falcons present a stiff challenge for bottom ranking defense such as the Packers. If your opponent knows how to wield Rison and Rozier effectively, watch out. Lacking a heavy-hitting fullback, the Falcons will likely run almost exlusively out of the Run & Shoot playbook. This provides the threat of Falcons receivers running deep while Rozier has room to navigate amidst a slow Packers defense on tosses high and low. If the Falcons playbook shows a commitment to game planning for Harris, then it might be time to get ecclectic with your choice in manning Packers defenders. Depending on how well your opponent can maximize a below-par Miller or Millen at quarterback, you may have to keep Rison in mind at the start of each play
Special Teams
Line-up — Chris Jacke is a serviceable kicker — you could call him a Don Majkowski of the kicking game. While his 56 KA (kicking power/accuracy) is not stupendous, sinking FGs regularly from your opponent’s side of the field shouldn’t be a problem. However, his poor 38 AKB (avoiding blocked kicks) means you’ll want to get that kick off before the Pat Swillings and Tony Blaylocks of the world make their presence known. Punter Don Bracken is below average, though one might contend that punters in Tecmo really don’t matter all that much. His nearly basement-level 25 KA makes one feel he is tempting the opponent’s return men to make a play. Given that the Packers are so one-dimensional offensively, it’s not unlikely that Bracken will be called upon for a tick or two on the stat sheet if the game plan doesn’t flow as it’s meant to. So it’s a good practice when booting it with Bracken to shoot for the end zone to avoid that reluctant epic play.
When it comes to returning kick-offs, Michael Haddix ranks in the top third of the league on a good day, but don’t hold your breath on him. His 50 BC (ball carrying security) pairs well with his whopping 94 HP, but this can be misleading. You may be able to popcorn a few CPU avatars on your way up the field, but get too careless and you’ll get stuck on the open field where the sharks come to prowl. He may look the part initially but Haddix is certainly no Craig Heyward — while Ironhead’s default max speed is 44 MS (thanks to the contribution of right tackle Stan Brock), Haddix will only reach a meager 31 MS (from right tackle Tony Mandarich) in EXCELLENT condition. Haddix is your only sensible choice on PRs, so it’s not as if you have much of a choice. Whatever you do, don’t put in Sharpe while in season mode, due to the frequency of injury in the return game. No use in unnecessarily ending his already short career prematurely.
Final Thoughts
There are a small handful of teams the Packers have significant advantages over. Unless the match-up pits the Packers against the Colts, Seahawks or Patriots, I would strongly consider whether you have the grit and know-how to maximize Green Bay’s precious few weapons and mask their many weaknesses. If the Browns were on the table then I’m not sure what I would take, but if I did take the Pack, I would likely consider myself the underdog. As for the Falcons, Jets or Cardinals? Unless I was in the mood for a challenge, almost certainly not. Even a life-long Packer fan has his limits to loyalty!
Other than the 49ers, there may not have been a more exciting NFL franchise to follow in the 1980s than the Cleveland Browns. After establishing a gritty identity where battles were lost or won in the final moments, the Browns built off this mettle to close out the decade as perennial championship contenders. Unfortunately, these repetitive teases with greatness made the franchise’s front office impatient, and after the 1989 season head coach Bud Carson parted ways with the storied franchise. Browns fans no doubt asked themselves whether, on the heals three AFC championship appearances in four years, the 90s would be the decade when their team would reclaim the glory of decades past?
As fate would have it, the 1990 Browns were a shell of their former selves, and the manner in which they are immortalized in Tecmo Super Bowl reflects this. Led by the legitimate Bernie Kosar, alias QB Browns, the offense suffers from a significant lack of speed in the skill positions. Their once proud defense is limited to a one-star line-up — and that star may not be who you think he is. For their own part, the Browns special teams has little to offer than a powerful halfback to return kicks.
Yet for whatever reason, the Browns continue to be a favorite choice among Tecmo gamers. Perhaps it’s the draw of the underdog trying to reverse the Curse of Cleveland, and lord knows QB Browns fights an uphill battle in a division featuring three of the league’s most dominant defensive backs. Or maybe it’s the fact that QB Browns, a top-5 QB in his own right, gets the chance to light up some pretty poor defenses when up against teams in their peer group. It’s also worthy of note that the Browns have possibly the widest domain of valid match-ups in Tecmo, ranging from the lowly Aints of New Orleans to the passing-fiend LA Rams. Thankfully, the Browns’ line-up is malleable enough, at least offensively, to accomodate multiple methods of attack.
Offense
Line-up — the personality of any offense is directly connected to its quarterback, and this couldn’t be more true for the Browns. QB Browns excells in the two most important stats of a Tecmo QB: MS (max speed) and PC (pass control ability). His 75 PC gives his receivers a chance on nearly every throw while making the possibility of INTs against mid-to-lower-tier defensive backs unlikely. At 63 REC (receiving ability), Webster Slaughter is QB Brown’s number 1 go-to, but his below-average 38 MS (max speed) minimizes his threat. Running Back Kevin Mack boasts an impressive 88 HP (hitting power) although his 31 MS makes him a reluctant option for a feature RB. The Browns’ offensive line lacks any dominant individuals, but it is servicable enough to allow QB Browns to scramble to daylight when needed. The Browns default line-up isn’t a terrible way to start things off, but it certainly can be improved upon. It’s just a matter of rearranging the starters since the back-ups have so little to offer. The main adjustment I like to make takes advantage of Metcalf’s 56 REC by putting him out wide. Sending Metcalf deep early and often can go a long way in providing QB Browns time to throw underneath or move the chains with his feet. If you’re set on pounding the rock, however, you have the option to keep Metcalf as your RB and shift Mack to tight end to maximize his HP, if your run formations of choice call for this.
Notes from the Pros — When determining how to utilize a team’s strengths and compensate for their weaknesses, it’s never a bad idea to look at the best practices of the pros. There have been two moments in live Tecmo championship play where the Brownies have been used in different ways by masters of the game. But viewers beware: though well thought out, the strategies put into place also take practice and guts to produce desirable results. Don’t let the veneer of simplicity fool you!
Chet Holzbauer, playing as the Browns, chooses an Air Attack playbook. In addition to the common approach of disguising his plays between two primary formations (run & shoot and pro set), Chet seems to have several strategies in mind. First, he knows his QB Browns-to-Slaughter tandem is a mismatch against an extremely weak Packers defensive backs, and this connection alone leads to two first half touchdowns. Next, Chet notes that the Packers are a two-man defense. Both linebacker Tim Harris and nose tackle Bob Nelson must burn a lot of real estate if they hope to cover QB Brown’s deep passes, and neither are positioned well to defend Mack’s halfback dive or pitches outside. Last, Chet’s quick-strike mentality seems influenced by the mismatch his own defense faces on the other side of the ball: sure enough, Majik-to-Sharpe wind up connecting for one touchdown plus a key third down conversion of their own, as the highly entertaining match reaches its halfway point all knotted up at 14 apiece.
The video doesn’t show Chet making or changing his line-up, but he seems to have the one above in place. To the right is the playbook he uses for his Air Assault.
Next we have a different method of scheming with the Browns. Though the ending result is the same — a loss — it’s not for a lack of some solid execution by the Brownies both offensively and defensively.
In contrast to Chet’s pass-heavy offense, Daboys uses quite a different strategy when up against Chet, who is now playing as the Saints. Daboys employs a Ground and Pound playbook which he executes flawlessly to building a 14-0 lead with just seconds left in the first half. On his first drive, Daboys scrambles twice with QB Browns before committing to the run, then the past, then the run again for the score. Just as masterful as this 15 play, five-1st down effort is the following drive of 12 plays for another five first downs. This time, instead of sticking with streches of run, pass or scramble, Daboys’ unpredictability in mixing all three facets leads to the same success.
Common Opponent Defenses — While Chet and Daboys provide exellent examples of what to look for when facing the Packers and Saints defenses, respectively, these two teams aren’t by a long shot the only opponents Browns users are likely to face. What follows is a nutshell break-down of how the Browns might attack the defenses of their other common opponents.
vs Falcons (Deion) playbook
Falcons — Atlanta features quite possibly the most one-dimensional defense in the game. “Neon” Deion Sanders will likely be the only player your opponent mans throughout the match, making playbook selection pretty straight-forward. These running plays simultaneosly put a body on Sanders at the CB1 position while allowing Mack to popcorn a 38 HP Darion Conner or stunt the movable Tim Green on the D-line. Each pass play sends at least two players both long and short causing the man-controlled Sanders to constantly make coverage decisions. Good luck doing both and stopping QB Browns’ happy feet too, Deion!
Steelers— The Steelers, on the other hand, present a defense that is nothing but stars. Poor Frank Minnifield would be riding the pine on this secondary! It’s thanks to an abysmal offensive (other than an above-average O-line) that places Pitt in the Brownies’ peer group. Daboy’s “Ground and Pound” playbook might not be a bad option against the insane Steelers secondary. One might also want to focus on Rod Woodson exclusively, who at the CB1 position calls for a similar approach as Deion. Or you could gameplan for both cornerbacks as you would for Dallas [below].
vs Dallas (2 cornerbacks) playbook
Cowboys— The Cowboys feature a pair of solid cornerbacks on an otherwise pedestrian defense. Given that your opponent will probably be manned with either Isaac Holt or Manny Hendrix (more likely the speedy latter), a playbook designed to put bodies on the cornerbacks just might do the trick.
Cardinals— Not only do the Cardinals have a good pair of safeties in Lonnie Young and Tim McDonald, but Ken Harvey holds his own at the LB1 position. An eclectic approach to a gameplan might be what the doctor ordered to dink and dunk under the Phoenix safeties while putting some trash in Harvey’s face.
Jets— The Jets defense is a bit of an enigma in its on right. While the offense doesn’t really provide much to sniff at, the defense boasts three studs who establish the identity of the team. Dennis Byrd and Kyle Clifton form an esteemed tandem at linebacker while Erik McMillan is a formidable foe from the free safety position. Below [right] is a playbook that might at least make things a bit interesting for Mr. McMillan.
Defense
Line-up — The Cleveland Browns defense is what you might call a one-man show. Mike Johnson is the lone star on this squad, although Frank Minnifield has been known to make a play out of the secondary. Johnson is conveniently placed at the LB3 position which gives him leniency to participate on both running and passing plays. However, situational football demands the user to play as specific positions sometimes, no matter how shoddy the supporting cast. How one navigates this challenge will greatly determine their level of success when manning the Brownies’ defense.
When it came to staffing their defensive line, the programmers of TSB gave our Browns the unquestionable shaft. Upon its first release, Tecmo players likely chose the Browns hoping to disrupt opposing offenses with one Michael Dean Perry. But the lone Pro Bowler of the 1990 Browns squad is oddly absent in this line-up. Instead we have Robert Banks, Chris Pike and Al Baker, all who rank just at or below average for linemen. In contrast to Johnson’s excellent strength, his three linebacker amigos rep a lowly 38 HP. On the upside, both David Grayson and converted defensive back Tony Blaylock carry above average INT (interception ability), so with any luck they’re both worth a pass defensed per game when facing John Elway or Bubby Brister. Thane Gash and Raymond Clayborn make up the league’s worst tandem of upper-screen defensive backs in a secondary that is dearly missing the presence of recently retired Browns great Hanford Dixon.
Notes from the Pros — If we take the two videos as examples once again, we see two defensive strategies employed by Chet and Daboys that are as different from each other as their offensive approaches.
Chet’s approach is marked on the one hand by allowing Majik-to-Sharpe to burn him for a pair of huge gains, one in each half. Aside from these risks gone bad, Chet plays some old school Brownie lock-down D. Johnson and Felix Wright pair up to control the middle of the field, while Blaylock is utilized to blow up the Packers running game. Noticably, Chet never man’s Minnifield, instead allowing the AI to get involved however it so chooses.
Daboys, on the other hand, mans Minnifield more than the rest of his squad combined, even to the point of having Minni snag an INT on the Browns first defensive series. For the most part Daboys is effective in this strategy, and doesn’t give up any defensive points until the Saints get a TD in the second half. After that the Browns are able to play bend-but-don’t-break in allowing two field goals, but unfortunately the final one is what gives Chet the decision.
How might you gameplan defensively for the Browns common opponents? The choice is very much up to you. There are arguments to be made for any number of approaches. You can go the obvious route of controlling Mike Johnson exclusively, but that might be exactly what your opponent is anticipating. Maybe you’ll challenge Mr. Minnifield to force a momentum-changing turnover. More than likely your best bet is to find out what your supporting cast is capable of and not push them too hard. This is a squad, after all, who has to live season after season under the Cleveland Curse.
Special Teams
Line-up — Cleveland’s kickers suck, plain and simple. God save the sorry soul who’s fate comes down to a 60-yd Jerry Kauric field goal. Thankfully, Tecmo punters can boot the ball a metric mile so Bryan Wagner’s wimpy 25 KA (kicking power) is a virtual nonfactor, unless you find yourself punting from behind your own 20 yardline. That’s unlikely to happen though, since Kevin Mack is a servicable kick returner if he’s not in BAD condition. The Browns Punt Returners are among the league’s worst, however, so it’s best to let Mr. Mack make no more than one juke before heading for the sideline.
As always, it’s best to be cautious when covering kicks. As our boy Daboys learned the hard way, the Saints and Steelers have the league’s best kick returners, so play it safe and don’t let Heyward or Hoge go yard on you. There’s no worse follow-up to a well-earned TD drive than allowing your opponent to knot it up without their offense stepping on the field. No teams with premier punt returners are in the Browns competitive tier, but one might want to look out for the Cardinals and Steelers return men nonetheless.
