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BLITZ: THE LEAGUE II XBOX 360 REVIEW |
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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 football players into the
grittier side of the sport. So far, it is the
only game in town that conducts illegal
sportsmanship in the gridiron. 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 enjoyable
backyard-style fantasy football, attempting to
capitalize on the dynamics of an under-rated
"Arena" 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 pleasures
to kick him in the groin, bash his face with a
helmet to the ground, and charge him with
debilitating knee strikes to the gut just to
name a few. 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. |
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PRODUCT
OVERALL RATING: 8.0 OUT OF 10 |
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One of the
coolest aspects of Blitz: The League II is the
ability to convert team clash meter into a gauge
of ultimate retaliation, also known as 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? |
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