| ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. | |
| OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Parents need to know that this isn't your typical football simulation game. The game is a highly exaggerated take on the sport featuring extremely bloody hits, drugs used for enhancing performance, and characters who continue to play the game even with broken bones. Characters smoke, drink, swear, do drugs, and deliberately attempt to hurt one another. Some in-game challenges even revolve around maiming opponents. Females appear in miniskirts with thong underwear only to be spanked by players during touchdown celebrations. Players are rewarded for landing dirty hits and can then pummel fallen opponents causing blood to spray from their faces; large hits cause blood to splatter on the game screen. Players will hear near constant foul language. Parents should also be aware that this title can be played online, and as always, the interactions with other players can be far from a safe environment for young gamers. The game does not feature real world NFL Teams or players thanks to licensing issues.
The second game in the Blitz The League series of the arcade-style of football games, BLITZ THE LEAGUE II unfortunately doesn't add much in terms of entertainment value to the genre. Marred by inconsistent gameplay, bugs which announce things in the game incorrectly, and even game-crashing glitches, this is a title which seems like it may have been rushed out.
The core game of Blitz II is a campaign mode which follows a young superstar through his career. Starting out in the lowest league, you must fight your way to the top and win the Division One title. Three separate divisions are here to be conquered, each naturally a little tougher than the previous. But the game's artificial intelligence is broken, and if you find yourself easily beating a computer opponent, do not be surprised to see your team start to fumble the ball more often, or give up interceptions to the computer.
The fact that this game emphasizes excess in all aspects does nothing to enhance the gameplay, rather, it makes it become even more tedious and painful to play. Seeing a bone shatter once or twice is somewhat interesting, but forcing you to see it multiple times within a game and then having to perform the same mini-game to attempt and heal the player, becomes boring very quickly. Rather than emphasize actually football gameplay, Blitz 2 unfortunately has put the violent aspect as the foreground in the game. This combined with the buggy gameplay really take the enjoyment out of the title.
Families can talk about sports including topics about sportsmanship and why some athletes take illegal performance-enhancing drugs. Why do some sports appear to have a problem with drug abuse while others do not? Families can also talk about the portrayal of women in this title: is it OK for the only women in this title to be shown in skimpy clothing? Why do you think that the game creators opted to do this?
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