Before they dedicated their efforts completely to a ninja, Tecmo was to Football what EA and the Madden franchise is now. Heck the name Tecmo was synonymous with fun since most of their games were of the best quality. One of their most famous titles was Tecmo Super Bowl which introduced players to one the first intuitive, roster controlled, NFL themed games in history. Not only could you keep up with players both injured and uninjured but you could draft, drop and trade along with check how your quarterback or receiver was matching up against the competition. Unlike other football games of the time Tecmo secured licenses from the NFL so that players could control teams like the San Francisco 49ers.

The game play was super-easy to pick up for anyone. On each down four offensive plays would be shown and it would take a button combination of A with a direction to pick the running play or passing play of the four. For defense it was a guessing game as to which of the four was chosen – picking the right play would blitz your defense with the possibility of a sack on the quarterback or a loss of yards. Choose wrongly and you could get your linebackers run over by Walter Payton or the legendary Bo Jackson. Field Goals, kickoffs and extra points were carried out by an energy bar that expanded and contracted at a rapid pace making it a test of timing over accuracy to nail it.

Tecmo Super Bowl had some really cool halftime shows and close ups of running backs spiking the balls as well as receivers high-fiving each other whenever you scored. The announcer also screamed Touchdown (one of the only voice-overs on the game) whenever you score. Players will remember the seasons the most however since it literally allowed for many players to create teams, manage their rosters and play each other in 16 games leading up to a Super Bowl victory. The game was awesome and was the definitive football game for many old-timers.