NHL 2001

The Good
A great deal of work has been put into the graphics, meaning more realistic player animations and faces. There is plenty to customize, which is great for lastability. The “face-in-the-game” feature, first found in NBA Live 2000 and NHL 2000 returns, and you can also create your own player jerseys.

The Bad
The “face-in-the-game” feature isn’t the greatest feature (and most of the time, they don’t look a bit like the real thing). Internet play still needs a little work. You really need a high-end PC to enjoy the game at its best.

The Bottom Line
EA have done a great job, with some great graphic effects, and plenty of options to spice up the action. Still, improvements can be made in some areas, but they don't get in the way of the great gameplay. The best in the series so far.

The Good
Practically everything, the graphics, sounds, music, controls, gameplay, etc.

Sports games and their programmers are often underappreciated but it's really amazing how good the NHL series has always been and how each new addition ups the ante on the previous titles. What really puts these games above the rest though are the extra additions that are always thrown in, such as the put-your-face-in-the-game or the goalie masks gallery, and NHL 2001 doesn't break the tradition. The NHL titles have been gradually gearing towards adding an entirely seperate game within a game, the GM career mode similar to all those mogul titles, and this aspect has only been enchanced in NHL 2001 through the team creation mode. This option allows a player to create an entirely new team and customize it in almost any way imaginable.

The AI customization greatly enhances the gameplay and along with the coaching options it allows it to played as strictly an arcade one or easily the most realistic PC hockey simulation. There is also an additional "face" system for free agents which displays their eagerness, or lack there of, to join your team. The final addition would have to be the momentum meter which changes as shots are taken, hits are thrown and saves are made. This meter increases the overall abilites of the team's players and can change the course of the game within a blink of an eye.

The Bad
The flaws of the NHL games never prevent them from being great-buys but are rather small bugs and glitches that never the less detract from their overall quality, and NHL 2001 is no exception.

The first and most major flaw would have to be the blue line and beyond ultra-slow slap shots that the ultra-fast goalies can't seem to handle. Despite the promised fix in the patch this is still a big problem as the computer players have a tendency to often shoot and score like this. The hot-spots where you could always score on the goalie have been significantly decreased but cutting across the net and putting the puck upstairs still seems to work almost all the time.

NHL 2001 also suffers from minor but tedious bugs such as the trade and playoff tree options disappearing from their menus, as well as a few glitches in the player creation which include the play by play mysteriously disappearing and the nationality being randomly changed.

The Bottom Line
NHL 2001 still remains the undisputable king of all hockey games and is a worthy purchase for the fans of the genre as well as casual players.

The Good
IF there's one thing that sets NHL Hockey apart from the competition, it's action. The game is fast, furious, smooth and tremendously entertaining. Of course, hockey is uniquely suited to being a video game - maybe more so than any other team sport. But EA Sports seems to always deliver, at the core of all NHL games, a slam-bang hockey game like no other.

The graphics and sound are part of the reason for this; they're outstanding. While some niceties are left out - the ice surfaces are unique from arena to arena but the arenas themselves all look identical - the gameplay graphics themselves are just tremendous. Even compared to other EA Sports games, the lifelike realism of the player's movements is positively jaw-dropping. Ambient graphics are universally excellent. The game sounds are okay; announcing could be better.

Game control and feel is excellent; the game's easy to play. The itnerface and menu system isn't terrific but I guess it's alright.

The Bad
1. Some aspects of hockey are not realistically reproduced. As per previous games, players are not rewarded for well-set-up passing shots and one-times, but are rewarded for "EA Sports" type shots and rebounds. Total shots are much higher than they should be.

1. NHL Hockey lacks a real career/team management feature a la High Heat Baseball or Front Office Football.
   
   The Bottom Line
   A very, very, very good hockey game.

The Good
EA Sports must be doing something right for all these years as there Nhl games get more advanced and better every year. NHL 2001 is no exception. It is a big leap forward from previous games in the NHL series. The Graphics, camera views and gameplay animations are some of the most realistic looking ever made. The fluid movements of the players and the interesting cinematic gamescenes add to the excitement. The sound quality is exceptional as you would expect from an EA Sports game. It has all the great pumping tunes and great quality 3d sounds that makes you feel like your at the game. The modes available for play are adequate and the ability to customize the game is just incredible.

The Bad
The gameplay comes into question sometimes. There are a few bugs here and there that EA has tried to fix with patches. Also the hitting doesn't look to realistic most would argue, as the player goes flying incredibly far sometimes. The commentary is average and sometimes the AI is either too hard or easy, depending on the difficulty.

The Bottom Line
The Pros far outweigh the cons and this is probably the best ever hockey game made for PC. Hopefully it is a good showcase for even better things to come from EA.

The Good
The player ratings were realistic. It was fun and I liked the create a player mode.

The Bad
It didn't have Mario Lemiuex! But what can you expect? It was released before he announced a comeback.

The Bottom Line
A great hockey game with good controls, graphics, and gameplay.