After spending a number of years dominating the floors of arcades and later being released for Playstation, the legendary NFL Blitz has finally made its way to the PS2 console.  Midway has, for the most part, left the game's primary features intact and as a result the game still packs some serious punch.  A few noteworthy additions have also been made and they prove to make the game even more interesting.  Additionally, the graphics have received a major overhaul, which means NFL Blitz 20-02 looks as good as it plays.

This game takes us back to the roots of Midway's original arcade style sports games, such as NBA Jam, and the element of excitement has yet to fadeout.  A very unique game style stems from the fact that in Blitz there are absolutely no rules or refs, fewer players occupy the field (it's 8 on 8), and first downs require that you gain 30 yards.  Since there are no rules, tactics such as interfering with the receiver and roughing up the quarterback become essential to winning games.  As a result of this, the action is brutal and the game is extremely fast-paced.

The trademark Blitz tackles (many of which actually resemble wrestling moves) are as powerful as they've always been and won't disappoint anyone looking to dish out some serious pain.  A great part about this game is the ability to make hits after the play has been whistled dead, especially when your opponent scores a touchdown and is doing his little victory dance - BOOM!  It's always nice to spoil the party.  Many new player animations have been added that further increase the arsenal of hurt, such as the ability to grab the ball carrier's arm, spin him around, and then throw him a few yards.  Also, the players can now gain or lose yardage depending on where they land after such a big hit.

Compared to previous versions of Blitz, an extra player, known as the "impact player" has been added to each team to allow for even more variability in the game play.  This player's role can be set when choosing a play and it is independent of what the rest of the team is doing.  On offense you can choose from options such as: dish off, get open, go deep, protect and on defense you can have him cover, blitz, safety, delay rush and so on.  Having these options lets you have an extra edge in the area of your choice.

There are quite a variety of offensive plays to choose from in NFL Blitz 20-02, ranging from "old school" plays (the main category) to the cool "sandlot" plays.  All of the available plays can be reversed as well.  Also, each NFL team has a limited number of unique plays.  Despite having such a wide variety of choices, all of them are passing plays and running plays are nonexistent.  Although laterals behind the line of scrimmage are still possible (and often effective), this doesn't at all make up for the absence of handoffs and the like.  On the defensive side the choices are significantly more limited, as there are only a few screens of plays to choose from and teams don't have their own unique plays.  The kicking game is also a little bit limited since kickoffs and extra points don't even require players to do anything (besides push a button for the "free" extra point), but punts and field goals do take some precise timing.  Luckily, onside kicks and two point conversions can still be executed in critical situations.

"He's on fire!"  This phrase brings back some good memories and still has just as much significance in Blitz as it did in the original NBA Jam.  When you consecutively make big plays (offense or defense), the players on your team illuminate with flames, their turbo is unlimited, and the other team had better check their jockstraps.

Since NFL Blitz 20-02 is strictly an arcade game, don't expect the gameplay to be realistic compared to the latest simulation titles because it isn't.  Some physical aspects and gameplay features are a little off, but in such a way that it allows for the game to be enjoyable (as an arcade game).  Correspondingly, it's not possible to create new players, teams, or even to change the lineups of the available 31 NFL teams.

The game modes include quickplay, exhibition, season and tournament.  There's nothing very remarkable about these modes besides the available stat tracking feature, which allows you to enter your name / pin number and then keeps track of your personal game statistics.  It's also possible to enter in certain name / pin number combinations that let you to use some strange players, such as a clown (again, similar to NBA Jam).  Season mode has little complexity, but if your goal is to win the super bowl it's there for you.  A more enjoyable feature is tournament mode in which you can play against your friends in a bracket style showdown.  If you want to have a full-fledged NFL Blitz party, it's possible to use two multi-taps to get up to eight players in on the action.

The great thing about NFL Blitz 20-02 is that anyone can pick up a controller and enjoy the game within minutes.  Even though they may not be winning games right away, the ability to deliver huge hits and to run decent without much effort makes the game incredibly entertaining.  The controls are very straightforward in all circumstances.  Throwing the ball to receivers can be done with the simple press of a button or by using icon passing, which gives you additional target options.  The player with the ball has the ability to juke, hurdle, dive, stiff arm, and lateral pass, while defensemen can swat at the ball, push opponents, and perform a couple of different tackles.  When executing maneuvers on either offense or defense it is important to use the turbo button efficiently, as it only allows for a limited amount of "juice," unless your team is on fire.  This is why getting your team to be on fire is so important because you can have a huge advantage in speed and strength with unlimited turbo.

Graphically, Blitz looks surprisingly good.  The players are nicely modeled and although they're a little on the muscular side, it's appropriate for this type of game.  They also vary significantly in size and stature, but their facial features aren't as detailed as they could be.  There are no players, coaches, or anyone else on the sidelines, which makes the field look a little empty.  The crowd is nothing special and is just there to fill some space between the realistic looking field and the sky.  The shadows are impressive as is the dust that becomes visible when players hit the ground.  Overall, the game is smooth and the frame rate never slows, even when the action is intense and players are flying all over the screen.

In the sound department, the game has both high points and low points.  The actual in-game sound effects are certainly impressive and help in creating the game's high intensity feel.  For example, when delivering hard hits, powerful thunderous sounds shake the ground.  After such hits, you can often hear players groaning or saying things like "ah my wrist" and you can definitely hear the smack talking that's going down.  As for the announcers, well, they're basically worthless.  There are seemingly two color commentators, both of which do little more than make dumb jokes and therefore the game is lacking play-by-play announcing of any sort, which is disappointing.  They never even say the players' names!

NFL Blitz 20-02 is a great addition to Midway's in-your-face style arcade sports games and it does offer very entertaining game play, but all in all it's a quite basic game.  There's really not much to it, especially in the game mode department, and the enjoyment of playing single-player wears off quickly because of this.  They obviously focused on making the actual game play the best part of the game and therefore they've been successful.  Blitz is still what it's always been: a face-paced, hard-hitting and most importantly, fun, football game for those who like to get rowdy.

This game is rated "E" for everyone and it takes up 210 KB on your PS2 memory card.
 

Gameplay: 8.5
The same in-your-face style action that Blitz has always been famous for with some new additions, such as the impact player and awesome tackling animations.

Graphics: 8.5
The players themselves look great, as does the actual turf/grass and the various stadiums.

Sound: 7
The sound effects are appropriate and effective, but the announcing is rubbish.

Difficulty: 8
Gamers have the choice of easy, medium, or hard, and the time it takes to learn the game is minimal.

Concept: 7
The concept is not a new one at this point and there are a few things Midway needs to get right.  We need to have the ability to use some rushing plays and single-player mode needs some beefing up.

Multiplayer: 8.5
The best part of the game is playing tournament mode with friends.

Overall: 7.9