In December 1991, video game company Tecmo released the sequel to its already-a-big-hit football game Tecmo Bowl. The name? Tecmo Super Bowl. And boy was it super.
While in today's world, anyone who plays video games or even hears about them knows the name "Madden." Yes, John Madden, former head coach with the Raiders and then a TV staple during decades of NFL seasons, had a game created in his name by Electronic Arts (EA). Every year, EA puts out the newest version of Madden, and today's games are so lifelike with its graphics it's astonishing.
But in 1990, when Madden came out for Super Nintendo (16-bit) and Sega Genesis (16-bit), Tecmo developed a far superior game for Nintendo (8-bit). If you're confused by the term "bit," don't worry - simply put, the bit stands for the number of colors that can be displayed on a pixel.
Tecmo Super Bowl did something that expanded on both Tecmo Bowl and the original Madden: It used all 28 NFL teams at the time, had the full 1991 schedule uploaded, starting rosters with backups available on offense, a large playbook that could have plays changed in and out each game, and it kept individual and team statistics for the first time. And the stats weren't terribly crazy. Sure, once you learned what you were doing, you could run for 1,000 yards with Bo Jackson against a crummy team and swapping out plays and players, but that was basically cheating. Also, you learned that by tapping the A-button repeatedly at a fast rate you could tackle anyone or break any tackle in the game.
I was just 6 years old in 1991, and Tecmo Super Bowl was a Christmas gift for my older brother Ryan. He never let me play on the Nintendo, and I will admit here that the only day in my life I pretended to be sick to skip school was that spring in kindergarten. I played with the Redskins and I won - by a lot. And then I was hooked.
Years went by, and Tecmo has always been the game I fell back on to play. Good mood, bad mood or just wanting to blow 20 minutes of my day - it was the perfect, simple game. It traveled to college with me, and I still have a single TV dedicated for the Nintendo in my house today.
Nearly 14 years ago, a group of guys in Madison decided to start a tournament on the game - something I had done in my dorm and I know probably hundreds or even thousands of times before it had happened elsewhere. But these brothers, Chet and Josh Holzbauer, teamed up with a small group of friends and let some random Madison people play. Soon, Tecmo Madison was born. Several years later, the tournament began to push 100 players from around the country. NFL Films did a documentary on it for ESPN, and it can still be watched for free on YouTube.
I went to this tournament and competed for the first time in 2014, and I was hooked. I've gone every year since and have attended similar, albeit smaller, tournaments elsewhere around the country - Green Bay, Dubuque, Milwaukee and New York. There are now "major" tournaments in dozens of cities throughout the year - Seattle, Columbus, Ohio, Detroit, New Orleans - and the number of people getting interested in the Tecmo community is growing by the day. There is even a semi-secret all-weekend event held every summer in a random field in North Dakota called "Burning Mort" that is on my bucket list of things to do before I perish.
This year's Madison tournament at Red Zone featured a Friday Night Retro night where there was a speed tournament for Tetris, as well as an NBA Jam competition. Nearly 100 TVs were set up with dozens of classic games from Super Nintendo and Sega. Then on Saturday it was all about Tecmo Super Bowl with nearly 300 competitors. Thousands of people watched live-streamed games online on both Facebook Live and Twitch. The winner, JoeyGats as he's known, won for the third straight year.
I got bumped in my first game by one of the A-level players (in the A-B-C world of the sport, I am labeled as a B, because I am average). I later creamed a C-level player and then lost against another B player in a "That's Tecmo for ya" game, where random fumbles and other glitch-like happenings ruined my chance at moving on. Afterwards I played a couple of pick-up games, winning both, including against my friend from Washington state, who is an A player and was unbeaten in group play.
But the atmosphere is what I love most. It's a group of players between the ages of 20-50 from all over the United States who come together for one weekend every year to geek out together - and enjoy a few chilled adult beverages. Matt Vogt of documentary fame finished second this year, the closest he has ever gotten to winning the whole thing, and all three of his brothers were right there cheering him on. They caravanned together, TV and system in tow from Ohio, and are the nicest set of brothers you will ever meet.
And reconnecting with these guys once a year beats just being friends on Facebook. It's a community I am happy to be a part of and one dedicated to good sportsmanship with playful banter, high-fives, handshakes, hugs and loud cheers. The best part? Some of the wives and girlfriends are getting in on the fun. And that's what it is - fun.
- Adam Krebs is a reporter for the Monroe Times and goes by the name of Super Duper in the Tecmo community. He's always ready for some 8-bit competition and can be reached at akrebs@themonroetimes.net for a game, a story tip or just to hear about your favorite video game stories.
