Blitz: The League
Bone crushing tackles, fierce stingy defensive, and a whole lot of trash talkin' is one way to sum up Midway's latest sports release Blitz: The League. Let me start out by stating the obvious. In Blitz: The League, there is no official NFL football license so that means no official NFL teams, no official NFL logos, and of course no official NFL players. Instead, Blitz: The League features no name players and a whole host of teams that I have never heard of.
But one thing is for sure: this is no traditional football game. Blitz: The League is a completely arcade style football game. Those seeking a traditional Sunday afternoon classic of first and 10 and punting on fourth downs will not find it here. Blitz: The League encourages you to go for it on fourth down, starts your offense out on a first and 30, and don't even think about the refs calling holding on every play. Likewise, the 8-on-8 style is also more suited for the arcade gamer.
As with any sports game it helps to know a little about the sport if you plan on playing the video game, especially with football. Some knowledge of reading plays and understanding offense and defense is necessary in a football game, but given the arcade style in Blitz: The League, it's not necessary. Any gamer should be able to pick up the controls and be able to execute plays with ease. An easy learning curve is a great feature by Midway, so hardcore football fans are not the only ones that can enjoy Blitz: The League.
The pure meat of Blitz: The League lies in the campaign mode. Campaign mode is something similar to a franchise mode in other sports games but campaign mode actually has a story line. The story begins with an angry team owner who wants a whole new fresh start with his franchise so he tasks you with rebuilding the team. That means every last detail needs a change. You start out by renaming the team, giving the team a new logo, and new uniforms. Also, you have to select an entire coaching staff and even a team doctor. The coaches have different styles of play that will gear your team toward his coaching style, so you're not picking these no-name coaches based on a bunch of phony statistics.
Drafting players is similar - each player has strength in some areas and a sort of weakness in others. For example, a Running Back might be a fast runner but he might fumble in the clutch. These aspects of the campaign mode are awesome. They give you a real sense of decision and allow you to mode the team to your style of play. After all the decisions regarding the team are set, you begin the season like any other football game: keeping a win loss record and trying to survive and get a shot at the playoffs.
Throughout the season you can earn cash by winning games, completing tasks, and even wining wagers on games. Yes, in Blitz: The League you can place a wager on the game you are playing. You can use this money to purchase anything from new equipment, such as new shoulder pads and shoes that actually help your players' performance, to even what Midway calls "juice." That's right, you can purchase "juice," which is another word for performance enhancers that give your players extra speed or strength. "Juice" can be used during a game when one of your players is injured. You can choose from one of two options - either take out your injured player or give him "juice" to put him back in the game.
Random player brawls during the game are also featured and I must say it's pretty funny as well. Just out of nowhere both teams start brawling with each other and you can select any of you players and join in the "throw down."
One of the more unfortunate areas of the game is the AI. It's fairly easy, if you know how to play football, to score a touchdown. But when you're on defense it's very difficult to stop your opponent from scoring. You teammates almost always miss tackle opportunities and that costs you big during the game. Furthermore, the load time on the PS2 version of this game is ridiculous. While loading the game you might as well go eat lunch, watch four quarters of an NFL football game, and come back to find the game still loading.
I really liked Midway's selection of music for this title, which is featured during the main menu. It features some cool modern hip-hop and rock tunes from groups such as The Beatnuts, and HED P.E. The graphics hold up well with great designs of on each player celebration and cut scene. Blitz: The League is also playable online so you can go head to head with your friends. Another cool feature found in Blitz: The League is the unlockable extras. These extras range from wacky in-game features such as big head mode to unlocking cheerleader photos. You unlock these extras by reaching certain goals in Quick Play mode such as score a 90-yard touchdown pass.
I'd summarize Blitz: The League as a very in-depth game that most football fans would like. A lack of an NFL license might lose hardcore NFL fans. However Blitz: The League has the ability to make your average non-sports playing gamer a fan. If you like fast paced action for a sports game then pick up Blitz: The League, though a poor defensive AI, and long load time hurts the game. It is also worth pointing out to parents, who might think this is just another cute football game, that this game is rated "M" for mature so parents be sure to read the label, as foul language is prominent in the game. Blitz: The League is a fairly decent game but after a while the replay value might decrease if you don't have a buddy to play with, but online play fixes that.
Blitz: The League is rated "M" for Mature (Content suitable for ages 17 or older) and is available for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox game consoles.