The main change in NFL Blitz Pro is the switch to 11-on-11 play. You'll find that with more men on the field, the number of plays you need to use has also increased, although not quite as much as I would like. Passing plays alone will not guarantee success - in NFL Blitz Pro you have to *gasp* run the football in order to win. Quite frankly, running plays were always the antithesis of what Blitz was all about, but it's implemented well in NFL Blitz Pro. The gameplay isn't as deep as EA Sports' Madden 2004 or Sega's NFL 2K4, and with a full roster of guys on the field, it would be nice to have a few more plays than what's provided here. The gameplay still has that familiar Blitz feel, with forearm shivers to the mouth off the line, tons of hits after the whistle, insane leaps and catches - the works.

Now, as any gamer familiar with the Blitz series can tell you, the AI has always boiled down to cheap tactics, rubberband catch-up logic, and enough infuriating plays in the final quarter to make a healthy man stroke out in apoplectic rage. NFL Blitz Pro has tweaked that somewhat, but there are some dumb plays that the AI will call more often than not - going for it on fourth down deep in their own territory, for example. Running plays called on third and long. Fake plays in nonsensical situations. And the amazing comeback AI makes an unwelcome return.

The Xbox version of NFL Blitz Pro looks great, and sports lots of little details like stadium shadows that are easy to overlook if you're not paying attention. The player models, while still cartoony, better reflect the player positions - offensive and defensive linemen are big as houses, while wide receivers are long and lean. Even the bonus models are well rendered - you'll be killing yourself laughing while taking a team of man-sized hotdogs against a team of dolphins, complete with flippers and bleating for signal calling. In fact, the unlockable features here are high in number, with many different playing fields, teams, and other goodies to earn through the point system.

New to the series is a franchise mode, similar to what other football titles have been providing - select a team, draft rookies, select free agents and make trades to earn bonuses and unlock stat increases for your players. The algorithms used to select which players sign and for how much seems a bit off, however - and guys retire like it's going out of style. With some tweaking, this aspect of the game could better compete with the other football games out there, but right now, it's very much in the embryonic stage.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the exceptionally funny play-by-play provided by the announce team. During the initial loading screen before the game, the guys will crack jokes and generally keep the atmosphere loose - which is good, because it takes a long time to load before kickoff. During the game, the announce team stay on top of the action in general enough terms, while still providing levity that rarely seems forced - the writing here is very well done. Hearing the colour commentator describe a wide receiver as an artiste - "His hands are paintbrushes!" - had my friends and I rolling on the floor. Sure, it's sophomoric banter, but it feels like Blitz should - a few guys kicking it with some brews, playing football and talking non-stop smack. It's funny, and deserves special mention.

Unfortuantely, there's no online support for Xbox Live, and after seeing what Midway was able to do with the PS2 version of NHL Hitz Pro, it sure would have been nice to take the madness online against opponents worldwide. It should be implemented next year, but seeing PS2 owners frolic and gambol in cyberspace leaves Xbox owners in the cold. Not good. There's also no support for custom soundtracks, which is something Xbox owners have come to see as a standard option, especially in sports titles.

Overall, NFL Blitz Pro is a cautious step in a new direction for Midway - pushing the series forward while still staying within sight of what gives Blitz its appeal is a tight line to walk, and for the most part, it hasn't turned out as well with NFL Blitz Pro as it did with NHL Hitz Pro. Of course, adding more of what the simulation football games provide means that Blitz Pro will be judged a little more harshly than the typical arcade football title. Taking that into consideration, NFL Blitz Pro still holds its own as an enjoyable pick-up-and-play football title. Whether or not it will be able to compete long-term in the larger arena it now finds itself in is another question entirely - moving away from a successful arcade formula just as titles like NFL Street prepare to move in is a risky move. Time will tell.