Sound:  
The sound is, without a doubt, the best aspect of NFL Blitz 2K2. The commentary is delivered on time and is crystal clear, the sounds on the field are realistic, and the music (although not much of it) is catchy. The music and sound in NFL Blitz 2K2 is a true testament to the audio capabilities of the Game Boy Advance. It is just a damn shame that the rest of the game is not as advanced.

Gameplay:  
NFL Blitz is football to the extreme. It is as simple as that. It is very reminiscent of traditional football, with some changes. There are no penalties, and you must to cross 30 yards in four downs instead of ten to gain a first down. That is pretty much the basics of the game. Think of it as the short-lived Xtreme Football League (XFL) with a little more edge (although we would much rather prefer not to remember the XFL). The tackles are hard and over-the-top, the plays are insane and exaggerated, and the victory dances are hilarious. Unfortunately, this particular version of NFL Blitz 2K2 offers little to none of these options. Every tackle is the same and results in the ball holder falling as opposed to being thrown like a rag doll. The plays are either too easy or impossible to execute, and many times result in the tried-and-true “1 play over and over until you cross the end zone” method that so many of us are accustomed to. The victory dances, while humorous, are only limited to two or three “Lord of the Dance-esque” steps.
Your gameplay options are as follows:

Exhibition – pick your team (and your opponent) and play a game of football
Season – pick your team, play for an entire season of football, and strive for the championship.
Mini-Games
- Playbook – view a team’s playbook and get familiar with their plays
- Uprights – hone your field goal skills
- 4th & Goal – practice single plays to your heart’s content
- Trivia – put your football knowledge to the ultimate test
Although these mini-games are welcome, the cartridge space could have been better used to make the actual gameplay better.
And for those of us who love those zany Midway cheats (long live ‘big head code’), they are in the game. Unfortunately, when you successfully enter a code, you are treated to a sound effect, but no text tells you what code you received. In my opinion, this is a very big faux pas.

Control:
The control is fairly responsive, but because of the choppy framerate, it is rather difficult to understand where you are going. My major gripe is that before the ball is hiked, you need to choose which receiver you will be passing the ball to. But other than that, the game is easy to control, and should offer no problems to seasoned veterans of the game.

Multiplayer:
Unfortunately, with only one copy of the game, we were unable to put the multiplayer mode of NFL Blitz 2K2 to the test. So I couldn’t say whether it is good or whether it really sucks.

OVERALL:
I would like to add NFL Blitz 2K2 to our list of Game Boy Advance “could have beens.” It definitely had the potential, and had it been given more time to be completed, could have turned into something enjoyable. Don’t get me wrong. I did not hate the game. It is not completely unbearable – there are some good points evident – but unless you are an absolute die-hard fan of the NFL Blitz series, and the only gaming system you own is a Game Boy Advance, rent it. If you do own a console system, you are much better off shelling out the extra 10 or 20 bucks for that version.

 

The Lowdown on  NFL Blitz 2002 Aesthetics: Below Average Control: Above Average Gameplay: Average Multiplayer: Sound: Awesome Innovation: 4/6 Lasting Appeal: 2/6 Overall: Below Average! "Has Some Detrimental Problems"