Topic: Midway Announces Blitz: Playmakers

[Jonnyboy117]

Now it's official.

Midway Tackles Mature-Themed Football with Blitz: Playmakers; New Football Game to Feature Level of Intensity Not Found in Licensed Sports Products

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 16, 2004--Midway Games Inc. (NYSE: MWY), a leading interactive entertainment software publisher and developer, announced today the development of Blitz(R): Playmakers, a new, unlicensed videogame exposing the harsh realism and troubling, behind-the-scenes stories of a fictional professional football league. Blitz: Playmakers has been in development at Midway's Chicago studio for the past year in collaboration with a writer from ESPN's controversial "Playmakers" TV series. Blitz: Playmakers goes behind the glitz and glamour of the game through a revolutionary campaign mode that explores the on-field violence, off-field fallout and front-office politics of professional football. Blitz: Playmakers is scheduled for release in the fourth quarter of 2005 on multiple videogame console platforms.

"Midway's Chicago studio has laid the foundation over the past year for what is the ultimate alternative to watered down NFL sanctioned football games," said Steve Allison, chief marketing officer of Midway. "No longer bound to the NFL license, there will be no league restrictions on content and gamers will finally experience what makes playing a football videogame really fun: off-field controversies, dirty hits, excessive celebrations and much more. Blitz: Playmakers buyers will be assured of one thing - our game will include all the gameplay and fun the NFL won't allow."

About Blitz: Playmakers

Blitz: Playmakers will feature a powerful story mode that, for the first time ever in a football videogame, explores the realism, lifestyle and drama found in professional football. Players will take the helm of a downtrodden football franchise and retool the players and coaching staff in a quest to guide them to the league championship. Additional features include intense multiplayer action with head-to head online play and complete customization of players, teams, stadiums and more.

[couchmonkey]

Quote
Originally posted by: PGC NewsBot
Now it's official.
"No longer bound to the NFL license, there will be no league restrictions on content and gamers will finally experience what makes playing a football videogame really fun: off-field controversies, dirty hits, excessive celebrations and much more. Blitz: Playmakers buyers will be assured of one thing - our game will include all the gameplay and fun the NFL won't allow."

Okay, I appreciate that it's Midway's job to make their game sound better than EA's, but I really don't see how "off-field controversies" and "excessive celebrations" make playing a football videogame fun.  In fact, I don't see what they have to do with "gameplay" at all.  It's still an intriguing concept, I just like to call press releases on lies and meaningless content.

[ghostandmachine]

I don't know about you guys, but it sort of sounds like what the "XFL" was trying to do. Saying that it's raw and real.

[vudu]

Quote
I really don't see how "off-field controversies" and "excessive celebrations" make playing a football videogame fun. In fact, I don't see what they have to do with "gameplay" at all.

I don't know about you, but if I don't feel anything for the characters in a game, I'm not going to have any desire to use them over another character unless their stats are better.  (This was a huge problem with the majority of the characters in FFVII.)  But ... if I know one offensive lineman smacks his hoe and snorts cocaine and the other doesn't, it's not really a difficult choice who to make a starter.

[Ian Sane]

"I don't see what they have to do with 'gameplay' at all."

Well neither does virtually anything EA hypes up about their games (the 3D models for the game are based on real people!  HOLY DOODLE!).  By now you figure everyone would be used to American publishers focusing on superficial crap in the press releases.

[Deguello]

NFL Street does all the excessive celebration stuff without all the drugs and violence and angst.

But wait a sec...  The NFL doesn't like excessive celebration?

But why can you do it in NFL Street, an officially licensed product of the NFL?  ...?  

[pyrokamileon]

that's because nfl street is a video game, nfl doesn't like excessive celebration in the real thing.  not sure why, but I heard that players were fined for "celebrating" at all.  though recently I've seen a little dance here and there so I guess they're only fined if it's "excessive"...

[Deguello]

I can picture it now.  STORY MODE!

WR Thurgood Angst - "Throw the BALL, dawg!"
QB Opie McAddict - "I cannot.  I am on the drugs."
WR Thurgood Angst - "Why you be tripping, B?!  Wanna throw down?!  I'll take you on!"
OT Galibb Ereemark - "Yes.  Our problems can only be solved with off-the-field fisiticuffs."
DE Geoffroy Dah Myrhh - "I believe I shall kill your children and eat them later."

I deserve a Pulitzer.