Nostalgia is a fickle beast. Trying to elicit memories from childhood in a new iteration of a product is very difficult. One mistake and a game can go from being great to a total disaster. Thankfully, EA picked the right plays and brought the game that everyone wanted.
NFL Blitz became a late-90′s arcade classic with its over-the-top gameplay and brutal tackles. The basic football format is intact but with a few significant adjustments. First downs are every 30 yards as opposed to every 10 and, most importantly, no penalties are called. The last few Blitz games have been missing the NFL license (i.e. no official teams or players). Not anymore. Every NFL team is present with their superstar players, official uniforms, and personalized arenas.
NFL Blitz main single-player mode is the Blitz Gauntlet. The Gauntlet operates on a Mortal Kombat-esque ladder system. Players start at the bottom of a ladder of opponents and progress towards the top with each win. After every 3 games players will go head-to-head with a zany boss. Beating each boss will unlock the ability to play as them in future games. In order to unlock all bosses in the game this mode will need to be played multiple times.
The single-player mode is just a taste of what NFL Blitz has to offer. EA has outdone themselves with the online offerings for this title. Along with the ability to go head-to-head and play co-operatively, EA has added a brand new mode called the Elite League. The Elite League is a clever card based game that allows players to create their own uber-team of all the best pros. The mode is based off the Ultimate Team modes found in Madden and FIFA. At the start of the mode a starter pack of players is dealt. Each starter pack is filled with the necessary players to have a fully functioning team. These players are drawn at random so the results for each player will be different. Don’t worry though, you will not be stuck with these players for long. After competing online, players will gain Blitz Bucks (in-game currency)that can be used to purchase new features or player packs. The mode is highly addicting and the reason why many will still be playing the game in the months to come.
Many Blitz faithful will notice the lack of post-play interaction. In the old days, you would be able to annihilate a celebrating player or closeline the quarterback well after the play is blown dead. This exclusion was not the fault of EA but that of the NFL. While the feature is missed, this does not ruin the excellent experience.
Football purists may gawk at the over-the-top gameplay but it’s the outrageousness that makes the game brilliant. Like car crashes in NASCAR, vicious hits and ridiculous hail marys are something that everyone loves to see in actual NFL games. NFL Blitz takes those awe-inspiring plays and packs them into each down. The simplistic control scheme, basically three buttons, allows the player to focus on what’s happening on the screen rather than selecting the proper inputs.
NFL Blitz is an over-the-top take on one of the most beloved sports. The game is simplified so that even novice football fans can jump in and experience the game. NFL Blitz lost a bit of its razzle dazzle with the exclusion of post-play interaction but the formula that made the game great is still intact. NFL Blitz is easily the best arcade-style football game on the market and well worth checking out.
Pros:
- Smooth Visuals and responsive controls
- Elite League mode is incredibly fun and addicting
- Full NFL License
Cons:
- No post-play interaction
- Inability to change quarter length (locked at 2 min)
