Software:Blitz: The League II

From HandWiki
Short description: 2008 video game
Blitz: The League II
North American PlayStation 3 cover art
Developer(s)Midway Games
Publisher(s)Midway
SeriesNFL Blitz
Platform(s)PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release
  • NA: October 13, 2008
  • EU: October 24, 2008
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Blitz: The League II is an American football video game developed and published by Midway as part of its NFL Blitz series. It is a sequel to Software:Blitz: The League. The game was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on October 13, 2008. A original Xbox version was in development and rated by the german rating sytem USK.[1] There are five new teams included in this installment: The Los Angeles Riot, Houston Riders,[2] Vancouver Beavers, Milwaukee Hounds, and Atlanta 404; and four older teams have been relocated. Lawrence Taylor (L.T.) is featured in the game, reprising his role as Quentin Sands.

The game also alludes to real-life scandals involving NFL players and teams, such as Michael Vick's "Ron Mexico" controversy, the New England Patriots' "Spygate" scandal, and the Minnesota Vikings' boat scandal.

Plot

The game starts off during the league expansion. Two teams are joining the league. The first team is the player-created team, in which the player may choose the city, team name, and team colors. The other team is the Los Angeles Riot. This team is the main rival team in the campaign mode, and its captain is linebacker Bruno Battaglia, previously from the player-created team in Blitz: The League. The Riot are described as the pet project of corrupt commissioner Clive Hanson, who himself desires to have them win the championship in the future. He has fortified this by having the Riot start in Division 2 and stocking up the team with star players.

The only player left to add to the Riot is the projected #1 draft pick Kid Franchise. But Franchise surprises the entire league by announcing that he will be playing for his home team, and only his home team (the player-created team). This puts Franchise on the commissioner's bad side, and immediately creates a rivalry between the player-created team and the L.A. Riot. Franchise is the only player in the league to play both on offense and defense. During a pre-season interview, Franchise is asked nine questions that will determine his position on both sides of the ball and his player attributes. Each answer gives higher attributes early on in the campaign.

Division 3

Because there are a lot of teams, the game will take place over 3 seasons (a season per division). The commissioner notices that he will need help to put away the player-created team so the Riot have an easy Championship victory, so he tells New York Nightmare star linebacker and main antagonist of the first game, Quentin Sands, to destroy any hope for the player-created team of advancing. After Game 2, Quentin Sands joins the player-created team. The team must win at least 5 out of 7 division games to reach the Division 3 championship. The player-created team plays the Milwaukee Hounds and Conrad Damon at the division championship. After the win, a cutscene will be played, in which Quentin Sands is seen spiking Franchise's drink.

Division 2

Before the start of Division 2, Franchise is put in the Milltown Correctional Facility because he "violated" the league's drug policy. Luckily, Milltown plays football as well. The warden tells Franchise that if he can lead Milltown to a win against the rival Super Max Facility in their annual football game (without getting injured), he will be released early. After defeating Super Max, Franchise returns to play for the player-created team preparing for their season in Division 2. The player-created team is allowed to draft one team captain from Division 3 to play for them in Division 2. The Riot have made upgrades as well by adding Cleveland Steamers WR Justin Jonas (who was also a rookie from the first Blitz game) to the team. During a cutscene, Riot captain Bruno Battaglia informs Franchise that Quentin Sands spiked his drink and sent him to Milltown. This results in a fight between Sands and Franchise, and their feud lasts throughout Division 2.

Once again, the player must win 5 out of 7 division games to enter the Division 2 championship. Surprisingly, the Riot do not make it, and instead the Miami Hammerheads make it through MVP Julius Williams (unless Franchise wins the MVP). After the win, it is revealed that seven Minnesota Reapers players were killed in a boat crash, leading the team to fold. Therefore, another team besides the player-created team must advance into Division 1. And in a "random" drawing in the commissioner's office, the L.A. Riot will be the second team to advance into Division 1.

Division 1

During the off-season, Karl Tirpitz, who played as captain for Super Max, joins the player-created team. The L.A. Riot, despite the controversial advance into Division 1, are favored to win the championship. They have added Washington Redhawks captain (and rookie QB from the first Blitz game) Clayton Wescott, Kelvin Diggs and Tyrell Price of the Kansas City Crossfire, Justin Jonas of the Cleveland Steamers and Kimo Talofa of the Atlanta 404. Once again, the player needs to win 5 out of 7 games to reach the League championship. The Riot, however, go undefeated (unless they are defeated by the player-created team).

