A successor to the 1990-1991 games High Impact Football and Super High Impact, Blitz is an exaggerated, simplified, and faster-paced take on the sport of American football with a officially-licensed teams and players from the National Football League (in its 1997 season).Along with new polygonal 3D graphics and a new front-view perspective, the game features several elements from the studio's NBA Jam and NBA Hangtime series of basketball games, including the three-button layout (with a Turbo button), team-based stats, a period-based credit system (rather than time-based), an updated player-based persistent record-keeping system, Tim Kitzrow as the play-by-play announcer, special pre-game "Match-Up Codes", and hidden characters (including various members of Midway's staff and Raiden from the Mortal Kombat series).The game later received home conversions in late 1998 for the Nintendo 64, Sony PlayStation, and PC. While the PC version is a straight port, the console versions update the roster for the 1998 NFL season, adds a new Season Mode, and adds new platform-exclusive modes (Play Editor for the N64 version, Tournament Mode for the PS1 version). The game also received a handheld conversion by Digital Eclipse for the Game Boy Color, with an isometric viewpoint and Game Boy Printer support (for printing stats).It later received an updated sequel, known as Blitz '99 (or NFL Blitz '99), updating the roster while adding various new features (including four-player multiplayer, a Play Editor, an "On Fire" system similar to that from NBA Jam, and an instant replay system). This sequel also supports unique connectivity with the Nintendo 64 Controller Pak, allowing players to use plays created from the N64 version of NFL Blitz. Both games, as well as NFL Blitz 2000 Gold Edition, were later bundled together in a home Arcade1Up machine (with the NFL Blitz name).GameplayBlitz includes several changes to the sport of American football, including:The removal of several rules and penalties, with players able to perform illegal maneuvers (most notably late hits).7-player teams, instead of the usual 11.30-yard first-downs, instead of the usual 10, due to the superhuman speed of the players.The removal of time outs, with the clock now always stopping between plays.No substitutions, with all players not having to worry about stamina or injuries.No sudden death overtime, with the game playing through the entire overtime period.Some parts, including the kickoff and field goal conversions, are done automatically.
