It is easy to forget that Blitz II is a football game when you are going through everything involved in creating a player and running through the story. It still must deliver on the field to be a successful game. Overall, it does not. Graphically the game is a mixed bag. The overall look of the game is solid; it feels, as it should, dark and dreary for most of the games that you play in, mainly because every game you play is in the rain or snow. The textures in the game are ok, players’ jerseys have good detail, with numbers that look as though they are stitched. The field gathers puddles of water and turns muddy. The game shows its ugly side during games that are rain- and snow-free. The grass has a poor look and feel to it; it looks flat and has no depth. Player models are very average and generic. There is little difference between the players other than the general categories of skill players and linemen--the linemen are heavier than skills players. The players are also very shiny and look like mannequins. Even when they get muddy, the mud shines, which is just weird.

The actual gameplay is where the game stinks. The game lacks the feeling of big plays and feels like it is scripted. Events in the game, like fumbles or interceptions, seem to happen at just the right moments. You can’t run the ball, so don’t even dream of creating a running back, because you won’t get anything in terms of equipment upgrades. The best position is the quarterback, but his lack of arm strength will limit your big plays. One thing the game does well is that it implements the bone crushing tackles a little more effectively than the last one, and when a bone does break or something tears, it looks fantastic. The repair mechanic which will allow your player to get back on the field faster is a mess. The game does little to give you direction on how it works and when you get it, the repairs are hard to pull off, causing a loss of stamina. Breaking bones is fun; fixing them is not. The game plays slowly as well, which is not how Blitz should play. The time is set at two minutes for each quarter, and while the clock goes fast, the game speed should be kicked up a notch. Speaking of kicking, the kicking mechanic is unique...and terrible. The game uses a button mashing mechanic that just feels weak. By hitting a string of buttons you determine the power of the kick. It’s not good.

The off-the-field stuff works really well, and if you play through the entire campaign and watch all the cut scenes you’ll spend about 6-7 hours on it depending how much surfing around the menus you do. Once through, there is NO incentive to play again. The game offers nothing in the Story portion that will make you want more or go over things you may have missed. The local and online multiplayer is ok; it’s nothing spectacular but suffices. At a price point of $39.99, I would recommend holding off and waiting until it drops another $10 before you even think about buying it, but it is worth a rent. The story is solid, the voice acting is great, and the cut scenes have a tense feel to them, adding to the edginess of the game. The player models aren’t pretty but the voice acting makes up for it. It is an average game at best, though, because it really seems as though they forgot this is a football game. If you’re a fan of the first, stick with it because the football itself is better. The off-the-field additions in Blitz II are a nice touch, but not enough to make it any better than Blitz 1.