Home arcade cabinet creators Arcade1Up will be releasingNFL Blitz Legendscontaining several remastered versions of the originalNFL Blitzarcade games in one cabinet. The retro arcade football game hasn’t seen any new life since 2012 and has been Arcade1Up’s most requested game to receive thearcade cabinet treatment.
First released to arcades in 1997,NFL Blitzwas developed by Midway and was officially licensed by the NFL. Its over-the-top action, late hits, and exaggerated acrobatics made it a staple in the late 90s and into the 2000s arcade scenebefore losing the NFL license to EA Sports.
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NFL Blitz Legendswill feature three different versions of the game, the original 1997 arcade releaseNFL Blitz,NFL Blitz ‘99, andNFL Blitz 2000 Gold Edition. All three were first released as arcade-only machines, withNFL Blitz and NFL Blitz ‘99getting re-released on various consoles after their arcade debuts. The new Acade1Up cabinet will also feature Wi-Fi online multiplayer and leaderboards, so players can see where they rank and go up against other users. More touted features include recreating the original 49-way joysticks, licensed artwork for the cabinet itself, and a light-up marquee. Arcade1Up plans to begin shipping the cabinets in mid-October, and are offering a free special editionBlitzNFL hat for the first 1000 orders.
All three versions set to release in the new cabinet received above-average ratings when originally released, andNFL Blitzhadn’t been heard from sinceEA Sportsreleased a new and different version ofNFL Blitzin 2012 for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. The original arcade versions were well-loved by gaming and NFL fans, but Midway’s bankruptcy in 2009 was thought to be the end of the franchise before EA snapped up the rights toNFL Blitz.Now users will be able to bring home the exaggerated gameplay that endeared itself to fans by being more chaotic than a typical football game.
Arcade1Up has been one of the few ways for fans to reconnect with arcade gamesfrom the past, andNFL Blitzis certainly one of the more popular games of the era. It is a perfectly executed tug on the nostalgia strings of gamers who remember spending hours or even days in various arcades. Arcade cabinets themselves can lose their luster over time, but the addition of Wi-Fi leaderboards and online multiplayer toNFL Blitz Legendscould allow the cabinet longevity that most could only dream of.
