Is “Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff” the best “Tecmo Bowl” game yet?

I haven’t played the original “Tecmo Bowl” since I was a kid. But Tecmo had the NES, SNES, Genesis and PlayStation incarnations of “Tecmo Bowl” at a recent hands-on event for the new DS version.

No one was really playing the other versions. I decided to play every version of “Tecmo Bowl” for roughly the same amount of time I played the DS one: five minutes.

Which one came out on top? You’ll be pleasantly surprised.

In addition to “Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff” on the DS, the event featured the classic “Tecmo Bowl” on the NES, “Tecmo Super Bowl” for both the SNES and Genesis and “Tecmo Super Bowl” on the original PlayStation. I didn’t play them in chronological order, but that’s how I’ll list my thoughts.

“Tecmo Bowl” (NES): Still a classic, and remains the only football I can stand to play. Sure, the balance is all over the place and some teams and players are easily exploitable, but in terms of sheer fun, “Tecmo Bowl” still wins out. I forgot how uncomfortable the NES controller is to hold in an age of ergonomic and focus tested designs, though.

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“Tecmo Super Bowl” (SNES): Not much different than the NES one, but it’s solid. There’s something about the NES version that just feels…better. Maybe it’s nostalgia speaking. In fact, it’s probably nostalgia speaking, but if I had a choice between the two versions, despite the SNES one looking far better, I’d still play it on NES.

“Tecmo Super Bowl” (Genesis): Same as the SNES one, except for slightly muddier graphics.

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“Tecmo Super Bowl” (PlayStation): Tecmo’s attempt to bring the series into pseudo-3D didn’t work. Awkward visuals aside, however, the controls are wildly imprecise and the interface is a mess. It was difficult to tell what plays you were picking. By making “Tecmo Bowl” more complex, they broke it. On the plus side, tapping the triangle button prompts any player to bust out into a hilarious running taunt. I ended up holding down triangle on every play. I couldn’t stop laughing.

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“Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff Edition” (Nintendo DS): Hands down, the best “Tecmo Bowl” since the original. It nails the spirit of “Tecmo Bowl” in every sense. Instead of messing with what people like about “Tecmo Bowl,” they left that alone and developed new features around it. Decent stylus control (tapping a player to pass is nice), a playbook editor, customizable teams and both local and Internet-based multiplayer are all phenomenal new additions to the “Tecmo Bowl” series.

You have reason to be excited, “Tecmo Bowl” fans. Your proper sequel arrives in September.