I love ESRB leaks.  They frequently alert us to the existence of games, they often give us a sneak preview of features and gameplay elements from upcoming titles, and sometimes, they reveal the more adult side of a game before it comes out.  In this case, the ratings board has given us all three.  While it has yet to be officially announced, an ESRB leak confirms that Tecmo Bowl Throwback, the long-suspected retro football title, is in development and will appear on the Xbox 360 and PS3.

The ESRB rating also tells us a bit about the game, and also reveals its more lurid features;

This is a top-down arcade-style football game in which players compete against teams around the country to become the "Tecmo Bowl Champion." Some of the football highlights are depicted in animated cutscenes (with better graphics); a few non-football highlights depict cheerleaders wearing low-cut tops while dancing. And a jumbotron screen displays a 2D swimsuit model with some exposed cleavage.

While the description tells us almost nothing about the game’s content, like if NFL teams (unlikely) or NFL players (more likely) will be available, if it will use a version of any of the original Tecmo Bowl games, or if we can expect updated HD visuals  or a more traditional look on-field, it does at let us know that it’s a top-down football game with a focus on online play.  The promise of  “low-cut tops” and “exposed cleavage” doesn’t exactly paint a picture of a M-rated game, but the original Tecmo Bowls always included a little gratuitous cheesecake, and it’s nice to see them continue that tradition.

After the disappointment that was Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff for the DS, I’m hoping that Tecmo hires someone on the staff that actually watches American football and has played Tecmo Super Bowl for the NES.  Kickoff felt like a game designed by people reading about football on Wikipedia for the first time.  With any luck, Tecmo will take the DS game’s lukewarm reviews and sales as an indication that this next one needs to be taken a bit more seriously.