Between NBA Jam and the original NFL Blitz/Blitz ‘99, my junior high/high school years were filled with glorious arcade sports action. The simplified team size, the straight out of an 8th grader’s locker attitude and general lack of respect for the way the sport was meant to be played kept my friends and I busy after school for years.
Then Madden happened. Consoles got more powerful, sports could be simulated to greater accuracy. Blitz and NBA Jam both lost their way with misguided sequels trying to live up to modern standards, and eventually, Midway folded. It was dark times for those of us who enjoy arcade sports action. Despite promising titles like the NBA Street series; the glut of Maddens, 2K Sports, etc. left little room for the subgenre to survive.
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.
