• Publisher: Acclaim
• Developer: Midway
• Format: [N64], PSX, PC
• Genre: Sports-Football
• Players: 2
• Peripherals: Memory Card, Rumble Pak

• Graphics: 9/10
• Sound: 9/10
• Control: 9/10
• Gameplay: 9/10
• Overall: 9/10
• Reviewer: Kambei
• Reviewed On: 4.18.99

Midway.com
Nintendo.com

Since yesterday was the NFL Draft, I figured a lot of you would be in the football mood much like myself, so I took out my copy of NFL Blitz for the Nintendo 64 and decided to review it for you loyal readers. Now I'm sure you all know what NFL Blitz is about. Boiled down, Blitz is basically Midway's football version of their smash hit NBA Jam. Why no one thought of this before I have no idea...

When this game was first being developed, no one thought the N64 could pull off the arcade graphics and keep the frame rate high enough for the game to be played at the blistering speed it was meant to be. Well, it turns out those people were idiots. The N64 version of Blitz retains nearly all the detail of the arcade version and keeps a high, steady frame rate. Slowdown is nearly nonexistant, and this was the most important element the developers needed to keep intact. The animations are brilliant, incorporating jumps, taunts, spins, and jukes into every play as well. A drop in player detail was to be expected, but Blitz still is one of the best looking games on the N64. Just wait until Blitz 2000 is released with RAM Expansion compatibility.

Although the announcer can be annoying, he does manage to stay with most of the action(which is very tough for this game's pace). I think it is the same announcer from NBA Jam, but I'm not quite sure. In the game itself, the sound effects are amazing. Player grunts and bone crunching tackles are exagerated to the point where every hit is a career-ender. It's a beautiful thing to be witness to.

Put simply, analog compatibility and the N64 controller made this game muh more enjoyable. Assigning the Z button as turbo does absolute wonders for this game. Since you hold down turbo the entire time anyways, it has no bearing on the rest of your controls like in the arcade setup. None of the C buttons are used, and the game still retains the feel of the coin-op version.

This is the heart of NFL Blitz. How can taking the great sport of football and multiplying the pace of the game about fifty times not be fun? It basically comes down to 4v4 football with super charged players. The action is as intense as it gets, and the two player mode will have you playing for hours at a time. Also, Blitz has codes that can dramatically alter the outcome of a game. Midway is famous for its computer assistance, which allows the losing to catch up by granting them cheap breaks, but the game has a "tournament mode" code that will negate this annoying little feature when you play against your friends. There are exhibition and full season modes, and there is even a playbook editor that allows you to create and save plays on your memory card. If you take your memory card to the arcade, you can load your playbook on to Blitz 99 when you play. A very cool feature indeed if you don't mind all the people in the arcade looking at you like you're a dork. Basically, if you're looking for gameplay and options, Blitz delivers with everything you need except for four player support. It is generally more fun than the "realistic" games like Madden and Quarterback Club, and experts and novices can enjoy it immensely.

The best football game on the Nintendo 64, and one of the best multiplayer games available as well. If you are not a die hard football realist, Blitz is one of the best gaming experiences around, especially if you have a few friends to trounce regularly. Blitz 2000 is due out later this year with updated rosters and 4 player support, so it's up to you if you want to wait or spend the cash now. Either way it's worth it. Also, if you are thinking of getting the Playstation version, I still prefer the NFL Gameday and NCAA Gamebreaker series over Blitz.