NFL Blitz (1997 video game)

NFL Blitz is based on seven-on-seven-man football teams.[2] It also diverges from traditional rules of American football in that there are no penalties, no substitutions, and players can perform illegal attacks on each other such as dropkicks.[3]

The game features a full NFL license, with players and teams from the 1997 season.[4]

The game was developed by a team lead by Mark Turmell and Sal Divita, who wanted to "do for the NFL franchise what we did for the NBA franchise [with NBA Jam]" in Turmell's words.[3] In particular, they wanted to create a football game which allows the players to get to the action more quickly than other football games, which they found tended to bog the player down in the play-select screen and other setup menus.[3]

The arcade board is called the Seattle System, which is based on a 3Dfx chipset.[3]

According to Divita, the team decided to make the game support just two players instead of four "because in a football game, there just isn't enough gameplay between the quarterback and the receiver to make it fun. It's not like NBA Jam, where teamwork can really be a factor."[3]

The Nintendo 64 and PlayStation versions received universal acclaim, while the PC version received favorable reviews, according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[5][6][7] Next Generation said in its June 1998 issue that the arcade version "provides an unrealistic but adrenaline-packed experience."[2] The same magazine later said of the PlayStation version in its November 1998 issue, "The only real knock we have on Blitz is that, like the arcade version, the lack of play variety can get stale after a while, especially in single-player mode. Despite that one problem, Blitz offers the most intense game of football you're likely to find at home and makes a worthy purchase."[31] AllGame gave the arcade version four-and-a-half stars out of five, saying that "it's not football played according to real rules, but it's still a blast. It's more like those pick-up games you played with kids in your neighborhood way back when, when every play was a pass and you needed two completions for a first down. The only difference is that punting is an option in this game, and if you had treated your opponents as a kid the way you can treat them in this game, then you're probably reading this from prison right now."[37] GameFan gave the N64 version universal acclaim, over a month before said console version was released Stateside.[18] Computer Games Strategy Plus gave the PC version four stars out of five and said, "After yet another late hit, you're sure to nod in approval when the announcer says, 'That was totally uncalled for, but awfully fun to watch.'"[38] Kevin Cheung of Hyper gave the N64 version 83% and stated, "The bottom line is that Blitz is the most offensively oriented football game around, with enough punishment that guarantees pleasure for the masses. Even though it has nowhere near the depth, control, or strategy of Madden or QB Club, it is the most satisfying quick-thrill game I can imagine."[39]

• NFL Blitz at MobyGames
• NFL Blitz (Game Boy Color) at MobyGames