Football is violent and fast. Brutal injuries are inherent to the action when 300-pound bodies slam into one another like cars at a demolition derby. In the late 1990s, no video game simulated that feeling more than the most anti-sim football game ever made: NFL Blitz.
Unfortunately, the world may never see a game like Blitz again. To be sure, football video games are as popular as ever—or at least EA Sports’ Madden franchise is, since it’s the only football sim officially licensed by the NFL. Spiritual successors to the Blitz brand of arcade-style football have come along here and there, with EA’s former NFL Street franchise and the 2017 reinvention of Mutant Football League by Digital Dreams Entertainment the most noteworthy. Even 2K Games plan to return with an NFL-licensed non-sim in the near future, and Madden NFL 21 has a new backyard-football mode called The Yard. But...
Unfortunately, the world may never see a game like Blitz again. To be sure, football video games are as popular as ever—or at least EA Sports’ Madden franchise is, since it’s the only football sim officially licensed by the NFL. Spiritual successors to the Blitz brand of arcade-style football have come along here and there, with EA’s former NFL Street franchise and the 2017 reinvention of Mutant Football League by Digital Dreams Entertainment the most noteworthy. Even 2K Games plan to return with an NFL-licensed non-sim in the near future, and Madden NFL 21 has a new backyard-football mode called The Yard. But...
- 9/25/2020
- by John Saavedra
- Den of Geek
As gamers, we’re always looking for the next big thing, whether it’s a disruptive new way to play (e.g. virtual and augmented reality) or an innovation in what makes games tick (ray tracing). But sometimes we’re so busy pushing forward that we forget to look back. Fortunately, two upcoming documentaries will take us back to the days when arcades were still swallowing our quarters and Nintendo and Sega ruled our living rooms.
Insert Coin, by 25-year game industry veteran and indie filmmaker Josh Tsui, chronicles the history of Midway Games, the legendary studio behind such arcade classics as Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam, and many more. Console Wars, which tells the story of how Sega tried to bring down Nintendo with the Genesis, is the documentary version of the beloved non-fiction book of the same name by Blake J. Harris, who directed the film with documentarian Jonah Tulis.
Insert Coin, by 25-year game industry veteran and indie filmmaker Josh Tsui, chronicles the history of Midway Games, the legendary studio behind such arcade classics as Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam, and many more. Console Wars, which tells the story of how Sega tried to bring down Nintendo with the Genesis, is the documentary version of the beloved non-fiction book of the same name by Blake J. Harris, who directed the film with documentarian Jonah Tulis.
- 3/19/2020
- by John Saavedra
- Den of Geek
As I grow older and find increasingly less reasons to justify why I continue to show a waning interest in the campy pantomime that is wrestling, Thq comes out with a game that on the face of it seems to remind me why – the sense of spectacle, the silliness, the fun, and even with the knowledge that it is scripted, the mind-boggling athleticism. WWE All Stars is a love-letter to all these things, yet with the possibilities on offer, it should probe further, and the oddly threadbare approach makes for an experience only fleetingly satisfying.
Those tired of the clinical, simulation-like nature of the Smackdown games will find this a welcome refinement – at least at first – harkening back to the more simplistic, pick-up-and-play arcade-style titles such as WrestleMania: The Arcade Game (whose producer, Sal Divita, worked on this game) and In Your House. There are five different modes of play; the first is exhibition,...
Those tired of the clinical, simulation-like nature of the Smackdown games will find this a welcome refinement – at least at first – harkening back to the more simplistic, pick-up-and-play arcade-style titles such as WrestleMania: The Arcade Game (whose producer, Sal Divita, worked on this game) and In Your House. There are five different modes of play; the first is exhibition,...
- 4/2/2011
- by Shaun Munro
- Obsessed with Film
The big question surrounding "WWE All Stars" is "Why does this exist?" Considering how artificial professional wrestling already is, does it really need to be pushed into a more arcade-like, cartoonish universe? But the twist is that even though "WWE All Stars" has almost no anchorage in reality, it's a far more faithful gaming experience than Thq's sometimes-stuffy "Smackdown Vs. Raw" series.
The Basics
"All Stars" brings together a roster of 15 current WWE grapplers and 15 "Legends" for a fantastically over-the-top arcade experience that tests the boundaries of the squared circle. The characters are all action figure versions of their real selves, capable of high flying and absurd power. It's meant to be a colorful, pick-up-and-play style arcade experience, and it's remarkably solid (if lacking a bit of depth).
The Highs
Finally, The Macho Man Has Come Back
While most of the characters available in "WWE All Stars" have shown up...
The Basics
"All Stars" brings together a roster of 15 current WWE grapplers and 15 "Legends" for a fantastically over-the-top arcade experience that tests the boundaries of the squared circle. The characters are all action figure versions of their real selves, capable of high flying and absurd power. It's meant to be a colorful, pick-up-and-play style arcade experience, and it's remarkably solid (if lacking a bit of depth).
The Highs
Finally, The Macho Man Has Come Back
While most of the characters available in "WWE All Stars" have shown up...
- 3/29/2011
- by Kyle Anderson
- MTV Multiplayer
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