<s>
Blitz	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
League	I-Application
is	O
an	O
American	B-Application
football	I-Application
video	O
game	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Midway	O
Games	O
as	O
an	O
extension	O
of	O
their	O
NFL	B-Application
Blitz	I-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
October	O
2005	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
and	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
after	O
the	O
National	O
Football	O
League	O
(	O
NFL	O
)	O
signed	O
an	O
exclusive	O
licensing	O
deal	O
with	O
Electronic	O
Arts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
second	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
in	O
2006	O
–	O
2007	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2006	O
,	O
a	O
portable	O
version	O
titled	O
Blitz	B-Application
:	I-Application
Overtime	I-Application
was	O
released	O
on	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
Portable	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
originally	O
intended	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
Wii	B-Operating_System
launch	O
title	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
version	O
was	O
delayed	O
and	O
eventually	O
canceled	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
Midway	O
Games	O
no	O
longer	O
had	O
an	O
NFL	O
license	O
,	O
Blitz	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
League	I-Application
focuses	O
on	O
a	O
fictional	O
league	O
consisting	O
of	O
18	O
teams	O
known	O
simply	O
as	O
"	O
The	O
League	O
"	O
,	O
whose	O
history	O
is	O
written	O
as	O
a	O
tongue-in-cheek	O
parallel	O
of	O
the	O
NFL	O
's	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
league	O
consisting	O
of	O
three	O
divisions	O
,	O
using	O
a	O
system	O
of	O
promotion	O
and	O
relegation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Former	O
NFL	O
linebacker	O
Lawrence	O
Taylor	O
voices	O
Quentin	B-Application
Sands	I-Application
,	O
captain	O
of	O
the	O
New	B-Application
York	I-Application
Nightmare	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
next	O
iteration	O
released	O
in	O
2006	O
,	O
former	O
NFL	O
linebacker	O
Bill	O
Romanowski	O
voices	O
Bruno	O
Battaglia	O
,	O
the	O
captain	O
of	O
the	O
Baltimore	B-Application
Bearcats	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blitz	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
League	I-Application
is	O
very	O
similar	O
to	O
previous	O
installments	O
in	O
the	O
Blitz	O
series	O
,	O
as	O
it	O
depicts	O
an	O
aggressive	O
and	O
violent	O
version	O
of	O
gridiron	O
football	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
previous	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
first	O
downs	O
are	O
awarded	O
at	O
30	O
yards	O
,	O
not	O
10	O
;	O
there	O
are	O
eight	O
men	O
to	O
a	O
side	O
(	O
similar	O
to	O
arena	B-Application
football	I-Application
,	O
not	O
11	O
as	O
in	O
American	B-Application
football	I-Application
)	O
;	O
penalties	O
and	O
referees	O
do	O
not	O
exist	O
(	O
although	O
players	O
are	O
somehow	O
prohibited	O
from	O
going	O
offsides	O
)	O
;	O
and	O
overly	O
vicious	O
tackles	O
and	O
blocking	O
are	O
the	O
norm	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
single-player	O
campaign	O
mode	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
is	O
challenged	O
to	O
win	O
championships	O
in	O
all	O
three	O
divisions	O
of	O
the	O
fictitious	O
American	B-Application
football	I-Application
championship	O
known	O
simply	O
as	O
"	O
The	O
League	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
begins	O
at	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
previous	O
season	O
,	O
when	O
Quentin	B-Application
Sands	I-Application
of	O
the	O
New	B-Application
York	I-Application
Nightmare	I-Application
lands	O
a	O
devastating	O
,	O
career-ending	O
hit	O
on	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
team	O
's	O
star	O
quarterback	O
,	O
similar	O
to	O
Taylor	O
's	O
sack	O
of	O
Washington	O
Redskins	O
quarterback	O
Joe	O
Theismann	O
during	O
the	O
1985	O
NFL	O
season	O
,	O
which	O
broke	O
Theismann	O
's	O
leg	O
and	O
ended	O
his	O
career	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
team	O
is	O
demoted	O
to	O
Division	O
3	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
storyline	O
begins	O
during	O
the	O
closing	O
moments	O
of	O
the	O
previous	O
season	O
's	O
final	O
game	O
,	O
where	O
the	O
player-created	O
team	O
is	O
trailing	O
the	O
New	B-Application
York	I-Application
Nightmare	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
