Overview

Number of Players
2
Genre
Release Date

NES

  • US Feb 1989

Wii (Wii Shop)

  • US 12th Mar 2007, 500 points

3DS eShop

  • US 12th Sep 2013, $4.99

Wii U eShop

  • US 10th Sep 2015, $4.99
  • EU 17th Sep 2015, £3.49
Also Available On
Series
Tags
Controller Support

Reviews

  • Review Tecmo Bowl (Wii U eShop / NES)

    ​Move over Madden 16, Tecmo Bowl is back and stealing the NFL spotlight

    1989 wasn't just an amazing year because that's when this writer was born. It's an also amazing year because that's when Tecmo Bowl received its home console release on the Nintendo Entertainment System. Boasting an impressive roster from the 1988 NFL season, players could now...

  • Review Tecmo Bowl (3DS eShop / NES)

    Watch that 3DS hinge on the snap

    Before video game football became just as complex as real-life football, there was Tecmo Bowl. There weren't hundreds of plays with varying formations or special spin moves to worry about, in fact you didn't actually have to know much about the game of football to enjoy and play it. It was this simplicity that made...

  • Review Tecmo Bowl (Wii Virtual Console / NES)

    Will you be bowled over by this one?

    Before video game football became just as complex as real-life football, there was Tecmo Bowl. There weren't hundreds of plays with varying formations or special spin moves to worry about, in fact you didn't actually have to know much about the game of football to enjoy and play it. It was this simplicity that...

Screenshots 5

Tecmo Bowl Screenshot
Tecmo Bowl Screenshot
Tecmo Bowl Screenshot
Tecmo Bowl Screenshot
Tecmo Bowl Screenshot

Tecmo Bowl Guides

Tecmo Bowl News

About The Game

Tecmo Bowl pits the player versus the computer in 11-game, single-elimination playoff action. Players also can go head-to-head with a human opponent in action or coach mode. The player can select from 12 teams. On offense there are usually two run and two pass plays to choose from.

The player takes control of the quarterback before the snap and then either hands off to the running back or works through his receiver progression from the top to the bottom of the screen.

Defense consists of trying to guess which offensive play the opponent will select and then taking control of one of the defensive players before the snap. A very simple power-meter system is used for kicking field goals, extra points and punts.