While in today's world, anyone who plays video games or even hears about them knows the name "Madden." Yes, John Madden, former head coach with the Raiders and then a TV staple during decades of NFL seasons, had a game created in his name by Electronic Arts (EA). Every year, EA puts out the newest version of Madden, and today's games are so lifelike with its graphics it's astonishing.
But in 1990, when Madden came out for Super Nintendo (16-bit) and Sega Genesis (16-bit), Tecmo developed a far superior game for Nintendo (8-bit). If you're confused by the term "bit," don't worry - simply put, the bit stands for the number of colors that can be displayed on a pixel.
Tecmo Super Bowl did something that expanded on both Tecmo Bowl and the original Madden: It used all 28 NFL teams at the time, had the full 1991 schedule uploaded, starting rosters with backups available on offense, a large playbook that could have plays changed in and out each game, and it kept individual and team statistics for the first time. And the stats weren't terribly crazy. Sure, once you learned what you were doing, you could run for 1,000 yards with Bo Jackson against a crummy team and swapping out plays and players, but that was basically cheating. Also, you learned that by tapping the A-button repeatedly at a fast rate you could tackle anyone or break any tackle in the game.
I was just 6 years old in 1991, and Tecmo Super Bowl was a Christmas gift for my older brother Ryan. He never let me play on the Nintendo, and I will admit here that the only day in my life I pretended to be sick to skip school was that spring in kindergarten. I played with the Redskins and I won - by a lot. And then I was hooked.
Years went by, and Tecmo has always been the game I fell back on to play. Good mood, bad mood or just wanting to blow 20 minutes of my day - it was the perfect, simple game. It traveled to college with me, and I still have a single TV dedicated for the Nintendo in my house today.
Nearly 14 years ago, a group of guys in Madison decided to start a tournament on the game - something I had done in my dorm and I know probably hundreds or even thousands of times before it had happened elsewhere. But these brothers, Chet and Josh Holzbauer, teamed up with a small group of friends and let some random Madison people play. Soon, Tecmo Madison was born. Several years later, the tournament began to push 100 players from around the country. NFL Films did a documentary on it for ESPN, and it can still be watched for free on YouTube.
I went to this tournament and competed for the first time in 2014, and I was hooked. I've gone every year since and have attended similar, albeit smaller, tournaments elsewhere around the country - Green Bay, Dubuque, Milwaukee and New York. There are now "major" tournaments in dozens of cities throughout the year - Seattle, Columbus, Ohio, Detroit, New Orleans - and the number of people getting interested in the Tecmo community is growing by the day. There is even a semi-secret all-weekend event held every summer in a random field in North Dakota called "Burning Mort" that is on my bucket list of things to do before I perish.
This year's Madison tournament at Red Zone featured a Friday Night Retro night where there was a speed tournament for Tetris, as well as an NBA Jam competition. Nearly 100 TVs were set up with dozens of classic games from Super Nintendo and Sega. Then on Saturday it was all about Tecmo Super Bowl with nearly 300 competitors. Thousands of people watched live-streamed games online on both Facebook Live and Twitch. The winner, JoeyGats as he's known, won for the third straight year.
I got bumped in my first game by one of the A-level players (in the A-B-C world of the sport, I am labeled as a B, because I am average). I later creamed a C-level player and then lost against another B player in a "That's Tecmo for ya" game, where random fumbles and other glitch-like happenings ruined my chance at moving on. Afterwards I played a couple of pick-up games, winning both, including against my friend from Washington state, who is an A player and was unbeaten in group play.
But the atmosphere is what I love most. It's a group of players between the ages of 20-50 from all over the United States who come together for one weekend every year to geek out together - and enjoy a few chilled adult beverages. Matt Vogt of documentary fame finished second this year, the closest he has ever gotten to winning the whole thing, and all three of his brothers were right there cheering him on. They caravanned together, TV and system in tow from Ohio, and are the nicest set of brothers you will ever meet.
And reconnecting with these guys once a year beats just being friends on Facebook. It's a community I am happy to be a part of and one dedicated to good sportsmanship with playful banter, high-fives, handshakes, hugs and loud cheers. The best part? Some of the wives and girlfriends are getting in on the fun. And that's what it is - fun.
- Adam Krebs is a reporter for the Monroe Times and goes by the name of Super Duper in the Tecmo community. He's always ready for some 8-bit competition and can be reached at akrebs@themonroetimes.net for a game, a story tip or just to hear about your favorite video game stories.
