A game that does well in the hilarity of arcade football, but long loading times and weak defensive moves cause trouble

User Rating: 7 | Blitz: The League PS2
I had more fun than expected playing Blitz the League. The game really delivers the expected exaggeration of arcade football. To start off with, the campaign mode leads you through a team you create with a distinctive coach, a veteran player, and a rookie of your choosing. The team has to rise through the ranks after suffering a devastating loss to the the New York Devils. Before each match you are located within the lounge where you can check your cellphone for weekly challenges, your white board for several upgrades to your team and the door for your next match. It does not matter whether or not you complete the challenges provided by your cell phone, but they are fun to try to complete as a personal challenge. The white board contains several subsections to your roster. You can either update a players training regimen, set him up with some performance enchanting drugs, or buy new training equipment that will aid the entire team. These, however are very costly and will require a lot of matches won. The same can be said of the equipment shop which has team upgrades such as cleats and shoulder pads. A cheerleader section of the game allows you to update the outfits and roster of the cheerleaders as you move along the campaign. This however, is mainly fan-service and with the old graphics of the PS2 the girls will look mainly the same. The door which leads to the actual match is the most exciting. You will be able to gamble a certain amount of your money before each match. It is proportional to how well you have done in previous matches; the better you do in one match the more you must win by in order to win the bet, and vice versa.

Now for the actual game-play. As far as arcade football games go, Blitz has some interesting concepts that it uses but some of them fall short. On offence there are only a few plays actually needed to score a touch down every-time against the AI. A simple long toss aided by the clutch meter will score 6 points in most instances. The AI provides a fight in some instances, but the real challenge will come when you are pressed for time. That is because the game will not allow you to run out of bounds with the ball, meaning you have to wait until you score or get tackled by the defense, the latter usually in you fumbling the ball. In fact,causing fumbles is essentially the only defensive strategy the AI has, because if it causes a tackle, it will most likely result in a fumble. The defensive side is a little worse, as most of the NCP characters cannot defend to save our career. Play after play you may find yourself in frustration as your linebackers and corners watch your opponent make the pass and run into the end-zone. Most of could be solved with a well placed clutch tackle, but because the clutch gauge does not recover while you are on defense, the frustration may return. Not much has to be said about special teams, although do not be looking to make well placed kicks.

To keep this review short, the multilayer is similar to the single player except it your friend who you can whale on your frustration rather than the game disk. Or you can find your selves laughing at the dialogue after plays. The real killer will come from the long load times and the feeling that this game only needed a little more to be great.