Each time during dinner after visiting EA all the journalists and community managers of course end up talking about games, and the discussion inevitably leads to old EA games that we wished would come back. Every time I’ve been there I’ve pleaded for one title to return- Mutant League Football. (Well, that and Skyfox. And Mail Order Monsters. And…) There hasn’t been a good, violent sports game since the overlooked Deathrow on the Xbox, and Madden just ain’t the same without blood and special attacks.
Everyone sighed and agreed and then one fella brought up Blood Bowl, which can almost be considered a spiritual successor to those games.
It definitely looks like the violent Football/Rollerball hybrid we’ve all been waiting for.
If you’re not a Warhammer buff you’ve probably never heard of it, but Blood Bowl was a turn based tabletop game that already had a video game adaptation way back in 95. It’s a game that combines fantasy creatures (Lizardmen, Orcs, Dwarves, etc.) and throws them in a brutal sport where winning is as much scoring as it is smashing the other team to bits. The interesting thing about this version is that you can play it in both turn-based and real-time versions.
Today Focus Home Interactive released these screens of the “Star Players”. Each race (there are eight included) has their own living legends, vets who are stronger and more brutal than anyone else. They also cost a ton of money, though.
Blood Bowl will hit PC, Xbox 360, DS and PSP second quarter 2010. Let’s hope it satisfies our bloodthirsty urges.