PlayStation 2

NHL 2004

With plenty of throwback jerseys and international teams coupled with simple, solid controls and a deep Dynasty mode, NHL 2004 impresses us with the change and offers hardcore gamers and button mashers a good time on the ice.

It's been a bit of a roller coaster ride for diehard fans of EA's NHL hockey franchise. After the outstanding NHL 2002 hit in the fall of 2001, hockey fans thought they had nowhere to go but up from there. But NHL 2003 left a bad taste in the mouths of longtime fans because of a looser, more arcadey approach. The threat from Midway's NHL Hitz was taken that seriously.

These days, if you're a fan of the sport of hockey and video games, you're living the good life. Developers have been upping the ante on their hockey titles far more substantially in the last few years and are really working hard to make their NHL titles better so they can compete with the NFL, NBA, and MLB offerings. One of the main causes for this increase in quality hockey titles is competition--or a sudden appearance thereof. EA's long-running NHL franchise has always been successful, but last year, Sega finally brought out an NHL title worthy of competing with EA's in NHL 2K3. This year, both companies have clearly worked hard at improving their respective games, each trying to get an edge over the other. ESPN NHL Hockey is the latest in Sega's series, and, for all intents and purposes, it is simply one of the best hockey games ever designed.

The temperature outside is dropping, the days are getting shorter and Fall is in the air. That means it's hockey season, which also means that the annual battle of the hockey video games is at hand. We recently checked out the awesome ESPN NHL Hockey, and now get a glimpse at the old workhorse from EA in NHL 2004.

NHL 2004 is definitely one of the moment's best sports game. It doesn’t matter if you like hockey or not, this game has something everybody can enjoy. Great graphics, good gameplay, superb sound and original teams and leagues. Now although this is a great game, perhaps wait a few days instead of rushing to the store, because Midway's “NHL Hitz: Pro” should be coming out soon and it might be nice to know which aspects are different, so you can decide the game that suites you best.

IT SEEMS THAT THIS year EA have decided to give even more control to the player in their sports titles. From the Game Face in Tiger Woods 2004 to the Playmaker controls in Madden 2004 most of the enhancements seem to focus more on control. The largest example of this would be in Madden, where the player is given control of an NFL franchise team and allowed to make almost every decision related to that team. NHL 2004 is no different, with the player given the ability to act as General Manager for a team and given more control in such things as fighting and puck control.

After several sputtering, rocky seasons, EA Sports overhauled its hockey series with solid results, and NHL 2004 benefits rippingly from a new development team and a new focus. Some of its ideas are brilliant innovations, some are wisely appropriated standards, and some just flop?but the overall result is fun, action-oriented, authentic hockey with a few troubling flaws.

Looking at the new lineup of sports games every year has become a matter of evaluation by degrees. Franchises from each major publisher have evolved to the point where total newcomers can expect to be fairly impressed, and returning gamers always have to wonder, "Is the upgrade worth it?" It's time for hockey fans to open their wallets, because EA has made sure the answer is "yes," with a fully (sometimes subtly) revamped NHL 2004. Blame it on Sega's stunning release from last year, which must have lit a fire under EA to reclaim the top spot. They haven't quite done it, but NHL 2004 is still a very fine hockey sim with a great online component for the PS2.

As recently as five years ago, if you wanted a good hockey game, Electronic Arts’ NHL series was the only place to go. It was easily one of the most venerated sports series in console history, second only to Madden in terms of overall quality.