Final Thoughts
Do you have what it takes to bring the Browns back to glory? Are you nimble enough to get the most out of QB Browns? Do you have the patience to Ground and Pound with Metcalf? These are the gut-check questions you will have answer the next time the boys in orange are available in a man-to-man match-up. You may think they are powerless against the Pittsburgh defenses of the NFL or your quick-strike Andre Rison’s or Sterling Sharpe’s, but don’t be surprised if they prove you wrong. These Dawgs have got grit, and they’ll pack you a mean bite if you know how to lead them.
Thanks to coconuts0622 for the attribute corrections.
We are starting up a new video series called Retro Packs where we open up retro football card packs from the Tecmo Bowl-era. Below is the pilot episode containing our first opening, camera test and first edit. Hope you like the new content and enjoy!
Please comment any suggestions or opinions – thanks!
If this column ends in mid-sentence, know that I’ve been abducted by Browns Backers and I’m being skunk-beer waterboarded in a dungeon under the Muni Lot.
Risking Browns-on-Browns violence, the following must be said: Tecmo programmers unfairly nerfed John Elway. Like teammate Steve Atwater, Elway’s 8-bit avatar bears little resemblance to the real Comeback Kid.
In the years leading up to Tecmo Super Bowl, Elway led his Broncos to three Super Bowl berths. He earned multiple All-Pro honors. From 1986-1990, Elway stood among NFL leaders in pass attempts, pass completions, total passing yards, yards per completion, total offense, game-winning drives and come from behind wins. Had TSB or Twitter existed in 1989, our feeds would have been flooded1:
It’s a bit of a shock, then, that Tecmo John Elway is a ho-hum, middle-of-the-pack signal caller. Jets QB Ken O’Brien performs better, as do Dave Krieg, Vinny Testaverde and Steve DeBerg. These names aren’t usually ranked above John Elway, yet in TSB, each gets the upper hand.
Elway’s stats look almost perfect. His 25 Max Speed is a few notches above average but not QB Eagles fast. Elway’s cannon arm earns him a ridiculous 75 Passing Speed, second only to Dan Marino. His 50 Avoid Pass Block gives him the shiftiness to thread the needle when his pocket collapses.
Then there’s John Elway’s 31 Pass Control. Whaaaaaaat?
To further complicate Denver’s passing attack, only one of Elway’s receivers has a Receptions score over 50. TSB adds a QB’s Pass Control and the WR’s Receptions, then subtracts the defender’s Interceptions to calculate the probability of a completed pass2. Elway’s low control and slug-handed receivers means an alarming number of passes will bounce to turf. Add Wayne Haddix to the formula, and you’d be better off running Elway on a QB keeper.
31 PC makes it difficult to complete even easy passes.
One possible explanation for Elway’s terrible control lie in the next stat down the list: Accuracy of Passing. Elway’s 69 AoP score is 3rd best among TSB passers, equal to Boomer Esiason and Dan Marino. QB Eagles scores only a 61, Bernie Kosar a 50. Despite his horrendous control, Tecmo Elway possesses amazing accuracy.
The problem is that Accuracy of Passing does absolutely nothing. Give a passer 99 or 0 Accuracy of Passing, neither makes any difference. It seems Tecmo imagined passing as more complex, involving both “control” and “accuracy,” but at some point during production, pared down their equations3. Programmers likely intended to balance John Elway’s awful Pass Control against his top-flight Accuracy of Passing, making him an above-average QB. Either by oversight or intent, that balance never came.
Today, we think of John Elway as a Hall of Fame QB with two Super Bowl Rings. But during the Tecmo era, Elway was more “scapegoat” than G.O.A.T. From 1984-89, he averaged a minuscule 53-percent completion rate. For comparison, Joe Montana completed over 70 percent of his passes in 1989. Elite QBs usually flirt with 60 percent. Had it existed at the time, Facebook would have repeated the same question ad nauseum:
Even posting some unspectacular numbers, Elway led the Broncos to Super Bowls XXI, XXII and XXIV. It’s this precise success which doomed TSB Elway. Game data strongly suggests rosters were finalized in September 1990. Tecmo’s last image of Elway, then, was the worst beat-down in Super Bowl history. Elway finished Super Bowl XXIV 10 of 26 for 108 yards with zero touchdowns, two interceptions and two fumbles. By the fourth quarter, Broncos fans were booing and taunting their bumbling QB4.
“Elway’s game had more holes than Pete Fountain’s clarinet…[He] was strictly peanuts; he was Charlie Brown, faked out by Lucy again…Is John Elway the reason Denver’s here or the reason Denver loses?”5
Ouch.
History provides us a perspective not available in September of 1990. The 1986-1990 Broncos lacked a steady, powerful running attack. Denver RBs could only muster 40 yards a game. Worse, Elway had zero big play receivers. Montana had Rice. Rypien had Art Monk. Warren Moon had an entire army of physical freaks catching his every pass. Name Denver’s top two WRs in ’89 (without Google) and I’ve got $10 with your name on it6. Excepting RB Sammy Widner in 1986, Elway was the only Pro Bowler on Denver’s offense.
Once Denver added some talent around Elway, it became clear he was the solution, not the problem. With RB Terrell Davis and TE Shannon Sharpe to share the workload, Elway won back-to-back Super Bowls in 1997 and 1998. His completion percentage shot up to 60 percent-plus.
Had it existed in the 1997, Snapchat’s parade of wangs and muffshots would have been interrupted by evanescent odes to Elway.
The evidence is clear: Elway’s low Pass Control score is a fluke of timing and bad programming. To fix it, we simply search out comps. Vinny Testaverde and Boomer Esiason both completed around 55 percent of their passes. Both earn 56 PC ratings. Chris Miller, on the other hand, completed between 50 and 53 percent of his passes for Atlanta and received a 44 PC. Therefore, we split the difference and give John Elway a 50 Pass Control rating.
With 50 PC, Elway is much more accurate.
A 50 Pass Control score greatly improves Elway’s TSB completion rates and more accurately represents his prowess in the late 80’s and early 90’s. Tecmo Elway’s improved control still won’t out-gun the 49ers or Oilers, but for those wishing to re-create the 1989 AFC Cham
NOTES: 1 Seriously. Spell it right. It’s not a bowl for Daft Punk’s cereal. It’s Tec-MO, as in, “Do MO Googling before you post your next idiotic tweet.” 2 More or less. 3 Probably because “accuracy” and “control” mean the same damn thing. 4 Elway did however, score the Broncos’ only TD on a 3rd quarter QB run. 5 http://articles.latimes.com/1990-01-29/sports/sp-837_1_super-bowl-xxiv 6 I’m still spending it on scotch, but I’ll be sure to write your name on it first.
We’re not even 24 hours past the conclusion of yesterday’s NFL playoff games and we already have the first video game prediction for Super Bowl 50 — and it’s from Tecmo Super Bowl.
Put together by the disciples of TecmoBowl.org, who have a nearly monastic dedication to the science of this NES classic almost 25 years after its launch, the simulation uses theTecmo Super Bowl 2016 mod that launched back in September. It features fully updated and rated rosters and all 32 teams in their proper divisions. (There were 28 in 1991, when Tecmo Super Bowl originally released.)
In the simulation, the Panthers get the scoring started in the first quarter when Ted Ginn sneaks behind the Broncos’ secondary and hauls in a 70-yard bomb from Cam Newton.
In the second quarter, a 42-yard catch and run by running back C.J. Anderson gets the Broncos in scoring position. But Anderson then fumbles at the four-yard line to end the drive and send the Broncos into halftime empty-handed, trailing 7-0.
In a surprise change, halftime performers Coldplay are replaced at the last minute by The Mighty Bombjack Show. Whatever memories we have of Left Shark are wiped away by this horrid performance.
In the third quarter, Denver has scoring drives snuffed out by an interception (by safety Kurt Coleman) and a field goal attempt that clangs off the right post. Denver pulls within 10-7 late in the fourth quarter on big runs by Johnson and Ronnie Hillman, but Newton marches the Panthers right back, icing the game on a 20-yard sweep by Jonathan Stewart.
Here are your final game stats:
Neither quarterback turns in a particularly dynamic performance, foreshadowing what should in reality be a very tough defensive contest. A 100-yard rushing game in the compressed time of Tecmo Super Bowl is a pretty stout performance, so look for Denver to find some success by that route.
Ultimately, Tecmo Super Bowl is calling for the Broncos to shoot themselves in the foot at every critical moment. The Panthers opened as 3.5 to 4.5 point favorites depending on the sports book, with 44 to 45.5 points set as the over/under. Picking the spread with this kind of a game is not advisable, but if Tecmo Super Bowl is any guide, take the under.
Gameplay Challenge: Defense + Special Teams Season
This takes guts, glory and lots of patience. Can you do it?
Even our favorite things in life can benefit from an image redux, and the same is true with classic video games. By setting certain stipulations on our Tecmo Super Bowl gameplay, one can add a healthy depth of enjoyment to an already substantial experience.
What is a Defense + Special Teams season?
A “D+ST” season generally follows these rules:
1) You may not select one offensive play! The whole point is that you can never progress the ball while on offense. When your offense is in possession of the ball you only have two options, both which involve kicking: 1) Punt, or 2) Kick a field goal.
2) You may score any other way known to man: defensive safeties are commonplace when facing teams with poor playbooks, while interceptions returned for touchdowns are a rare treat. Fumbles can be recovered for touchdowns on defense, or special teams during kick return/coverage and punt return/coverage. If you manage to return a blocked field goal for a touchdown, then good for you!
3) You may not lurch! The D+ST challenge derives its enjoyment from being difficult. Don’t try to get ahead by using cheap tricks. When playing as a team with a good defense, I will sometimes not use any of my d-linemen.
Note:
Playbooks can be left alone or adapted for added challenge (e.g. giving passing teams a run-and-shoot playbook). However, don’t give the other team crappy plays, because that’s just silly.
This sounds borderline masochistic. How is it even fun?
There are quite a few reasons why D+ST seasons can be extremely fun, even addicting:
Tick up the Difficulty.
I loathe to admit it, but Tecmo Super Bowl does have one weakness: a lack of difficulty for seasoned gamers in single player mode. Since it’s way too easy to blow your way through to the Super Bowl, D+ST negates this limitation by restructuring the rules. Voilà: the challenge of winning in this magnificent game is magnified by ten.
Transform your team identity.
Have things gotten stale when playing with your favorite team? This is the perfect way to liven things up. Teams that traditionally rely on airing it out or pounding the rock must now defer to production from their defense. If you like playing as the Jets, Buccaneers, Dolphins or Chargers, you may be pleasantly surprised to find you have a top-5 kicker to boot.
Discover unlikely heroes.
More than likely you know the MS (max speed) of your star running back, but how about the MS of your right tackle or strong safety? These attributes become incredibly significant in a D+ST season thanks to their importance in the special teams return game. The Saints’ Stan Brock‘s 44 MS makes 94 HP (hitting power) fullback Craig Heyward the best kick returner in the game thanks to his 94 HP (hitting power) while Tunch Ilkin‘s 44 MS gives superstar abilities to a slew of skill position Steelers.
It’s a similar story for punt returners. Dave Waymer’s 63 MS makes 49ers fullback Tom Rathman a force when returning punts. Thanks to David Fulcher‘s 69 MS, the Bengals are one of the most fun teams to play with. Just as in standard Tecmo, each team has unique strengths and weaknesses under these new D+ST stipulations. It can be a blast to take familiar players and equip them with unfamiliar responsibilities.
Practice:
D+ST seasons are perfect for practicing — you guessed it — your defense and special teams skills. You’ll increase defensive discipline as you seek to keep your opponent off the scoreboard. You’ll learn to maximize your personnel in creative (and sometimes desperate) efforts to do the same. You’ll learn to knock down critical, high-pressure field goals, and discover how to handle the effects of watching them clang off and away from the uprights. Last, you’ll get to practice game-changing kick returns, and late in the season picking up twelve yards on a punt return will feel like a higher achievement than throwing twelve passing touchdowns in one game. No matter your record at season’s end, a D+ST season is never a waste thanks to the invaluable practice it offers.
Gain a sense of accomplishment:
Can you take a poor defensive team to the Super Bowl? Unless you choose a team with a top-ten defense, just qualifying for the playoffs is an achievement worth being proud of. Winning a single game requires focus and execution because nothing is guaranteed. A small mistake can put you in an insurmountable hole. Can you dig it?
What does it take to be competitive in a D+ST season?
Each stage under your control is important. Here is some measure to strive for in an effort to stay competitive in this difficult challenge.
Consistency on defense. The number of quick stops you make on defense directly correlates to punt return opportunities. On the other hand, regularly allowing your opponent to approach midfield before forcing a punt will more than likely lead to a field position contest in which your own punter makes more appearances than you’d like to see him.
Concentration in the return game. Most teams’ kickers have the power to knock down just about anything on their opponent’s side of the field. This makes the kick and punt returner’s goals pretty straightforward: 1) if at all possible, get to midfield, and 2) if that’s not possible, don’t you dare fumble. There’s nothing more efficiently damning than a punt return’s fumble deep in your own territory.
The Bengals’ army of elite punt returners
Especially late in the season, you may just get one return past half field per game. You’ll likely find yourself fielding upwards of ten punts in a given game, so you’ve got to make sure the one pays off. Be conservative, but even if it’s just one good shot, make sure that it is the one that pays off.
Clutch in the kicking game
The best way to honor on your punt returner’s hard and dangerous efforts is to follow them with success during field goal attempts. In fact, your kicker is one of the most important players on your team during a D+ST season. Even respectable Tecmoers are sometimes unpolished when it comes to knocking down clutch field goals, but this won’t stand in a D+ST season. Even if you are equipped with a below-average kicker, he will be held to a rigid standard: everything kicked from your opponents’ side of the field ought to fall through.
