Madden Football may be all the rage now, but back in the late 80's and early 90's, Tecmo Bowl was the king of football. It also has the distinction of being the first football game to feature actual players from the NFL. When it was ported to NES, there was no hotter football game out there. Today, Tecmo is still alive and well after uniting with Koei in 2009, and re-emerging as Tecmo-Koei, though the company is perhaps more well known for Ninja Gaiden, Monster Rancher, and the Dead or Alive fighting series. But the company hasn't forgotten its arcade football roots.
With Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate: Core Fighters hitting the 500,000 downloads mark, the company is celebrating with gridiron themed festivities for the free-to-play fighter, and offering up some Tecmo Bowl inspired costumes for the game's various pugilists.
According to a recent press release, "Team NINJA kicks off several weeks of festivities complete with Tecmo Bowl uniforms and characters, new Emerald, Ruby and Topaz grades, limited time in-game and free content including the classic Tecmo Bowl Throwback, all in celebration of over half a million downloads of DEAD OR ALIVE 5 ULTIMATE: CORE FIGHTERS (DOA5U: CORE FIGHTERS).
For American Football fans, Tecmo Bowl uniforms for Bass, Bayman, Leon, Rachel, Tina and Zack are being released and, as a bonus, Tecmo Bowl Throwback andDOA5U: CORE FIGHTERS are included with the purchase of any of the six costumes or the full DEAD OR ALIVE 5 ULTIMATE Champion set through November 26 (PlayStation®3 only, additional purchases will not include multiple copies). Limited time offers also include the use of Leon and Rachel free of charge for DOA5U: CORE FIGHTERS players, through November 19 (PlayStation®3 only)."
If you don't yet have the characters, Tecmo-Koei is offering up sets for each Tecmo Bowl throwback costume and character - "$4.99 each - over 15% cheaper than if you purchased the costume and character separately. Throw in Tecmo Bowl Throwback for free (a $9.99 value)."
The freemium version of Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate includes four playable characters in Kasumi, Ayane, Hayate and Ryu Hayabusa. Other characters will occasionally be available during trial periods, or can be purchased separately. A training mode allows newcomers to get instant familiarity.
Included in Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate's roster are Ninja Gaiden's Momiji and Virtua Fighter's own Jacky Bryant, who joins fellow VF alumni Akira, Sarah, and Pai, along with returning Dead or Alive fighters Leon and Haya. New features consist of many features from the Playstation Vita's Dead or Alive 5 Plus, such as a new training mode, combo challenge, the ability to chose custom music for fights, and existing character changes.
Ultimate is a decent choice for fighter fans who may have missed out when Dead or Alive 5 first released last year. The game is out now for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.