Popular Games by Tecmo
Reviews of Tecmo Games
Mini Review Fire 'N Ice (NES) - A Fine Puzzler That's Worthy Of Rediscovery On Switch
I've got the (Solomon's) key, I've got the secret
Sokoban, initially released in 1982 for Japanese home computers, is the first “block-pushing” puzzle game that challenged players to move around boxes to accomplish some kind of goal. Of the numerous similar games it inspired, one of the most popular was Tecmo’s Solomon’s Key, released for...
Review Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom (Wii U eShop / NES)
Nice videogame, shame about the plot
After dealing with that dark sword business Ryu Hayabusa might have hoped to put his feet up, but more evil schemes are in motion and so he must do his ninja thing once more. The powerup from the previous game that could provide duplicates to help in his quest has gone, but it turns out there is still another Ryu...
Review Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos (Wii U eShop / NES)
Tough but fun Ninja action - Part 2
For the first NES Ninja Gaiden game, Tecmo created a tough but fun action platformer. It was very different to the scrolling beat 'em up action of the arcade game, but people liked it; sales must have been good too, because Ryu Hayabusa returned for a second NES outing. Gameplay in Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword...
Review Tecmo Bowl (Wii U eShop / NES)
Move over Madden 16, Tecmo Bowl is back and stealing the NFL spotlight
1989 wasn't just an amazing year because that's when this writer was born. It's an also amazing year because that's when Tecmo Bowl received its home console release on the Nintendo Entertainment System. Boasting an impressive roster from the 1988 NFL season, players could now...
Review Ninja Gaiden (Wii U eShop / NES)
Original Gaiden
With a hit-list of sequels and spin-offs spanning more than two decades and its latest iteration — Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge — even slicing out a spot in the Wii U's launch lineup, Ninja Gaiden's reputation precedes it. An East-meets-West action platformer with an Japanese aesthetic and an American action-hero heart, this is...
Review Mighty Bomb Jack (Wii U eShop / NES)
Pyramid schemes
Bomb Jack, released in 1984, was one of Tecmo's early hits, a single-screen arcade game that had players rushing to diffuse bright red bombs planted at major tourist attractions around the globe. By the time its sequel rolled around in 1987, the Super Mario Bros.-induced side-scrolling craze had taken hold of the gaming world, and...
Latest Tecmo News
Sunday9th Mar 2025
Poll Box Art Brawl - Duel: Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship Of Doom (NES)
Hyaaah!
Hello chums, and welcome back to another edition of Box Art Brawl! Last time, we looked at Pokémon Trading Card Game for the Game Boy Color, and the result was pretty definitive. The Western design won with 69% of the vote, with some of you noting that the Japanese variant didn't even look like it belonged to the Pokémon franchise. User...
Sunday3rd Mar 2024
Poll Box Art Brawl - Ninja Gaiden Shadow
Or Shadow Warriors, if you like
Welcome to another episode of Box Art Brawl! This week, we're going to be checking out Ninja Gaiden Shadow (known as Shadow Warriors in Europe and Australia) from Tecmo for the Game Boy. Before we do so, however, let's see how we got on last time with Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness for the N64. This one wasn't even...
Monday6th Sep 2021
News Hand-Drawn Game Guide Kickstarter Taken Down Following "Legal Trouble"
Update #2: "We did not receive a cease and desist"
Cor, look at 'em Update #2: Phillip Summers has taken to Twitter to clarify some reporting around the cancellation of the Hand-Drawn Game Guide Kickstarter campaign. He states that "the party involved has been polite and I'm hopeful something can get worked out. They have every right to act as they...
Thursday30th Jan 2020
News Tecmo Bowl Brings American Football To Hamster's Arcade Archives Series This Week
More retro goodness
This week sees the release of the retro sports title Tecmo Bowl on the Nintendo Switch eShop. As usual, it supports 1-2 players and will set you back $7.99 / £6.29. Here's the rundown: "TECMO BOWL" is an American football game released by TECMO in 1987. Experience matches as a player of either the WILDCATS or BULLDOGS...
Sunday17th Nov 2019
Poll Box Art Brawl #17 - Ninja Gaiden
Or Shadow Warriors to us and our PALs
Roll up, roll up for Box Art Brawl, the contest where regionally different covers of the same game battle each other to see which one stands up to the scrutiny and discerning eyes of the modern era. Last week 49% of you decreed that the Japanese cover of Banjo-Tooie was better than the rest, with the North...
