NFL Blitz for Christmas

[wp34]

We went to an auction last year and NFL Blitzes (not sure of the plural) could be had for $200.   My 12 year-old got it in his head that he wanted one and has been saving his pennies.  We went to the same auction a few weeks ago and they were going for $375-$750 and thus we went home empty-handed.  At any rate he asked Santa for an NFL Blitz and I'm looking for ideas.  He really wants a cabinet but that is not going to happen.  Should I get him a Dreamcast and NFL Blitz?  Should I get a beefier PC so we can play it in my cabinet?   Should I let it go and wait until we find a cabinet that is in his price range?

[Malenko]

Dreamcast, N64 or playstation.

 I have an N64 and a spare controller, but no blitz. I can toss some dupe games in for the cost of shipping unless you're close to Newark,De then its free if you pick it up. Only thing Im missing is the video cable, uses the same cable as an SNES I just dont have a spare. I do have the funky power cord though!

EDIT: The original Blitz never came out on Dreamcast, just Blitz 2000 and Blitz 2001 just FYI

[wp34]

Dreamcast, N64 or playstation.

 I have an N64 and a spare controller, but no blitz. I can toss some dupe games in for the cost of shipping unless you're close to Newark,De then its free if you pick it up. Only thing Im missing is the video cable, uses the same cable as an SNES I just dont have a spare. I do have the funky power cord though!

EDIT: The original Blitz never came out on Dreamcast, just Blitz 2000 and Blitz 2001 just FYI

Thanks Malenko.  I appreciate the offer.  I didn't think about N64.  We have one of those and are planning to get it out after Christmas to play Windwaker (I mean Mario 64).  We are going to break out the Gamecube and play Windwaker as well.

[pbj]

It was rereleased on Xbox 360.

[wp34]

It was rereleased on Xbox 360.

Looks like it was rereleased on PS3 as well.  Anybody play it?

[pbj]

It's the same but no late hits

[Malenko]

It was rereleased on Xbox 360.

Looks like it was rereleased on PS3 as well.  Anybody play it?

Blitz : The League was terrible so dont get those. But yeah, EA released an updated Blitz on XBOXLive, I think its 12-15 dollars, I cant do the point to dollar conversion in my head. Updated rosters and all that jazz but basically the same game (sans late hits, like PBJ said)


Also, if you're worried about emulation speed just run a PSX or DC emu, less demanding emulators than MAME when it comes to Blitz and the like.

[BadMouth]

What are the specs of your cab?

64 bit OS makes a big difference on that game.
There are also DIP switch settings that reduce the resolution, making it less taxing.

Fiddling with the scaling options in MAME can also get you over the hump.
I don't remember the specifics, but it helped with SF Rush & California Speed on my driving cab.
Those run under the same driver in MAME as Blitz does.

[wp34]

What are the specs of your cab?

64 bit OS makes a big difference on that game.
There are also DIP switch settings that reduce the resolution, making it less taxing.

Fiddling with the scaling options in MAME can also get you over the hump.
I don't remember the specifics, but it helped with SF Rush & California Speed on my driving cab.
Those run under the same driver in MAME as Blitz does.

That's a great suggestion but I can't run XP 64 bit because I've got a Mimo monitor (as a secondary) and they don't make a driver for it.  Of course I didn't figure this out until after I had built an XP 64 bit image and compiled Mame.   

I don't want to run Windows 7 64bit because I'm using Groovymame.  I may try your tweaking suggestions because I was able to get Blitz to load.

Also, if you're worried about emulation speed just run a PSX or DC emu, less demanding emulators than MAME when it comes to Blitz and the like.

I may try the DC emulator.  I've tried getting it to work a few times without any luck but they were really half-ass efforts.

Thanks guys.   

[pbj]

http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/NFL-Blitz/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d80258411235

Dreamcast version was terrible.  Don't bother.

 

[BadMouth]

I'm doubtful you'll get it running smoothly with 32 bit. 
Something about that driver gets a huge boost from a 64bit OS.
On one of my old setups with xp32, it would freeze up completely after the teams are selected.
After installing xp64 on the same computer it was playable, albeit with some short freezes and bad sound skips (probably running 85-90%).

[Malenko]

Im sure the emulated PSX version will suffice if you don't want to drop $15 on the 360 version.

what about the gameboy advance version? JK

[wp34]

http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/NFL-Blitz/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d80258411235

Dreamcast version was terrible.  Don't bother.

 

I may back off the Dreamcast then.  I was hesitating anyway because it felt like more of a gift for me than him as I've wanted one for years. 

Im sure the emulated PSX version will suffice if you don't want to drop $15 on the 360 version.

I'm okay with paying $15 for the XBOX or Playstation new versions and may go that route.  Maybe I could throw together a quick 4-player panel he could use to play it.  Hmmm....

[dgame]

Are you going to do 4 pad hacks? That would be cool.

Try PSX and Dreamcast emulation on your cab and see how it performs.

[wp34]

Santa ended up bringing the PS3 downloadable version of NFL Blitz and it went over very well. The game is a lot of fun and the boy is happy.   

Thanks everybody. 

[Malenko]

Merry Blitzmas! :p

[wp34]

Merry Blitzmas! :p

 

Would have been cool if they let Santa play QB in the game.

[pbj]

"thank you for saving christmas, James!"

You're welcome.

 

[wp34]

"thank you for saving christmas, James!"

You're welcome.

 

Sounds like a new Hallmark Christmas movie.