The field used to be a bit more varied when it came to football video games. These days, it seems like Madden is the only thing anybody plays. NFL Blitz is another series of football games that was first introduced as an arcade game in 1997. It was also ported to a few home platforms, including the Nintendo 64, the following year.
NFL Blitz was definitely more of an arcade style game vs. being a strict simulation of the game. For instance, there were only seven players per side instead of eleven and each player could typically perform a number of rolls. It wasn’t unusual, for instance, for a wide receiver to also pass the ball. There are no timeouts (though the clock stops after every play) and extra points are automatic but can be randomly missed on occasion. Also, a lot of things that would be penalties in a real NFL game are not penalties in NFL Blitz. Late hits, pass interference, and things that would normally be considered unsportsmanlike conduct are all just fine in this game.
These differences mostly serve to create a more fast paced and exciting game. This would have been especially important in an arcade setting where a true simulation would just take too long. Those that are dead set on a more accurate simulation of the game might not find this one satisfying but it is still a fun football-like game.
NFL Blitz was a popular game on the Nintendo 64. Despite the liberties taken with realism (or maybe because of them) it is still a blast to play. Back in the day, most football games took quite a few liberties. Street Sports Football, Tecmo Bowl, and Cyberball are a few of my favorites that come to mind. None of them approached the realism of a modern day Madden (and most didn’t try). It never stopped them from being fun.
Like Madden, NFL Blitz was a series of games of which this was only the first. In addition to the Nintendo 64, the first game was also available on the PlayStation, Windows, and Game Boy Color. I think that the Nintendo 64 version was the most popular though. Perhaps because fewer football games were available on that system. It also tended to get higher review scores that the PlayStation and Windows versions though they all seem to have been well regarded. NFL Blitz 2000 and NFL Blitz 2001 were sequels that were also released on the Nintendo 64. There were also later sequels but these were released on newer systems.
If you are a fan of football video games then this one is worth checking out even if you prefer your games with a bit more realism. Unfortunately, I’m not aware of any re-releases so you’ll have to track down an original version for the system of your choice or make do with emulation. I suspect that the use of NFL licenses means that this game will never be re-released.
Screenshots above are all from the Nintendo 64 version of the game.
