The Greatest Football Game of All Time Needs a Sequel

Folks, you'll have to indulge me this week. I've got a lot of projects due, tons of games to play, a road trip to Texas A&M (which I am on my way back from as you are reading this), and right after that, a trip out to Incog. Inc's offices (TWISTED METAL BLACK) to check out WAR OF THE MONSTERS. So things are a bit hectic, and I haven't really had the chance to ponder any deep issues about video gaming.

I know you're disappointed. But this week I have something even more important. It regards one of my favorite games of all time, and quite possibly the greatest football game ever made. No, not NFL 2K1. No, not MADDEN. This game is much more important and influential. This game is TECMO SUPER BOWL.

I think with the possible exception of CONTRA, TECMO SUPER BOWL may be one of the most fondly remembered NES (and eventually SNES games). It's a football game that had fairly simple gameplay (although good for the time), and in-depth stat tracking. I remember playing it for years, and even now I know a lot of people who continue to play it over the newfangled games.

So why do I bring up this old bastion of classic gaming? That's simple. I am demanding that Tecmo stop worrying about perfecting the big breast physics it's implementing in DEAD OR ALIVE VOLLEYBALL and bring us a new TECMO SUPER BOWL.

First things first, I want a port of the original game (hell, leave in the original teams, Bo Jackson owns all) to the Game Boy Advance. That would make me very happy, to start. But secondly, I need something new, something on my GameCube, Xbox or PlayStation 2.

Now part of the reason that TECMO SUPER BOWL was so popular was because of how many features it had. Obviously those features have been incorporated into today's games already. So how can Tecmo counter that? First, it needs to stay simple. Same old-school playcalling system with just offensive plays. Secondly, the gameplay needs to stay as simple as it was before (maybe with the full complement of men on the field) but at the same time stay realistic (rather than being NFL BLITZ-like).

Finally, in order to give it the edge, track every possible stat. From yards ran (side to side), to pancake blocks, to plays ran, to balls thrown at... anything and everything. Top this off by keeping the original sideline view of the game, and cel-shading it to give it that updated NES look, and you have my ideal SUPER TECMO BOWL for the new age.

Now Enix, about your DRAGON WARRIOR franchise...

Blizzard announced that the STARCRAFT: GHOST trailer has been released on their website for download...Sega has announced WORLD SERIES BASEBALL 2K3 to be released in March...Westwood Studios has announced that its online RPG, EARTH AND BEYOND, will have a new Halloween theme update...Nintendo has announced the link between METROID PRIME and METROID FUSION. Via link-up, you can use the Fusion suit in GameCube game, and also unlock the original METROID game.

It's finally out. The sequel to the uber-successful mafia masterpiece, GRAND THEFT AUTO III, will release for the PlayStation 2 this week. GRAND THEFT AUTO: VICE CITY has tons of new features, such as motorcycles and updated graphics, and is definitely worth trying.