Do you remember that amazing Friday night in high school when you scored three touchdowns in a single game, bringing your team to a glorious State Championship victory and earning the respect of the entire school? Oh that didn’t happen to you? Me either, but I did spend an exorbitant amount of time juking through and spinning around my opponents on the way to virtual pay dirt while playing NFL Blitz. Every once in a great while I still come across the arcade game. I can’t help but throw in a few quarters and bring the magic back in two minutes bursts—but that is rare and I miss the days that my N64 was a flip of the switch away from no-holds-barred gridiron action.
The news came out yesterday that EA Sports is bringing Blitz back! The good old days of players with giant heads running down the field on fire have returned in the new NFL Blitz. Now you don’t have to go to the mall to play against strangers either! Due out in January of 2012, NFL Blitz will be available via Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network for $14.99 or 1200 Microsoft Points. While I am sad to not see the title on my newer Nintendo console, XBL and PSN are probably better off to handle the multiple gameplay options available including a new 2v2 mode that I can’t wait to play.
No doubt EA Sport's inspiration for Boss Teams
Ever wanted to put your [Insert your favorite NFL team here] up against some of the scariest monsters to ever lay their cleats on the AstroTurf? Now you can with Boss Battles. Boss Teams, including Zombies and Sasquatches, are teams you will face off against and unlock during game play. Keep an open mind when playing against these characters as they are bound to have special abilities that you will have to hone your skills to defeat.
On the negative side, looking at the video and screen shots that EA has made available, I’m a bit worried that they may have toned down the violence in the new game. Yes, players are on fire. Yes, there are 50 yard passes with ease. Yes, there are the new boss teams. This is all fine and good but where are the tackles? My favorite part of the original Blitz was the time after plays that you could annihilate your opponent. If they scored a touchdown on you, nothing stopped you from hurtling yourself from the ten yard line and tearing them off their feet in the middle of their victory dance—even after average plays. You could tackle a guy, get up and drop an elbow just to watch him bounce off the grass. For the quick button mashers you could even send the entire team head-first into the poor sap. Gameplay is important though, and EA may just be highlighting the new features of the game with today’s breadcrumbs and will hopefully feature some bone-cracking finishing moves in future teases and in the game itself.
Keep an eye on EA’s NFL Blitz Website for more juicy bits. They will be releasing details on a weekly basis on their countdown to Blitz page. I don’t understand the correlation myself, but EA is using the NFL Blitz Facebook page to offer savings on games when you use EA’s PC game distribution software, Origin. This fan is raising his Red Bull in hopes this is an early hint at a PC version.
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