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Blitz! '99, NFL Extreme 2 and Monaco Grand Prix By Chip and Jonathan Carter Tribune Media Services BLITZ! '99, FOR DREAMCAST, PLAYSTATION AND N64 � If you liked last year's pulse-pounding seven-on-seven gridiron classic, you're gonna be in heaven with the '99 version. For starters, there are tons of new plays and plenty of new animations � some as graphic as flying helmets, the result of bone-crunching tackles. Of course, this one has as much to do with real football as Volkswagen Beetles have to do with NASCAR racing, but that's entirely beside the point: This one's pure arcade-style fun and adrenaline-fueled football-like action. You get all the real NFL teams and stadia and your starting seven are the real-life best that each team can field (there are subs, if you want to play around with the lineup). The action's fast and furious, with 20- and 30-yard plays � usually ended by some serious defensive brutality � the order of the day. Unlike last year's model, this time around, with some stellar defense, you can actually open up a lead of a touchdown or two on an opponent � or get down by a similar margin. But don't worry � the dynamics this time around will give you a chance to pull even and make a comeback. This year's Blitz is still an offense-driven contest � games will (mostly) stay tight up until the final whistle and, most often, the last team to get the ball will be the team that wins, usually by a point or two. The NFL's presence here is entirely incidental � it doesn't matter. These guys could be named Biff and Boom and Cool Joe and Mario and the game would still be the same thing: A great diversion for real football fans and a gridiron groove for gamers who could ordinarily care less about America's real pastime. JONATHAN SAYS : This is my kind of football. I didn't think they could improve on last year's Blitz, but man, they did it! A+. CHIP SAYS : These guys still haven't figured out the big breakaway play. My main complaint with last year's Blitz is my main complaint with this year's: There's no such thing as a long, long play for a touchdown. Sure you can break tackles with stiff arms and spins, but no matter how perfect your planning, how precise your execution, you're still not going to pull of an 80-yard scoring strike. I don't care if you hit Deion Sanders alone in the flat 50 yards downfield; somebody on the defense is still going to catch up with him. I hate that. But that's the only thing I hate � this game rocks. A. OVERALL RATING : A � BUY IT FOR AGES 8 AND UP NFL EXTREME 2, FOR PLAYSTATION � Last year's debut of the Extreme series was a promising opening salvo in the short-sided football wars. Midway followed soon after with Blitz! and the battle was on. Extreme came up a step short of the seven-players-a-side Blitz! last year ... and that's the case again. You get all the real NFL teams and stadia and the five-aside squads feature the league's top stars. The graphics are cool � huge, cartoony players rip their helmets off and talk right to the camera, when they're not busting heads that is. And the fields are huge too, so much so that five players on each side simply aren't enough to fill up the field. It's obvious the gang behind Extreme realized they were a step behind Blitz in every department last year and they've tried awfully hard to close the gap � too hard, in fact. Extreme 2's not so much extreme as just over the top. JONATHAN SAYS : They've tried to cram too much into this one � it's like they felt Blitz! at their heels and decided to make this one as out there as they possibly could. So you end up with silly animations of players ripping jerseys off each other and then taking off their helmets and talking to the camera to prove that 989 could get some star power here. It's not necessary. They should have used those resources to make the game play better. Also, five-a-side's just not enough for football. I let it go last year because Extreme beat Blitz to the market. But with a year to think things over, I believe you need a couple more players out there if for no other reason than to fill up the field. If I had to buy one short-sided football game, I'd have to pick Blitz '99. B+. CHIP SAYS : I agree with Jonathan, but my biggest complaint is that there's not enough play calling time � a quick 10 seconds and we can't figure out any way to turn it off or make it longer. Also, there's no dedicated dive button on offense, which drives me absolutely up a wall. Sure there are plenty of moves, like jukes and stiff-arms and even head-over-heels flips, but the most basic of offensive moves is missing � when's the last time you saw any hard-nosed back or receiver not fall forward for an extra yard? Maybe you don't think it's a big deal � but wait until you have fourth-and-two at the goal line and you'll see what I�m talking about. B. OVERALL RATING : B � RENT IT FOR AGES 6 AND UP MONACO GRAND PRIX, FOR PLAYSTATION � Here's yet another Grand Prix racing game. It's better than some, not as good as others, but it has all the parts and pieces to make it a solid entry in the Formula 1-style racing championship series. You select a team and driver from one of a dozen or so, and then take on individual tracks or a championship season that'll have you racing on about 20 different tracks in Europe and Asia. One cool thing here is an arcade mode that lets you play this one as it appeared, well, in the arcades. You pick a car, driver and track and head out for it. Like in the arcade, you have to reach checkpoints within a prescribed time limit to keep the race going. We prefer the single race and championship modes, though, especially since this one gives you more control over your car setup than any game we've ever seen. You can tweak performance to the 10th degree in several categories, from tires to gear ratios. That should give you some idea about the level of realism here � these guys aren't playing around. If micro-attention to detail's not your cup of tea, steer clear of this one. On the other hand, if you like to get your hands dirty, you're gonna love this kind of racing. JONATHAN SAYS : You'd have to like this one a lot more than I do to put in the kind of time you'd need to get good at it. It's a very realistic racing simulator and I don't like very realistic racing simulators. C+. CHIP SAYS : The racing's very realistic in that speed up/slow down Grand Prix kind of way, which is great if it excites you, but I find it boring as all get out. For real gearheads, though, I can see where this one would be a dream come true. B+. OVERALL RATING : B -- RENT IT FOR AGES 12 AND UP TIPS AND TRICKS Check out these codes for Driver for PlayStation: For a high suspension, at the main menu, press R2, L2, R1, R2, L2, L1, R2, R2, L2, L2, L1, R2, R1. For invincibility, press L2, L2, R2, R2, L2, R2, L2, L1, R2, R1, L2, L1, L1. For mini-cars, enter R1, R2, R1, R2, L1, L2, R1, R2, L1, R1, L2, L2, L2. For no cops, enter L1, L2, R1, R1, R1, R1, L2, L2, R1, R1, L1, L1, R2. Looking for something new to do? Sign up for our new Bitstorm Internet Listserv. It's a new part of our web site that'll deliver up-to-the-minute gaming news in your e-mailbox, and let you stay in touch with us and other gamers. Best of all, it's free! To sign up, go to any of these URLs: http://vgames.webpoint.com/vid/ecol/next--level/ http://vgames.webpoint.com/vid/bv/next--level/ http://vgames.webpoint.com/vid/fyiowa/next--level/ http://vgames.webpoint.com/vid/hamptonroads/next--level/ Chip & Jonathan Carter are a father/son gaming team who've been twiddling their thumbs professionally since 1990. For more tips, tricks, reviews and news, check us out on-line at http://vgames.webpoint.com/vid/ecol/mainpage . Or e-mail us at [email protected] . Got a question? An inside tip you'd like to share? Write to Chip and Jonathan Carter in care of this newspaper. While they cannot respond individually, they will answer questions of general interest in their column. (C) 1999 TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC. Techno file index Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA