With the NFL season two weeks underway it’s hard to argue the logic that you can never get enough football in your bloodstream. Madden has already been out for roughly a month and continues to dominant being the sole owner of the NFL franchise but it will soon feel the unnerving tingle of competition breathing down its neck. Right around the corner, November to be exact, Tecmo will be resurrecting the gold standard in old-school football action; Tecmo Bowl for Nintendo DS.

Most gamers will remember the name Tecmo being synonymous with football greatness if they are like me and grew up parallel to the video game boom. I was part of the generation that was the perfect age to test out the original Nintendo Entertainment System as well as Tecmo’s football offering. Call it nostalgia if you like but I choose to call it damn fun football. You didn’t have to worry about facemasking, pass interference, or even off-sides. Hell, you only had four plays to choose from on either side of the ball meaning this game was about getting you into the action as fast as possible.

So when I found out Tecmo was reviving the beast for a current generation of gamers on the Nintendo DS, I got pumped. Shit, I’m still pumped. And even though the game has no NFL license, it still looks to bring that classic feel and look to the DS for some awesome arcade football on the go.

 First things first, Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff does not sport the NFL license. I know that’s a bummer for a lot of football fans, especially since the NFL season just got underway and I started this preview acknowledging that. Well you can thank the monsters at EA Sports for that, but don’t fret because Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff does allow players to change any of the 32 team’s colors, emblems, cities, and player’s names if you must have this game be the “NFL.” I’m just looking forward to creating Bo Jackson all over again so I can run laps around the opposing defenses cause that was always hilarious to me growing up. The dude was unstoppable.

 Another staple of the Tecmo franchise was the super sweet cut-scenes for kicking field goals, celebrating touchdowns, and hopping the goal-line for a TD. Well all of those are back, plus some. Diving catches, first downs, interceptions, and more all become cinematic spectacles in Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff. While these were never necessary to enjoy the game, they were always much appreciated and gave a game with players made up of a handful of pixels a sense of epic.

 New to the Tecmo Bowl series with Kickoff are Super Abilities to unleash on your unsuspecting foes. Make a good tactical choice of when to use your team’s ability and watch as your opponent falls apart under your superior coaching skills. Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff also allows players to use the Nintendo DS’s stylus for complete control of their players. So if you feel using the D-pad to zig-zag down the field to dodge defenders isn’t precise enough, just do it with the stylus. You are also allowed to create your own custom playbook in TBK. Pick your best four plays on each side of the ball and you’ll always feel like you have that ace up your sleeve to outsmart your adversary.

Finally, and probably one of the biggest perks to Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff is the ability to play Wi-Fi and wirelessly vs. friends. Knowing that I can play any of my buddies from around the country in Tecmo Bowl whenever I want is an amazing feeling. You no longer have to be huddled around one television to enjoy this gridiron classic. Now that’s next generation Tecmo Bowl right there.

So what can you do in the meantime as you wait for Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff to launch? I say now is the perfect opportunity to dust off that old Nintendo, or Super Nintendo, and boot up the original Tecmo Bowl games to get yourself geared up for the latest arrival to the franchise in November. Get as many of your friends into the gripping arcade football action as you can so you have ample people to play when the new game hits shelves.