Tecmo Bowl

Mona Lisa. Mount Everest. The Declaration of Independence. Tecmo Bowl. What do these all have in common?  Nothing.

Tecmo Bowl was the hottest football video game before Madden really took over.  Talk to some people about Tecmo Bowl and they light up.  Life comes back into their eyes as they reminisce over a simpler, more care free time.

Keep an eye out for weekly posts featuring favorite Tecmo players, teams and plays.  Got a suggestion?
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Check out this guy's blog post in the meantime. He had a hell of a time controlling the Lions.

THROWBACK THURSDAY x EXCITEBIKE NES

Excitebike… another underrated Nintendo NES game.



I loved the sound of the engines, the simplicity of the game, the colors of the bikers, and the colors of the tracks. In my fantasy Excitebike world, I wanted to control the Baby Blue racer on a created Kawasaki (light green/ level 2) track.

I also always considered the Purple racers to be brothers. And those guys would drive me nuts.



Excitebike also taught me some real life lessons, like don’t overheat. When you are in the red, don’t push it. Ease up. That’s how you will finish the race with best time.



Another concept that made Excitebike so great/ revolutionary was how you could design your own track. I never figured out how to save it, but I used to love to design insane jumps and courses.




Excitebike… eXtreme eXcitement!!!

Double Dragon = Innovation

Super Mario Brothers was cool. And I loved Mega-Man and Legend of Zelda.



And just so we're crystal clear, nothing in the world ever compares to the joy that is Super Tecmo Bowl (Greatest Video Game Of All-Time).

However, a cartridge that is often overlooked when ranking out some of the greatest games of all-time is Double Dragon.



When you played Super Mario Bros. you had to switch off and share.

I understand that "Sharing is Caring," but when you're 12 years old, it's hard to rap your head around that concept.



In steps.... Double Dragon!! You mean we can play at the same time! Two guys fighting on the screen at the same time! Like Contra, only with kicks, punches and headbutts!!



You still had a female to save. And sometimes you fought these Giant dudes.



You could also pick up a bat and swing it, throw a barrell at a pack of dudes, and give a few flying kicks.

Double Dragon, an underrated classic from back in the day...

Mike Tyson's Punch Out!! Action Figures...

I used to love the journey Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! took you on. You would start off with Glass Joe and just beat his ass. We all need a Glass Joe sometimes. Then Von Kaiser. You can say something derogatory about Germans when you fight him. Then Piston Honda, an Asian reference. Don Flamenco... I used to always think he was a homosexual.

Next up was King Hippo. He was cool. I would sometimes let him knock me down a few times just to show my respect.



From there you would fight every race and religion all the way up to Iron Mike. What a great game.



These figures are one of a kind and not for sale. They were made by an artist named Fugazi. Check out his story and explanation here.



I also spotted this T-shirt made by a company named DGK. They also have a line of shirts that says, "I (heart) haters!" Great message. Peep the shirt here.

The Hundreds clothing company....

The Hundreds is a clothing company coming out of California. Their logos and graphics have always caught my eye. They have these incredible old school style script-cursive hats that remind me of the good old days.

Yes. That is a Lakers mesh snapback hat.





They also have this cute little bomb logo that I really like. It's easy on the eyes. It reminds me of some old school Nintendo, Super Mario Brothers 3 to be exact. The bomb seems like a distant cousin to the bullet from those games.

Check out this New Era hat from these guys.






This t-shirt design is based off the Heaven's Gate cult back in the 90s. This cult all killed themselves so they could catch a spaceship flying past Earth. Cults are cool. This logo is cool. The t-shirt is cool. And peep out the tiny bomb on the back. This is part of their Winter collection, so if you get this shirt, you will be cool. Pick up a shirt here. You're welcome. More posts to come from this clothing company.

Bo knows video game shoes...

Check out these new shoes coming out in November of 2009. It's a throwback to the Bo Jackson days. That first pic is what really got me juiced on these shoes. They only look alright on the outsides, but check out that old school Nintendo picture of Bo playing for the Royals. I read on another website they were referring to these as "Tecmos" but that graphic/artwork looks more like RBI baseball to me.

You would have to wear these inside out in order for them to get the full effect. Because the other tight part of them is on the tongue where it says "Bo knows." Once the inside out ones come out, I'll pick up a pair.You can get them at Foot Locker later on this month.

Gauntlet

Gauntlet was the next level of video gaming in the 80s. I remember going to Bullwinkle's and seeing a game that four people could play at the same time. Wizard, Warrior, Elf, and Valkyrie. Blue, Red, Green and Yellow. good night.

Tron

Tron is tight. The colors, logos, technology... even the font is crazy. They even play frisbee.

Check these out...

Marble Madness Legend

First of all, this artwork is amazing. Second of all, this guy is unreal. I used to love Marble Madness. Click and see what I am talking about. Enjoy.

Super Tecmo Bowl

There have been some great websites dedicated to this game, but it seems like most have fallen apart or disappeared. The one I like to turn to now is
Super Tecmo Bowl.com. Check out all the articles and links. I just got a little lost in there myself to be honest with you.

Fulcher was without a doubt my favorite.