Thursday6th Jun 2019
News Solomon's Key Joins Hamster's Arcade Archives Series On The Nintendo Switch
Magical
Hamster is adding Tecmo's 1986 release Solomon's Key to its Arcade Archives line on the Nintendo Switch. The title supports 1-2 players and will set you back $7.99 / €6.99 / £6.29. From June 6th, 2019, Arcade Archives Solomon's Key will be available digitally for Arcade Archives, the downloadable series by HAMSTER for Nintendo Switch...
Tuesday19th May 2015
News NES Sports Title Tecmo Bowl Rated By The Australian Classification Board
Marks the title's Virtual Console debut in PAL regions
The NFL arcade game originally developed by Tecmo in 1987 and ported to the NES in 1989 is expected to arrive soon on the Virtual Console in PAL regions after it was recently rated by the Australian Classification Board. This will be the first time Tecmo Bowl has been released in this region as...
Friday28th Nov 2014
Video Join Us For A Look At Hyrule Warriors' Twilight Princess DLC
It's all about Link's new outfit, really
The second piece of Hyrule Warriors DLC is here, and it's a doozy. Introducing the Twilight Princess Pack, you'll be able to control the mighty Twili Midna, try on some new costumes for Link and Zelda, and wield Zelda's devastating Dominion Rod. If you haven't had a chance to see what's new, then this video...
Friday17th Jan 2014
News Ninja Gaiden III Is Slashing Its Way To The European 3DS eShop Next Week
Jumping the ship of doom
Nintendo UK has confirmed that Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom is coming to the European 3DS eShop next week — the 23rd of January, to be precise. The third game in the NES-based trilogy from Tecmo, Ninja Gaiden III is seen by many fans as the best of the three. "Ninja Gaiden III does a great job of being true...
Friday20th May 2011
News First DOA Dimensions SpotPass Content Now Available in UK and Europe
And more scheduled to arrive
Dead or Alive: Dimensions releases today in the UK and Europe, and it's already taking advantage of the SpotPass service with downloadable content available today. Once you pick up your copy, head to a hotspot or your own home Wi-Fi broadband connection to receive a brand new costume for Kasumi. You can also face Kasumi...
Wednesday29th Sep 2010
News New Dead or Alive: Dimensions Trailer Lands a Few Combos
Tecmo shows off some gameplay footage
Among the invited developers and publishers at Nintendo's exclusive 3DS event today was Tecmo Koei, the studio behind Rygar: The Battle of Argus; the Wii instalment of the Platstation action game from 2002. The developer's upcoming Dead of Alive: Dimensions for the 3DS has been progressing steadily and the...
News Nintendo of Japan Showcases Wii Line-up in New Video
Includes footage of (presumably) a new Rhythm Heaven game
As part of their recent conference, Nintendo of Japan's just released a video showcasing some hotly anticipated games in the upcoming Japanese Wii line-up. Everything from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword to Super Mario Collection Special Pack and Mar
Friday10th Sep 2010
News Let's Look at Some New Dead or Alive: Dimensions Screenshots
Show us ya movez, Tecmo
With Nintendo slated to make announcements on September 29 regarding pricing and release dates for the upcoming 3DS handheld, we're hoping more third-party developers start rolling out information on their new wares. Today, we've got some new screenshots of Dead or Alive: Dimensions characters Kasumi, Ayane, Hayate and...
Wednesday8th Sep 2010
News Tecmo Finally Masters the Single Entendre with Dead or Alive: Dimensions
3DS fighter gets named
Tecmo's Dead or Alive series has walked a fine line between serious and absurd ever since its first home conversion offered the option to boost the bounce of its female fighters. Plenty of conversation (amongst other things) arose after the game's unveiling at E3 for 3DS, under the then-uninspiring title of Dead or Alive 3D...
Thursday3rd Jun 2010
Nintendo Download 4th June 2010 (Europe)
Beavers and Brains
Beavers and Brains on Wii, Books, Music, Upside-Down Puzzling and still more Sudoku on DSi this week in Europe. Retro fans will be disappointed at another week without a Virtual Console release, but hopefully we'll be seeing Wild Guns here soon. Otherwise it's mainly a catch-up week for Europe on Wii and DSi. WiiWare:...
