[ Retro Scan of the Week ] Tecmo Leads The Way
September 19th, 2011 by Benj Edwards
Tecmo Games for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
Now that it’s football season, Tecmo Bowl fans out there may appreciate this 1988 group advertisement for Tecmo brand NES games. Tecmo published quite a few high quality titles for Nintendo’s 8-bit console, some of which are seen here. Three of my personal favorite Tecmo titles are Rygar, Mighty Bomb Jack, and Ninja Gaiden II.
I was always impressed with Tecmo’s box art illustrations and logo designs as a kid — they really jumped out at me when browsing NES games at a local rental store. You can see examples of Tecmo’s eye-catching cover designs near the bottom of the ad.
It’s interesting to note the presence of “Dragon Ninja (Tentative Title)” in this ad. From what I can tell, it appears to be an early version of Ninja Gaiden.
Discussion Topic of the Week: What are your favorite Tecmo NES games?
September 19th, 2011 at 2:33 pm
Have to go with the Ninja Gaiden series; or rather, I and II, as III is an abomination best left unmentioned, especially in its US incarnation. Besides being ridiculously hard, they were essentially the birth of the “cinema scene” as we know it today. Good stuff. Rygar was a good one too, shame that it didn’t have a password feature.
Also worth giving an honourable mention to Tecmo Super Bowl, the cream of the pre-Madden crop and a pretty good simulation for its time. Best memory: finding and playing a hack of the game online that brought it up to 2000 season rosters, and guiding the Jacksonville Jaguars to a 15-1 record and their first Super Bowl, a 31-13 triumph over the Minnesota Vikings. Behind Fred Taylor, my Jags had the best rushing numbers in the league (and the worst passing!) And they won the SB without Taylor, who was injured in the AFC title game against Denver, and replaced (very capably) by Anthony Johnson for the big game. (Even better, the Ravens went 0-16!)
And yes, that “Dragon Ninja” promo is most definitely Ninja Gaiden. I’ve seen those prototype shots elsewhere (HG101’s writeup in particular).
September 19th, 2011 at 2:53 pm
Tecmo Bowl was immensely popular during my first two years at college (88-90). Who would have thought there would be such gripping battles with just 4 measly plays to choose from. Then during my senior year they released Tecmo Super Bowl and that quickly became the most widely played game on campus (at least among folks who enjoy sports games). Even with the very first Madden on the Genesis gaining ground, TSB was still the game to play.
BTW, I also have some of the ROM hacks Jay mentioned, where it brings the rosters up to date. However, because my beloved Skins have been so incredibly bad, there’s no redeeming quality in playing, say, with their 2003 roster. The one burned in the original game was the team they won the Super Bowl with that year, so that roster is already as good as it gets.
September 19th, 2011 at 4:47 pm
I was crazy over Ninja Gaiden I and II as a kid, but never got my hands on III. And now I’m glad I didn’t.
I also liked Tecmo Baseball. Although Bases Loaded II ended up doing the same thing better, I liked Tecmo Baseball’s art style, vivid colors, and memorable music. I liked that one song where it starts with clapping, really gets me fired up.
September 19th, 2011 at 11:23 pm
I’d have to answer with a tie between Rygar and Ninja Gaiden. Rygar had a much greater variety of things to discover & try out — but I couldn’t manage to win it, while Ninja Gaiden (which my brother was brilliant at) was easy enough that I could just relax and enjoy the game until I finished it.
September 20th, 2011 at 2:05 pm
Winning a Tecmo Super Bowl tournament in my dorm will always be one of my favorite college memories. Three words, “Bo f-ing Jackson!”
September 20th, 2011 at 4:24 pm
Just like XYZZY, for me it’s a tie between Ninja Gaiden and Rygar. I have no idea how many hours I’ve logged between the two, but I know it’s a number between zero and a freaking lot.
September 20th, 2011 at 6:25 pm
Back in the day, my friend and I rented Rygar for the weekend, with the intention of beating it. I think we did, but it’s awfully hard to remember. But I always thought it was a cool game.
September 27th, 2011 at 11:00 am
@Jay – go to tecmobowl.org. They have updated ROMs with all 32 teams with the current rosters. It’s kind of awesome that a game get’s this much love 20 years later.