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NFL Blitz 2000 Review
Noel Brady
00/12/0000
NFL Blitz delivers arcade thrills but can it topple the crown FROM Visual concepts masterpiece.
American football may not be the biggest sport in Europe but few will disagree that it's grip is spreading. More countries than ever before are now broadcasting the sport and shows like Blitz (a show in no way related to the game) on the UK's Channel 4 have helped to spread the sport a little further than Washington DC. This recent liking of the sport in foreign continents has meant that continents such as our own great Europe, who would usually miss out on games like this, have been subjected to the full splendour of recent offerings.
Stateside, the Dreamcast launched with two NFL-licensed games: Sega very own NFL 2K, a full-on simulation of the sport, and Midways' NFL Blitz, a more arcade-like version of the sport. There's no speak of bringing NFL 2K to European shores yet with Sega thinking that perhaps one American footie game is good enough for us toffs. This, of course, was a massive boost to Blitz and Midway's smile was made even bigger when EA announced that they would not be supporting the Dreamcast. This means that their be no John Madden game on the Dreamcast, unless EA change their mind soon. This means that NFL Blitz just about has a monopoly on the American football genre in Europe. For the moment anyway.
You can tell that Blitz started out in the arcades: all the boring, confusing, complex parts of gridiron have been chucked out and replaced with simpler rules, fewer players and lashings of gruesome violence. Hardcore fans of the sport might resent some of the changs, but they mean that every match is fast-moving and action-packed. This means that tactical changes, statistics and tables are forgot about as players simply pick up and play.
So, whereas in real life you have four downs in which to travel 10 yards, in Blitz you must travel 40. Forget grinding the opposition down with your running game; in this game you must pass in order to win. It makes life more exciting anyway. There's also the violence. Okay, I think we've concluded the fact that American football is a contact sport, but in Blitz all restrictions have been removed. Tackles can be as nasty as possible, and you're even allowed to stomp on opposition players after they've hit the deck.
The downside to all this is Blitz's steep learning curve. Unless you've been practising on the arcade version, it's likely that the first few games you'll be massacred, ripping your hair out in frustration as the console-controlled team runs back another interception for a touchdown. How hard is it? If you can keep the opposition to a two-figure score in your first few games you'll be lucky. Flipping plays can help spruce things up, but only a bit. Defensive plays are not a strong point, so rapid-fire controller presses and long-jump quality diving tackles are what take their place.
Of course, practice makes perfect, and once you've spent a bit of time playing Blitz, you'll start learning the ropes and actually start having fun as you walk over the opposition tramping their players into the ground. What's more, it's fantastic in multiplayer mode, and with four players on-screen at oce it's almost as much fun if you all don't know what you're doing. There are two control schemes implemented in the game though the default seems to be the one most are familiar with. In the normal passing interface, the QB is moved about the screen with the analog joystick, found neatly in the upper left hand corner of your Dreamcast analogue pad. Simply nudge the stick, after the snap, toward the receiver of choice and fire. Pretty simple if you ask me. What will happen is that by using a color change, your receiver will, in effect, light up and become active. Impatient wide-outs will wave and call for the ball. The other method is common to truer simulations of the sport. It is an icon-based scheme and in NFL Blitz 2000 can actually take a millisecond more time to implement. Every moment counts, so you will have to choose what worse best for you.
Dispensing with the pleasantries of what is available, in terms of modes and options, NFL Blitz 2000 is juiced up with modes consisting of: Arcade, Tournament and Season. Youâve got you basic coin operated version of the game; which will allow you to have up to four others join in the carnage. In doing so, two players will play on each team so that the five-on-five gameplay is balanced with equal deployment of staff. The Tournament Mode allows the player to select upwards of eight teams to use in tournament style play. Of course there is the requisite Season Mode as well, so that you can play an entire season of insane arcade NFL Football.
Visually, Blitz shows off Dreamcast's capabilities well, particularly when the camera zooms in after a player has taken a hard hit. Even when you're getting hammered, your players look well doing it. 0When you can play an arcade game, at home, with this degree of graphical detail at a smooth 60 fps, one must be inclined to give kudos where applicable. Always the over-the-top NFL experience, NFL Blitz is riddled with rumbling hits and outlandish antics. Gang tackling is the order of the day, and anyone in the way of one of these Blitz-infused behemoths lookout! They will stomp you one minute and whine like little babies with a splinter the next. This game is truly hysterical in many senses. Showboat, gloat and fling your way to numerous scoring opportunities. You wanted fast-paced football, well here it is.
For people who don't the sport inside out (most of Europe in other words) NFL Blitz is a great game that offers a nice alternative to all the simulations available. The gameplay is quick and fast like all of NFL Blitz's games. Then there are all the options from the weather to the team kits. If you like American football and want a good game on your Dreamcast which mimicks the sport then NFL Blitz is your game.
