| Midway (PS2, Xbox)
Game •••• Graphics/Sound •••• |
This game evades EA's horsecollar grip on the gridiron with a manic, potty-mouthed, arcade-style testosterone fest hawked and headlined by NFL legend Lawrence Taylor. Blitz is full of fun quirks - eight-per-side gameplay, 30-yard first-down markers - but it hits its stride off the field in illicit subjects à la ESPN's smart but shortlived Playmakers (whose writers contributed here). Detailed X-ray graphics document each catastrophic injury, but just pump up the victim with painkillers and trot him back out for the second half.
