DESCRIPTION

The magic, mayhem and brutality can now be enjoyed on the Dreamcast in this follow-up to 1998's NFL Blitz. Up to four friends can join the action in either the Arcade Mode, where you are challenged to beat 31 NFL teams in a row, or Tournament Mode, which offers a choice of single-elimination or best-of-three formats. Solo players need not worry, as the game features a 16-game Season Mode that follows the actual 1999 schedule for all 31 teams (including the 1999 Cleveland Browns). You'll also get to answer an NFL trivia question at the end of each game for bonus points!

For those new to the series, NFL Blitz 2000 is an Arcade-style football game that emphasizes fast-paced action as well as new rules to keep the intensity at a high level. For starters, players have exaggerated physiques and can pummel each other with reckless abandon. There is no such thing as pass interference or late hits in NFL Blitz 2000, so players can tackle receivers at any time during play. The rule changes are as follows: first-downs have increased to thirty yards, the clock stops after each play (there are no timeouts), and only seven players line up on either side of the ball.

Twenty-seven plays are available on offense, nine are offered on defense, but users also have the option to edit an existing play or create their own from scratch. The Play Editor lets users plan out their receivers' routes, including programming seven different moves at various points on the field: jukes, spins, fakes, blocks, turbos, waves (to call for the ball), and delays. Once you're done, you can name your creation and assign it to your team's playbook.

Rushing the ball in the traditional sense has also been changed — all plays involve the quarterback throwing the ball to one of three eligible receivers. New to NFL Blitz 2000 is the ability to use "Blitz Passing," meaning you can aim passes by pressing one of three buttons instead of using the analog stick or directional pad to highlight a receiver. Fans of NBA Jam will appreciate the added "On-Fire" feature, which increases your team's power whenever one of the following occurs: you sack the quarterback twice in a row or complete three passes in a row to the same receiver.

Ninety-nine blocks of space are needed to save game information and option settings to the VMU. Players are free to adjust the difficulty, quarter length, play timer, field effects and whether the game displays help boxes or automatically saves data. As in the Arcade version, players can enter their names for record keeping and keep track of their statistics in such categories as win percentage, points scored per game, winning streaks, and points allowed per game. NFL Blitz 2000 also supports the Jump Pack peripheral to provide users with vibration feedback for every collision on the field! ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide