NFL Blitz 20-03 REVIEW

NFL Blitz 20-03 Review (PS2)

Submitted on: Sep 25, 2002 by Clay Shaver

Nobody does football like Midway. The question is whether that is good or bad. When Midway puts out a sports title, you can expect the unexpected. Like its’ predecessors, what NFL Blitz 20-03 lacks in realism, it more then makes up for in action. It is a pure arcade football title. It won’t be mistaken for Madden, Sega’s NFL series, or Fever. The only resemblance’s between Blitz and real football are the uniforms, the names, and the shape of the ball.

GRAPHICS
This game is not the cleanest looking in the world, but it fits the format. The stadiums are solid, but generic in detail. The player models are over-the-top, looking almost Frankenstein-like in appearance. They are big, but none are bigger then the others. The player models are nearly identical for each player. That combined with it being exceptionally difficult to read the uniform numbers, I found it almost impossible to even tell what player I was controlling. For example, I was playing with the Lions for 3 games, before I realized that Joey Harrington was my QB. I couldn’t tell the difference between him and Robert Porcher during gameplay.

On the plus side, you’ll find over 1,500 high quality, high impact animations in Blitz 20-03. When you bury the running back or lay the smackdown on a wide receiver there is no mistaking. The little added effects are nice too. The hot QB tossing a fireball down the field is always something to get the adrenaline pumping.

Overall, it’s pretty hard to be impressed with the graphics of NFL Blitz 20-03 when you’ve played this year’s crop of football games for the PS2. However, the style works for the type of game you’re dealing with.

AUDIO
Crash! Smack! Crack! Ugggggg! You can almost feel the pain. The sounds of the game are over the top, but perfect for the situation. Again, nothing revolutionary, but the atmosphere and in-game sounds are perfect for the style. The sounds of a big hit put a certain exclamation point on things.

Where Blitz does miss the mark is in it's audio commentary. Not that bad audio is a strange thing in football games. In fact, few do it right. The broadcast team is weak overall, and they seem to get excited over every little thing on the field.

GAMEPLAY
It’s 8-on-8! It’s fast! It’s NFL Blitz! Most of all, it’s fun. You just whip the ball around the field!

Blitz 20-03 uses an icon style passing this year as well as their exclusive point-and-pass system. No reading defenses. No real strategy. Just grip it and rip it. In 20+ games I don’t think I ever ran the ball. It’s a pure pass-fest!

Defense is all about smacking people in the mouth. Tossing and stomping your opponents into submission. I even did a couple of Hulk Hogan style leg drops after I tackled these guys.

While there are multiple modes of play, NFL Blitz is first and foremost a multiplayer party game. While the single player modes can be fun, this game is all about playing your friends. The single player replay value is limited, but if you play with friends, you’ll get lots of use out of this game.

BOTTOM LINE
If you like arcade style sports, NFL Blitz 20-03 is a great title. It’s not enough different then last year’s version to recommend the upgrade to past users. But, if your collection is Blitz-less, it’s definitely worth a look. Madden, Sega, and Fever fanboys need not apply. Blitz is Blitz! And it is fun.

NFL Blitz 20-03 Score