Blitz: The League II – PS3 – Review

Back in 2001,
wrestling icon Vince McMahon opened the XFL which was supposed to be the
ultimate complement to the NFL.  With slightly different rules, cool player and
team nicknames, and way more cheerleader shots, the XFL was viewed as the outlaw
football league to the NFL’s established product.  Unfortunately, the XFL failed
to sway enough mainstream football fans and folded after just one season.

Midway is
basically attempting to do in video games what the XFL couldn’t do in real
football: survive in an already dominated market.  Its Blitz games are on the
other side of the fence from the established Madden and NCAA games.  And Blitz:
The League II is about as far as you can possibly get from the fence in regards
to traditional football games as evidenced by its mature rating.

Starting with the
campaign mode, you guide a phenom rookie nicknamed “Franchise” through the
perils of a corrupt football league.  As Franchise, you’ll field questions from
the media, pick your offensive and defensive position, and work with your agent
(voiced by Jay Mohr) to increase marketing opportunities.  You’ll also get to
see the shady side of football which involves plenty of swearing, sex, drug
usage, and steroids. 

The steroids
aspect of Blitz: The League II is especially interesting since you have to divvy
out which players can use the roids each week in order to avoid getting caught
by the league.  Juicing your players is essential since injuries occur quite
often in this fictional football world.  And when the injuries happen, they are
sure to make you cringe as some of the injuries in this Blitz game include:
skull fractures, collar bone breaks, and broken spines.

The gameplay in
Blitz is nothing special, but it does include some cool touchdown celebrations
and special moves.  The big difference is that you’ll only be playing 8-on-8
instead of the normal 11-on-11 format.  The AI for opposing players is pretty
inconsistent though because you’ll be walking all over opponents in one game and
then have the fight of your life in another.  Of course the AI isn’t as bad as
the graphics in this game which are more reminiscent of a PS2 game in terms of
looks.  The cut scene graphics do save Blitz from the poor on-field visuals in
this department.

The on-field
sounds are reduced to exaggerated grunts and growls that normal football players
make.  But a big boost is given in the voice acting done by the aforementioned
Jay Mohr and Lawrence Taylor; he plays a mean linebacker named Quentin Sands.  A
cool extra feature to Blitz: The League II is that you can take your created
player online and play against others.  Teams will be even in the beginning of
online play, but the decisions you make can put the talent level of your players
over-the-top. 

Gameplay: 6.1
There’s nothing
out of the ordinary in terms of overall gameplay but the special moves,
celebrations, and 8-on-8 format do help the game stand out somewhat.

Graphics: 5.3
While the cut
scenes are pretty decent, the on-field graphics are pretty poor and can really
affect the football experience.

Sound: 7.8
The on-field
sounds aren’t too great, but the voice acting of Jay Mohr and Lawrence Taylor
provide a boost in this department.

Difficulty:
Medium
You won’t have any
trouble picking up the basic controls of Blitz: The League II, but some of the
special moves and dirty hits may take time to get down.

Concept: 8.5
The dark campaign
mode filled with sex, drugs, and broken bones definitely makes this game
original.  Blitz: The League II is a true alternative to simulation-oriented
football. 

Multiplayer:
7.0
After your
character is created, you can take him and your team to the online mode where
your decisions affect the team’s talent level.

Overall: 7.1
Hardcore fans of
simulation football should probably stay clear of Blitz: The League II unless
they’re looking for a cool storyline.  However, anybody else who is even
moderately interested in football should take a liking to this Blitz game.