Punters play a much less significant role since they can’t produce points, but they are still crucial in the field position game. There’s no such thing as a “coffin corner” punt since punts can’t be sent out of bounds, but dropping a boot within the ten-yard line becomes critical in giving your opponent the most disadvantageous field position possible, not to mention a chance to fumble the ball for your own scoop-six.
OK, I’m in. Now who do I pick?
Any team is fair game when it comes to D+ST seasons — your favorite Tecmo Super Bowl team will offer plenty of reward and challenge. But if there is something specific that intrigues you about this concept, then one of the following teams will provide one heck of a ride.
Strong all-around
Steelers: Smother offenses with this star-studded Steeler defense. After safeties and infrequent defensive scoring drives, taste the fruits of a platoon of elite kick returners. Punts are fielded by an above-average squad while Gary Anderson’s strong and highly accurate foot provides a reliable scoring threat.
The speediest kick returners belong to the Steelers and Saints
49ers: Don’t be fooled by Tecmo Super Bowl’s best passing squad — the 49ers are a force to be reckoned with even without the likes of Joe Montana, Jim Rice or John Taylor heading the show. Virtually no weakness exists on this Niner defense. Tom Rathman is an elite punt returner and not a bad kick returner either though you may want to let Mr. Rice takes some kicks so the Hall of Famer can feel included. Mike Cofer has above average kicking services while only Barry Helton offers some mortality with his league-lowest punting power.
Shameful all-around
Browns: These poor Brownies. There are no punt returners of note while only Kevin Mack is an above average kick returner. Have fun flipping the field with league-worst punter Bobby Wagner! With QB Browns relegated to holding field goals for below average Jerry Kauric, Mike Johnson and company bear a burden on a defense that is not equipped to compensate for the team’s many shortcomings.
Packers: No Majik-to-Sharpe magic on this rodeo. Chris Jacke’s average kicking skills will be pushed to the max as Michael Haddix struggles to return punts to midfield, and it’s all downhill from there: Packer kick returners are manacled by a default 19 ms, and Don Bracken doesn’t contribute much to the field position game with his paltry 25 KA. This is a challenge for Bob Nelson lovers to prove their mettle, as they hope the Packers nose tackle can rack up enough safeties (without lurching, please) to keep the lowly Packers in the hunt.
Stifling defenses
Bears: Next to the Steelers, there is no defense I love playing with more than these Bears. Take your choice: dominate with the godlike LB3 Mike Singletary, shoot for pick-sixes with Mark Carrier, or go buck-wild with an elite defensive line. The Bears also boast an incredible punt coverage squad, as C Jay Hilgenberg and LG Mark Bortz are eager to force, scoop up and rumble with fumbles. Last, the Bears contribute two excellent kick returners in Brad Muster or Neal Andreson — or even Johnny Bailey if you swing that way. The Bears are a perfect pick if you have no allegiance to the punting or kicking game.
The ferocious Giants linebacker corpse
Giants: Pick your all-star linebacker from this defense, including the legendary “LT,” or gobble up some INTs with CB1 Everson Walls. Then let Pro Bowl punter Sean Landeta pin back opposing defenses. Kick and punt returners, as well as your kicker, are at or slightly above average, so the Giants’ strength truly lies in their suffocating defense.
Steller returners
Saints: Want to know how if feels to rack up over a dozen kick return touchdowns in a season? Make Gil Fennerty or Rueben Mayes feel like Devin Hester, or stick with your old faithful Craig Heyward. Here’s a fun D+ST challenge: can you earn a kick return touchdown with each of the ten Saints skill position players? TE John Tice to the house!
Bengals: Ickey Woods is the game’s best punt returner on paper, but the other Bengals skill position players have a leg up on the rest of the league. Returning punts for touchdowns is a rather rare accomplishment in Tecmo, but given enough practice, against a poor punt coverage squad you just may be able to make Eric Kattus or Mike Barber dance like Ickey.
Straight-shooters
Chiefs: Nick Lowery has such gaudy kicking stats that it’s criminal. He gives the Chiefs an additional five-yard leeway than most teams get, as anything closer than his own 45-yard line will have a chance at falling through. What’s more — even if Lowery decides to miss from his own side of the field, here comes LB1 Derrick Thomas blasting through the line to get a piece of his opponent’s field goal attempt.
Jets: When it comes to the kicking game the Jets are best equipped overall. Pat Leahy’s 75 KA is a league second best while his AKB is just two notches below that of Lowery. SS Brian Washinton and LBs Dennis Byrd and Kyle Clifton will produce turnovers to give Leahy plenty of points on the board.
Shank-shooters
Rams— Wide receivers Henry Ellard and Flipper Anderson will do their darndest to set their kicker up with chip-shots, but more than likely the janky foot of Mike Lansford will break your heart and sink your D+ST season. As if a quickly spinning arrow isn’t enough, Landsford’s league-worst 25 AKB (avoiding blocked kicks) means you have to get the kickoff, like, now.
Cardinals— Al Del Greco won’t have his field goals knocked back into his face as frequently as magic Mike, but his arrow spins just as fast thanks to his 19 KA. The Cardinals don’t get a lot of help from their kick or punt returners making them a perfect choice if you love pursuing perfection with the Cardinals ‘D.’ It’s also an opportunity to reward punter Rich Camarillo for having such a delicious name by giving him a hundred punts and a ‘D+ST’ MVP award.
Now go get defensive
Hopefully, I’ve made it clear that there are many ways to have a great time playing Tecmo Super Bowl. “Defense + Special Teams” happens to be one of my favorites.
So pick your team and name your mission. Will you be able to make the playoffs? How about rack up more than fifty sacks with one player? Can you break a thousand return yards? Indeed, can you take a kickoff to the house with every damn Saints running back, wide receiver and tight end? I want to see you try! And so does Saints tight end John Tice.
Keiji Yamagishi lives in your head. If I say “Ready! Down! Hut! Hut! Hut!,[1]” his music drives through your brain. Tecmo fans hear Keiji’s 1st and 10 fanfare whenever NFL official Ed Hoculi signals his beefy-armed first downs. Mr. Yamagishi’s music is the soundtrack for Ninja Gaiden on Christmas morning or the (8-bit) Browns finally winning the AFC Championship after a hard-fought season.
Keiji Yamagishi, aka More Yamasan, aka K.Y. Jet, worked as composer and sound designer for Tecmo (and later Koei Tecmo) from the 1980s to the turn of the century. He is to the NES’s RP2A03/07 sound chip what Mozart was to the piano. From a measly collection of beeps and boops, Keiji crafted the musical equivalent of tiramisu; music which is both delicately layered and delicious.
Following a string of masterworks at Tecmo/Koei, Keiji stepped back from video game composition, but has recently returned with a new project: Brave Wave. Together with other classic video game composers such as Manami Matsumae (Mega Man), Masashi Kageyama (Gimmick!) and Sayori Kobayashi (Panzer Dragon), Brave Wave brilliantly fuses classic console-era sound design with modern electronica. The resulting music is certainly nostalgic but also incredibly engaging. I dare you not to bob you head or tap your feet to Brave Wave’s recent re-master of the Street Fighter II soundtrack.
Having recently released his own incredible albums Retro-Active pt. 1 and Retro-Active pt. 2, Keiji was kind enough to talk with us about his love of music, his influences, and, of course, Tecmo Super Bowl. A huge thanks to kcaze at romhacking.net for translating this wonderful interview. Our interview has been edited for grammar and cohesion.
Tecmo Bowlers: Thanks so much for talking with us! I’ve read you started in music the way most do: playing in garage bands and recording home demos. What did those early compositions sound like? Any early demos still floating around?
Keiji Yamagishi: Before working at Tecmo, I composed electric pop songs in the style of Pet Shop Boys and OMD [Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark]. I loved western rock and pop. Some say my early work sounds like YMO [Yellow Magic Orchestra] but they weren’t really an influence. I’d say I was more influenced by the anime and superhero shows I watched as a kid.
I haven’t ever presented any of my early compositions, but the opening track on “Retro-Active Pt.2,” Thought Police, uses music I wrote in college.
TB: The original Tecmo Bowl sounded like halftime of a college football game, with Souza-style marches and college fight songs. Tecmo Super Bowl, on the other hand, features driving, action-movie music. What was the discussion between the two titles? Why did you choose an action-game soundtrack for TSB?
Keiji: That’s a very good question. I tried to convey what I felt when watching actual Japanese college football in Tecmo Bowl‘s soundtrack. I was influenced by the style of Japanese college fight songs. For TSB, we wanted a faster tempo. I consulted with Tomie [Shinichiro Tomie, the director] and we decided to use rock-styled songs. At first we were unsure how this change would be received by players in the US, but it looks like the game was even more exciting so it looks like it was a success.
TB: I’m keen to know more about the production schedule for Tecmo Super Bowl. Do you recall when you started working on the project? When you finished? Based on some quirks, it seems like player data is from 1989.
Keiji: Unfortunately, I don’t remember the exact start and end dates, nor which year’s NFL data we used… But I do remember how we went about collecting player data. At the time, it was very difficult to obtain current NFL player data in Japan (although nowadays, you can easily find out on the internet). We talked to the sole American Football magazine publisher in Japan and our Tecmo America office to obtain the data. As a result, I think the data we referenced might have been out of date. Although I don’t know if the data we used was from the 1989-1990 season or not. Director Tomie might still remember the details, so next time I see him I’ll try to confirm.
TB: Speaking of Director Tomie, are you still in touch with any of the Tecmo Super Bowl staff? We’d love to imagine TSB alumni meetings!
Keiji: Unfortunately, the Tecmo staff have scattered. The only person I keep in touch with is Tomie. He was very surprised and delighted when he learned that even now, there are still a lot of fans who continue to update and play TSB. We talked about how it would be fun if those fans could meet with us, Tomie and Yamagishi. We’re really grateful to the fans who still love the game. Thank you. [ed note: someone make this happen.]
TB: You’ve said TSB’s voice samples ate memory and limited what you could compose. Can you elaborate? I don’t suppose there’s surviving beta compositions?
Keiji: NES music was always a struggle against data capacity limitations. In TSB, the voice clips took up a large amount of space. We had fit the music and sound effects in the remaining space. Originally, the guitar in TSB’s opening had a more refined string bending part. In the end there wasn’t enough space, so I sadly deleted it. There were also lots of parts in the songs played during the matches that had to be cut.
The original song data might still exist at Tecmo, but since we don’t have any of the machinery anymore, there’s probably no way to play them back. I also don’t have any of the TSB demo cassette tapes nor the original MIDI file data. I now wish that we had properly archived everything (wry laugh).
TB: Where exactly did the voice samples from TSB come from? Do you recall who voiced what?
Keiji: We recorded them at Tecmo in the sound room. The voice samples were from Americans that our overseas department brought over. If I remember correctly, there were 3 or 4 people. I was put in charge of handling the recordings. None of them were pro football players nor had experience as quarterbacks, so they couldn’t really act. Nowadays that would probably be unthinkable (laughs). But at the time, people were delighted just to hear voices on the NES.
TB: How well do you remember the tracks from Tecmo Super Bowl? Do you have a favorite? The “Player Injured” track still clenches my chest in dread when I hear it!
Keiji: I didn’t remember all the tracks so went on YouTube and listened to them. Wow, I was really embarrassed. A lot of tracks I thought, “Couldn’t I have done better?” I also remembered the parts that we had to cut due to space limitations. Overall, it would be a 60/100. Unbelievable. If I could go back in time, I would definitely fix things!
My favorite track is still the opening song. I put my heart and soul into creating this track. It’s the face of the game after all. I think among the games that I’ve worked on, the art and music fit together the best in this song. Even now, I would like to pick up a guitar and play this song with a band.
TB: How involved were you in Tecmo Super Bowl’s sound design? For it’s time the crowd noises and hitting sounds are fairly advanced. In other games, the crowd is annoying chirps.
Keiji: I was responsible for all of the sound design in TSB, from the program used to play sounds to the actual song and sound effect compositions (there was only 1 track that Arata from Ninja Gaiden II was responsible for). At the time, Tecmo didn’t have separate departments for programming, song composition, and sound effects; it was normal to handle all of them. The NES’s sound chip could only simultaneously play 5 noise or sampling notes at a time. As a result, if the person in charge kept the music and sound effects in check, he could produce better sound quality I think. I had to continuously listen and adjust the pitch and duration of notes to make them sound good. In fact, I worked hard to create the sound effects so it’s an honor to be recognized for it. Thank you very much for listening to them.
I also remember how Tecmo’s sound driver (the program used to generate sounds) would cut into the melody and rhythm of a track whenenver a sound track played, so I also had to grapple with an algorithm to resume the melody after a sound effect finished playing.
TB: Was there a specific “sound” you were trying to achieve in Tecmo Super Bowl? Like, “I want the playoff theme to sound like Black Sabbath?”
Keiji: There were indeed times where I aimed to emulate a specific sound. There were also such songs in Ninja Gaiden. Game designers would also suggest that I make certain types of songs for certain situations. But for TSB, I don’t think there were any tracks where I consciously aimed for any specific band or artist. Although in reality maybe it does sound similar to something (wry laugh). I mostly looked at the different scene’s art while I created them.
TB: The filmmaker Orson Welles once said “The enemy of art is the absence of limitations.” It seems to me composing for NES had to be something like composing a Haiku, trying to pack so much information and emotion in such a small space.
Keiji: That’s exactly it. I think it’s probably easier to exercise creativity when working in a constrained environment. I remember that it was very fun trying to see how well I could express the music and sound effects on the NES, which could only play 5 sounds. Although as a result, after I started working for on the PS2, I lost much of the constraints in the environment and my enthusiasm for composition also grew weaker (wry laugh).
