I wanted to take a moment to talk about Super Tecmo Bowl on the original Nintendo (NES). I love this game and have played it since I was a kid! I’m not alone either, for years a bar in Madison, WI held a Tecmo Bowl tournament where players compete against each other. I’ve always wanted to go there but it appears that as of the writing of this post that the website is up for sale. Guess I missed my window, sadly.
That’s not to say that tournaments aren’t still going on. A quick Google search rendered a few more results in WI and OH that apparently happened in 2023. Maybe I’m late to the party, but I’m still actively playing the original game and was blown away to see so many people still love the game as I do! Whether or not these hardcore fans keep up the tournament, just know I’ll still be playing pretty much forever at this point.
All of that leads me into the focus of this post and many more to come. I’ve always enjoyed playing the SF vs Giants game for a quick stress relief. Having needed more stress release than usual these days, I thought I’d walk through the strategy on this matchup on the original game. If you’re still a player, I’d love to hear some other people’s experiences.
A Casual Matchup on Exhibition
Check out this exhibition match on my YouTube channel to see the strategies I’m about to discuss next. There are a few main ones which I’ll lay out and point to the time on the video where you can see them in action.
Sacking
At 0:46 I know that I can run in with the center because there is no man-in-motion. Because I always choose the run play (left + A) with Anderson, I know that a man-in-motion will either be that play or the roll out with the QB to the top. Since no one moves on the offense, and they are not in shotgun (pass play or a toss to Meggett), I have the green light to run in. I’ll either tackle Anderson or Meggett in the backfield or sack the QB. I take advantage of this several times throughout the game.
Forcing Fumbles
The very next play at 0:55 you see the man-in-motion start. I chose the same play for defense as I always do so I know I’m covered on a downward run. I also know that if I’m lucky, they’ll do the flea-flicker. I can therefore take Romanowski and charge the QB. Because the man-in-motion plays never cover this player, I can run straight ahead and then down every time. If the play is the run I chose for defense, I’m covered. If not, it’s the flea-flicker.
By wrestling the QB after he tosses the ball, a fumble will occur when the ball is tossed back to him. Bam! Fumble…and bonus: since I’m already in the Giants’ endzone, instant touchdown.
Montana to Rice, Jones or Taylor
You’ll see that when on offense I only pass when I’m playing with SF. The team’s run game actually isn’t that bad, but since my goal is to maximize my points, passing saves time.
The touchdown pass at 3:11 illustrates the flexibility of using the tight end. I am always looking at Taylor and Rice to see if they have anyone on them. If not, they will be my go-to. The play I’m always choosing here is right + B. This play allows Taylor and Rice to run way out there, but also gives me an out to the tight end.
At the 3:11 play you see that both Taylor and Rice get instantly covered, therefore, usually Jones (tight end) will be available. Even if he gets someone on him, if I wait just a few seconds the cornerback will usually run away from him and leave him open again. In this play however, Jones is wide open for an easy TD.
Other Notes
These three strategies alone will win the game between these two teams. Not only is it always fun, but it does require skill and decision-making on your part. I always try to kick the ball on kickoffs to full power and watch out for Meggett on the run back, he’s fast. You can see in the video that I usually hang back to draw some special teams guys on me, thus leaving room for my team to take him down. If they all miss, then I have a chance to do it myself or at least slow him down enough for someone else to get him.
Lastly, this suite of strategies isn’t foolproof. Several times in the video you see that I get evaded with the shotgun throw; it is generally my weakness using this. The best way to combat this is to wait to see if the shotgun will be a run; if so, charge in, otherwise, fall back with the center and cover the wide receivers.
The Final Score
If you watch to the end you see that I got ’em 94-0. It is totally possible to get and exceed 99 points which I could have actually done on this game had I not made some mistakes. There is a small bit of luck involved as well (like no interceptions, fumbles, injuries, etc.). My goal is to catch a game on the system where I achieve this and I’ll update this post with the new link here.
In general, that’s it! A fun game and a few tips for you on one of the classic matchups in Tecmo Super Bowl. On my channel, I have a few games posted with my journey through a season with San Francisco. There will be more to come and I’ll cover more matchup strategies in the future. Finding time to play isn’t as easy as it used to be but I always find a way!