Play Tecmo Super Bowl Online Free for Super Nintendo.
Tecmo Super Bowl hits different when it boots instantly in your browser. Released in 1991 on the Super Nintendo, this retro classic from Tecmo is ready the second you press start — no downloads, no setup.
Prior games used either the real teams, the real players, or fictional substitutes, but not real teams and players together. Tecmo Super Bowl is a 1991 American football video game developed and published by Tecmo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).
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| Action | Keyboard | Controller |
|---|---|---|
| D-Pad Up | ↑ | D-Pad up |
| D-Pad Down | ↓ | D-Pad down |
| D-Pad Left | ← | D-Pad left |
| D-Pad Right | → | D-Pad right |
| B (bottom) | X | Bottom face |
| A (right) | Z | Right face |
| Y (left) | S | Left face |
| X (top) | A | Top face |
| L | Q | Left shoulder |
| R | E | Right shoulder |
| Start | Enter | Start |
| Select | V | Select |
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The Story Behind Tecmo Super Bowl
The NES original has had an extensive cult following across the decades, with widely covered tournaments as the game modification community provides annual roster updates. Bo Jackson's character in Tecmo Super Bowl is infamous for his high speed and agility in comparison to other characters, with players claiming that he could run for as many as 1,000 yards in a single game. Accelerated fifteen-minute and ten-minute quarters can only be used for Exhibition and Pro Bowl games.
With Tecmo Bowl for NES in 1989, Tecmo had procured an official license from the National Football League Players Association, providing twelve teams and a truncated roster. Tecmo produced several direct sequels to Tecmo Super Bowl, and other games originating with the Tecmo Bowl engine. In the Family Guy episode “Run, Chris, Run”, Peter Griffin plays the NES version (mistaken for its predecessor) as Bo Jackson, humorously scoring a touchdown despite having intentionally sabotaged his game by going backwards multiple times; Glenn Quagmire complains during the entirety of the game.
How Tecmo Super Bowl Plays
Subsequent entries, such as 2008's Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff for the Nintendo DS, and 2010's Tecmo Bowl Throwback for the Xbox 360 and PS3 feature generic players and teams, due to Electronic Arts obtaining the exclusive NFL and NFLPA licenses in 2004 for the Madden NFL series. A Sega Saturn version was in development, but was never released. Since the advent of modern console emulation on computers, Tecmo Super Bowl is one of the most modified NES games.
One features Brian Bosworth, who had been famously run over by Jackson during a Monday Night Football game in 1987 as he attempted to score a touchdown. An episode of NFL Films Presents documents the video game and its cult following. Jim Kelly, Randall Cunningham, and Bernie Kosar are represented by generic names of QB Bills, QB Eagles, and QB Browns, respectively, because the players were not members of the NFLPA's marketing contract.
Why Players Still Load It Up
It has been variously named as one of the best NES games, one of the best sports games, and one of the most influential video games of all time. Subsequent entries, such as 2008's Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff for the Nintendo DS, and 2010's Tecmo Bowl Throwback for the Xbox 360 and PS3 feature generic players and teams, due to Electronic Arts obtaining the exclusive NFL and NFLPA licenses in 2004 for the Madden NFL series. The success of Tecmo Bowl was followed by the release of Tecmo Super Bowl in 1991 in North America and Japan, for which Tecmo acquired both sets of the NFL/NFLPA licenses, making it the first and only NES game to feature both real NFL teams and players.
The game can play three consecutive seasons (1991–1993). The game was a major success, resulting in several follow-ups for subsequent game consoles. With Tecmo Bowl for NES in 1989, Tecmo had procured an official license from the National Football League Players Association, providing twelve teams and a truncated roster.
Tecmo Super Bowl — Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a controller to play Tecmo Super Bowl?
No. Keyboard controls work out of the box (see the controls panel), and any USB or Bluetooth gamepad is detected automatically.
Who developed Tecmo Super Bowl?
Development was handled by Tecmo, with Tecmo publishing the release.
Where can I buy the original Tecmo Super Bowl?
See the "Other Places You Can Get This Game" section below the article for legitimate places to buy real-world versions.
What console was Tecmo Super Bowl released on?
Tecmo shipped Tecmo Super Bowl for the Super Nintendo back in 1991, and this page runs that release.