NFL Blitz

"Gridiron glory has never hurt so much, but felt so good"

Midway’s smash hit NFL Blitz sure proved its point to me. The game’s fun, exciting and brings football to a whole new level. Since it’s release, numerous other Blitz titles have been produced and a hockey spin off, NHL Hitz has also spawned from one of the original aggressive, no-rules sports games. Much like there’s a difference in some games between “simulation” and “arcade” mode, NFL Blitz raises the bar above and beyond the call of an arcade game.

Players can turbo right out of the gate for that extra burst of speed, thrown balls go as far as you’ve ever seen one go and the hits are just purely painful to look at. And that’s just before the whistle blows. Afterwards, you can still unleash all that pent-up anger and frustration from the play beforehand on some poor lineman as he walks back to his position. *WHACK!* Gotta love that. The passing game seems to have a little more of an advantage over the running game, since the backs catch almost every pass. It’s almost too easy to get great yardage using your backfield. It’s still tons of fun to try to break through your opponent’s defense though.

The gameplay is fun, the controls are tight and responsive and it’s just one heck of a game to enjoy. The jukes and moves are a little over the top, but that’s just another trademark from a patented over the top genre. The game’s not too hard either. Every once in a while, the CPU will seem like it has a nice streak of luck going, while you’re having the worst game of your life. Situations like this typically result in broken controllers and holes in your wall – but only if you take the game personally.

The graphics are nice and solid – with a little bit of a cartoon feel to them. The game moves so fast anyway that what is there looks awesome, especially on the N64. Sounds are good too – sometimes the effects and whatnot don’t appear to be in sync with the action, but that’s a nominal hit for an otherwise great game.

If you’ve played other “no holds barred” games before, such as NBA Jam and even NHL Hitz (if you’re a late bloomer), then you’ll fall right in love with NFL Blitz. Football was made for this type of game. So lace your cleats up tight – because I guarantee you they’ll get knocked off at one point or another.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/11/02, Updated 07/11/02