Midway has a flair for publishing arcadish titles with over-the-top gameplay. So it’s no surprise that when it comes to football, Blitz: The League II is the answer to draw players into the grittier side of the sport. So far, it is the only game in town that conducts illegal sportsmanship in the gridiron. And thanks to Blitz’s amazing visuals, every reprehensible behavior is captured in high definition. There is no doubt that Madden holds the record for realism in American Football; but with much respect to Midway, Blitz: The League II retains the supremacy for being the most spectacular institution in the football league. Needless to say, we are not judging the game for its detailed interpretation of the sport like we do with Madden, but for its blunt misdemeanors.

What makes Blitz: The League II very interesting is that it defies the experience of conventional injuries, by overwhelming the action with in-your-face dramatic cutscenes. It's all about doing whatever it takes to score a touchdown. The best part of League II is the limitless of injuries you can inflict to different players. As long as you have "clash", there is always going to be a victim of cruel intention. With the return of “Late Hits”, you can pump up the abuse towards the opposing team. It’s not enough just to tackle a person down, but you want to cripple your opponent and take him out of the game. So after each play, you have the opportunity to kick him in the groin, bash his face with a helmet to the ground, punish him with some debilitating knee strikes to the gut, plus several guilty pleasures. Late Hits are the best way to exhaust your opponent of his vital stamina. Do enough of these late hits and you might just take him out of play completely!

Players are prone to injuries when their stamina is very low and when that happens, you ring in the “Clash” button. Holding down on the Clash button puts you in slow motion, and allows you time to pinpoint which area of the body you want to dismember using the left stick. As soon as you’ve locked in the sweet spot, pound on the A button to apply maximum damage. The consequence of such intentional atrophy is very satisfying, and it is often completed by a risible cutscene where the injured player is occasionally dragged off the field. In League II, you’re not always the dominant executioner. Just because you can bully your way through the line of scrimmage with dirty hits doesn’t mean your opponent can’t do the same. The opposing team can steam roll you with their own dose of retribution. It can be oppressing to be the seethe of agony, but fortunately the game comes with some heavy-duty offensive paddings – such as QB Evade and powerful stiff arms – that can help you elude potential season-ending injury.

One of the coolest aspects of Blitz: The League II is the ability to convert team clash meter into a gauge of ultimate retaliation, or for the lack of a better word, Unleash. You build up the Unleash meter by racking up on clash icons. A clash icon can be obtained by performing exceptional plays such as stiff arm or dirty tackles. Once you’ve maxed out the Unleash bar, you’ll be able to execute higher echelon of special moves designed to produce easy fumbles and seemingly impossible catches. One of our favorite features in the game is the player-controlled touchdown celebrations. Using the face buttons, you decide which style of creative festival you want to go with your TD. For example, you punch in Y, X, X, Y to do the Fiddler celebration; Y, X, A, X to do the Tango; Y, Y, Y, A for the Dance Fever; and A, A, B, B to perform the Beer Chug.

Graphically, the game has made quite an improvement over the original Blitz. The animation runs at a much smoother rate and character models have more definition in them. In addition, the game does a good job showcasing different types of vicious tackles and gruesome injuries. You’ll certainly be impressed with the internal imagery of bones cracking, ligaments splitting in numerous proportions, nerves going into shock, and vital organs rupturing like a case of bad tomatoes. Thanks to the incredible special effects, the cutscenes on wicked catches and late hits deliver cinematic experience with convincing brutality and satisfaction. With respect to the environment, each stadium provides its own detailed surfaces and great exhibition of weather effects, capturing the personalities of raucous crowd and teams being represented.

Blitz: The League II definitely delivers the most outrageous football yet! It is jam packed with dirty rules and brutally satisfying injuries never seen on a next generation console; this is the stuff that casual gamers look for: over-the-top and raunchy. The controls here are relatively easy but the gameplay is where the true handiwork begins, as it continually pushes you to perform bigger plays to make those long 30-yard cuts. As long as you have juice in your clash meter, no one can stand in your way. So far, Blitz: The League II has provided us a positive experience with its unique twist of football madness. With manual TD celebrations and enhanced clash modes, this is certainly a sport with a more personalized touch. Though the game is far being realistic, the physical contacts are very convincing! Besides, it's only a game...or is it?