Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff

Runs back the clock to an era of pre-franchise mode football sims.

GamePro (online)

  • Review
  • Specs
  • Images
  • User Reviews
  • Buy Online

Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff runs back the clock to an era of pre-franchise mode football sims with 8-bit style sprites and cut-scene laced arcade gameplay.

Pros

  • Familiar visuals, local and wi-fi multiplayer, special player abilities

Cons

  • Flawed menu system, wonky touchpad controls

Bottom Line

Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff attempts to provide an audible experienced for uninitiated or lapsed players bewildered by current fantasy-football sims like Madden and 2K.

Would you buy this?

  • Price

    TBA (AUD)

Kickoff nails the style of the NES original with tiny sprites skittering across a horizontal gridiron, fist-pumping audio and some high energy cut-scene animations. You can use either the face buttons or touchpad to control your players, which can be jarring since the former works better for running plays while the latter works better for passing to receivers. Also, like the originals there are no defensive plays — you can simply guess your opponent's next offensive play, which saves you half the trouble of interpreting Xs and Os.

Kickoff also offers customisation options including the ability to change team logos and player names as well as assign attribute points and offensive powers like rocket pass and lightning dodge. Ordinarily, jacking up your player's stats and powers might cause some balance issues, but the game's reliance on blocks, fumbles and interceptions provides both fast-paced arcade action and a mechanism to iron out the difficulty. Unfortunately, the game's simplicity is underscored by a flawed menu system. During play selection, there's no field position marker, so good luck deciding whether to punt or kick a field goal. Season mode is a clunky mess that doesn't allow you to exit games once you're in spectator mode, run multiple seasons or even delete a season that you've already started.

Players looking for an accessible football sim with robust local and NWC multiplayer capabilities will cheer on Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff, especially against a monolithic Madden franchise. If nostalgia is your game, the original Tecmo Bowl on Virtual Console still remains unbeaten after all these years.

Keep up with the latest tech news, reviews and previews by subscribing to the PC World newsletter.

Be the first to comment.

Post new comment

Users posting comments agree to the Good Gear Guide comments policy.

Login or register to link comments to your user profile, or you may also post a comment without being logged in.

Most Popular

Tethering tutorial: How to use your iPhone as a modem
Capacitive vs resistive touchscreens
LCD vs plasma vs LED TVs buying guide
How to pick the right size TV for your living room
How to record digital television

Best Deals on PCWorld

GamesView all »
Software and ServicesView all »
PC ComponentsView all »
Desktop PCsView all »
NotebooksView all »