NHL 2001

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.

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
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.