TB: Your work with Tecmo/Koei slowed in the mid 1990’s even though your credits don’t include a single bad composition. Was it something about the jump from 8 and 16 bit systems to the more advanced consoles that caused you to step back? You’ve said elsewhere symphonic composing isn’t your forte. Was it just time to move on?
Keiji: I transferred from Tecmo to Koei in 1993. At the time, Koei didn’t compose music in-house. They all had external professionals compose their music. I was brought in when they started working on in-house music compositions, but there were quite a few jobs for making video game music. I wasn’t featured on the credits, but I worked on game music composition up until 1997. I worked on sound programs and synthesization for the SNES, Playstation, and Saturn.
After that, I became a manager and my work mostly became directing music production so I was distanced from the actual creation. In 2000, I became independent and began writing video game music again, but there wasn’t any demand in Japan for my style of music, so I left music composition. All the game companies were looking for tracks like those in Hollywood films you see. I can’t create that kind of theatrical music, so I thought it was the end of me composing music for video games. I lost my passion for music composition. If I didn’t meet Mohammed (from Bravewave), I don’t think I would have started composing music again.
And continue to compose Keiji did! Next time out, we continue our conversation with Keiji Yamagisish, where we talk about the best NES track he ever wrote, his new work with Brave Wave, his Retro-Active albums, and the mystery of TSB’s unused Track 32.
Today, we continue our chat with Keiji Yamagishi, the musical mastermind who scored some of Tecmo’s greatest 1990’s successes. Last time out, Keiji talked of his early influences and TSB’s interesting production schedule. We’re back this time to talk some of his lesser known gems, his love of the New York Jets, and TSB’s mysterious Track 32. Again, huge thanks to kcaze at romhacking.net for translating. The transcript has been edited for grammar and style.
TecmoBowlers: Now, most of our readers know you from Tecmo Super Bowl or Ninja Gaiden, but I’m listening to the Captain Tsubasa II OST right now and just wow! How did you coax so much sound, so much soul from only 5 channels of sound? WOW!
Keiji Yamagishi: Thank you for taking the time to listen to the Captain Tsubasa II music. I think with Captain Tsubasa II, I hit my stride with NES compositions. From that point on, I have fond memories of composing music for the NES, from TSB up to Radia Senki.
TB: What was your favorite sound to make with NES hardware? Did you have a favorite wave? A 25% Pulse wave? A Sweeping, slap-bass style Triangle wave? Did you achieve any particular sound in the noise channel that you’re proud of?
Keiji: Among the NES sounds, I liked the detuned pulse wave. I used to dislike the triangle wave since I couldn’t control its volume, but I had to think about how to use it since it was necessary in the development of music for the NES. In fact, I think the triangle wave was the most important sound for the NES. Nowadays, I actively try to use the triangle wave in my albums. I don’t know if I have my own individual “signature sound”, but I think I produced good drum sounds. Also, my music envelope (ADSR) was quite weird (laughs). That and my use of bending was a habit that people often told me I had.
TB: Do you hear any of your video game compositions today and think, “I could change that, make it better?”
Keiji: Of course. Even with the albums I produce nowadays, I revise it everyday and so it always takes quite a while to finish (wry laugh). When I listen to the tracks of the past, I feel very embarrassed. There are many parts that I’d like to fix. In TSB and Ninja Gaiden, too. But there’s nothing I can do about the past. Even if it sounds inexperienced to me now, at the time, I would not cut corners and worked like my life depended on it.
TB: Your Tecmo games often included “Sound Modes,” by which the player could sample the game’s soundtrack and SFX by pressing a combination of buttons. Did you have any say in this? Was it a Tecmo policy, a debugging feature?
Keiji: Sound mode was at first created for debugging purposes. It wasn’t because I specially requested for it. We decided not to cut it from the production version as a bonus to our players. At the time, it was popular to have some hidden tricks, so every NES game had features like that.
TB: Your name is most often brought up with Ninja Gaiden, Captain Tsubasa and Tecmo Bowl. Is there another work on your resume that you’re especially proud of? You’ve previously mentioned the overworld theme from Radia Senki [often translated to English as, “The Chronicles of the Radia War”]. Would you care to elaborate on that track or mention anything else?
Keiji: Among Tecmo era compositions, I really like Radia Senki‘s the best. Because of space limitations and other reasons, we never used sampling. We created every song with 4 basic sounds, and by that time, I’d mastered the NES. The sound design was handled by myself and a team of 3. As a result, there is a lot of variety in the tracks which I think helped broaden the game world. I only regret that the opening and ending songs were not done very well. I know this is just an excuse, but they were produced at the end, when there was not much development time or space available left.
During my Koei period, I was primarily in charge of managing the sound design, but the production of “Angelique” on the SNES was fun and I thought it turned out well.
Unfortunately, the title I had the most confidence in was canceled. There was a game on the SNES about space. I used a lot of analog synthesized wave samples and created songs that sounded a bit a like [Japanese synth band] Yellow Magic Orchestra. In the final scene where the rocket lifted off, the music and sound effects were really splendid. I wish the game was released. I haven’t talked much about my times at Koei, but I worked on the sound design for various games and I’d like to talk about that sometime.
TB: Do you remember what TSB’s unused track 32 was for?
Keiji: Sorry, I don’t quite remember. But I don’t think it was a rejected track; I think the scene in the game that the track was slated to be used in was cut at the last moment. I didn’t want the track to go to waste and the space it took up wasn’t enough to be used for bending in another track so I just kept the track in the game.
TB: Recent technological advances have allowed your work to reach a wider audience. Radia Senki, for example, only recently received a full English translation. Add to that the growing trend of Retro Gaming and it means many people are currently hearing your music for the first time. You’re becoming something of a cult icon. How does that make you feel?
Keiji: I’m shocked at the fact that there’s still people in the 21st century who continue to enjoy the games of the past. And at the same time, I’m really happy and honored. Of course, it wasn’t only my effort, but also the efforts of those programmers and artists who spared their sleeping hours in order to devote themselves to the development process. Please shower them your utmost praise as well. It would be interesting to see the Tecmo team from back them try to create a 2D game today I think. Some millionaire out there, please start up such a project (laughs). [authors note: Yes, someone Kickstarter this.]
TB: A group of dedicated hackers still update Tecmo Super Bowl for each NFL season! I think we’re going on ten years of updates now. If you ever want to compose a new track for Tecmo Super Bowl, just let us know!
Keiji: Thank you for the kind offer. If I can fit it in my schedule, I would love to contribute at least 1 track. If you could contact me with details, I’ll look into it.
TB: Why use a pseudonym? Pseudonyms seemed a common practice among game programmers at the time; was there any specific reason?
Keiji: There’s a simple reason. Tecmo forbid us from using our real names in the credits. Some NES titles might have had real names in their credits, but those were published without the company’s knowledge. The reason we were told that it was forbidden was because they were afraid the creators would be lured away from the company. I don’t know if that’s true or not though. At Koei, there were no pseudonyms in the credits at all. After I retired from Koei, I’ve made sure to check that my real name is used in the credits.
TB: You’ve said elsewhere your pseudonym, “K.Y. Jets” came from your love of American Football and the New York Jets. Did you feel any special obligation working on the Tecmo Bowl games, being a fan of the sport?
Keiji: I watched my first game of Japanese college football live when I was in 12th grade. From that point onwards, I loved American football. I started watching the NFL on television and came to like the Jets. I don’t really remember why I liked the Jets but I think it was because I had a yearning for New York and because I thought the Jets were cooler than the Giants.
When I joined Tecmo, I couldn’t believe that was going to be working on a game officially approved by the NFL. I was really happy. My opinions on the players’ skills and attributes were reflected in the first Tecmo Bowl. I feel like the Cleveland running back, Kevin Mack, was a bit overpowered (laughs). For TSB, we gathered quite a bit of data so I think there weren’t such biases. Although maybe the players the director liked were just a bit stronger. I really wanted the Jets to be a little stronger, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen.
Of course, I love the NFL even now. And I’m still a Jets fan. This year, contrary to the Jets’ previous reputation, they did very well. It’s my dream to watch them play live!
TB: For the generation that grew up with NES, songs like Ninja Gaiden Stage 1-1 or Tecmo Super Bowl‘s main theme hold a place higher than some pop music. A good number of sites and streaming services run Classic Console stations. How does that feel to have made a piece of art that 1) so many hold in high esteem and 2) still reverberates to this day?
Keiji: When I’m in Japan, I don’t feel that at all. Even now, I’m a nobody in Japan. Even among video game music fans, there is barely anyone who recognizes my name. So this year, when I released an album, I didn’t appear in any online articles in Japan (e.g. the US Gizmodo covered a story on my album release but there was no such article on the Japanese Gizmodo).
When [fellow Brave Wave member] Mohammed [Taher] told me that there were a lot of fans of my music overseas, I couldn’t believe it. The reactions I received from overseas fans when my album was released made me very happy. I thought, “If there are people who enjoy my music so much, I can’t stop producing music. I’m going to continue”. I have nothing but gratitude for those who hum my songs since they were children. Thank you very much. And I hope you will continue to support me!
TB: Which brings us to your latest work, Retro-Active. I’ve been playing it recently and can’t tell you enough how much I enjoy it! It seems to dovetail well between your work in video games, ringtones and composition. Tell me there’s more on the way.
Keiji: Thank you so much listening to it! Retro-Active is a collaborative project with Brave Wave’s Mohammed. The concept is to be nostalgic yet fresh, primarily using the NES’s sound chip to create electro-pop music. It’s a bit different from the usual chiptune, so I thought that it might be easy to listen to even for those who are not video game music fans. We are planning to release a physical (CD) version [of Retro-Active] in the spring with a bonus track.
And finally, after the release of Retro-Active Pt. 1, I was approached by numerous foreign gaming media and gaming sites for interviews, but this one was the most fun for me. Thank you very much for the questions brimming with love and respect. You really conveyed how much you love the games and sounds I created. As a video game sound creator, there’s nothing that makes me happier than this.
If we could I meet up someday, I would love to you talk to you about various things. [After Retro-Active] I’ll be working on 2 or so tracks for a game called “Starr Mazer”. Besides that, I don’t have any specific plans, so if there are any projects for which you require music composed for, please reach out to me. That being said, I am not very good at orchestrated sounds so please keep that in mind (laughs).
We here at Tecmo Bowlers can’t say enough how grateful we are to Mr. Yamagishi for taking the time to answer our (sometimes fanboy-ish) questions. We’re not just blowing smoke when we say that Keiji Yamagishi’s work on the NES stands as the best music in the console’s impressive library. And to those Tecmo-holics who hum the TSB injury theme every time an NFL player gets a cramp, we can’t recommend Retro-Active pt.1 and Retro-Active pt.2 highly enough. Surf on over and, at the very least, give Retro-Active a spin during your next TSB session, and thank the Tecmo stars for Keiji Yamagishi and his continuing excellence.
Dave “Bruddog” Brude breaks down the 268-man Tecmo Madison XII field by region. He predicts the potential group winners through a power ranking formula in addition to his in-depth knowledge of the Tecmo Bowl player community. Follow Bruddog on Twitter @bruddogtecmo. The following post is unedited from TecmoBowl.org.
Appease the Tecmo Gods and ye may be rewarded with glorious endzone to endzone JJ’s. Anger them and feel their fumble wrath destroy your Tecmo hopes!
DISCLAIMER: The numbers next to each player posted below are derived using an SRS iterative method from past tourney results. I used only the last 3 Madison tourney’s with the following weightings (10%,30%, 60%) There are no subjective adjustments. They are merely ONE TOOL in evaluating a player’s past madison performances and relative skill. They can be thought of as the average number of points a player would beat an average Madison participant based on past results.
Find a couple examples of ratings from 3 different players over the last 3 tourneys below:
Low to High (-3.9, 12.3, 16.0) – Consistent (14.0,13.8, 12.2) – High to Low ( 17.2, 13.1, 9.5)
Please note: the groupings are dynamic. As participants drop out, the groupings may change to rebalance the tournament.
Starting off with the Farve region and Tecmo Super Bowl powerhouse Chet, Bruddog breaks down the field.
Farve Region
Group 1– Two-time champion Chet is the powerhouse here. If you are in this group your chance of a Cinderella 64 appearance goes down considerably. Given tourney history I expect a 3-0 performance from Chet who is looking to get back to the final 8 after losing narrowly to daboys in an epic game last year where daboys pulled off one of the jukes of the tourney. Having played Ryan.S online recently he has definitely improved his game from the last go around and has been training hard and the rating number highly likely doesn’t do him justice and would be my choice to emerge from the losers bracket as knocking off Chet is a tall task few have been able to do. Ryan is also looking to avenge an epic battle that resulted in a 3pt loss to gripsmoke in OT. Scott S. has made it out of group play two years in a row and will definitely give this group a run for their money.
Group 2- Should be a battle between Tecmo veteran O’Delle and another tourney vet David T. (Ashman) for the automatic berth. Odelle looking to get back to the elite 8 like he did in Tecmo X. Meanwhile Ashman lost to a hot Lefty in the round of 32 last year.
Group 3- Tourney local Lucas S (Breaker) appears to be the favorite here assuming he’s not super rusty. His last Madison appearance was Tecmo X where he made a run to the Elite 8 before losing to mort and bgboud. Ryan K (Hoigarrd) looks to reverse a downward trend of wins in Madison form 3 to 2 to just 1 last year but has mostly been losing close games. Site founder Matt Knobbe has lost in the round of 64 the last two tourney’s and will be hoping to improve on that.
