PlayStation 2
Released in 2002 by Midway
Grade: B-
It’s the same old Blitz gameplay with a PS2-level coat of polish on the graphics. It moves fast and gets old faster.
Where it falls in the series
This is the second of this generation’s tried-and-true Blitz games, released on PS2, Xbox, and GameCube. Midway switched things up the next year for NFL Blitz Pro, a poorly executed sim-arcade hybrid. After EA acquired the exclusive NFL license, Midway switched it up again with the oddly dark Blitz: The League. The series started in arcades back in 1997 and ended with NFL Blitz 2012 as a download-only game on PS3 and Xbox 360.
Praises and gripes
Every year or so, I trick myself into thinking I’m really going to enjoy Blitz. It’s a quick way to play football, but that’s like saying Laffy Taffy is a quick way to eat dinner. Corn syrup and sugar really isn’t dinner, and Blitz really isn’t football.
A quick online search tells me that Blitz 2003 fixed a lot of kinks from the previous year, but this game feels just like it always did, except maybe it’s a bit easier to complete passes downfield and the CPU is easier to beat than before.
Quarterbacks still move freely and pass like machines, tacklers are still ferocious, and you still wait in between plays for meaningless post-whistle violence. The score still stays close with Midway’s pixie dust causing freak interceptions or fumbles that help the losing team.
It’s undeniably easy to control and kind of thrilling. There’s nothing annoying or agitating about the gameplay. You won’t misfire a pass or whiff on a tackle. There’s no finesse to be learned. I like how the clock stops on every play, so there’s no timeouts or bleeding the clock or other strategic considerations that you or the CPU could mess up.
But it’s also undeniably shallow. I never want to play more than one game before I turn it off.
If you like Blitz, this is a good version to get, especially if you have another human to play with. The graphics are nice. Midway’s usual fun presentation is on point. It plays well on a PS2 controller. The gameplay is no better or worse than earlier versions. It’ll only cost a couple bucks, so you’ll have money leftover to spend on candy.