I’ve been working through all the games my parents never let me play as a kid using emulators. The idea for this post was inspired by blitz: the league. A dark and gritty American football arcade style game. It features steroids, corruption, and to the modern audience disgusting emphasis on dirty hits and injury. The injuries are emphasized through rewarding the player and mortal kombat style xrays.
It is not without humor (sending sex workers to the away team’s hotel before a game is a feature in the sequel iirc). The gameplay is fun enough and it’s really funny how mad the nfl got because despite the deep flaws it correctly pointed out the corruption.
Final score: “hey dude sniff this milk”/10.
That game was awesome though and gave me one of my favorite multiplayer memories of 1v1ing with my brother and when I realized I didn't need my commander anymore I built a fleet of dummy transports and loaded him into one and flew them all straight into his production/power center shouting "OPERATION DUMBOOOO DROPPPPPPP" and when my commander transport got shot down the ensuing nuclear explosion destroyed so much and resulted in a very pleasing shout of "WHAT THE FUCKK???"
I don't even think I won the game but who cares, I won the battle