Hands-On: Midway's Arena Football

Have you ever seen arena football on television? Unless you're an insomniac with an addiction to ESPN2, you probably haven't. Arena football takes all the rules of real NFL football and shrinks it down. There are fewer players on the field, the arena is around half as long as a normal football field, and there's no such thing as punting. If a field goal doesn't make it through the goalposts, it bounces off a net and back into play. Midway has licensed the teams and players of the Arena Football League for its upcoming NFL Blitz-based arena football game, which is currently known by its simple, just-waiting-to-be-changed working title, Arena Football.

The game is based on standard AFL rules. However, you can alter these rules as you see fit. You can change things like game time and first-down distance. Also, the standard NFL Blitz rules (or lack thereof) apply. So anything goes - from dives over the line to stomping on the small of your opponent's back. The game plays nearly identically to NFL Blitz 2000, with its audibles, kick meter, and four-player abilities. Some of the old Blitz plays appear in an altered form. The post-play violence has been pumped up to the level that Blitz had before the NFL forced Midway to tone it down, so moves like the Quan Chi stomp from Mortal Kombat 4 are in the game, as well as lots of punches and kicks. When it comes to features, the game is comparable to NFL Blitz 2000, featuring offensive and defensive play editors, an arcade mode, a tournament mode, and a season mode.

Since the field is smaller, the game can run a bit faster, and the PlayStation version's graphics are a bit sharper than NFL Blitz 2000's. The sound is similar, though lots of rebound noises have been added to account for the wall around the field. The commentary is similar in style to Blitz, though it's now done by Larry Beil, the official voice of the AFL. The game also features a halftime show, consisting of a short, cheerleader-laden FMV clip.

Overall, this preview version is exactly like Blitz but on a smaller field, which leads to higher-scoring games. We'll have to wait to see if the game further distinguishes itself from Midway's popular NFL-licensed series.