When NFL Blitz first hit the arcade sports scene, it was like virtual crack. Take Midway's patented extreme take on sports, lather it lovingly on the football genre, and watch the quarters roll in - it was simplicity itself. As always, imitation was the sincerest form of flattery, as 989 took a shot at the extreme football crown with NFL Extreme, and strong rumour has it that EA was looking to develop a Madden series off-shoot into the hybrid extreme formula. No one could touch the king, however, and all was good...at first. As the series wore on, however, lethargy was starting to creep into what was once the premier extreme football series available in arcades and the home. Can Midway inject new life into their valuable franchise? The answer, as always, lies in the details.
NFL Blitz 20-02 looks and sounds beautiful. The stadiums shine in the sunlight, and the power of the Xbox platform is used quite well. Player models are very detailed, nearly on a par with Madden 2002. Muscles flex, fabrics look like, well, fabric, the players themselves are absolutely huge and there are a ton of new tackle animations which look seriously painful - overall the effect is quite nice. The same over-the-top announcer used for years is back, and helps contribute to that "Blitz" feel that we know so well. Nailing opposing players rewards you with meaty crunches and high-pitches yelps, and you can't help but smile at the cartoony aspect of it all. Everything runs at an insanely smooth frame rate, which adds to the feeling of quick response and fun gameplay. 2-man commentary is in the booth this year, and it gets the job done with some funny phrases, although there aren't enough to keep it from getting stale after a dozen games or so. The menu music is passable, but it is the graphics and sound effects that make Blitz 20-02 the aural and visual delight that it is. As compared to the original PlayStation 2 version, Blitz 20-02 for the Xbox features sharper graphics with higher poly-counts.
Blitz 20-02 provides the usual options - arcade mode, quick start (exhibition), season and tournament. There's nothing like Blitz's violent gameplay in a tournament atmosphere to find out who your true friends are! The fact that a game doesn't take very long to play makes Blitz the perfect tournament game on a weekend with the boys - speaking from experience. The ubiquitious Midway codes are present, allowing you to trigger secret players, turn off the computer-assist AI, and more plays.
The gameplay will be familiar to Blitz veterans. Penalties? Non-existent. Crunch receivers right off the line of scrimmage, pummel quarterbacks repeatedly after the whistle, cheap shot your opponent out of bounds - all is encouraged and required if you want to win. In this year's version, players are required to move 30 yards for a first down, which is an increase over previous versions. Blitz 20-02 adds another player into the mix this year, the Impact Player. No, Lance Storm isn't a hidden character (to my knowledge, anyways), the Impact Player refers to an extra person on your team which can be assigned to tasks independently from the rest of the team. On defense, the Impact Player can cover deep in the zone, blitz the QB, execute man-to-man coverage, change to prevent defense, and such. On offense, the options range from concentrating on getting open, avoiding cover, moving deep, etc. With the huge amount of plays available in Blitz 20-02, you can really mess up your opponents routes/defensive sets with this extra man. Speaking of plays, the playbook is massive. From trick routes to old-school favourites, you'll always find a play to match the scenario at hand.
There are a couple of idiosyncracies in this year's version which may or may not find favour with long-time players of the Blitz series. The most visible change is the positioning of the ball after a tackle - in Blitz 20-02, when tackled forward, the ball is placed where the heap of players ends up, not where the tackle began. If the player is tackled and pushed backwards, the ball is spotted where the tackle began. I didn't like it when I started, but I've learned to live with it. If the tackle animations weren't as random as they are presently, I'd probably enjoy this new change a little more. Timing routes are a little different, and old-school veterans may not like it right away. The expanded playbooks are nice to have, but I found myself going back to the tried and true plays after a few games. Still, it's nice that the option is there.
Overall, Midway should be proud of what has been accomplished with NFL Blitz 20-02. It badly needed some revamping, and that's exactly what has been successfully done here, without losing the magic that made Blitz what it was. If you liked NFL Blitz in the past, but had been turned off by the series as of late, come on back - NFL Blitz 20-02 gets the job done with flair. Without a doubt, it's the best extreme football game available today, and worthy of purchase. NFL Blitz 2002 = great football fun.
