When I reviewed the last Blitz game, I gave it high praises for touching on topics that are in the NFL but are never really talked about. The last game was not a must have title but the fun and realistic topics made it very interesting to play. I stand by the last review and still from time to time enjoy playing it its fun plain and simple. When Midway announced the sequel, I knew it would push the envelope even further. I was really interested in seeing what direction Midway took with it. After playing Blitz The League II, I must say while it’s not for the whole family, it’s a lot of fun. Read the full review and see what they did right and what could have been better.

Gameplay

The ongoing story line is somewhat gone and instead the new angle is on a hot rookie who just got drafted. Your agent (voiced by Jay Mohr) acts as both the agent and motivator advising you how to get new sponsors and live the life of a NFL Superstar. The twist is in the fact that right as the story begins you’re meant to be the starter for the biggest team in the league. You have other plans though and you demand that you play for your home team or you’ll take another sports contract. This sets up the press conference and the actual campaign mode. The league is now a place for thugs and cheap hitters who love to snap bones and ruin careers. The fans want blood and injuries and the coaches are able to “juice up” any player (fortunately for the anti-drug laws now a thing of the past). Let’s not sugar coat it. Steroids are the juice and even with the side effects, you will decide which brand to take and live with the effects good or bad. Gambling, shady deals and wild women are all a part of the Blitz League.

This is not the game you let Johnny and Sally sit down with and play. It’s loaded with swearing, drugs and sexual situations. Fortunately, they don’t just rely on those things to make the game fun. Each quarter is 3:00 minutes long and before each game you can place a wager and see your goals for the game. If you make the goals, you gain more sponsors, women and your rating goes up. Win the game and your rating goes up faster as well as your bank role. Did Midway take things a bit too far? Yes, in some ways they did. They made the leader of the Philadelphia team a once beer swelling fan who decided to get involved during a game and broke several bones and injured half the opposing team. It is a parody of real life. Everyone knows that fans from Philly have the reputation of being rude and willing to chuck a beer bottle, snowball or even a battery at another teams star.

You will have to fix certain injuries like setting collarbone breaks and other dislocated bones. Midway made all the injuries a mini-game hit the bulls eye with the needle. Your player will gain attribute points and be out for less plays. Miss setting a bone and the player will be out longer and lose attributes. The game style is like the old Blitz games as far as the special meter and wild plays. Surprisingly it takes time to master the new features. You can pull off great plays offensively and defensively. Late hit, wild touchdown celebrations and sacks build up your meter faster. Some may read this and think it’s a mockery of the sport of football. I see it as a faster paced and wild version. Of course the overall goal is to win the championship and get a bit of revenge. They use the first story line but if you never played the first game, it won’t matter. You’ll see and get flash backs to know what is going on. The game is wildly unrealistic but fun. It also has some very real situations of the world of sports and the athletes we all look up to. It’s in your face and meant to be. Even the play by play guys get in on the action. Frank Caliendo does a dead on John Madden the whole time even though he never mentions his name. He provides the most entertaining commentary I have ever heard in a sports title. He pokes fun at himself, the players and even Madden’s own video game. If you picture a video game that plays like the movie The Longest Yard or North Dallas Forty, you get the idea of what Blitz II brings to the table.

Control

You would be smart to go into the tutorial and pass each section. Not only will you learn the controls faster you learn how to make the game features work for you. They can be a little tricky and the kicking system is once again a mini-game. Buttons will flash in a certain sequence. An example for a kick off is B, Y, B, Y, X, A. Hit each one within the time allowed and it’s a booming kick. Miss one or two and its less effective. While I wish they would have changed this, I learned to enjoy it. Overall the controls are well done and set-up in a way that fits the Xbox 360 controller very well.

Xbox Live

You can take your custom team and play online and it’s pretty easy to get a game started. Easy interface and I noticed no lag. The fast pace gameplay makes a game seem short. but I like playing against real people. With the fast pace action it adds a challenge that playing against the computer can’t offer. I would like more options and a deeper online mode but it’s fun.

Graphics

I am not going to sit here and praise a game just because I found it fun. There are some out dated graphics. It also has some very odd glitches at times and is not the game to show your friends what the Xbox 360 can do. On the same note it’s a game that is relying on the gameplay and other elements to shine. While not an excuse for some of the graphics, I have seen worse on bigger named games.

I found if you just play it and are a fan of the series you’ll enjoy it. Looking at the pretty surroundings is a great way to get smacked by a cheap shot. Overall not bad graphically. Some of the injuries are presented in a great way. You see the body part from the inside being damaged. While a bit gruesome, it helps add to the raw feel of the game.

Audio

Lawrence Taylor, Jay Mohr and Frank Caliendo help the game out a lot by adding humor drama and well done lines. I laughed at the comments of the commentary and again the language is meant for adults. Frank seems to almost be begging John Madden to try and sue or get mad and its funny. Look I like John as much as anyone, but the guy is no real commentator anymore. He is great at pointing things out you can see and imitation is the best form of flattery. Overall an outstanding voice over crew and it shows that they enjoyed making the game.

Replay Value

Blitz The League II is meant to be enjoyed by fans of the older Blitz games. Also those who enjoy fantasy with touches of real life issues in sports. It’s a tongue and cheek approach at football. You’ll find a solid game in there but not a perfect one. The single player mode, the training and online modes are loaded with replay. It’s one of those games that you can have fun, get out some frustrations and then pop in something else and come back to later. For some this may be enough but with all the games out right now, some may decide to wait or rent this one. Die-hard fans will enjoy every minute of it and get it for their collection.

Bottom Line

Overall Score: 8.0/10.0

Additional Comments

Blitz the League II won’t be everyone’s choice for a sports game but I still think Midway touched on topics that needed addressed. It’s over the top and exaggerated but meant to be. I enjoyed it and hope the next game will be a bit more polished and look more next-gen but had a blast playing Blitz again.

Links

Blitz The League Official Website

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