Gaming Target - GameCube: NFL Blitz Pro

Written by Tony Kennetz on July 25, 2003

First Impressions: BlitzЕProЕthat just doesn't sound right.

Midway has a certain aura about them when it comes to their sports video game experiences. One could hardly call them realistic, but that doesn't bother most gamers. That would explain NFL Blitz's prolonged success as well as MLB Slugfest's excellent numbers along with other Midway Sports games. Then the NFL's players started to complain when they were getting fined for performing some seriously endangering hits on their opponents on the real field and getting fined for it. They said that the league was saying that it is okay to do it on the gridiron if they allowed it into the video games they endorsed. It is a bit silly and immature, but it got the attention of the NFL's front office right quick, and before you knew it Midway had a warning on their desk. Now Blitz (and NHL Hitz for the matter) has for УPro.Ф Not all the edge is gone, but if you pick this game up you may be a little more than shocked at the change.

The biggest upgrade would be the new 11-on-11 gameplay. Maybe it isn't an upgrade in terms of sim-style games, but for Blitz, this is a pretty big step up. If you remember the original titles, Blitz started out at an 7-on-7 affair and was recently bumped up to 9-on-9. The downside there was that many players on every team were left out to make it work, now each team has its full starting roster.

Another large part of cranking your realism bar up a notch is making your running game a bit more true to life. Play the old Blitzes and you'll know that if you run, you're done. Passing was the true, and pretty much the only, bread and butter the hard hitting series knew. This should no longer be the case as Midway is giving the running game a whole new look. Everything from the running gameplay to the play-book have been reworked to give the running back a new meaning in this iteration. Midway even claims to have trick plays that the pros haven't even thought of and Уwish they had.Ф I feel like I've seen everything effective that football has to offer, so it should be interesting to see just what the development is concocting.

Franchise modes have been pretty standard in games of the football simulation persuasion for the last few years, so it's a given that when Blitz makes the move, it too will have to feature some sort of long-term mode to appease the masses. Everything you would expect from a good franchise feature will be included, from drafts and free agents to trades and retirement. There will also be the fantasy draft so you can start your own team and league from scratch. What you probably wouldn't expect to find is that up to 32 to can partake on a single file, so if you have a lot of friends this could be the next level after a Fantasy Football league.

But even with all this new-fangled УrealismФ being added to and poured over the game we all know and love, this is still going to be NFL Уkill the quarterback-stiff arm the defender-jump ten feet into the airФ Blitz at heart. There will still be tackles that could puncture a hole in the Earth's crust, lightening quick passes and all the insane trick plays you could want. Not to mention the insane commentary that you've come to expect of M-Sports. In other audio related news, Midway has also signed big name music acts like Staind, Audioslave, Paul Oakenfold, and Ludacris to add some extra potency to the game.