During division play, the player-created team will play against the New York Nightmare, Quentin Sands' former team. Before this game, Sands tells Franchise to forget what happened between them and work together to defeat his former team and win the league championship against the Riot. Franchise and Sands decide that they will also get back at the corrupt commissioner. Sands offers the commissioner to give him the captain spot on the L.A. Riot if he tells him important information (which is fake). The information is that Franchise has an injured Achilles tendon and will not be the same player on game day. The commissioner agrees and tells the other men in the room to buy stock on the Riot. Sands, however, records the entire conversation outside of the office.

After the player-created team defeats the L.A. Riot in the League championship, the commissioner is arrested for insider trading, money laundering and extortion, thus ending the season for the player-created team going from Division 3 to Division 1 and getting the League Championship.

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
PS3Xbox 360
Game Informer7/10[3]7/10[3]
GameProStarStarStarHalf star[5]N/A
GameRevolutionD+[4]D+[4]
GameSpot7.5/10[6]7.5/10[6]
GameSpyStarStarHalf star[7]StarStarHalf star[7]
GameZone7.1/10[8]7.4/10[9]
Hardcore GamerN/A3/5[10]
IGN5.5/10[11]5.5/10[11]
OXM (US)N/A8/10[12]
PSMStarStarStar[13]N/A
411Mania8.3/10[14]8.3/10[14]
Aggregate score
Metacritic62/100[15]68/100[16]

The game received "mixed or average reviews" on both platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[15][16]

References

  1. ↑ "Blitz The League 2" (in de-DE). https://usk.de/search/Blitz/. 
  2. ↑ Friedland, David (July 8, 2008). "Blitz: The League II - Welcome to the League". IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on July 9, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080709225826/http://blogs.ign.com/blitztheleague/2008/07/08/95199/. Retrieved July 9, 2008. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Bertz, Matt (November 2008). "Blitz: The League II: Over-the-Top, Drama-Packed Football at its Arcadey Best". Game Informer (GameStop) (187). https://www.gameinformer.com/games/blitz_the_league_ii/b/ps3/archive/2009/09/22/review.aspx. Retrieved January 7, 2020. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Hunt, Geoffrey (December 31, 2008). "Blitz: The League II Review". CraveOnline. Archived from the original on September 8, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150908114356/http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/blitz-league-ii. Retrieved January 7, 2020. 
  5. ↑ Kim, Tae K. (October 13, 2008). "Blitz: The League II (PS3)". GamePro (IDG Entertainment). Archived from the original on October 16, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081016080506/http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/207450/blitz-the-league-ii-ps3/. Retrieved January 8, 2020. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Miller, Jonathan (October 23, 2008). "Blitz: The League II Review". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/blitz-the-league-ii-review/1900-6199924/. Retrieved January 7, 2020. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Berman, Steve (October 20, 2008). "GameSpy: Blitz: The League II". IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on October 22, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081022214942/http://ps3.gamespy.com/playstation-3/blitz-2008/921912p1.html. Retrieved January 7, 2020. 
  8. ↑ Olson, Jeremy (December 5, 2008). "Blitz: The League II - PS3 - Review". Archived from the original on December 7, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081207121547/http://ps3.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r35544.htm. Retrieved January 7, 2020. 
  9. ↑ Bedigian, Louis (October 21, 2008). "Blitz: The League II - 360 - Review". Archived from the original on December 2, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081202074018/http://xbox360.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r35544.htm. Retrieved January 7, 2020. 
  10. ↑ Mitera, Tony (October 12, 2008). "Review: Blitz: The League II (X360)". Hardcore Gamer LLC. Archived from the original on January 30, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090130062758/http://www.hardcoregamer.com/index.php?option=com_magazine&id_rubrique=1&type=article&id_article=236. Retrieved January 8, 2020. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Ahearn, Nate (October 15, 2008). "Blitz: The League II Review". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/10/15/blitz-the-league-ii-review. Retrieved January 7, 2020. 
  12. ↑ Amrich, Dan (December 2008). "Blitz: The League II". Official Xbox Magazine (Future US). Archived from the original on October 14, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081014195043/http://www.oxmonline.com/article/reviews/xbox-360/a-f/blitz-league-ii. Retrieved January 7, 2020. 
  13. ↑ "Review: Blitz: The League II". PlayStation: The Official Magazine (Future plc) (13): 84. December 2008. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Curry, John; Garmer, Sean (December 17, 2008). "Blitz: The League II (Xbox 360, PS3) Review". Archived from the original on May 25, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090525142216/http://www.411mania.com/games/reviews/90359/Blitz:-The-League-II-(Xbox-360,-PS3)-Review.htm. Retrieved January 7, 2020. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Blitz: The League II for PlayStation 3 Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/blitz-the-league-ii/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-3. Retrieved January 7, 2020. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Blitz: The League II for Xbox 360 Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/blitz-the-league-ii/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-360. Retrieved January 7, 2020. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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