closing	O
seconds	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
team	O
makes	O
one	O
final	O
play	O
to	O
win	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
quarterback	O
is	O
sacked	O
and	O
injured	O
by	O
Quentin	B-Application
Sands	I-Application
,	O
ending	O
his	O
career	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
victory	O
also	O
gives	O
the	O
team	O
added	O
financial	O
success	O
,	O
which	O
Strang	O
uses	O
to	O
sign	O
Bruno	O
Battaglia	O
,	O
the	O
now-former	O
captain	O
of	O
the	O
Baltimore	B-Application
Bearcats	I-Application
,	O
to	O
the	O
team	O
,	O
despite	O
the	O
coach	O
's	O
objection	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
a	O
home	O
game	O
against	O
the	O
Minnesota	B-Application
Reapers	I-Application
,	O
he	O
finds	O
a	O
boot	O
attached	O
to	O
his	O
car	O
in	O
the	O
parking	O
lot	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
version	O
,	O
the	O
team	O
is	O
also	O
able	O
to	O
acquire	O
former	O
team	O
captain	O
Tito	O
Maas	O
from	O
the	O
Outlaws	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
also	O
runs	O
into	O
the	O
New	B-Application
York	I-Application
Nightmare	I-Application
,	O
who	O
have	O
arrived	O
in	O
town	O
for	O
the	O
next	O
night	O
's	O
game	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
to	O
film	O
a	O
beer	O
commercial	O
,	O
which	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
Quentin	B-Application
Sands	I-Application
,	O
"	O
only	O
real	O
teams	O
get	O
to	O
do	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
July	O
20	O
,	O
2005	O
,	O
Midway	O
Games	O
Inc	O
.	O
announced	O
Lawrence	O
Taylor	O
will	O
become	O
the	O
official	O
cover	O
athlete	O
for	O
the	O
video	O
game	O
,	O
who	O
would	O
also	O
act	O
as	O
the	O
voice	O
and	O
personality	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
main	O
character/athlete	O
,	O
Quentin	B-Application
Sands	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
version	O
,	O
which	O
had	O
been	O
planned	O
for	O
release	O
in	O
Australia	O
on	O
February	O
23	O
,	O
2007	O
(	O
the	O
day	O
before	O
its	O
European	O
release	O
date	O
)	O
,	O
was	O
refused	O
classification	O
by	O
the	O
country	O
's	O
Office	O
of	O
Film	O
and	O
Literature	O
Classification	O
,	O
effectively	O
banning	O
the	O
game	O
there	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blitz	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
League	I-Application
,	O
Blitz	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
League	I-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Mutant	B-Application
Football	I-Application
League	I-Application
are	O
the	O
only	O
professional	O
football	O
games	O
ever	O
to	O
receive	O
the	O
"	O
Mature	O
"	O
rating	O
from	O
the	O
ESRB	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
and	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
versions	O
received	O
"	O
generally	O
favorable	O
reviews	O
"	O
,	O
while	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
version	O
and	O
Blitz	B-Application
:	I-Application
Overtime	I-Application
received	O
"	O
mixed	O
or	O
average	O
reviews	O
"	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
the	O
review	B-Application
aggregation	I-Application
website	O
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
But	O
many	O
critics	O
also	O
pointed	O
out	O
that	O
rubberband	O
AI	O
is	O
also	O
an	O
undocumented	B-General_Concept
feature	I-General_Concept
of	O
more	O
"	O
legitimate	O
"	O
football	O
titles	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Madden	O
NFL	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
and	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
Portable	I-Operating_System
releases	O
were	O
also	O
criticized	O
for	O
their	O
very	O
long	O
delays	O
and	O
load	O
times	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Detroit	O
Free	O
Press	O
gave	O
the	O
PS2	B-Device
version	O
three	O
stars	O
out	O
of	O
four	O
:	O
"	O
Solid	O
graphics	O
,	O
online	O
play	O
and	O
original	O
in-your-face	O
features	O
make	O
Blitz	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
League	I-Application
a	O
great	O
alternative	O
to	O
the	O
other	O
football	O
games	O
on	O
the	O
market	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Maxim	O
gave	O
the	O
PS2	B-Device
and	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
version	O
four	O
stars	O
out	O
of	O
five	O
:	O
"	O
[	O
Do	O
you ]	O
Crave	O
a	O
purer	O
form	O
of	O
pigskin	O
,	O
where	O
painkillers	O
and	O
cheap	O
shots	O
are	O
n’t	O
just	O
overlooked	O
but	O
encouraged	O
?	O
</s>