Monday31st May 2010
Nintendo Download 31st May 2010 (North America)
Tanks, blocks, sudoku and SPARTA! on DSi whilst Ben-10, Dice, Beavers and Wild Guns grace the Wii
It's a pretty good mix of new and catch-up titles this week in North America, so hopefully everyone will find something that takes their fancy. DSiWare: X-Scape (800pts - Nintendo) — A sequel to game that was released on the Gameboy a million years...
Monday17th May 2010
Nintendo Download 17th May 2010 (North America)
Running, blood and Kirby for the Wii; frogs, rabbits, upside-down blocks and more blood on DSi
Microgame creator WarioWare D.I.Y. and the hosts of the Nintendo Channel show "Nintendo Week" collide in the Big Name Game for this week, as Allison and Gary each unleash whatever crazy microgame their host brains have done thunk up. WiiWare:...
Friday12th Mar 2010
First Impressions Are? DS ga Sakasa Desu Kedo. Sakasa Drops
A refreshing spin on the classic Tetris concept
Sakasa Drops is the second DSiWare effort from Tecmo and like Gyaku Shooting is played holding your DSi upside down with the touchscreen up top. It's a novel gimmick that literally conveys the fact that the tables are being turned on some familiar gameplay. This game most strongly echoes the classic...
Thursday11th Mar 2010
First Impressions Are? DS ga Sakasa Desu Kedo. Gyaku Shooting
It's Star Force in a world gone mad!
Tecmo have finally dipped their toes in the DSiWare water with a couple of games that have the novel feature of being played holding your DSi upside-down with the touchscreen at the top. This first one is based upon the classic Tekhan vertical shooter Star Force, which was one of the Virtual Console Arcade launch...
Friday29th Jan 2010
Nintendo Download 2nd & 3rd February 2010 (Japan)
WiiWare catch-up, a couple MSX ports and a sprinkling of DSiWare in Japan next week
The slow start to the year continues to be slow, but at least there's some quality releases to be had. WiiWare: Excitebike World Race (1000pts - Nintendo) – Better late than never for this well received update to the Famicom classic. Virtual Console: Quarth (800pts...
Monday28th Dec 2009
Nintendo Download 28 December 2009 (North America)
Ten new games to celebrate the advent of 2010!
Nintendo have updated their weekly North American downloads for the last time in 2009, and the year is going out with a corker of an update! Not only is Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth out today but also PilotWings to boot for Virtual Console fans. This is in addition to eight other ones released...
Monday21st Dec 2009
Nintendo Download 21 December 2009 (North America)
Eco-shooting, arcade ninjas, Super Smash Bros., Dragon's Lair and more in this week's download offering.
Nintendo are putting out a decent number of titles in North America with the end of the year rapidly approaching, with a nice mix of new and catch-up titles on offer. Todays VC and WiiWare offerings mean that there's now 500 titles to choose...
Monday30th Nov 2009
Nintendo Download Monkey Island, Zoos, 'Copters, Face Stealing and Puzzles! (US)
A mix of catch-up and new titles in another big update for Wii and DSi.
There's a mix of new and catch-up titles in the update this week including the penultimate chapter in the new Tales of Monkey Island series: Tales of Monkey Island Chapter 4. Copter Crisis and My Zoo were both recently released in PAL territories. Reviewer Tommy Bowskill...
Thursday15th Oct 2009
Interviews Tecmo/Red Entertainment - Nostalgia
Tecmo and Red Entertainment talk about their upcoming DS RPG.
With the rapidly-approaching October 27th release of Tecmo's Nostalgia title, we thought it might be time to get in touch with the game's developers for a little interview to find out more information about the game. We were fortunate enough to catch up with Keisuke Kikuchi of Tecmo, and...
Friday2nd Oct 2009
News Fatal Frame IV Fan Translation Almost Finished
Get your Japanese scares in English soon
Tecmo and Grasshopper Manufacture's scare-fest Fatal Frame IV: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse still isn't officially coming out in the West; Nintendo, holder of the title's publishing rights in North America, still doesn't want to bother, relegating it to the same territorial fate as Disaster: Day of Crisis and...
Saturday26th Sep 2009
News Nintendo Download 29-30 September 2009 (Japan)
Things are back on track with a 2-4-7 week!
