Midway's Blitz series may not be the Madden of the football world but it has offered gamers an intense arcade experience since the 90's. The over the top action proved to bridge the gap between serious sports enthusiasts and the casual fan. There was nothing better than dropping quarters and sacking your buddy in between rounds of Street Fighter. Since those glorious days I hadn't actually experience Blitz until I played the PS2's version of The League which came out last year.

My experience with the game was more or less positive. The gameplay had evolved over the years and the overall atmosphere was gritty but there were many flaws which kept the title from achieving excellence. When I heard that The League was going to be released on the Xbox 360 I had hopes that the next generation version would see many of the issues fixed. Unfortunately my hopes were squashed and then some.

Gameplay:

In just about every way the 360 edition is a port for a game that was released a year ago. Because this game is virtually identical it immediately begs the question; why not just make the original backward compatible? If Midway had made more of an effort to add more original content or even tried to spruce up the aesthetics a bit, the 360 version may have had more weight.

In case you have never played the Blitz franchise and consider yourself a strict NFL gamer you are missing out on a fun experience at the core. The game is played with essentially no rules. That means you're free to face mask players, cause flagrant injuries, and tackle the receiver before the ball gets anywhere near him. The only real rules involve the frowned upon juicing of your players too much with drugs. With all of that in mind it's time to take to the field with your team for four 2 minute quarters and try to break some necks.

At its core Blitz has always provided a fun and unique football experience. If this is your first time with the game you're much better off heading to the training grounds before jumping into the action. There are features in the game that involve the use of a Clash Meter and it can get kind of complex when you first pick up the controller.

As you play through a down the game will award you Clash points based upon your performance. Whether you're on offense of defense your meter will raise for each good act and for each multiplier gathered. Once you have some Clash you can really improve your chances for a touchdown (or tackle) by pressing the LT button.

On offense the Clash works in a myriad of ways. Quarterbacks can use it to evade a sack and launch a pass that has a better chance of being caught. By using Clash ball handlers can juke, stiff arm, and worm their way through a field full of defenders. The benefit of Clash goes even further by slowing down your opponents so you can really break free.

On the defensive side of things using the Clash meter is most effective when you want to take someone out of the game. By tackling with Clash enabled you'll score a Dirty Hit and possibly cause an injury. Maybe they'll be out for a play or a quarter or even three games; whatever the case you want to hurt the other team. It's important to keep in mind that while Clashing the meter goes down and it takes some time in order to use it again. In the midst of chaos it adds an element of strategy the will force you to make split second decisions while you are being attacked by three defenders.

While I appreciate the Clash Meter and think that it's one of the saving graces that Blitz: The League has; it's also part of the problem. One of my biggest peeves with this game is the fact that the AI cheats incessantly. I found myself in many situations where I should have received a full amount of Clash points. I juked, I stiff armed, I taunted, and even ran for an 80 yard touchdown but I still didn't get a full meter. The CPU on the other hand ran for two yards before I took them out and they were rewarded with full power. This didn't happen every time but more often than not it seemed that the scale was tilted severely in their favor.

Further AI imbalance extends into regular play as well. The CPU often turns out a miraculous showing in the fourth quarter that completely shuts you down no matter how good your players are. If someone has max stats on ball-handling don't be surprised when they suddenly fumble the ball like they just played with a tube of Vaseline. Also don't be shocked when the opposing team returns a punt for an 80 yard touchdown after shaking off seven tackles and running through three of your players. This simple flaw makes betting in the game pointless.

Before each match (in Campaign Mode) you are given the option to bet based upon point spread. If you are favored by 21 points then you have to win by 21 points in order to reap the rewards. Otherwise you'll find yourself losing some of your offerings. You could easily lock up the point spread at the start of the game only to have the entire thing blown away by the instantly crushing opposing force. This makes it difficult while playing through the Campaign because you need extra money for equipment and training programs for your team. It also adds a type of challenge as you make your way through Divisions that really shouldn't be there.

As you play through the Campaign you'll unlock bonuses that can be accessed from the main menu. These run the gamut from a variety of modes that can be played in Quick Play to cheesecake pictures of some FHM girls. The Quick Play games are fun to explore but the rest is just fluff that is trivial at best.

Once you're satisfied with your Campaign team you can bring them onto Xbox Live to pit against other gamers. As is the case with many sports titles the pool of players is riddled with sore losers that like to drop. Once in a while you'll find a decent match and the online stability is pretty good. Given the fact that I was playing against another human the experience was much better than the randomized AI that I was subjected to for hours on end during single player.

In the end Blitz: The League is an entertaining football game if you're looking for an arcade-like experience without the need for a lot of thought. The implementation of the Clash Meter works well within the game's structure but it’s the minor flaws that keep this experience from lasting. The AI is way too spotty to be taken seriously, hit detection is an issue, and the fact that you can quit a game without being penalized trivializes the point of playing the game. For 360 owners looking for a way to pass the time this one may deserve a rental but it's a poster child for backwards compatibility if there ever was one.

Achievements :

There are 47 Achievements in Blitz: The League for a total of 1,000 points. While other games divvy scores up as kind of an average this title assigns random points for random events. You'll be rewarded for only passing through a game or only rushing. Other achievements include stuff like injuring particular players, getting a certain amount of points in a quarter, and winning some Quick Play modes like Domination. Most of them are fairly easy to get and don't be surprised if you see 6 or 13 points posted on your Xbox Live chalk board.

Graphics:

When Blitz: The League first came out the graphics were acceptable but nowhere near as refined as other football licenses. The over-the-top action with showtime flair looked fine and dandy on the PlayStation 2 but on the 360 it doesn't port over as well. Textures lack the detail that we have come to expect with next generation titles and the game often employs a blur effect that royally mucks things up. Players tend to find themselves surrounded by a weird glow in these moments and let's just say that it does nothing for the aesthetics.

Character models are very limited and there are only a few players when you get right down to it. During cut scenes each team uses the same coach model which makes Blitz look like it's being operated by an army of clones. It's a cheap effect that I hated on the PS2 and hate even more on the 360. Midway should have put in some extra effort but the fact that they didn't makes this a very cheap port.

Audio:

Packed with more colorful language than Deadwood (well… maybe not that much), Blitz: The League trash talks its way from one game to the next. Each match is filled with insults and commentary that definitely fits into the hardcore atmosphere of the game. Blitz also employs a soundtrack filled with alternative rock and hip hop that gets annoying during menus but fortunately doesn't invade the in game all that often. The 5.1 track can be a little overwhelming at times but for the most part it pumps out some decent quality. It's really the content here that is a mixed bag; not the output.

Conclusion:

The core gameplay in Blitz: The League is really about as fun as a football game can get. There are a lot of flaws with the game but when all of the elements connect there's little in the pigskin realm that's better. The only problem is that the gameplay doesn't stay constantly decent enough to warrant checking out this obviously lazy port. The graphics are also a problem on the 360 because the imperfections are exemplified by the HD presentation. Even so, despite all of the gripes that I had with this version Blitz: The League warrants a solid rental recommendation. It's bone crunching fun that is decidedly different from Madden and that's a step in the right direction in my opinion.