Group 4– Matt DeGeorge is making his first Madison appearance but is no stranger to tournament play or Tecmo having won multiple northeast tourney titles and will be looking to make his mark on Madison and should be he favorite in this group. Two Jay’s phillyopish and birdhas uwl will be his primary competitors. birdhas uwl nearly made the Elite 8 in Tecmo after a one pt win vs skunker in the round of 32 but lost to Jeff B in the round of 16. In Tecmo X his last appearance he failed to make it out of pool play as did the other Jay philyophish.
Group 5– Tourney vet Rico (ryan33fulcher) looks to be the favorite of this group that is currently light a player that will assumedly be filled in from the play in tourney on Friday. Whoever earns that spot will definitely have a chance. Leif Powers (Nameless Loser) the creator of likely the most in-depth Tecmo FAQ to date will make his first Madison appearance. I know little of the current state of his gaming skills but he would be my other choice to escape this group given how little I know of the rest of this group. There are 2 other newcomers I know little about.
Group 6– Louis brother of Mort has to be the favorite of this group light on players with tourney experience and or positive results. He will be hoping to break through to the round of 16 after losing to two quality players in the round of 32 including last years dreaded SEA/NE matchup loss to Gats. The rest of the group looks like a crapshoot to me but the next best player appears to be Justin L who do not escape group play the last 2 years going 2-2 both years.
Group 7 – This group features two primetimes and a grogan. Advantage Primetime? Local tourney vet Troy H (Primetime) looks to be the cream of this group. He had a rough draw in the round of 64 drawing Vogt brother Jimmy V (Lefty) who narrowly missed the elite 8. He’s also been eliminated buy Regulator twice in past tourney’s so I’m sure he’s hoping for some better matchup fortune. The other Primetime (Paul. G) has been trending up (-5.4 to 5.5). He had a very solid tourney last year knocking off Mort in the round of 64 and then losing it what appears to be an OT game vs Skunker. Brian R (Grogan) has also been trending up with each tourney ( -27, 3.7, 9.1). He nearly won his group last year losing by a mere 3 pts to online powerhouse Gats. He ultimatly lost to Louis in the roundof 64 . He should be dangerous with another year of tournmanet experiance under his belt.
Group 8 – Local player Justin G (Lamefest) will be making his 5th straight appearance in what looks to be a group with a number of solid if unspectacular players. He will be hoping to turn things around with a number of double digit losses to top players. It should be a close battle for the 2nd spot between two Ben P, Ben B(Rockman) and tourney vet and good guy Kevin C.. I know Rockman has been getting his practice in online so he would could be a darkhorse that wins the whole group.
Stiller Region
Group 9– The likely top seed in the tourney Kyle M. (Regulator) currently at 31-4 in Madison play should likely plow through this group. Regulator’s elite skill plus his elite tapping makes him a nightmare. Word on the street is that he has a new Tecmo shirt ready for Tecmo XII. Will this shirt incur the Tecmo Gods wrath? only time will tell. Expect him to get close to the max point differential possible in group play as it features 4 new players and the potential 2 seeds don’t look like they can give Kyle much of a scare. The ratings listed are a little off as it appears Todd D (imimortl) is the stronger player here based on record and the weighting method punished him for last years 1-2 flameout. Kramer J (mighty bombjack) went 0-2 last year but defeated (imimortl)badly 42-7 in Tomzack Bowl 7. So who knows who really has the upper hand here well other than Regulator looking to prove that last year should be asterisked since he wasn’t there.
Group 10- Newly engaged, tecmo madison website admin, and local resident Tony “Eat Shit” Orenga. (AverageTSBPlayer) will have the ever loud and decorated Orenga Posse backing him making for the biggest “home field” advantage in Madison . He will be looking to make another deep run after defeating gats in OT before falling to tourney finalists psycho and coconuts in back to back games. Tony should cruise through what now appears to be one of the weakest pools due to some re-shuffling. The # 2 seed appears up for grabs.
Group 11- Continuing with what is likely the most famous region we have the legendary Tecmo VI champion Francis B. (Mort). After a deep run to the elite 8 in Tecmo IX mort has had some narrow losses in the round of 64 the last two years after cruising through pool play and definitely would like to reverse that trend this year There are a couple guys who should vie for the 2 seed. Aaron T. (Illini) went 1-2 in his first Tecmo Madison but came ready last year starting off 4-0 before getting pantsed by Chet in a SD Rams matchup 35-0. Michael B from Arizona had a nice showing in Tecmo X earning the #2 seed before falling to powerhouse BigMv in the round of 64.
Group 12– Seth B. (Virtuoso) leads group 12 with a solid tourney record and point differential. He lost to the aforementioned Mort in the round of 16 in Tecmo IX and had a 3 pt loss to Viking Moe who made the elite 8 last year. Local player Jason S. (B.Jack(n u up)son) and Andrew H. (Don) look to be the other main threats however neither made it out of pool play last year so it looks like one of their fortunes will be changing
Group 13– . Matt. B heechy looks like the clear favorite here upon closer game by game inspection. Lost to bgboud in the round of 16 in Tecmo IX. He had a narrow 3-0 loss in a PIT/PHX matchup to Diaz in round of 64 in Tecmo X and lost 31-7 to a hot gripsmoke in the round of 32 last year. Rob. H (PurpleHaze)has been getting some extra practice in online and made it out of group play last year before losing narrowly 14-10 to elite 8 finalist Orenga. Perhaps the posse was too much so he should be a threat as well. This group is currently a player light. Perhaps the Friday night runner up goes here?
Group 14– Online tecmo veteran haling from the Pacific Northwest Matt G (gripsmoke) barely got out of pool play needing OT to get past ryan stewart but then knocked off Mc and Heechy in dominant fashion before losing in the round of 16 to tecmo XI finalist Coco. His main threat will be local player Nick G. (Gio) who was in my pool in Tecmo XI and tok a step forward last year making it out of pool play as the #2 seed from his group. He lost in the round of 32 to elite player daboys.
Group 15 – 7 time tourney player Peter K (Moonwalk) made a return to Madison after a two year layoff last year and appeared to be a little rusty as Tecmo newcomer but also online player Sirted narrowly bested him twice….onece in pool play by 3 points and as it would have it again in bracket play in the round of 64. The battle for the second spot will likely be between Trevor O (Trozier) and Dan S. (Dan) who both made it out of their pool as the 2nd seed last year only to lose by 14+ in the round of 64.
Group 16 – It should be a tough battle at the top players who could make it out of the bracket. David T. (DT) appears to be the favorite given his play at Kumite III with a solid win over C.Vogt and his narrow 3 pt loss to Gio in the round of 64 at Madison last year . Well known online player Gerald S (SuicideKing) should have a good chance of coming out with his online and live tourney experience however this will be his first Madison which ramps up the intensity.
Diaz Region
Group 17– Josh A (Coconuts) has made it to back to back elite 8’s and came oh so close to winning it all last year getting elminated 13-10 in a very close championship game vs tecmopsycho. He recently took home the tundra bowl 3 championship and gave regulator all he could handle in the online thunderdome tourney where an unlucky fumble wrecked what would have been a win. Travis R (Pug Life) looks to be the only threat as he made it out of pool play as the 2 seed last year before losing in the round of 32.
Group 18- Matt M (Ones11fahzu) brother of Regulator and tourney veteran made a nice run to the elite 8 after two straight years of failing to reach the round of 16 where he lost 2 games by a total of 4 points to skunker and daboys. His ball control style is always tough to play against. Tim U (The UnKnown) became “known” after knocking off Mort 24-21 in Tecmo X in the round of 64. He made it out of group play last year as the #2 seed only to get shut out by joeygats. Peter B (Gridiron) made it out of group play last year as the 2 seed before falling by 14 to Manyo360. He has online experience as well and may have played ones before in league play. His tapping could prove to be a challenge for Matt.
Group 19- Local player Jeff B is hoping to make a deep run like he did in Tecmo IX where he made it to the elite 8 and went 2-2 falling to Chet and Daboy. There may be some lsight rust as his last game has a loss to O’delle in the round of 64 in Tecmo X. The always entertaining Joey S (Dr.Frolf) did not make it out of pool play last year but made it to the round of 64 in Tecmo X as a 2 seed before getting knocked off by yours truly.
Group 20– Bruddog, he seems pretty good. One of the tournament organizer guys in the group, he’ll probably receive some kind of backhanded help from Chet Goodell. A North Dakota guy is in the group, so it might be loud. A Madison tournament veteran is in the group, so at least there’s some quality players. Some other people are in the group too. This will all end up on the stream probably. Two people from this group will advance. — by QB_Browns
Group 21–This looks like a group that is waiting for a number 1 seed and number of guys who could make a run at the # 2 seed including an experienced online original rom player making his first Madison appearance Eamon B. Kris S (Sammie Smith) has come oh so close to getting out of group play the last 2 years Losing by 3 pts to Adam G. (Garbage) and Lamefest by 3 pts. Maybe this will be the year he gets to bracket play.
Group 22– This group features two time champion Jim B (Air Bontempo) whose rating gets dragged down by one of the more shocking events of Tecmo XI. After making it to the Elite 8 in Tecmo X, Jimmy went 1-2 in group play and was elminated. No doubt he will be looking to get that bad taste out of his mouth this year. Online player Bo J. (TecmoBo) made his first Madison appearance last year and did wellgoing 3-0 in group play before losing a 3pt gam to player121xk in the round of 64.
Group 23– Nathan M (Retro4ever) owner of retro4ever.com nad hoster of the Tundra bowl looks to be the cream of this group as he has made it out group play as the #2 seed the last two years only to lose badly to Sconnieale and Luke C. Maybe I’m missing something but I’m not sure who the #2 seed is her as it seems to be up for grabs based on who is left in the group.
Group 24 –This a tough top group at the top. Luke C (Them Crooked Fulchers) has had a strong point differential by dominating group play the last 3 years but has come up short in getting to the elite 8 losing close games to final 4 player daboys in rd of 32 Tecmo IX, VikingMoe in the rd of 64 in Tecmo X, and 3pt loss to elite 8 participant Ones. Final Fntasy speedrunner record holder (at one time) Russel S (Kweh 11) elite tapping plaus skill makes him a tough out as evidenced by his strong performance in Tecmo X where he almost fnished his group as the 1 seed but made it out as the 2 before getting pummeled by skunker. Rust may be a slight factor be he has been playing recently to work it off. Online player Storksdaman will be making his first Madison appearance and is an X factor and could give the top 2 seeds in this group a scare.
Dillon Region
Group 25– Group that is home to the defending champ Derek R (tecmopsycho) who struggled out of the gate last year nearly going 0-2 and getting eliminated in group play but he had the will of a champion and found his groove and ran the table thereafter. He is one of the elite tappers and and has tons of live tourney experience so he has a good a shot as any of trying to become the 2nd repeat champion. Jimmy P (jimsocks) would be my favorite for the #2 seed as he made it to the round of 16 in Tecmo X only to go 1-2 in group play the next year. Nate V( the legend) is looking to live up to his name after nearly escaping group play last year only to lose badly to rico in the losers bracket championship.
Group 26- Matt .O (LuckyTool) is hoping his luck will change and he make another elite 8 run as he is in the conversation of one of the best to never win it. He knocked me out last year in the round of 32 only to lose in OT to skunker. He a close losses to Jeff B (rd of 32) Tecmo IX and one of his only bad losses a 21-3 loss to Matt V in the round of 16 Tecmo X. However this group will be tough at the top. His competition will be Kyle F (Flo) and Barry A (Bob Nelson) are both experience players who have good winning %’s and have made it out of group play numerous times. Flo was eliminated by Joey V in the round of 64 after sweeping his group in Tecmo XI and Bob Nelson has had the unfortunate pleasure of facing and losing to Chet in round of 64 the last two tourney’s. Something I’m sure he will be happy to avoid in Tecmo XII.
Group 27- Tourney co-founder and brother of Chet (sonofpatbeach) will be hoping for the magical bookend trying to win the first and LAST? Tecmo Madison. He was in the zone last year before losing back to back games on the final plays of the games. Rough. Brian R. (ChaosRison) will be making his third Temco Madison appearance having last played in Tecmo X getting elminated in pool play. However he some some wins over big name players in older tourney’s and his perhaps strangly high rating despite not getting out of pool play likely comes from playing Jeff B to a 3 pt game in Tecmo X. John F. (Slaughterhouse) will also be vying for the 2 seed having made it out of pool play as the 2 seed the last two tournaments only to then lose in the round of 64.
Group 28–Yet another fairly tough top heavy group is led by Erik M (ARNCOEM) whoselast tourney entry got REGULATED in the round of 16 as he was a blade of grass to Regulators lawnmower. Losing in a 31-0 PIT vs JETS matchup. Tough to move the ball vs Regulater as PIT. Former online player and recent tourney player Jeff E (jebigred) will be making his first Madison appearance but had a very solid showing in the Tomzack Bowl splitting games with Josh and losing by one score to Coco. Solid online player Justin P (justinpeters51) will also be making his first Madison trip and also had a very solid showing in the Tomzack Bowl beating cvogt and losing in OT vs Josh. Sadly someone solid will not be making it out of this group.
Group 29– . This is yet another tough group to call. Tony J (Dotdon) appears to be the king of this mountain. He might be one of only two players to have beaten both Regulator (tecmo 7) and Josh in Tecmo Madison. He last played in Tecmo X where he lost in the round of 32 to daboy in an ATL- DAL matchup. The no nickname Nate C appears to be the slight favorite for the two seed knocking ff gripsmoke and Ryan S on his way to winning his pool last year before losing to Josh in the round of 32. Andrew F(Clown Baby),Dan D(Cod) and James K (player121xk) are all capable of getting hot and winning the 2 seed as well. player121xk and Andrew F have made it out of pool play as the 2 seed once in the last two tourneys.
