The articlegameplay, story, development, reception
Gameplay
Since Midway no longer had an NFL license, Blitz: The League focuses on a fictional league consisting of 18 teams known simply as "The League", whose history is written as a tongue-in-cheek parallel of the NFL's, with the league consisting of three divisions, using a system of promotion and relegation. The game also brings back the hard-hitting and violent gameplay of earlier Blitz games. Former NFL linebacker Lawrence Taylor voices Quentin Sands, captain of the New York Nightmare. In the next iteration released in 2006, former NFL linebacker Bill Romanowski voices Bruno Battaglia, the captain of the Baltimore Bearcats.
Blitz: The League is very similar to previous installments in the Blitz series, as it depicts a considerably more violent version of gridiron football. Like previous games in the series, first downs are awarded at 30 yards rather than 10; there are eight men to a side (similar to arena football, not 11 as in American football); penalties and referees do not exist (although players are still prohibited from going offsides); and overly vicious tackles and blocking are the norm. On gaining yards, making tackles for a loss, scoring, or forcing turnovers, players are rewarded with an increased "Clash" meter. When the "Clash" meter is charged up, players may perform "dirty" stiff-arms, dodges, rush avoidance (for quarterbacks) or, most importantly, "dirty hits" on defense.
Story
An unspecified team trails the New York Nightmare in the closing seconds of a game. During the last play, the team's quarterback is sacked by Nightmare linebacker Quentin Sands, causing a career-ending injury. The loss causes the team to be relegated to The League's Division III, while the Nightmare are promoted to Division I. The team owner, Lyman Strang, unveils his new stadium plan to Mayor Sheila Andrews.
Andrews refuses to support the plan, believing voters would be heavily against funding it. In response, Strang bets that if his team wins the League Championship, she must support the measure. If they don't, Strang will donate to Andrew's reelection fund. Strang orders a complete overhaul of the team, rebranding to the Albuquerque Demons.
Reception
The PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions received "generally favorable reviews", while the Xbox 360 version and Blitz: Overtime received "mixed or average reviews", according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.
The most common critical complaints with Blitz revolved around allegations of "rubberband AI"; that is, in single-player mode, the computer opponent becomes nearly unbeatable late in games with the human player leading. But many critics also pointed out that rubberband AI is also an undocumented feature of more "legitimate" football titles such as the Madden NFL series. The PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable releases were also criticized for their very long delays and load times.
