NHL 2001

Moby ID: 2483
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Description official descriptions

Lace up the skates and play with or against all 30 NHL teams including the new expansion Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild. NHL 2001 invites the world to play with the addition of 20 international teams including Ukraine and Latvia. Feel the full hockey flavor by building a custom team with the jersey editor, logo importer, and customizable city and team names. EA SPORTS puts you in the game with the "Face in the Game" feature -- witness fans throw their hats on the ice in your honor after a hat trick. With a variety of game modes including Quick Game, Season Play, Career Mode, Playoffs and Tournaments, all the goals are just a slap shot away.

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Credits (PlayStation version)

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Lead Programmer
Programmer
Art
Technical Director
Executive Producer
Art Director
Additional Art
General Manager
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Programmer
Audio Programmer
Graphic Artist
Animator
Art Director
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Audio
[ full credits ]

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 85% (based on 37 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.6 out of 5 (based on 38 ratings with 5 reviews)

Smooth as Ice

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 ā€œface-in-the-gameā€ feature, first found in NBA Live 2000 and NHL 2000 returns, and you can also create your own player jerseys.

The Bad
The ā€œface-in-the-gameā€ feature isnā€™t the greatest feature (and most of the time, they donā€™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.

Windows · by Kartanym (12418) · 2001

Another great addition to EA Sports' NHL series.

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.

Windows · by Radoslaw Koncewicz (6) · 2001

Another Hockey treat for the year 2001...

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.

Windows · by The Ring Hawk (826) · 2001

[ View all 5 player reviews ]

Discussion

Subject By Date
Another set of incomplete credits? Mtik333 (29526) Nov 12, 2020

Trivia

EA Cover Curse

Owen Nolan missed 24 games of the 2000-01 season for a variety of reasons following his cover appearance and saw his points per game drop from 1.07 (in 99-00) to 0.85.

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Kartanym.

PlayStation added by Brolin Empey.

Additional contributors: ClydeFrog.

Game added October 14, 2000. Last modified February 23, 2024.