In the bygone days of 1997, EA took a shot at making the world of American football palatable to non-sports game fans. Much like they did with NBA Jam, the sport was pared down to a pick-up-and-play bout of arcade gaming fun, focusing on short bursts of pass-and-dash/tackle-and-defend action, OTT body-slamming violence, gravity-defying leaps, rocket-speed pitch-length passes and, of course, players bursting into flames.
The result was a simple, goofy and intensely fun game even for those who’re perplexed and turned off by the rule-heavy sport, and soon became a popular arcade hit before finding its way onto consoles. Now finding a new lease of life on next gen platforms as a downloadable title for PSN and XBLA, the fancy HD update of NFL Blitz preserves the simple arcade entertainment of the game surprisingly well, even if it does make a couple of unfortunate omissions along the way.
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The game is the ultimate in American football simplicity: After you’ve pick your team, you’re launched into a 7-on-7 game as your players line up on the field. You’ll quickly pick a play from the simplified on-screen visual playbook, make a pass and try too hoof it as far as you can up-field towards a touchdown. If you get tackled by the opposing team, the process starts over as you gain more ground. If you’re playing defense, you pick a defensive tactic from the playbook, your team assembles in position accordingly and you attempt to pile-drive the opposing players into the dirt, drive them back or intercept a pass to run towards a touchdown yourself.
The major thing missing from the HD update are late hits; in the original game, you could continue moving around after the whistle had blown, allowing you to mercilessly and brutally tackle opposing players from out of nowhere long after play had stopped. In a game predicated on ridiculous, over-the-top action and arcade-style silliness, late hits were one of NFL Blitz’s savage crowning joys. Sadly, the NFL vetoed the inclusion for the new version, worried that it conflicted with their real-world health and safety policies (but, naturally, the NFL has no issues with players being set ablaze during play).
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Thankfully the core game still retains the tense back-and-forth gameplay that made the game such fun to begin with. The playbook interface makes lining up offensive tactics a lightning fast, super simple procedure, the controls are easy to get to grips with and make running plays and flipping between players a breeze even for those who aren’t usually huge fans of sports games. With tight, responsive mechanics to boot, the central gameplay of NFL Blitz is as fast-paced and immediately enjoyable as ever, especially if you take things online for an especially fearsome challenge as the ball gets intercepted by each team constantly as you fight for vital points.
On top of the familiar main game, the HD reworking includes an impressive array of new modes to beef up the package. Blitz Gauntlet embraces the goofy arcade action spirit even more, offering up a fighting game style ladder where you’ll play matches leading up to boss battles against robots, zombies, gladiators, horses and more. There are collectible power-ups to be found on the field, too, which trigger earthquakes or stop time to give you an added advantage. Blitz Elite steers a bit more towards sports simulation as you cash in Blitz Bucks or compete online to earn character playing cards, building yourself the ultimate team. Toss in a few added online co-op modes and this is far from a cheap, bare bones update, boasting a tonne of value on top of the nostalgia-inspiring core game.
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The removal of late hits aside, the HD update of NFL Blitz is a stacked package that offers a tonne of value while recapturing almost all the fun you remember from the original game. It’s a fast-paced, action-packed, pick-up-and-play sports game that’s a tonne of fun for NFL fanatics and non-sports fans alike.
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NFL Blitz is now available to buy on the Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Network.