NFL Blitz

"A great football game, without the rules."

NFL Blitz for the N64 has got to be on of the best football games I have played. If
you are looking for an all out, fun, no holds bared football game, then NFL Blitz is just
for you. If you are the type that likes the simulation only, strategy filled football games,
then you may want to check out Quarterback Club or Madden, as NFL Blitz is far from a
“simulation” football game.

NFL Blitz first appeared in the arcades. When it came out, nobody expected a
football game to be like it was. Think NBA Jam. Think of the NFL. Put Jam plus the
NFL together. What do you have? NFL Blitz, the NBA Jam of the football (gaming)
world. First downs are now take 30 yards to get. Want to hit a player after a play is
done? Why don’t you just go up and body slam him instead? Since Blitz doesn’t follow
the rules of simulation football games, fans immediately flocked to it, and saw just how
fun it was. Since it was so popular, this game made its way to the N64, letting all the fans
out there play this great arcade classic on their N64 system.

The second the player (or players) turns this game on, they can see just how fun it
is. The opening presentation shows the game playing, letting the veteran of the game, or
the newbie, see the hard hitting action that is Blitz. The real fun doesn’t come from
watching the game, but from playing it. The player can choose Arcade Mode, which is
just an all out fun, one or two player game of the good arcade action that was in the
arcade version of the game. Players can input codes at the Vs. screen, like invisible
players, no first downs, unlimited turbo, among many other codes. Inputting these codes
helps inhance the game. Input a variety of codes (assuming you can input them quick
enough) and you can have a game that was fun to start with, but now with cool codes to
go along with it. If your not up for the regular Arcade Mode, the player can pick Season
Mode, which, like the name says, is a rough, hard hitting season in the Blitz world. The
player starts at the beginning of a season, and works there way up to the Superbowl.
Think you got what it takes to make it to the Superbowl, but don’t want to have to worry
bout penalties and other rules of the real football world? Then take the Blitz Season
mode, and have a good time doing it.

If your not in the mood to start playing a game right away, you can pick Play
Editor option. This is a mode in the game that many people bought the game for. In this
mode, players will be able to create a number of plays, changing when their players do
speed burst, dodges, what direction they go towards, and many other options that involves
creating plays. Once the player has made some plays, they can then save them to their
Controller Pack, and then bust these new plays out while they play a game of Blitz. The
big thing about this Play Editor mode is being able to take your plays to the Blitz 99
arcade game. Once the player has created some plays, they can take them down to a Blitz
99 arcade and use these newly made plays-a very fun experience. Lets say you go to play
Blitz 99 at the arcades. You have your plays with you, and you are about to play, when
somebody challenges you. You don’t want to back down, so you decided to play them.
What you don’t know is that this person is a veteran at this game, and will kick your ass
in one sec with the regular plays. Surely this person couldn’t know what plays you made
right? Just pop in your controller pack, use your created plays, and it is a new game each
time-for you, and for the vet you just played, or for anybody you played (including the
CP). This is a really fun feature, and for anybody that gets NFL Blitz, I highly suggest
you try it out.

Whats game features to a game if it doesn’t have good gameplay? Well, NFL
Blitz has great game play. As I have said before, don’t expect a simulation, strategy filled
serious football game. Blitz is arcade action at its best. Sure, the game has interceptions,
fumbles, tackles, and the like, but, how many football games have you played that if you
tackle a receiver so hard he goes flying in the air, fumbles the ball, then gets jumped on
and beat down when he lands on the ground? How many of them encourage you to beat
down the opposition after a play is completed? I don’t mean just getting up in a players
face, I mean tackling him to the ground and belly flopping him..and the good thing is,
nobody will stop you! That is the hard hitting action that is in NFL Blitz.

What makes this gameplay even more fun is the two player mode. Blitz is
definitely a multiplayer game, even though only two people can play at the same time.
Forget playing the CP, if you have a friend over, grab two N64 controllers and have a fun
time with NFL Blitz. The controls are easy to learn, so the two people playing shouldn’t
have a problem at all. Grab that controller, and start having a blast.

This may not be enough to convince you of how good of a game Blitz is. Many
people only care about how good the graphics or sound are in a game. Well, Blitz has
great graphics. Although the graphics arent as good as the arcade version of the game,
they are still great for the N64. The players look detailed, and the framerate is smooth.
Everything runs fast for the most part, and there is very little slowdown, so everything
looks good. The sound is surprisingly good, with nice sounds effects to go with all of the
tackles. Players talk trash once in a while, and that is a nice touch. Commentary is also
good.

I have very few complaints about NFL Blitz. The few that I have are that for
some reason, players seem to miss footballs that are thrown at them a lot. Maybe it was
made like this for a reason, but I find it quite strange that players often miss throws that
they should of caught. Another flaw is that the computer can be a little cheater. Cheating
is all in the name of fun in Blitz, so I guess that isn’t really a bad thing, but you just have
to keep your eyes open for some of the computers sneaker attempts to score or get the ball
away from you, or whatever the situation may be.

In conclusion, if you are in the mood for an over the top, wild football experience,
check out NFL Blitz for the Nintendo 64. Let loose, don’t worry about rules, and most
importantly, have fun with NFL Blitz.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/10/00, Updated 12/10/00