Blitz: The League II comes at a time when arcade (“extreme”) sports are failing. NBA Street V3 was a so-so mix of rehashed gameplay. NBA Ballers: Chosen One managed to be worse, and, like a countdown to the worst games of all time, NFL Tour was a complete disaster.

With such depressing games ruining what was once a thriving subset of the sports genre, it’s hard to hold a positive outlook. But one game that’s been easy to count on (even when the NFL license no longer could be) is the Blitz series. All Blitz fans have their favorite game in the series, and favorite moments they wish could be relived. Unfortunately, Blitz: The League II won’t help you relive them. Like it or not, this game is Blitz’s answer to NFL Street, which is ironic because NFL Street was originally designed to be different from Blitz.

However, if you’re one of Street’s or Blitz’s die-hard fans, there are some things to love about Blitz: The League 2. But be warned: “love” is a feeling you’ll experience while grumbling that this is a clone game and could have been so much better.

The Kickoff

Blitz: The League II picks up where the last game left off: hot on the heels of NFL Street. That’s the boring part. The League is interesting – even exciting – by increasing the quality of the original game’s foundation. It’s still littered with clueless moments. When a ball bounces off the field and hits a referee (or anyone else standing there), you’d expect some kind of reaction. You won’t get one. Tackle animations are decent, though a tad repetitive, and evasive maneuvers are pure arcade (purposely unrealistic).

In other words – don’t expect to be impressed by anything you see in Blitz: The League II. This is not a game for the Madden crowd. This is not a game for the average NFL Street player who will not appreciate Blitz’s invasion into EA’s territory. EA and Midway have to realize is that they had a great thing going – they produced two completely unique football experiences. Now Blitz plays like Street, and Street is on hiatus, replaced by a “Tour” de farce.

If it sounds like I’m ranting, that’s intentional. I know what you’re going to think when you pop this game into your Xbox 360 for the first time because I experienced it too. What is this? Why am I not blown away? Why is the first Blitz made specifically for Xbox 360 and PS3 not a revolution? After a couple games through the campaign mode – which is filled with fictitious teams, profiles, stats, and historical facts – there didn’t seem to be much of a “game” here at all.

For many players, that will be the end of the story. They won’t care about the nuances, subtle improvements and potential fun that could be had with this game in the long term. They’ll simply go back to playing the classic Street and Blitz titles – which were grand the moment you started playing – and forget about the new League.

Blitz: The League II may very well torture some gamers by limiting multiplayer, online and offline, to just two players. That means no matter what, you can only have one real opponent!

Boy, this sure paints an ugly picture. But if you’re still here, you must be a big enough fan of the series to wonder why Blitz: The League II scored a 7.4 instead of something in the NFL Tour/NBA Ballers range. The answer is what will turn some of you into grumbling addicts.

If It’s Not In The Game…

Throw it in anyway. Blitz: The League II has one unique feature – the ability to break specific bones while tackling. Street gave birth to super tackles, which increased the chances of a fumble. Blitz does the same, but when performing a Clash tackle (hold the left trigger while pressing X to dive or A to tackle), the game switches to a slow-mo screen. During this time, one or several icons will appear on your opponent’s (the one about to be tackled) body. Use the left stick to select one of those icons, pinpointing a specific area – his arm, foot, shoulder, etc. – to be broken.

After making a selection, button-mash the A button to fill the circle with bone-crushing power (a green meter shows how much progress you’ve made). If at least half of the meter is full when the game speed goes back to normal, there’s a good chance the play will end with your opponent falling to the ground in agony, followed by an up close House MD-inspired animation sequence where the player’s insides are fully visible. Skulls are fractured, necks are snapped, and feet are crushed into what could be described as a newfangled flipper.

This is pretty cool, and though the game risked repetition by including it, Blitz: The League II evades that worry by adding rewards and by keeping the animations short. Break an opponent and he will be out of the game for at least one play. His ability to return depends on a crazy (sometimes hilarious) mini-game where you must either set the broken bone or give an injection to overcome the pain. The latter requires you to line up a syringe with a spot on the player’s body, which is moving quick and uncomfortably. The other challenges you to move both analog sticks (in unison) toward specific icons within a circular playing field. These mini-games are timed and can be finished in about three seconds, thus giving the player few chances to be annoyed by their presence.

If your opponent is successful, that player’s absence should be limited to just one or two plays. He will also gain a 2+ stamina boost. But if he fails the mini-game, he’ll be faced with a longer recovery period and may receive a stamina reduction.

Late hits are back and they are meaner than ever. When the “late hit” message appears on screen, defending players will have the chance to run up to an opponent and pound a few stamina points out of him. Late hits range from painful (beating a guy with his own helmet) to downright cruel (kicking him between the legs).

Keeping with the madness, players can perform victory celebrations where bragging – or making a complete fool out of yourself – is all that matters. One of them shows a player squatting down as he drops the ball between his legs. This celebration is called “The Pooper.” You might laugh at it once – if you’re in a silly mood or whatever. But you won’t laugh twice.

The Fun Begins

Only after playing for a few hours – by force or not – will you begin to enjoy Blitz: The League II. In trying to be like NFL Street (as the first Blitz: The League game did), you’ll discover that while the game is by no means spectacular, it very closely matches the gameplay style of Street while creating a better version of its own game. All the nuances of Street – like being able to tap the ball to interfere with a pass or switch players at the last minute to create a near automatic intercept – are in Blitz: The League II.

When combined with the hardest-hitting tackles on the planet, this game lives up to its goal: to be the most violent sports game around. Underneath the rehashed feel and lack of unique football action is a game that is actually worth playing. You won’t like this one from the start – and unlike the first Blitz and Street games, you might not like it a year from now either. But give it a fair shot. You’ll be surprised at how addictive it can be when played with someone who is equally as obsessive and competitive as you are.

Gameplay: 7.0
Blitz: The League II could be a huge success ... if it were released on a planet where the previous Blitz and NFL Street games did not exist. With those titles hanging in gamers' minds, it will be impossible to avoid hating parts of this game. But if you give it a few hours, you'll be surprised at how addictive it can be as a whole – in spite of the things that will make you scream, "I can't believe it's not Street."

Graphics: 5.0
Nowhere near the quality of what an Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 sports game should look like.

Sound: 6.0
Sounds like another football game. Yet another football game.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
If you've mastered NFL Street, Blitz: The League II is one big piece of cakewalk.

Concept: 5.5
Specific bone-breaking combat: excellent idea. Rehashing the first game, which rehashed NFL Street: terrible idea.

Multiplayer: 7.6
Only two players? Are you insane!? Apparently so. Regardless, the one-on-one multiplayer is still the best part of Blitz: The League II.

Overall: 7.4
As mentioned, Blitz: The League II is addictive "when played with someone who is equally as obsessive and competitive as you are." If you are not obsessive about the Blitz and/or Street series, you probably won't get much out of this game. But those who are obsessive should give it a thorough testing.