Publisher - Midawy
Developer - Midway
Platform - N64
Release Date - September 29 1998
Type - Sports

Here comes one of many sleeper hits in the N64 line-up this year. NFL Blitz is on schedule for a September 29 release date along with Cruis’n World and Turok 2. If you think this game is going to get blown away then you’ve got another thing coming to you. Finally a developer took a step away from the traditionally EA Sports dominated genre and decided against competing with EA on the simulation level, instead Midway may have started a welcome change to the sports genre by creating an arcade football game. Yes! Finally, a sports game that ISN’T a revamped version of last year’s game. Don’t be surprised if this game comes out from under to humiliate both EA and Acclaim, but then again, it is Midway and they’ve been known more to disappoint then to surprise.

If Midway can pull of a port with the same quality of MK4’s then we’ve got a lot to look forward to. In the arcade game touchdowns can be scored in seconds, taking your eyes off the screen for even a split second can really cost you in this game. With only 10 seconds in between plays the game will force you to move quickly and strategies will have to be created instantly. You probably weren’t expecting the word strategy in an arcade game but this is Football and Midway developers must have released that is the core of the game itself and did a great job implementing it into the game.

This game, supposing the port is done good by adding a 4-player mode and using stereo sound, will be the sleeper hit of the year as far as consoles go. If you only like traditional NFL style football then this game is definitely not for you, even though the game does include all of the NFL players and teams. The game play is a lot more fast paced between the plays and on the field like the WFL or CFL (maybe 5% of our readers know what those leagues are, this football obsessed person does) by encouraging passing over running, "hurry-up" offenses and big plays with high scoring games. Expect more information on this game as it comes closer to release.