After another download holiday Japanese downloaders (and their importing compatriots) are having a week that's more VC than WiiWare and more DSiWare than anything else. WiiWareHamekomi Lucky Puzzle Wii Returns (500pts - Tryfirst) -- This is the sequel to the game known as NEVES Plus elsewhere: a puzzle...
Friday4th Sep 2009
News Nintendo Download 08-09 September 2009 (Japan)
What's out today?
More arcade classics for the Virtual Console and DSiWare gets the spotlight as WiiWare takes another holiday. For a second week running there's no new WiiWare titles for Japan, but at least there's two VCA titles for the Virtual Console on the way next Tuesday. DSiWare definitely gets the spotlight next week with multiple...
Thursday13th Aug 2009
Nintendo Download 18-19 August (Japan)
VC and DSiWare on offer next week whilst the WiiWare holiday continues.
After the mega update preceding the Oban Festival holiday this week it looks like things are returning to normal with 4 VC releases and 7 DSi releases for next week, though nothing new in the WiiWare pipeline. Virtual ConsoleIke lke! Nekketsu Hockey-bu (500pts - Technos) -- A...
Friday24th Jul 2009
Nintendo Download 28-29 July 2009 (Japan)
2 arcade classics, 3 new WiiWare titles and a bumper crop of DSiWare next week.
Looks like we're back to a more familiar release schedule in Japan, but the number of new DSiWare releases is more than normal with 9 new titles (though it has to be admitted two of these are guidebooks). The Virtual Console releases include Tecmo's second offering for...
Tuesday7th Jul 2009
News Rygar and Moon Slip Quietly Onto Euro Shelves
Rising Star Games release Nintendo duo in The Old World
Rising Star have been working wonders lately, releasing some real gems of gaming goodness in Europe. Two more titles were launched over the weekend in the shape of Renegade Kid's DS FPS Moon and Tecmo's Rygar: The Battle of Argus. We covered Rygar a while back and were a little disappointed...
Saturday23rd May 2009
News Tecmo Announces Family Fun Football for Wii
Party in the end zone with friends and family.
Tecmo has just announced their brand new Family Fun Football title for Nintendo's Wii console. If you're looking for Tecmo Bowl, you've come to the wrong place with Family Fun Football. This game has animals, aliens, and robots and isn't your typical pigskin experience. Below is the official press...
Thursday21st May 2009
First Impressions Tsuppari Oozumou Wii Heya
Su-mo! Su-mo!
Back in 1987 Tecmo released Tsuppari Oozumou for the Famicom. This was the first (and one of the only) sumo wrestling games to come to home consoles and was basically a button masher at heart where the object, like real sumo, is to force your opponent out of the ring or put him on his back like a fat unruly turtle. A sequel followed...
Wednesday20th May 2009
News Nostalgia Coming to Nintendo DS in September
Tecmo and Ignition Entertainment bring some new JRPG goodness to Nintendo's DS.
Tecmo and Ignition Entertainment will be bringing a brand new Japanese RPG experience to Nintendo's DS system in September called Nostalgia and they were kind enough to send us over some brand new screenshots of the game in action. As you can see, the game has quite a...
Wednesday8th Apr 2009
News No Fatal Frame IV for North America
Tecmo's survival-horror title denied a stateside release by Nintendo.
Wii-exclusive survival-horror title Fatal Frame IV: Mask Of The Lunar Eclipse has been out in Japan since late July. Co-developed by Tecmo (Ninja Gaiden, Dead Or Alive) and Grasshopper Manufacture (Killer7, Contact, No More Heroes) and published by Nintendo, many assumed a...
Monday18th Aug 2008
News Fatal Frame IV Update + Screenshots
The latest in the Fatal Frame survival horror games hits Wii in Japan, but when will we get a US/EU release?
The player controls the character of either Ruka, Misaki, Madoka, or Choushiro, and uses the Camera Obscura to photograph and fight off ghosts. The player explores the various buildings present on Rougetsu Island. On the main screen there is...
Tuesday15th Jul 2008
E3 2008 Tecmo Games Wii/DS Bound
Temco announce three titles for this years E3 show, SPRay for Wii, Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff and ROBOCALYPSE for DS.
SPRAY™ (Wii / Holiday 2008) Tecmo has signed an agreement with Eko Software for the exclusive North American publishing rights to SPRay, an action-adventure game developed for the Wii that features a unique gameplay mechanic involving the...