Group 30– Pacific Northwest tourney organizer and the man-YO also known as the Blue Luigi Joseph M (manyo360) will be making his 3rd return to Madison. He has swept pool play the last 2 tourney’s before making the mistake of giving tony the Rams and losing badly in a WAS/RAMS matchup. He stepped his game up a nothc and made it to the round of 32 before getting knocked off by Matt Diaz. But just getting out of this group will be no easy task as he faces 3 players who got out of group play last tourney. Eric D (Ding) nearly knocked me off in my pool play title game in Tecmo X but 2 minute drive by the Rams secured the win. He also knocked Soby out in OT in Tecmo VIII. Online player Nick S (Segathon) will be hoping to repeat his preformance in last year’s madison where he swept pool play before putting up the goosegg vs Tecmopsycho. Russell N will be making his second appearance after he made it out of pool play only to lose to ODelle in the round of 64 last year.
Group 31 – Former Champion Kevin M (buzzsaw) will be hoping to turn back the clock after not making out of a couple tough pools in Tecmo IX and Tecmo X.Travis R (Moulds) also did not make it out of group play his last tourney tecmo X and will have a good chance of making it out here. Online player Eric M (heardyasquash) will be looking to play spoiler and has a chance of getting out of this group as well.
Group 32 – Rounding out this region is Tom B (8-bit) is the clear #1 seed having made it out of pool play the last 3 tourney’s and twice as the 1 seed in his group. Bracket play has proved challenging as his losses have been of the 2 TD variety. Cory S. (noonan) will be hoping to get out of group play after starting of 2-0 in Tecmo XI only to then lose two in a row to get eliminated. Local player Erik S (dice) once made a final 4 but that was long ago as his last tourney entrance was Tecmo VII where he lost badly to MV in the first round of bracket paly. He did beat Chet way back in Tecmo III.
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Who is your pick to bring home the title?! Let us know in the comments!
Tecmo Madison is the tournament of tournaments. The World Championships. We at Tecmo Bowlers are sad to see the Madison crew hang up their controllers after Tecmo XII. We are forever grateful for the blood, sweat, and 72 pin connectors they put into our community.
Original posts from TecmoBowl.org http://tecmobowl.org/forum/topic/67737-tecmo-xii-preview-stiller-region/ http://tecmobowl.org/forum/topic/67727-tecmo-xii-preview-favre-region/ http://tecmobowl.org/forum/topic/67799-tecmo-xii-preview-diaz-region/ http://tecmobowl.org/forum/topic/67880-tecmo-xii-preview-dillon-region/
I remember the first time I fell in love. It was actually the day after first feeling painful heartbreak. All I wanted for Christmas that year was a Nintendo. Coop had one, Corey and Jared had one. I wanted one. Christmas Eve is always when we celebrate with my Papa. We had it at our house that particular year and as the festivities were dying down, discussion among the kids turned to what they hoped Santa was dropping off overnight. As visions of “Crossfire” danced in Coop’s head, I was mentally rearranging my room to perfectly house that electronic dreamboat. As the final guests left, Dewey dropped the bomb on me that Nintendo was likely not in the cards. Devastation, call Santa and tell him not to bother. He could just drop off Chase’s sweet bolo tie and cowboy hat and hit the road.
Alas, my old man had set me up. That sweet piece of technology was front and center the next morning as I stumbled into the living room. Looking back, I understand why the let down had to happen the night before. I had all but accepted that I was getting one and there would be no fun in that for my folks. Back then, they videoed our reactions as we entered the room to see our gifts and that year I let out a boisterous “Ninnn” and didn’t finish the word. Don’t worry, Chase got the cowboy hat too.
Thus began my lifelong love affair with video games. I still play them today. I just put the controller down from another session of Fallout 4. Games have come a long way since that Christmas. Now there are ever expanding storylines, open worlds to explore and graphics that make you think you are watching a movie. Groundbreaking stuff I tell you. Perhaps the first groundbreaker though was a game that is what I can only describe as the most amazing game of all time. Super Mario was fun, RBI was a classic and I always had a great time battling Uncle Speedy and Greg with the Bash Brothers, Lego my Gallego and Walt “Three Blind” Weiss. But in 1991, the video game industry was turned on its head with the introduction of Tecmo Super Bowl “TSB”.
TSB was the first sports game that had all of the NFL players (well, almost – more on that in a minute) and allowed you to play an entire season while keeping stats and setting up playoffs and a Super Bowl. It’s not the first time stats had been involved in a video game but it was definitely a much easier process. Prior to that, Jim and Rusty and I had played various seasons of RBI Baseball 3 with us keeping stats ourselves over the course of battle. This time, the game kept it for you and saved it, provided you held down reset while powering off. Tecmo Bowl (minus the “Super”) preceded TSB but didn’t have all of the teams and didn’t keep stats over time. This game introduced a whole new way to play video games. My buddies and I became stat junkies and began trying to one up each other on a daily basis.
For me, there was only one team on Tecmo Super Bowl back in my younger days. That was the Buffalo Bills. I loved them, despite their inability to win the big one. I made sure that I won it for them over and over on TSB. They had it all. The stout defense included Bruce Smith, Cornelius Bennett, Daryll Talley and Little Man Nate Odomes. Then the offense was high powered with Thurman Thomas, James Lofton, Andre Reed and QB Bills. Ah, “almost” all of the NFL players. The game lacked 4 official NFL’ers. QB Bills was Jim Kelly, QB Eagles was Randall Cunningham and QB Browns was Bernie Kosar. There was an issue with a new licensing group called NFL Quarterback Club and the NLFPA that disallowed their names from being used. Their attributes were the same as their real life personas though so we all knew who they were. The fourth player not included was a biggie too. Eric Dickerson was not included on the Colts due to a contract squabble and I wager that they would have been quite the team with Jeff George and Dickerson but it was not to be.
I became quite the player, in my opinion, with the Bills and was able to dispatch most opponents with relative ease. I recall the first time Coop almost took me down with Philly. QB Eagles was a difficult weapon to stop. He was one of the fastest offensive players on the game and he was a QB. The ultimate run/pass option. If you wanted to beat this guy, you better be prepared to put up 60 points. Coop battled hard that day but he was ultimately bitten by an ugly facet of the game. In what would later be dubbed “Self Preservation”, the game had a way of sensing when someone was on the cusp of ultimate joy and it would pounce. Late in the game, Coop was trailing by a slim margin when Reggie White, The Minister of Defense, smashed QB Bills causing a fumble. White picked it up and Coop began the cheer “Go Reggie, Go Reggie!” Thurman Thomas chased him down and White promptly fumbled it back to the Bills as the cheer turned to a cry of desperation “Noooo Reggie!” Bills win!
I spread my teams out a little more over the years but I’ve always had my favorites. The Bills, Lions (Barry Sanders), Chiefs and Bengals have remained go-to teams. I still recall David Fulcher and the Bengals putting Byron’s Chicago Bears in their place as he tried to take down the champ. Though I rarely used the Raiders, the greatest player in TSB history, without a doubt, was Bo Jackson. Epic YouTube videos are available that show the sheer dominance one 8 bit player was able to inflict on the video game world. It’s the stuff of legends. There is one video in which a player takes Bo, runs the length of the field, turns back right before he scores, runs back the length of the field and then turns one more time to score what is essentially a 300 yard TD. The game could have been called “Bo Jackson’s Tecmo Super Bowl” and there would have been no arguments. Besides Barry Sanders, there wasn’t even anyone close to his ability. Christian Okoye had a shot but was injured too often in the game and was always one self-preservation play away from a controller toss. There are still T shirts being made in 2016 in their honor.
Speaking of 2016, the game remains so popular that clothing is not the only merchandise that still pops up. The masters here at TecmoBowlers.com updated the original game on NES to bring fans TSB 16 with fully updated rosters but the same old gameplay. Like a true dork, I bought it right up and rotate playing that and the old one on my classic NES. It’s truly the only game that holds up in my opinion. It has replay value out the wazoo. It has been called the greatest video game of all time by major video game publications and to this day is the standard bearer for football video games. It brought out the best and worst of my generation and still has its own annual tournament in Madison, Wisconsin each year. This year’s tourney is Feb 20 and I would love to go but just don’t have the proper time to prepare. Entry fee is only $40 but the experience would be once in a lifetime. It would so be worth the thumb callous that would be sure to follow.
From “Go Reggie” to “Self Preservation” to the most famous scream in TSB history, “PLAY ME!!”, the game left its mark on my youth. By the way, “PLAY ME!!” immediately followed one of the most egregious forms of “Self Preservation” in TSB history and ended with a head butt to the closet door, all at 3 am. Never has a video game been so triumphant and emasculating at the same time. Today’s kids can have their Madden and NCAA football. They will never know the feeling of winning a super bowl with only 8 plays in your arsenal and no way to audible in and out of poorly timed pre-snap movement. If I didn’t think Alicia would kill me for waking her up, I’d get a game in right now. I’m proud to say I’m a Tecmo Bowler and will die one. Hopefully, they will play the TSB injury music at my funeral.
You may be wondering if Coop got Crossfire that year. He did and he wound up with stitches. What a Christmas!
Tecmo’s New York Giants are stacked. As in Sir Mix-a-Lot, Baby Got Back stacked. Offense or defense, backfield or secondary, the Giants lack weakness. The Houston Oilers may have Warren Moon and a three-headed WR monster, but RB Lorenzo White has severe fumblitis. Philly’s fastest skill player is QB Eagles. The Raiders’ playbook limits Bo Jackson. Even the great teams have issues.
…Except the Giants. RB Ottis Anderson is slow-footed but with god-like power and near-perfect ball control. Dave Meggit, Mark Ingram Sr. and Stephen Baker form a lethal skill corps. The DL is solid and Lawrence Taylor is the Tecmo equivalent of Zeus, throwing bolts of lightning to smite mere mortals below. Anything left gets eaten by CB Everson Walls and New York’s impressive secondary.
Picking a bad Giant comes down to splitting hairs. It’s like criticizing Anna Kendrick: there’s certainly flaws to be found, but if you’re that close, there’s probably better things to do.
That said, the Tecmo Giants could be better. Teams like San Francisco, Houston, Philadelphia (hell, even Cleveland) start with a distinct advantage over the New York Football Giants: a top-flight quarterback.
That’s right, the bad player on Tecmo‘s best team is QB1 Phil Simms (I said we were splitting hairs here, remember?).
Tecmogeek.com ranks Simms 8th overall among TSB signal callers. It’s a fair ranking; in TSB’s most crucial QB stat–Pass Control[1]–Simms scores a respectable 63. It’s not Joe Montana’s 81, but its well above the average score of 44.
Unfortunately, Simms had a well-earned reputation for being a statue in the pocket. Drafted from Kentucky’s Morehead State in 1979, by the time TSB rolled around, Simms was an NFL gray-hair. Tecmo rightly scored Simms with 13 Maximum Speed, 2nd worst only to Steve Grogan and a few others. He’s liable to get tripped by the grass growing under his feet.
Tangential to his snail speed, Simms gets a paltry 50 Passing Speed. It’s above the average PS score of 44, but just barely. Remember, Simms is 35 years old in Tecmo Super Bowl; his days of throwing lasers had passed. Think of Tecmo Simms as late-career Greg Maddux: fireballs gone, he made a living on crafty, accurate throws.
Give Phil Simms John Elway’s Max Speed of 25 and the Giants’ playbook opens up. Up his passing speed to Warren Moon’s 69 and his receivers gain an extra step. It’s not that Phil Simms is bad in TSB, it’s just that, surrounded by TNT, he’s a sparkler. He’s a hairs-width from being painfully average on a team of superstars.
You could replace Tecmo Simms with a lesser QB and the Giants wouldn’t lose much. Unlike our “Bo Knows Overrated” column, we’re not just spouting rhetorical hogwash[2]. A few fractured metatarsals prove it.
On December 15, 1990, in what turned out to be a Super Bowl preview against the Buffalo Bills[3], Phil Simms fractured his right foot[4]. Put on season-ending injured reserve, the Giants’ playoff hopes fell squarely to journeyman backup Jeff Hostetler. Helmed by one of TSB‘s absolute worst quarterbacks, one would expect doom and gloom over the Meadowlands.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the Super Bowl. Hostetler didn’t play poorly. He didn’t play “just well enough.” Career backup Jeff Hostetler shone to the point most expected a heated QB battle come training camp[5].
In his 14 starts Phil Simms completed 59.16% of his passes and earned a QB rating of 92.7.
In his 5 starts (2 regular season and 3 playoff games) Jeff Hostetler completed 57.11% of his passes and earned a QB rating of 93.44.
Statisticians will cry foul over Hostetler’s smaller sample size, but he also played against better opponents. Old Hoss absolutely thrashed the Chicago’s powerhouse defense, winning the divisional round 31-3 with a 117 QB rating. It boils down to this: NYG replaced an All-Pro QB with an also-ran and got the exact same results. Numbers don’t lie.
This “Hostetler Effect”[6] is actually hard-coded into TSB. The Giants’ season simulation data has their offense depending heavily on the run. Regardless of QB, TSB almost always puts the Giants atop the NFC East with the conference’s best running attack and worst air game.
For a more tangible representation of how Simms compares to top-flight QBs, simply swap him onto the NFC Pro Bowl roster in place of the backup QB Eagles. Playing the first half with starter Joe Montana and the second with Phil Simms shows how Simms’ lack of mobility and sometimes errant arm can be a pain.
Tecmo Phil Simms isn’t a bad quarterback, he just stands a little shorter than the Giants around him.
