- Publisher: EA Sports
- Developer: EA Tiburon
- ESRB Rating: “E10" for Everyone 10+
- Genre: Football
- Pros: Lots of content; high scoring
- Cons: Bored announcers; defense, kinda boring after a game or two
NFL Blitz is a 7 on 7 arcade-style super-simplified game of football with no penalties, two minute quarters, and 30 yard first downs. That no penalties bit is important because practically the only way to play defense is to just knock receivers over before the ball gets to them. You only have a couple dozen offensive plays - all pass plays and the only way you can run is with the QB - and a meager nine defensive plays (call zone blitz all day). It is simple, fast paced, and generally fun, especially if you play with a friend instead of the A.I..
Gameplay
EA
With that said, however, I'm not really sure if this style of ultra simple football really holds up these days. Like I said, this is exactly the same as oldschool Blitz which I have fond rose tinted memories of, but it just isn't quite as fun anymore. Back when Blitz was fresh and new, it was arguably the best football game around. Since then, however, NFL 2K5 really polished up videogame football and Madden NFL has taken huge leaps forward. You don't need NFL Blitz to have a fast paced football game and score 60-70 points at will anymore. You can do that in Madden 12 pretty easily if you want and it is a lot more fun since it gives you big plays and fast pacing without completely throwing out the other elements that make football interesting (running game, real defense, more play variety, actual blocking in the trenches, etc.). Blitz is sort of unnecessary anymore.
You can use one money play (take your pick, they're all pretty effective) on offense every down and score at will. Playing defense is, quite simply, a totally un-fun pain in the butt where you're almost better off just letting your opponent score so you get another shot at offense. Heck, the team you pick has zero impact on how the game plays whatsoever. Every QB can throw it 70 yards, every defensive back is a stud, and every receiver catches everything you throw to them. None of this stuff is any different from how it used to be, but it isn't nearly as fun anymore. It is too simple now and can't hold my attention for as long as it did in my teenage years.
One other thing we want to address is that late hits - a major draw of oldschool NFL Blitz, are absent here at the request of the NFL. And you know what? It doesn't matter one bit, so stop whining about it, internet people. Late hits have no impact whatsoever on the gameplay. Brutal, over the top tackles (powerbombs, suplexes, other wrestling-inspired moves) are all still here and a lot more entertaining than elbow dropping a player after a play.
EA
As far as the presentation goes, NFL Blitz 2012 is really quite nice. It definitely looks and sounds like oldschool Blitz, anyway. Announcer Tim Kitzrow returns to add his unique flair to the games, but unlike in NBA Jam where he was "on fire", in NFL Blitz he (and the other dude doing color commentary) sounds kind of bored. Sure they'll tell a funny story here or there, but they also repeat the same stuff a lot. And because football, even Blitz football, is snail-paced compared to NBA Jam, there are a lot of lulls in the commentary that just doesn't really suit Kitzrow's style.
Bottom Line
All in all, though, EA's first attempt at NFL Blitz is worth a look (and much better than EA's own NFL Tour which was released several years ago). It has some flaws inherent to the core concept (oversimplicity, awful defense, etc. are classic Blitz) but we don't know how to really "fix" it without completely changing the very essence of the experience. It is still fun in small doses, and a blast with friends, and is actually priced right, so despite some issues we may have with it we still definitely recommend it. For $15 NFL Blitz is worth checking out. Play the demo a couple of times and you'll pretty much know if the gameplay is for you or not.
