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There was a time when EA did not have exclusive rights to the NFL license. A time before Madden was the only series using the NFL branding. It was a time of competition among game developers resulting in a variety of NFL video games including arcade style games like NFL Blitz. It was also a time when more violence was allowed in NFL video games because it’s fucking fun. Developed and published by Midway, NFL Blitz was released as an arcade game in 1997 and it was ported to the PlayStation, Nintendo 64, PC, and Game Boy Color in 1998. For this review, I played the Nintendo 64 version. I’ve heard many players say the golden era of sports video games or at least American football games was during the sixth generation era of consoles. But some popular series began in prior generations like NFL Blitz for example. A series known for being an over-the-top and exaggerated version of the sport.
NFL Blitz is an arcade game and that’s evident from the get-go and I am happy to say that it doesn’t feel like it was designed to eat your money. At least the 64 version doesn’t. That’s not to say there’s no challenge or rubberbanding of any kind but I rarely felt like the game was fucking me over. Games are designed to be fast, exciting and fun. Some of the official rules are omitted or changed to make things more exciting and encourage more aggressive play. Only seven players are on the field per team, it’s 30 yards to a first down, the clock stops after every play, extra point attempts are automatic, and there are no injuries or penalties. These changes, especially the fact that there’s no penalties, is what really helps define NFL Blitz. It means pass interferences and late hits are allowed. It means players hit hard and many tackles look painful. It makes for a more violent game of football and it’s a ton of fun.
Before jumping into a game, you can configure some options including the difficulty and quarter length. There are three difficulty levels and you can set the quarter length to a max of six minutes. The changes and exclusion of certain rules really speeds things up. With less time and no penalties, it’s a more brutal game of American football played at a fast-pace. As a result, plays are often exciting. Quarterbacks can throw the ball up to a max of sixty yards and receivers will make extraordinary catches. Despite the changes, it’s still a game of strategy. Choosing the right plays is important because the wrong one can result in a turnover, sack, or the offense marching all the way to the end zone.
If you’re used to modern football games or have played any of the games from the golden era, you may be disappointed to learn there is no fancy franchise mode here. Don’t expect the kind of depth you would see in something like ESPN NFL 2K5 for example. But let’s remember, Blitz is an arcade game. It does come with an Arcade mode which lets you quickly jump into a game and a Season mode where the goal is to take your team to the Superbowl and win. Blitz does allow up to two players on the 64 and supports stat tracking. It also comes with a play editor and you can import your plays before starting a game.
Blitz’s three difficulty levels include easy, medium, and hard and I played on medium. As I mentioned before, I never felt like the game was trying to fuck me over but I also never got too far ahead of the AI. Granted, I haven’t been playing this religiously for years or know all the exploits, either. So if you’re like me and don’t know how to cheat the system, I will say the AI does offer a decent challenge on medium and the game’s efforts to ensure the opposing team catches up are always obvious. If I was more than one touchdown ahead, my receivers would often get knocked on their ass right after a snap and the defense would plow through my guards and head straight for my quarterback for a sack. Turnovers also appeared to be more frequent. My guys would fumble the ball more often and my passes were frequently intercepted. On the flip side, if I was behind, I found it easier to drive the ball towards the end zone and score. Ultimately, games were typically close and not blowouts in my experience.
NFL Blitz may look dated in today’s world but I think the colorful (I would even say cartoony) presentation mixed with the arcade style gameplay gives it a charm. Sure, this port doesn’t look as good as the arcade game; players look kind of blocky, stadiums aren’t super detailed, and the sidelines are empty but the colors are vibrant, players are big and muscular, and the animations are solid. I really like the menu music, the commentator is wonderful, the crowd noise is good, hits and tackles sound great, players will grunt and groan during games, and their celebrations and showboating after plays is often humorous. On the technical side, I did not encounter any issues.
NFL Blitz is a great time. It may not offer the same kind of depth and strategy as the more simulation focused football titles but that’s okay. It’s designed to be easy to pick up and play and understand. Games are fast and fun. This is not a game for those looking for a franchise or coaching mode. It’s not a game for those looking for a realistic game of football. And it’s certainly not a game that will teach you how the sport is actually played. It’s a game for those that only want to experience the more exciting aspects of the sport. Long passes, extraordinary catches, and hard hits. Ultimately, it’s a fun game of arcade football. The lack of penalties, modified rules, and emphasis on more aggressive play make it very enjoyable.
I do recommend NFL Blitz. It’s good arcade American football. It’s fun, exciting, and easy to jump into. It can be enjoyed solo or with a friend and the gameplay still holds up today. I think part of the reason is because we don’t have many games like it. There have been some solid football titles released over the years but nothing that’s quite like NFL Blitz. Furthermore, its my understanding that at some point, the NFL requested that developers tone down the more violent elements. So that begs the question, will we ever see a game like NFL Blitz again? I certainly hope so. But it probably won’t feature NFL teams or players.