NOTES:
[1] I can’t hear “pass control” without hearing Prince sing about controlling something else entirely. [2] Okay, okay, I admit: I was only trying to kick a hornets’ nest with that one. [3] A game, many forget, the Bills actually won despite losing Jim Kelly to injury. [4] Even today, some reports still insist Simms’ injury was not a fracture but a severe sprain. It seems such claims stem from then-coach Bill Parcells’ habit of lying to the media about his players’ injuries. [5] Hostetler in fact won the QB job the following season and went back and forth with Simms until signing with the Raiders in 1993. [6] “The Hostetler Effect” sounds like a movie would be written, directed by and starring Ashton Kutcher.
The late 1980s and early ’90s saw a Pittsburgh Steelers franchise struggling through mediocrity. The Steelers fell to also-rans after QB Terry Bradshaw retired. The memory of back-to-back Super Bowl wins faded under 5 and 6-win seasons.
After a 6-win 1986 campaign, the Steelers held the #10 pick in the 1987 NFL Draft. Tampa Bay, holder of the #1 pick, signed Miami QB Vinny Testaverde prior to the draft. The Indianapolis Colts, likewise, announced Alabama LB Cornelius Bennett at #2.
The question heading into Draft Day was who would get Rod Woodson at #3? Woodson was a blazing fast defensive back/kick returner/running back from Purdue, with tenacity and power to match his footspeed. Chatter indicated San Francisco, Houston and Minnesota (among others) desperately wanted to trade into Buffalo’s #3 slot to nab Woodson1.
True to their word, the Houston Oilers traded the #8 and #36 picks to the Bills. With the #3 pick, Houston took… Miami RB Alonzo Highsmith2. Two picks later, the Cleveland Browns traded up from #24 to select…Duke Linebacker Mike Junkin3. The Cardinals4, Lions, Bills and Eagles also passed on Woodson. Allegations of Woodson’s receiving improper benefits while in college and “character questions” saw Rod fall into the Pittsburgh Steelers’ laps at #10.5
His tenure with the team started on rocky footing. Perhaps irked he’d fallen to #10, Woodson refused to sign Pittsburgh’s contract. He butted heads with legendary Pittsburgh coach Chuck Knoll. Woodson went so far as to attempt a Track and Field career, despite not running track in college. In a qualifying race for the European Track and Field Grand Prix, however, Woodson clipped a hurdle and failed to make the circuit6. He eventually signed the Steelers’ offer of four years at $700k a year.
To say it worked out well for both parties would be a massive understatement.
Rod Woodson: One of the few players who actually looks like his TSB portrait.
The big stat here is Woodson’s 75 Maximum Speed. Rod Woodson ran a 4.28 40-yard dash at the 1897 NFL Combine. A sub 4.3 40 is ridiculously fast, and Woodson’s 4.28 puts him in the top 40 all time. Make no mistake; it was Woodson’s raw technique, not his footspeed which foiled his attempt at professional Track and Field. No one doubted Rod Woodson possessed world-class speed. It should be no surprise that Woodson is Tecmo Super Bowl’s fastest defensive back7.
Rod Woodson covers the ENTIRE field.
The critics who labelled Woodson an athletic freak without DB skill quickly ate their words. In just his third game, Woodson nabbed his first interception, a pick six, against the Cincinnati Bengals. In 1988, his first full season as Pittsburgh’s starting Right Cornerback, Woodson snagged 4 INTs. His 63 in Pass Interceptions score places him head and shoulders above his TSB peers.
The stat that really makes Rod Woodson dangerous on any given TSB play is his 69 Hitting Power. Only David Fulcher’s 75 ranks higher among defensive backs. Rod Woodson quickly garnered a reputation as a runaway train in the backfield, flattening any WR or RB unfortunate enough to get in his path.
Houston RB Lorenzo White’s severe TSB fumbleitis is partly owed to a Rod Woodson trucking. The Steelers played the favored Houston Oilers to a tie during the 1989 AFC Wild Card game. During the Oilers’ first possession of overtime, Woodson blasted Lorenzo White, jarring loose the football. Woodson recovered his own fumble and the Steelers upset the Oilers mere seconds later. White followed his ‘89 failure with 7 fumbles in 1990 and earned a 19 Ball Control score, worst in Tecmo Super Bowl.
1989 AFC Wild Card, Tecmo-style
The amazing thing to consider about Tecmo Super Bowl is that Rod Woodson should have been even better. From his rookie campaign until tearing his ACL in 19958, Rod Woodson pulled double duty, acting both as DB and punt/kick returner. Rod Woodson should be the Tecmo Steelers’ return specialist as well, allowing TSB players to swap Woodson into Pittsburgh’s pitiful offense.
Put Rod Woodson on the Steelers’ offense and Pittsburgh becomes a very dangerous TSB team. Bubby Brister would be halfway decent throwing lobs to Woodson. Of course, this would have required TSB programmers to either a)write specific code to give Woodson both offensive and defensive stats, or b)create two TSB Rod Woodsons, one on offense and one on defense. And we all know the sheer power of two Rod Woodsons would create a space-time singularity, the power of which could suck Earth into an n-dimensional spacewarp of nothingness and desolation.
Rod Woodson is one of the NFL’s all-time greats. Tecmo Super Bowl presents a snapshot of a shooting star, a lethal DB with enough speed and power to give any offense headaches.
NOTES: 1 “Vikes seek deal to get Woodson.” Hartman, Sid. Minneapolis Star and Tribune, 28 Apr 1987: 02D. 2 Good god, can you IMAGINE the Tecmo Oilers had they Nabbed Woodson at #3? Unstoppable. 3 Cleveland traded with the San Diego Chargers, who, according to the April 25thSan Diego Union newspaper, didn’t think Woodson “had the skill” to play NFL secondary. Junkin, on the other hand, started only 11 games for Cleveland and was out of the league by 1990. 4 The Cardinals drafted QB Kelly Stouffer, who refused to sign with the team. So many swings and misses in the early picks of the ‘87 Draft. 5 The Steelers also landed All-Pro LBs Hardy Nickerson and Greg Lloyd with the 122nd and 150th picks, as well as RB Merrill Hodge at 261. Woodson, Nickerson and Lloyd all in one draft? Talk about reloading a defense. 6 “Woodson’s Track Loss May Be Steelers’ Gain.” Harvey, Randy. Los Angeles Times, 26 June 1987: D1. 7 Wayne Haddix, Deion Sanders and Washington’s Darrell Green all share Woodson’s 75 MS. 8 Woodson tore his ACL in week 1 while tackling Detroit’s Barry Sanders, and became the first man in NFL history to have reconstructive surgery and return in the same season, playing in the Steelers’ Super Bowl loss to the Cowboys.
Tecmo Super Bowl keeps proving its relevance. An innocent Bo Jackson cameo on Family Guy has thrust TSB into the contentious debate over intellectual property in the digital age.
The Family Guy episode, “Run, Chris Run” (May 15 2006), included Peter and Co. playing Tecmo Super Bowl and Double Dribble. Clips of Peter, Quagmire and Cleveland narrating NES classics instantly went viral. The TSB clip, of Peter running all over Quagmire with Bo Jackson, has garnered over 3 million hits on the Tecmo Super Bowl Facebook page alone.
Media empires such as Fox zealously guard their intellectual property, or IP. To prevent the proliferation of pirated Family Guy clips, media companies employ algorithms trained to sniff copyrighted material. Any videos suspected of copyright infringement are blocked and their uploaders are sent a violation notice under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DCMA). The copyright-sniffing algorithms are therefore called DCMA bots.
Family Guy inadvertently thrust Doubble Dribble and Tecmo Super Bowl into a raging debate over digital ownership and copyright abuse.
“Run, Chris, Run” pulled NES gameplay vids from YouTube. Peter’s Bo Jackson smackdown came from a video called “Bo Knows – crazy Tecmo Super Bowl run,” uploaded in 2006 by user numb3rtw3nty. Similarly, the Double Dribble clip was uploaded by user sw1tched in 2009. Family Guy producers took these clips, trimmed them for time, stripped away the soundtrack (an important detail) and overdubbed Family Guy voice actors.
Once the episode aired, Fox’s unleashed DCMA-bots on YouTube. A number of pirated videos of the episode had already surfaced, and they were rightly sent takedown notices. However, one of the clips flagged and blocked was sw1tched’s original Double Dribble clip, the very video Fox had “borrowed.”
The backlash against Fox was so loud that Seth McFarlane had to go into damage-control mode.
Hey Twitter: FYI I don’t run Fox, and I’m away from FG working on a new show. However I will look into the Double Dribble issue.
Fox worked to quickly remedy the situation. Sw1tched’s DCMA notice was indeed sent by an automated bot. Fox dropped its copyright claim, issued an apology and sw1tched’s Double Dribble clip went back online.
Everything’s good, right?
Not so much. As I mentioned earlier, Fox stripped the soundtrack from TSB and Double Dribble. They instead inserted original, 8-bit-styled music. Why? To skirt copyright. DMCA takedown bots rely primarily on sound (only secondarily on video). The bots compare YouTube audio to copyrighted material. Fox most likely changed the audio on their Family Guy episode to stymie DMCA bots run by YouTube, Nintendo or Konami. Fox skirted copyright and then sent an army of copyright bots to protect their non-copyright copyright.
*Head explodes*
The prime question of this fiasco, unlikely to be resolved, is who “owns” the a YouTube clip or Twitch stream? Does Konami, who made Double Dribble, own the IP on gameplay clips? Couldn’t Nintendo, who created Double Dribble’s hardware, also make a claim? What about a YouTube user like sw1tched who plays the game in their own way and records the video? Each has a viable claim to copyright.
The murky waters of the DCMA suggest Fox should have asked numb3rtw3nty for permission to use Tecmo Super Bowl in Family Guy[1].
It’s just the latest way Tecmo has proved its lasting and continual impact.
NOTES:
[1] We reached out to Youtube User numb3rtw3nty regarding Fox’s use of the Tecmo clip, but have yet to receive a response. We will update this article should we hear a reply.
Dave Brude has unearthed a long-rumored Tecmo Super Bowl secret: the false start.
Twenty years ago, Dave “Bruddog” Brude dominated friends in Tecmo Super Bowl, keeping detailed game notes. Today, Dave is a SoCal electrical engineer. He still stomps the TSB competition, and he still keeps copious Tecmo notes. Except now his notes don’t tally Joe Montana’s Passing Yards or QB Eagles’ scrambles, but the clockwork which makes TSB tick.
Brude confirmed that Tecmo programmed an unused “false start” animation into TSB. In discussing TSB’s hidden “False Start” screen, we suggested the referee’s awkward pose in signaling “no good” hinted that his graphical assets were meant to be recycled elsewhere. Dave Brude has proved the theory true.
Dave’s discovery started with a simple wish: to change TSB’s play formations. As kids, Dave and his friends didn’t even realize they could swap plays. So when the internet age began, Dave found himself searching Tecmo. He stumbled on a message board run by fellow TSB fanatic Matt Knobbe. The board would eventually become Tecmobowl.org. Matt and Dave, along with fellow TSB hackers such as jstout and cxrom have built the site into a Biblioteca Alexandrina of Tecmo Bowl knowledge.
To understand how Dave found a hidden false start animations in TSB, we need to understand how NES games work. NES cartridges store data in hexadecimal bytes. If you load Tecmo Super Bowl on the FCEUX NES emulator and look at the ROM file, you’ll see something like this:
Although useful for cramming information into small files, hex data is very difficult to read. For that reason, most games are programmed using boolean “assembly languages[1].” These languages use familiar words such as “if,” “then,” “load,” and “goto.” To fit assembly code onto an NES cart, the data compressed–or assembled–into hexadecimal. Therefore, to read the hexadecimal of an NES ROM such as Tecmo Super Bowl, we reverse-engineer and “disassemble,” the data back into its easier-to-read assembly language:
In the above example, the first command “LDA #01” loads the value 01 into memory register A. Knowing the architecture of the NES’ memory and its various commands paints an exact picture of how Tecmo Super Bowl runs, from the moment you press power to the closing credits.
Dave aptly describes ROM hacking as solving a jigsaw puzzle. The pieces all in a jumble, you start with edges and corners: easily-deciphered bytes like the game clock or score. With the edges assembled, a ROM hacker slowly builds, piece by piece, filling in the gaps.
Many of Tecmo’s corner and edge pieces (and a good portion of the interior as well) had already been pieced together by other hackers. Jstout, who helped debug cx_rom’s hack which expanded TSB to 32 teams, had already published the disassembly files to TecmoBowl.org.
Armed with TSB’s disassembly, FCEUX’s hacking tools and his own programming knowledge, Dave set about assembling Tecmo’s puzzle, byte by byte. His first eureka moment came when he found the byte governing play formation. By changing the value of that byte, Dave could make his favorite 49ers line up in any different number of play formations.
Dave continued filling the gaps in Tecmo Super Bowl’s program. He gained a clear enough picture of TSB’s guts to insert a chunk of code which allowed 2-point conversions. He also implemented an ingenious hack to make players push and pull while grappling their opponents, so stronger offensive linemen can push back a weaker defensive front.
Notice how LA’s O-Line pushes back CIN’s weak defensive front!
In digging further, Dave noticed a few interesting variables on the code which draws the title screen. One byte chooses the background and a nearby one draws the foreground. Curious, Dave substituted values to see what he could make the game draw. It’s like seeing a jigsaw shape and trying different pieces until you find what fits.
