If you didn't get enough of shooting 'roids, administering dirty hits, or sending hookers over to your opponents' hotel rooms, Midway's sequel to Blitz: The League should be right up your alley. We had a chance to catch up with David Friedland, the game's lead designer, and pick his brain on what we can expect this year.
SG: In addition to Lawrence Taylor and Bill Romanowski, will there be any new former players included in Blitz 2?
David: There are no new former players included in Blitz 2. We are happy to welcome back Lawrence Taylor, who reprises and expands upon his role as League MVP linebacker Quentin Sands.
David: Blitz: The League II takes things well beyond the next level with the most over the top football game ever imagined. This time, the player has full control of the brutal action. You get to pick your injuries, pump up their intensity, and watch the grizzly results from the inside and in full color. You’ll perform triage on the field, manually juicing or setting the bones of your injured players. You’ll to hand out the cheap shot of your choice after a play with the return of Late Hits. And when you score, the choice of over the top touchdown celebration is in your hands.
SG: Can you describe how the story in Blitz 2 starts out? Will this be a continuation of the events from Blitz: The League?
David: The story in Blitz 2 is entirely new. You take control of “Franchise”, the top prospect of the 2008 draft and the first two-way player in the League’s modern history. As our story begins, Franchise and his Agent are meeting with the League Commissioner and his cronies, who are exciting at the prospect of Franchise playing for the Los Angeles Riot, the League’s new expansion team. But Franchise has other plans and refuses to play for anyone other than his home town team. The Commissioner is furious, but has few options but to agree, as the newly expanded League needs the publicity that a superstar two-way player will attract. But the Commissioner is a man who can hold a grudge, and sets about making sure the cards are stacked against Franchise as he begins his career on his new team.
SG: Can you describe how Precision-Aim Tackles will work? Are different players more vulnerable in certain parts of their body? Do you earn Precision-Aim tackles with a “Clash” meter?
David: The Precision-Aim tackles are activated by landing Dirty and Unleashed tackles on your opponents. When a big hit leads to an injury, time momentarily slows and targeting circles appear on the ball carrier. The number and placement of the circles is based on the height and angle of the tackle. A simple flick of the Right Stick picks a targeting circle. The player can then “pump up” the intensity of the hit by rapidly pressing the A/X button, increasing the chance of getting a major injury. All of this happens in less then two seconds so the flow of the action remains constant, just like it did for our Unleashed hits in Blitz 1. Once the injury location and intensity has been determined, players are treated to the most brutal injury animations ever seen in a sports game. These aren’t the X-ray plates of Blitz 1. These are full color movies that would be right at home on any prime time crime scene investigation show.
SG: Will the core gameplay be similar to Blitz: The League? Have the controls been altered? Are the divisions still structured in the same way?
David: We are putting a lot more control in the hands of the player. From the player controlled hit targeting and injury treatment, to the custom touchdown celebrations, to the return of Late Hits, players will find a ton of new experiences meshed in with the familiar core gameplay from Blitz 1. On the campaign side, the three division structure remains the same, but with recent League expansion and restructuring, the journey from Division 3 to the Division 1 Championship is now a three season process. Training, juicing and injury treatment between games has been streamlined and improved, making it easier for players to manage their custom team between games.
SG: How has the game’s presentation been changed from Blitz: The League? How many new animations have been added?
David: Blitz: The League 2 is a “next generation” football game. Everything from the look of the players to the interactive weather environments showcases the many improvements since Blitz 1. We’ve added hundreds of new animations to every aspect of gameplay, including many new Unleashed tackles, jukes and power moves as well as exciting aerial tackles and devastating 3-Man tackles.
SG: Have any new off-field options been added in Blitz 2? How will locker room personalities impact the gameplay in Blitz 2?
David: Players have additional off field options with the addition of sponsors, commercial shoots and the ability to hook up with multiple women throughout the course of the campaign. Players can stick with the same woman throughout the campaign, or play the field, reaping benefits and consequences from their decisions.
If you are interested in learning more about Blitz: The League 2, you can also check out the Hands-On Preview at GameSpot.
