Thanks to its simple and responsive controls, addictive game-play, and sound, NFL Blitz is the 64's best football game.
The bad: Players look terrible, Casual gamers may have a hard time facing a CPU.
Game-play: 10/10
Graphics: 5/10
Sound: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Tilt: 10/10
Average Score: 9/10
In 1997, Midway created the NBA Jam of football; NFL Blitz. The Arcade version ruled with its simple controls and lacking of football rules, making it an instant classic. It was later ported to the Nintendo 64, and no one should be disappointed. The controls on the 64 version are just as simple as the arcade versions. It includes features not seen in the arcades, making it better to play than the arcade.
Are you tired of games with rules? Well NFL Blitz has no rules! That's right, you can apply late hits, pass forward twice, you could even body slam your opponent with all your players! You may recall me being disappointed with NFL Quarterback 2000 with its slow and confusing game-play that was too long. NFL Blitz's games are 8 minutes! That means people who aren't fans of football will still enjoy the game.
This game comprises of all the football teams in the season. You can't control punters, but that's good, because it would only slow down the game. The graphics are actually faster than most sports games on the 64. The game even has season mode and you can even make your own plays! A sexy cheerleader is shown after the first and third quarters. This game has everything!
It's time for the control roll call. The A button lets you pass. The B button lets you tackle if you're on defense and jump if you're on offense. The Z button lets you run faster and spin. That's it for the controls. Thank goodness. They're also extremely responsive and never frustrating. Although throwing farther passes takes slightly more time, this is fine since adds to the challenge. It's easy and fun to score touchdowns and everything about this port is well executed, and the tedious nature is nowhere to be found.
Perhaps the games best feature is the decking. A new innovative feature, NFL Blitz lets you tackle people after a play is over. You can apply late hits such as body slams, throwdowns, jumping tackles, and even hits which literally launch your opponents 7 feet in the air! I love it! There are a lot of plays, but its really easy to do these, since you only need to control one person at a time. If you press the Z button and B button, you have all of your players tackle one person and beat him to death! Hilarious!
The game has some minor issues. Some won't like how hard the game is against the CPU even with the easy mode. Since it's an arcade port, I'll let it go. Although the stadiums look good, the players look horrible. The blocky blurry visuals are as bland as can be. Although they run smooth and the movements are awesome, the looks are messy.
The games most impressive technical feature is the voicing, believe it or not. Even though the Playstation version edges the 64 in sound, The crystal clear audio and commentary is never boring. The announcer says hilarious lines such as "what the hell is wrong with that guy?", "Ooh, a faceplant", and "these guys are out of control". The music is also very good, providing with some nice sounds that fit football. I love how when you move your control when selecting your plays it sounds like drums!
Thanks to its simple and responsive controls, addictive game-play, and sound, NFL Blitz is the 64's best football game, even possibly the best sports game on the 64. Graphics aren't everything, and quality is chosen over graphics in this excellent classic. If you loved the arcade version, or if you loved football, you'll love this masterpiece. Once again, pirates need to loom for another 64 treasure.