INTRO_SCREENS: BYTE $C8 ; SET IRQ0 SPLIT, XSCROLL,SOFT Y SCROLL LOC = 0 BYTE $F1 ; SET GAME STATUS AND PPUR MIRRORING TO HORIZONTAL BYTE $F7, $25 ; DRAW TECMO PRESENTS BYTE $F9, $01, $C2 ; DRAW BUNNY SPRITE BYTE $FB, $1E ; WAIT 30 FRAMES = 0.5 sec BYTE $E5, $1A, $4A ; SET BG AND SPR PAL AND AND FADE IN (BG, SPR) BYTE $FB, $B4 ; WAIT 180 FRAMES = 3 sec
What fit was a discovery 25-plus years in the making. Changing byte x00C106 of the Tecmo Super Bowl ROM from C2 to AF replaces the Tecmo Rabbit with a ref signaling “false start.”
Try it yourself. Plug your TSB cart into a Game Genie and enter the codes YLXEPAAE & NXVLTAKU. Instead of the referee signaling for a first down, he gives the familiar false start sign.
Nothing in TSB’s code suggests how Tecmo intended false starts to work. Most likely would have been a random number generator, the computing equivalent of rolling dice. TSB uses similar “dice rolls” to determine fumbles and injuries. Brude says implementing false starts via a random number generator would be relatively simple. Similar to fumbles and injuries, player condition and statistics would influence how often the random number generator hits them for a “false start.”
Given the unused screens for both false start and offside, Dave searched for a similar “offside” animation. Brude checked all 256 possible bytes in the animation drawing code, without luck. There is no unused “offside” animation in TSB. Tecmo programmers, it would seem, were far enough into the game’s development to draw an animation for false start, but scrapped the implementation of penalties before animating offside. Perhaps the false start animation was more a proof of concept than anything else.
It’s amazing that, 25 years on, we’re still discovering Tecmo Super Bowl’s secrets. Dave Brude has added an important piece to the Tecmo puzzle: the false start. A simple hidden animation tells us so much, not only in how the game works, but how Tecmo intended the game to be.
Below, a simulation of the scene being used in-game. Text and music were modified.
Update: an earlier version of this article incorrectly attributed the TSB 32-team hack solely to jstout.
NOTES:
[1] The NES used 6502 Assembly, a programming language used by similar systems in the 70’s and 80’s such as the Apple II, Commodore 64 and the Atari 800.
The easiest way to win Tecmo Super Bowl is to lose. The reason? “Juice.” Juice is Tecmo slang for the stat boost COM players receive after each MAN win. A good video game increases in challenge as the player progresses[1]. Level 8-3 in Super Mario Bros. is designed to be much harder than level 1-3. Sports can’t add more hammer brothers in later stages, so increasing difficulty is achieved by better COM AI.
In the original Tecmo Bowl, a single loss meant game over. Therefore, increasing the computer’s skill after each game roughly matched the player’s skill. Tecmo Super Bowl, however, plays a full 16 games regardless of how many games a player wins. TSB programmers needed to tweak their AI equations so a novice player wouldn’t get steamrolled in week 16, yet make it hard enough to offer a challenge to better players. This is where juice comes in, and why you’re more likely to win the Super Bowl as a Wild Card.
Our resident PhD in Tecmology, Dave Brude, was kind enough to break it down for us.
Before every MAN vs. COM matchup, TSB subtracts a player’s losses from their wins. It uses this differential to boost COM stats according to the chart below:
0x1DF10
Stat Boosts
W-L=
DEF MS
OFF MS
DEF INT
PC
REC
0/PRE
0
1
0
0
0
1
1
2
1
1
1
2
1
2
1
2
2
3
1
2
2
3
2
4
2
2
2
3
3
5
2
2
2
4
3
6
2
2
2
4
4
7
2
2
2
5
4
8
2
2
3
5
5
9
2
2
3
6
5
10
2
2
4
6
6
11
3
2
4
7
6
12
3
3
4
7
7
13
3
3
5
8
7
14
3
3
5
8
8
15
3
3
5
9
8
16
3
4
6
9
9
You can see on the chart that being 4-4 in Week 8 is the equivalent of playing a preseason game. As your wins outnumber your losses, though, COM players get significant boosts.
Most stats max out at 100. For example, COM QBs won’t go over 100 Pass Control no matter how many wins you collect.
However, there is no cap on Max Speed. If you were to play against the LA Raiders with a 16-0 record, Bo Jackson’s already insane 88 MS will jump 4 notches up to 113. Good luck catching him.
Aside from speed and skill, TSB uses the win-loss differential–a.k.a. Juice–to increase COM’s smarts.
A number of player behaviors are governed by Juice. The simplest example is how DBs cover WRs. If your juice is below 8–say you’re 10-4–DBs will mostly just move to a set spot on the field and stop. Once your Juice score reaches 8, however (let’s say you improve to 12-4), COM DBs will man cover WRs 50% of the time.
Nearly every COM behavior is governed by juice. Some behaviors change as low as +2 and some remain unchanged until you hit +12. With this in mind, the smarter play is to just squeak into the playoffs. Your playoff opponents will be much slower and dumber if you’re 9-7 than if you’re 14-2. It may seem counter-intuitive, but the more you lose, the easier TSB gets. It all boils down to Juice.
NOTES:
[1] Except for Battletoads, which is hard as balls from start to finish.
The last “Tecmo” football game wasn’t even made by Tecmo. It was made by Midway, and it was called NFL Blitz.
By the end of the 1990’s, the NFL had grown into a licensing machine, jealously protective of its intellectual properties. The cost of doing business with the league was going up. Fast. Meanwhile, Madden football had built itself as a brand, selling millions of video games across multiple platforms year in and year out. Tecmo’s final licensed NFL game, Playstation’s Tecmo Super Bowl, hit shelves in 1996. The game received lukewarm reception.
Advances in computing endowed home consoles with processing power to rival the arcades. With Madden entrenched as “the” console football title, it seemed the time for an arcade-style, grab-and-go NFL football game had come and passed.
Then came “the best football game ever made,1” NFL Blitz. Having hit massive success with NBA Jam, Midway acquired license to make an NFL football game. VICE Sports has a wonderful account of the game’s development, appropriately titled “How in the Hell did NFL Blitz Get Made?2” The short of it reads like something straight out of the Tecmo playbook: “include everything people [love] about football and take out the things they don’t.”
To wit: Midway distilled the NFL experience. Where Madden ’97 featured multiple formations and page after page of plays, NFL Blitz offered a spare 18-play playbook. Extra points were automatic. Madden had evolved to focus on strategy and realism. Blitz, on the other hand, stressed fast and fun. NFL Blitz pared down teams from 11 to 7 players. Instead of graphical accuracy, Midway drew their gridiron gods as with big, chunky polygons. The linemen are fat bowling balls, the receivers little rails. It hearkens back to the fat goon and skinny scorer in NES Ice Hockey.
Bigger players? A limited, yet varied playbook? Focus on fun over perfect simulations? Touchdown animations? Add a “Ready! Down! Hut hut hut” and NFL Blitz is NES Tecmo Bowl on ‘roids.
Despite the graphical differences of NES vs N64, TSB and Blitz have the same visual style.
NFL Blitz truly earned its infamy, though, by melding WWF3 wrasslin’ and NFL Football. Blitz linebackers just don’t tackle the QB, they suplex the poor sap. Defenders literally pick up and throw receivers. Post-whistle, tapping the tackle button causes the defender to throw Randy Savage elbows and Hulk Hogan leg drops onto their fallen foe.
“Oooooohh Yeaaaaahhh!”
Like Tecmo Bowl, Pass Interference and Unnecessary Roughness penalties simply don’t exist in Blitz. Opposing players explode away in violent collisions. For old-school Tecmo players, this was nothing new. Take away Blitz’s pro-wrestling moves, and players can easily see echoes of Christian Okoye popcorning hapless defenders.
Just as Tecmo Super Bowl for NES captured the essence of LT and the Primetime Cowboys, NFL Blitz mirrored the NFL’s hyper-masculine, cult of personality at the turn of the Millennium. Both feature touchdown celebrations, despite the the NFL’s crack down on entertainment and fun. If the NES had an N64 CPU, certainly Bo Jackson’s touchdown spike would have been animated much like Blitz’s wobbling, invisible horse-riding celebrations.
Strip away the superficial differences caused by the NES’s relatively undersized processor–chunkier graphics, limited sound and less complexity–and we have two remarkable similar pick-it-up and enjoy the ride arcade-styled football titles. It’s like looking at your brother from another mother.
NFL Blitz may be the best Tecmo football game ever made.
NOTES: 1 http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/nfl-blitz-review/1900-2544917/ 2 https://sports.vice.com/en_us/article/how-in-the-hell-did-nfl-blitz-ever-get-made 3 I Don’t care what the panda-huggers say, It will always be the World Wrestling Federation to me.
Tecmo Super Bowl is a simple game to hack. Granted, hacking in 2-point conversions or turning TSB into a 7-on-7 streetfight takes some serious know-how, but the basics–changing player names and stats–is as simple as find/replace.
(Granted, you could also download the TSB Tool and gain instant godlike powers over the TSB ROM, but teach a man to fish, right?)
Let’s say you want to be QB Eagles1. All you’ll need is five minutes, a good debugging NES emulator such as FCEUX, and a (legally obtained) TSB rom. TSB is great because it stores player names, menu options, etc. in standard ASCII2 format. This means player names are stored in plain English. Boot TSB using FCEUX, then choose “Debug” → “Hex Editor.” The left two-thirds show TSB’s game code in hexadecimal. The right-hand column shows that hex code translated using the ASCII standard.
From this hex window, choose “View” → “ROM File,” and scroll down a bit. You’ll quickly find the names of every TSB player. Entering your own name (or Anna Kendrick’s) is as simple as clicking on the name in the right-hand column and typing in a new one3.
I told you it was easy.
Even for games that don’t use the ASCII standard, editing non-compressed text4 is a relative breeze. Open any ROM in FCEUX and pause on a screen with text. Opening the PPU Viewer (“Debug” → “PPU Viewer”) displays the game’s alphabet. Hovering over a letter will display its hex value in the ROM. Saving each letter and its corresponding hex value (A=80, B=81, etc) as a .tbl file in WordPad creates what is a called a “table file.” From the hex editor’s file menu, choose “load .tbl file,” and voila! All the game’s text appears in the right-hand column.
Congratulations, you can now edit text in 90% of all NES games. You can fill Peach’s notes in Super Mario Bros. 3 with enough filth to make 50 Shades of Grey seem like Dr. Seuss.
Hacking player attributes requires just a bit of know-how. Let’s say you feel bad for Eagles’ O-lineman Ron Solt and want to max out his power and quickness. The only trick here is knowing how TSB stores player data. Solt has 25 RS, 69 RP, 19 MS and 38 HP. Every stat in TSB is stored as a single hex number (or “bit”). To find that number, divide the stat by 6, round down to the nearest whole number and then subtract one. So Solt’s RP in TSB’s code is (69/6)-1, or 10. Since hexadecimal numbers 10-16 are written A-F, Solt’s 69 RP is an A in TSB’s hex. Using the same formula, his 25 RS is 3, his 19 MS is 2 and his 38 HP is 5.
Due to how TSB loads player data, the first two stats in every player’s page are swapped. Instead of the expected 3A 25, Solt’s stats in TSB’s hex are A3 25. Searching A3 25 in FCEUX’s hex editor will point you to players with 19 MS and 38 HP. Simply change A3 to FF, back out of Solt’s screen, and then return. If he now has 99’s, congrats! You’re a Tecmo Super Hacker. If not, find the next A3 25 and try again until you find Solt5.
By converting TSB stats to their single numbers and searching the hex, you can find and change any player in the game. And just for quick reference, here’s the chart of TSB player stats and their corresponding values in the game code:
0=6
1=13
2=19
3=25
4=32
5=38
6=44
7=50
8=56
9=63
A=69
B=75
C=81
D=88
E=94
F=99
Even more complex tasks such as graphics editing essentially boil down to translating to hex and swapping out values. Tecmo hacker extraordinaire Dave “Bruddog” Brude likens hacking to assembling a jigsaw puzzle. Names and stats are the edge pieces of the puzzle, relatively easy to find and snap together.
With FCEUX and just a few minutes, anyone can build the TSB team of their dreams.
Of course Anna would be Pitch Perfect.
NOTES:
1 Because, really, who doesn’t want to be QB Eagles?
2 ASCII stands for American Standard Code for Information Interchange. Since computers can only understand numbers, the ASCII standard translates code to alphanumeric content when needed.
3 For now, you’ll be limited to the length of the name you’re replacing.
4 Editing compressed text–which won’t simply appear in a hex editor–requires a decent understanding of computer programming and is a pain in the ass.
5 Just FYI, Ron Solt’s stats are at address 0x03798 – 0x0379A in TSB’s ROM.The third byte, 48, controls his player picture. For more complex players like QB Eagles, there are two bytes of stats (same as Ron Solt) one byte to control the player picture, and two more bytes of stats.
The Browns default line-up isn’t a terrible way to start things off, but it certainly can be improved upon. It’s just a matter of rearranging the starters since the back-ups have so little to offer. The main adjustment I like to make takes advantage of Metcalf’s 56 REC by putting him out wide. Sending Metcalf deep early and often can go a long way in providing QB Browns time to throw underneath or move the chains with his feet. If you’re set on pounding the rock, however, you have the option to keep Metcalf as your RB and shift Mack to tight end to maximize his HP, if your run formations of choice call for this.
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Tecmo Madison. He was in the zone last year before losing back to back games on the final plays of the games. Rough. Brian R. (ChaosRison) will be making his third Temco Madison appearance having last played in Tecmo X getting elminated in pool play. However he some some wins over big name players in older tourney’s and his perhaps strangly high rating despite not getting out of pool play likely comes from playing Jeff B to a 3 pt game in Tecmo X. John F. (Slaughterhouse) will also be vying for the 2 seed having made it out of pool play as the 2 seed the last two tournaments only to then lose in the round of 64.
