It’s that time of year again – the “big game” is approaching. Some people watch football games, some people watch commercials, or watch halftime, or just watch the general craziness. While I’m an NFL fan and will be rooting for the 49ers (any team but the Chiefs) tonight, my mind is as preoccupied as it is every time American football steals all the headlines: the blitz.
NFL Blitz Without a doubt one of, if not the greatest sports game of all time. In fact, Midway’s team is what we call a “dynasty” in sports parlance, because the only thing that can stand up to the Blitz is NBA Jam – built by pretty much the same creative team.
What sets the Blitz apart is its approach to American football—the idea that it is the face of the sport. Spirit Its traditions and laws, even though it’s about a million miles from Earth letter legal. Blitz understands that this is a video game – so the rules of the game are tweaked, or even thrown out entirely, to give you content that represents the most exciting plays of any given NFL season – over and over again, designed to take it from your pocket Take out a quarter.
It’s an exciting, addictive, competitive and simple wonderful game. At the risk of sounding like an old man, they generally don’t make sports games like this anymore; its silliness is delightful, and it steadfastly refuses to waste even a second of the player’s time.
It also makes blitz revival difficult. Some people will tell you that the drones out there really want simulation games like EA’s Madden, and that’s why these games are made. The big obstacle, however, is the alliance itself.
NFL Blitz ’99 Arcade
For example, the face-to-face hits and tackles in “Blitz” were designed to be jaw-droppingly “big” on screen, influenced by the scandal of serious player injuries and concussions, which is unacceptable. They look too much like the kind of forbidden moves that might be paralyzing in real life. Blitz never cared; this is a video game. But there’s overwhelming evidence that the game has irreversibly changed the lives of many players, and the NFL in 2024 is deeply concerned.
When the classic Blitz game was re-released in home arcade cabinets, the timid NFL had the new publisher remove some content. When EA tried to relaunch Blitz as a downloadable version, it didn’t do anything at all, and it wasn’t very good either.The modern NFL, fearful of reputational damage, would never allow any modern version to be released Exactly Just like the original – even in a game as fantastical as this, players on a winning streak will burst into flames.
Therefore, late-game hits may actually be impossible in modern licensed games. But honestly, I think there’s more to blitzing than that. It’s entirely possible to make a game that’s more respectful of the digital bodies of NFL players while maintaining a lively, arcade-like feel to the game. It’s possible for a game to break away from the tedium of simulation, Ultimate Team, and all that crap and bring something magical to the table.
So, today, that’s my Super Bowl Sunday prayer. This goes on every year until we find the true successor to Blitz. You know, now at least there seems to be a path to it.
As early as 2020, 2K Sports announced a licensing agreement with the NFL to produce its own American football games. 2K was once a wild rival but bowed out in the early 2000s – but now, finally, Madden has another big-name rival. The 2K deal gives them the team, the stadium, the uniforms, the players – everything needs to be authentic.
But here’s the exciting wrinkle: Under the terms of the deal, 2K’s games must be “non-simulation” games – because EA’s Madden series retains the exclusive rights to make simulation football games. What is the most successful non-simulation American football game? Blitzkrieg, of course. Even if the excessive violence is removed, it’s still a template to follow. It’s been three and a half years since launch and I’m waiting with bated breath – can 2K finally give us what I’ve been craving since 2001? I want this almost as much as I want my team to make it to the Super Bowl next year. almost.
