Video games - NFL Blitz

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	Video games - NFL Blitz

NFL Blitz was a football game series based on the NFL by Midway until 2005 when the NFL signed an exclusive licensing deal with EA Sports.

NFL Years

In the original Blitz games (beginning in 1997), all NFL teams appeared, but there were several differences in the rules to make Blitz different from standard football games. After the comercial failure of Blitz Pro, Midway did not release a Blitz in 2004 for the first time since the series began. Blitz Pro was thought to be the last NFL Blitz game, then Blitz The League came out.

Rules differences

In 1997, 7 players took the field per side (as opposed to 11). Not only were there fewer players, but positions were flexible at best. Wide receivers could be known to run the ball and sometimes pass, and defensive players were all crosses between pass rushers and defensive backs. 2002 saw 8 on 8 football and NFL Blitz Pro (released in 2003) increased all the way to 11 on 11.

Unlike the NFL, pass interference is allowed, as are late hits, showboating and excessive celebrations.

There are no timeouts, but the clock stops after every play, and extra PATs (point-after attempts) are automatic, unless you choose to go for two points.

Quarters have been shortened to two minutes and for most releases a series started at 1st and 30 instead of the traditional 1st and 10.

Play differences

Unlike standard football sims, Blitz played fast and furious. The only kicking in the game (punts and extra points) came automatically and, like Midway's NBA Jam
series, players were able to pull off fantastic moves.

Plays such as "Da Bomb" allowed for a quarterback to accurately throw the ball most of the length of the field at will and receivers could make impossible catches. On the other side, defensive players were able to leap up and swat (if not intercept) balls no other game could allow for or dive incredible lengths to make a stop.

From the beginning one of the key changes in Blitz was the animations. Where other games had to keep normal tackling and stops, Blitz players were able to stop a play in a variety of interesting ways. One of the most common was for a defensive player to grab his opponent and spin him around and fling him to the ground, sometimes giving them extra yards in the process.

The NFL, however, made Midway tame most of the more violent or insane aspects of the game as the license progressed. Subsequent releases stripped down "excessive celebrations" and late hits until the game was almost one of the sims to which it was originally opposed.

Post NFL

After the NFL/EA exclusive deal, Midway responded by bringing back the Blitz series with Blitz: The League
, a game that they had reportedly been working on since 2002; purportedly, the NFL refused to allow to be associated with it. Back are the celebrations and the violent aspects and even those have been ramped up to levels that the NFL never allowed. In place of real NFL teams are fictional teams such as the New York Nightmares and the Minnesota Reapers. One team roster even has a speedy quarterback named "Mike Mexico", which is a simular alias of Michael Vick where he used "Ron Mexico". Another notable feature of the game is that, when a player gets injured, you can choose whether to allow the player to naturally heal or, if you can't wait that long, you can shoot him up with what seems to be the equivalent of a cortizone shot.

"Blitz: The League" was created with the help of one of the writers from ESPN's "Playmakers". Notorious former linebacker Lawrence Taylor was recruited to promote the game as well as add voice talents as linebacker Quentin Sands, one of the game's main characters.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for NFL Blitz ]

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Video games - NFL Blitz

NFL Years

Rules differences

Play differences

Post NFL

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