So Tecmo Bowl Throwback has been on Xbox Live Marketplace for a few days now. Our review is still pending, but in the meantime, we’ve broken down some of the more interesting opinions on the game from the rest of the web.

1UP: A- “You know the age-old saying “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”? Well that doesn’t quite apply to Tecmo’s PSN/XBLA release, Tecmo Bowl Throwback. Instead of trying to completely overhaul the mechanics of the classic 8- and 16-bit football games, Tecmo simply applied a fresh coat of paint to the game while leaving the entire classic version intact underneath.”

GamesRadar: 8/10 “Two decades later, along comes Tecmo Bowl Throwback, oozing with all of the essence of its forebears. Throwback is so good in so many ways it’ll make you think twice about why you bother to learn the dizzying array of intricacies in modern football games. Chances are you’ll have five times as much fun against a friend in a breezy game of Tecmo Bowl than an hour-long death struggle in Madden.”

G4TV: 3/5 “Given the place this game holds in the hearts and minds of sports nuts everywhere, the lack of any love or craftsmanship in the presentation is a little sad. As such, while the classic gameplay still shines through, it loses something in the translation thanks to the cold presentation. For best results, flip it over to the much-welcome classic 2D mode. It’s not quite the same, but combined with the classic gameplay and the new multiplayer mode, it makes Tecmo Bowl Throwback just worth the ten dollar price of admission.”

Gamerlimit: 8.5/10 “The online play is the most glaring problem with this otherwise stellar package. As I mentioned before, you’ll want to make sure that the game’s simplistic take on football is your style before putting down 800 points for the game, but for those who grew up on this series, you’ll find that Southend has truly done the game justice, and while you may not play Tecmo Bowl Throwback everyday, I won’t be at all surprised when I boot this up for a quick preseason game even at the end of the Xbox 360’s life.”

GoFanboy: 8.5/10 “Before Madden, football games were simplistic and 2D; Tecmo Bowl is no different. If you’re looking for a quick and painless football game that doesn’t require intense knowledge of the sport; then this is perfect. Personally for instance, I am no Madden buff. Yet playing Tecmo Bowl was easy to pick up and addicting”