NFL Blitz XBLA Review
SoHood.com Reviewed by: Mario Diaz
Format: Xbox Live
Game Rating: 4.0/5.0
The arcade classic is back. It’s fast placed, big hits and it still easy to pickup and play. I love playing this game when I was younger; the fun really kicked off when friends joined in. Luckily, the Xbox live is around to help you find opponents to play against. There are enough game modes to keep you busy: Blitz Battles, Blitz Gauntlet, Elite League and Online Co-op.
Blitz Gauntlet is a Mortal Kombat style mode, where you’ll fight your way up the totem pole, in every third game you’ll face-off against the games bosses. Each boss team is pretty fun to play against, as the cheeses heads, cowboys, zombies. If you defeat them, you’ll get to unlock them for use in all modes.
Gameplay: NFL blitz does a great job of keeping the gameplay the same as everyone remembers it, fast and easy. Running , tacking and passing are all smooth and fluid.There are no running plays, it’s all passing plays, and you have four downs to cross 30 yards for a first down.
You can still punt or kick for a field goal on fourth down. Passing is left off to the game, as there is no passing icon, just a flashing indicator on a particular receiver. The game does its best to pick out the best possible receiver to pass to, though unlocking the Pass icon code would help you out a ton.
Pre-game codes are still present as you’ll be able to change the balls, characters and play in big heads. But my favorite code, is the one that brings up the pass icon, which makes it super easier to play to the right receiver you want to, rather then letting the game pick which player to pass to.
Sounds: The play-by-play announcers are great, it’s the perfect blend of funny, and over the top, as they never feel to extreme that it annoys you. The music and sounds of each cringing tackle sound glorious over some nice speakers.
No late hits, to some it maybe a deal breaker, but lets be honest, it’s 2012, maybe the NFL told EA to leave it out, or maybe EA sports decided not to include it into the game. Either way, it doesn’t hinder the game experience.
Closing: NFL Blitz is a great arcade style football game to own. Fans of the blitz will enjoyed its return to the original, with NFL teams, HD and easy to pickup controls.
About the Game:
Published by: NFL Blitz
Developed by: Tiburon
Genre: Sports
Release Date: US: January 3, 2011
MSRP: $15.00
