Football is one of the mostwatched
sports in the United
States. It takes up whole
afternoons that get fiddled
away due to your screaming
at the TV and pouting for 35
minutes after what you think
was a bum call by the ref.
Well, perhaps you can take
out some of that aggression
on an old console classic
that’s been updated for the
new millennium’s handhelds.
Take a look at “Tecmo Bowl
Kickoff.”
Those familiar with the
Tecmo football series will
have a sense of nostalgia
while playing but will also be
surprised at the new features
in the game.
The controls are simple.
That cannot be emphasized
enough. One button controls
the breaking tackles button
and selecting a receiver while
you’re on offense, the other
button throws the ball.
The gameplay is fast-paced
and fun. The game is completely
unhindered by stat
tracking and drafting players.
It’s easy to play but difficult
to master so anyone who is
familiar with the series will
love it and anyone new to the
series won’t feel like they’re
missing something.
This game requires some
skill to play but since the controls
are easy it should be no
problem for anyone to pick
up.
Unlike the older version of
Tecmo Bowl, you can fully
customize your team down to
the jersey color and player
names. If you want to make a
team with pink and yellow
uniforms-go right ahead.
Another great new feature is
the ability to change stats on
players so you can beef up
your offensive line or your
cornerback’s abilities.
However each player has a
set number of attributes so
use them wisely.
When playing single player,
after completing a season you
can divvy out the stats to better
your players and their
special abilities, like accuracy
for QBs and interceptions for
DBs.
Multiplayer is also a great
feature for this game.
However because it’s played
on the Nintendo DS you can
not only play over a local network
but you can go online
using the Nintendo Wi-Fi network
and play anyone all
over the world.
With all of these great
things about the game there
are some glaring problems
also. Sometimes when you’re
editing a player and changing
stats around, you might accidentally
lose those stats forever.
Another problem with
the game is that you can’t
quit and save in the middle of
a game. The lack of a quicksave
feature is a great big
problem for the game and can
cause some undue frustration.
Overall “Tecmo Bowl
Kickoff” for the Nintendo DS
is a solid game with simple
controls, fast gameplay and
great customizable abilities.
Anyone who is a fan of
football and owns a DS
should go out and pick up
this title.