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NHL 2002

Moby ID: 5541
Windows Specs
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Description official descriptions

NHL 2002 is EA's latest incarnation of their NHL series.

New features over previous years includes the "Breakaway Cam", which causes the game to slow down, turn blue, and go into letterbox mode when you're one on one with the goalie, and "EA GameStory", which tracks your progress and rewards you for outstanding performance.

NHL 2002 is the first in the series to include NHL Cards, which is the equiviliant of Madden's NFL Cards. By performing special moves, such as scoring within the first 30 seconds or winning 10 face-offs, you get points, which you can then use to buy cards.

NHL 2002 includes all the professional NHL teams, as well as the International teams, such as Team Canada and U.S.A. Every stadium is included, and so is every player.

NHL 2002 has many game modes, including Season, Quick Play, Shootout, and Exhibition. It also has a "Create-A-Skater" mode.

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Screenshots

Promos

Credits (Windows version)

358 People (304 developers, 54 thanks) · View all

Rendering Lead (Core Programming)
Collision Detection (Core Programming)
Front End Lead (Core Programming)
AI (Core Programming)
Platform Lead (Core Programming)
Front End (Core Programming)
Rendering (Core Programming)
Platform Support (Core Programming)
Coverage (Core Programming)
Online (Core Programming)
Audio (Core Programming)
Animation (Core Programming)
AI Lead (Core Programming)
Animation Scripting System (Core Programming)
Build Monkey
[ full credits ]

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 86% (based on 37 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.7 out of 5 (based on 29 ratings with 2 reviews)

Best NHL game out there for casual hockey fans.

The Good
NHL 2002 has plenty of things to like. The graphics are a big improvement over 2001, the faces are detailed enough that in some cases you can actually tell who some players are!! Tons of stats are available on players(draft positions, career stats etc.) as well as lists which record all trades which take place. For stat fanatics like myself, this may keep you playing for hours on its own. The gimmicky tweaks made by EA such as the hit and save replays and goal celebrations are cool enough without distracting from the actual gameplay.

The Bad
The biggest knock against NHL 2002 is that it doesn't play like the NHL. It's full of highlight reel goals and hits that you'd see once a month in the real league. While this is great for some, as a serious hockey fan I found it too unrealistic. There are too many glitchy goals as well, passes sometimes end up in the net, weak wrist shots from the blue line, I've seen too many bad goals to describe in this review. The "commentary" gets annoying very quickly.

The Bottom Line
NHL 2002 was good enough to spend allot of time on my hard drive when it first came out and its allot better than NHL 2003. It's the best game on the PC for casual hockey fans who just want to see some impossible hits and goals every once in awhile and can probably be found for cheap. Serious hockey fans on the other hand are better off picking up NHL 2004

Windows · by devils102 (18) · 2004

If you are a hockey fan (or just like hockey gaming) NHL 2002 should be part of your collection.

The Good
NHL 2002's most outstanding feature has to be (aside from the superb graphics) the appeal to players of all skill levels. Whether you are a novice or experienced hockey gamer you will like the fact that you can configure the game to your specifications... When I started playing EA Sports NHL series on the Sega Genesis in the early 1990s the single-player got old after awhile. Not with NHL 2002! It has been on my hard drive for almost two years now.

The Bad
There are a couple of "glitches" within the game that do annoy me from time to time...

1. Own Goal - your forward skates through the crease and accidently pushes the puck past your goalie;
2. Colour Commentary - it did get on my nerves the first six months but nowadays I hardly notice Don Taylor's idiotic attempt at humour :P
3. Floater Goal - while trying to make a saucer pass to the players in front of the net, the puck will "float" by everyone and over the goalies shoulder.

The Bottom Line
If you are a hockey fan (or just like hockey gaming) NHL 2002 should be part of your collection. What makes a good game great? It's replayable and it's fun to play. NHL 2002 has both of these elements in abundance.

Windows · by punkus (2) · 2003

Trivia

In the German gaming magazine GameStar (issue 02/2002) NHL 2002 was named as "Best Sports Game in 2001".

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by JPaterson.

Windows, PlayStation 2 added by Kartanym.

Additional contributors: phlux, Patrick Bregger.

Game added December 19, 2001. Last modified August 14, 2024.