Rather than being designed as a realistic interpretation of the sport of football, like Madden NFL or NFL 2K, the Blitz series was created as an over-the-top, exaggerated version of the sport, inspired by Midway's own NBA Jam basketball game. NFL Blitz is a series of American football themed video game originally released by Midway featuring National Football League (NFL) teams.

The Story Behind NFL Blitz - Special Edition

In 2000 Midway released a spinoff to Blitz based on the Arena Football League titled Kurt Warner's Arena Football Unleashed for the PlayStation. A sequel, Blitz: The League II was released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on October 13, 2008. Late hits and some tackles were also removed in the Arcade1Up re-release of the first two games (and NFL Blitz 2000 Gold Edition), which was released in 2022.

Midway was eager to keep the NFL's endorsement of the game, so they compromised on some of the graphic violence and "late hits" in the game. The game contains a significant amount of explicit content not seen in other entries of the series, such as the use of anabolic steroids and "juicing" injured players with what seems to be the equivalent of a cortisone shot. The game took the series back to the original style of Blitz, but removed the late hits due to input by the NFL.

How NFL Blitz - Special Edition Plays

Extra point attempts are claimed to be automatic, but there are rare misses. The Blitz titles largely follow standard American football rules as outlined by the NFL, but with key differences to encourage faster and more aggressive play. However, the game still retained its over-the-top aspects including censored profanity done in a comical manner.

Unlike the NFL, pass interference is allowed, as are late hits, showboating and excessive celebrations. Subsequent releases stripped down "excessive celebrations" and late hits until the game was almost one of the sims to which it was originally opposed. On the other side, defensive players were able to leap up and swat (if not intercept) balls no other game could allow for or dive incredible lengths to make a stop.

Why Players Still Load It Up

EA Sports intended the new NFL Blitz to be an "arcade" football experience, different from the simulation-oriented Madden series. Blitz: The League also introduced an extensive story mode created with the help of one of the writers from ESPN's Playmakers. Following the dissolution of Midway, EA Sports acquired the rights to the Blitz name and relaunched the series on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live with a new entry in the series simply titled NFL Blitz.

It began as a 1997 arcade game NFL Blitz that was ported to home consoles and spawned a series of sequels. As a result of the mature themes in the title, The League is the first and only professional football franchise to ever receive the "Mature" rating from the ESRB and was banned in Australia. In 2000 Midway released a spinoff to Blitz based on the Arena Football League titled Kurt Warner's Arena Football Unleashed for the PlayStation.

NFL Blitz - Special Edition — Frequently Asked Questions