Do you remember when "Bo Knows" became a national catchphrase? Or when almost all of the top quarterbacks in the NFL had plenty of (occasionally permed) hair visible underneath the backs of their helmets? If you answered yes to either of those questions, you probably also remember playing Tecmo Bowl or its sequel, Tecmo Super Bowl. The sequel became one of the most popular and beloved sports titles of all time, earning its way onto several "Best Of" lists even in recent years. When you think about it, Tecmo Super Bowl should probably have a place in Canton next to the busts of Dick Butkus and Bart Starr. Thankfully for fans who have had their Super Nintendos banished to the attic for years, Tecmo has recreated the classic football videogame for the Nintendo DS as Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff.

Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff is geared towards two different types of people: Tecmo Super Bowl fans looking to get nostalgic and gamers who want a much simpler gameplay experience than Madden provides. Although it lost the NFL license (and, more importantly, the included naming rights) the series used to have, Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff is a largely enjoyable trip down memory lane. Even on the DS, the name of the game is still 11-on-11 football, and the look (complete with the famous cut-scenes), sounds, and controls are near mirror-images of the original. There are four running and four passing plays to choose from both on offense and defense, with turnovers still playing a major role in every game.


Without the ability to play as true NFL teams or players, Tecmo relies on the creativity (or lack thereof, depending on your point of view) of gamers, who are able to edit the team colors, emblems, cities and names as well as player names. With 32 teams in the same cities where the NFL currently has franchises (except instead of two New York representatives there's one New York team and one Los Angeles squad), players can manually give all the teams and players in Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff NFL names if they want (and have enough free time).

Or, if you're feeling really nostalgic, you could name Kansas City's running back Christian (The Nigerian Nightmare) Okoye, the undoubted MVP of Tecmo Super Bowl due to his freakish ability to break tackles. One amusing element of the customization process is Kickoff's embedded censor. Pick any name that could be even slightly construed as dirty and it will be deemed too inappropriate for use. Curiously, the default name for the Los Angeles franchise in Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff is the Supercocks (with a rooster helmet logo, of course). Perhaps Tecmo doesn't like L.A. that much.