Ken McKown writes: Arcade sports games have always had a special place in my heart. Whether I was smashing the glass in with Clinton in NBA Jam, or hurdling over players in NFL Blitz, the memories are etched into my gaming consciousness.
EA has recently been reviving a lot of classic arcade sports games (not Mutant League Football, though), and it was only a matter of time before Blitz popped back up on the map. This downloadable reincarnation brings with it all that made the original special with plenty of today’s luxuries. Prepare to get beat down again, and love it, with EA’s NFL Blitz.
It seems now is the time to capitalise on a renewed acceptance of, dare we say it, the video game side of sports video games, and here are five classic arcade titles that really need to come back.
Sick and tired of only being given the choice of playing Madden when it comes to football video games? Westapo of Gaming Rebellion goes over two of his favorite non-Madden games that are still a ton of fun to play: Tecmo Super Bowl or the NES and NFL Blitz for PS3/Xbox 360. Both games hold up remarkably well.
When NFL Blitz rebooted under EA Sports in 2012, with the franchise's creator back on the case, it lacked nearly all of the oomph that made the 1997 original so appealing, even to non-sports fans. No late hits, no over-the-top bodyslams. Quarterbacks weren't really sacked so much as they were shoved to the ground. Receivers were hip-checked and stumbled to the turf.
