Tecmo Bowl (NES) Retro Game of the Month April 2024

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Selected by: Grover

Old sports games are often overlooked, but they are an important part of both gaming and sports history. Tecmo Bowl was one of the first American football games to be considered good and I have fond memories of playing this at a friend’s house. While the on-screen sprites were limited to only 9 players per team and there were only 12 teams to choose from, it was still fun thanks to a two player mode that allowed friends to face off against one another. Players could also choose from a few simple plays, which further added to the fun. From a sports history standpoint, Tecmo Bowl uses an interesting fusion of the NFL’s 1987 and ‘88 roster, creating a sort of hypothetical late eighties season that never happened. If you’re a football fan or someone who just likes 8-Bit gaming, this title is still worth playing today.

Click here for more on Tecmo Bowl

Would you like to see your favorite game win Retro Game of the Month? Leave a comment below and it will be considered for next month’s award! Each winner will be entered into a contest for Retro Game of the Year in December and announced on the third week of the month.

We no longer use ads and trackers.

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After careful consideration, I have decided to remove Google Analytics and Adsense from this website. Over the years I have become increasingly uncomfortable with the idea of monitoring traffic and serving ads to visitors. Most people (myself included) do not like ads and privacy has been an increasingly prevalent issue. This website was created for gamers and I believe it is only right to put the interests of my audience first.

While I will keep my opinions regarding the practices of big tech companies to myself, I will say RetroMaggedom Gaming is better off as an ad-free website that respects the privacy of its users. With this in mind, I’m permanently removing Google Analytics tracking and Adsense from RetroMaggedon.com and will not use similar services in the future.

~tankMage

Comments Temporarily Restricted

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Spring must be spam season, because we’re getting a huge influx of fake comments. To combat this I’ve placed some temporary restrictions on our comments sections. This means it may take a while for your comment to appear (anywhere from 30 minutes to 6 hours) so don’t worry if your comment isn’t visible right away.

I hate having to do this, but spam comments almost always contain links to malicious sites and I would rather visitors be slightly inconvenienced than see something unpleasant happen to someone who accidentally clicked on a bad link. Spam also makes it difficult for real humans whi have something to say to get their message across, which is another reason why I put anti-spam measures in place. I would share a few choice words for the individuals behind this spam campaign, but the likelihood that they are even aware of the existence of this site is near zero, so I won’t waste my time.

The restrictions will be in place until the deluge slows down to its usual or trickle, which will hopefully only take a day or two. Once again, I apologize for this inconvenience.

Soul Blazer (SNES) Retro Game of the Month March 2024

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Selected by: Cowboy Yojimbo

Soul Blazer is an underappreciated action RPG for the Super Nintendo that’s part of a largely forgotten spiritual trilogy which also includes Illusion of Gaia and Terranigma. In Soul Blazer the world has been rendered barren and lifeless, because a greedy king sold the soul of every living being to a demon called Deathtoll. Players control a servant of a being known as the Master, who has been tasked with reviving the world. Over the course of the adventure players will visit various areas, battle monsters action RPG style with sword and sorcery, and slowly free the inhabitants of the world.

Every area has its own story and cast of characters that gradually open up as the player frees NPCs from the clutches of Deathtoll. While most of the stories are simplistic, they help bring the game to life and add an emotional dimension to the hero’s mission as he makes friends along the way. The action is what really shines as this game is something of a fusion between Gauntlet and Legend of Zelda. Every dungeon is punctuated by a climactic boss fight that makes freeing the world all the more satisfying.

Click here for more on Soul Blazer

Would you like to see your favorite game win Retro Game of the Month? Leave a comment below and it will be considered for next month’s award! Each winner will be entered into a contest for Retro Game of the Year in December and announced on the third week of the month.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES) Retro Game of the Month February 2024

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Selected by: Rontro

Legend of Zelda has a long and storied history as a franchise, so it is no surprise that A Link to the Past for the Super Nintendo is one of the first games to be awarded Retro Game of the Month. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes the first game of the year. If you are into older video games, this title is a must-play. Link to the Past has some of the best dungeons, music, and gameplay in the entire series. It’s also a good example of what is often be called “Classic Legend of Zelda” from the days when the series was 2D. It’s hard to find much to say about this game aside from it being really good. If you want more details, check out the LttP home page:

Click here for more on Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Would you like to see your favorite game win Retro Game of the Month? Leave a comment below and it will be considered for next month’s award! Each winner will be entered into a contest for Retro Game of the Year in December and announced on the third week of the month.

Grandia (PS1) Retro Game of the Month January 2024

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Selected by: tankMage

Grandia was the first game I reviewed for this site way back in 2015, so it’s only fitting that it’s the first to earn the title of Retro Game of the Month. To be honest, I was not terribly impressed with Grandia when I first played it, but there’s something special about the cast and story that made it grow on me. Justin’s (the main protagonist) positivity and enthusiasm is infectious. He’s also kind of flawed despite being so well meaning, which was evidenced in some of his relationships. At the same time, Justin grew as a character and the ending is probably one of my all-time favorites.

The gameplay itself is pretty good, though it’s ultimately a standard JRPG at the end of the day. There’s a few parts that drag and the inventory system sucks. In fact fiddling with the bad inventory is one of the other things that stick out in my memories of Grandia. Luckily the gameplay is good enough that its flaws are outweighed by the things that make it fun, so give this title a go if you are looking for a lesser known PS1 RPG.

Click here for more on Grandia

Would you like to see your favorite game win Retro Game of the Month? Leave a comment below and it will be considered for next month’s award! Each winner will be entered into a contest for Retro Game of the Year in December and announced on the third week of the month.

Retro Video Game Awards Coming January 2024

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Starting in January, RetroMaggedon.com will award a retro game the title of “Retro Game of the Month” on first of every month. Winners will be selected by contributors and readers. On the second week of every December, a “Retro Game of the Year” will be selected from the 11 winners of the Retro Game of the Month title.

Currently, anyone is welcome to nominate a game in the comments below or in the comment section of a Retro Game of the Month post. Depending on how much participation we see, nominated games will either be given the award automatically or voted on. The Retro Game of the year will be voted on during the first week of December and announced the following week.