User Rating: 8.8 | ESPN NHL Hockey XBOX
By NiCk45 | Review Date:
ESPN NHL Hockey is my first experience with Sega’s new sports offerings. I have yet to get my hands on NFL Football. The release came quickly, earlier than most anticipated. Beating EA’s NHL 2004 to the punch. I’m not sure if that is necessarily a good thing though. So what can hockey fans expect from a short development cycle? One excellent hockey sim. Even with the push to beat EA, Sega finely tuned the gameplay, putting it way over the top of last year’s 2K3. The most impressive new control is the deke moves. Taking advantage of the right thumbstick. Allowing your player to stop on a dime, flip the puck ahead of the defender, or flipping the puck up to the side and side stepping around the defender. All with the flick of the right thumbstick, brilliant. All the other main hockey gameplay controls are there. It is more difficult to pull off the poke check this year, timing is critical, otherwise you can leave your defender flat-footed and vulnerable, reaching at nothing. Making the gameplay even deeper is the custom sliders. Taking a look at any hockey enthusiasts message boards on numerous sites can give you great tips on tweaking gameplay to fit your style. That appeals to all gamers, from arcade fast paced, to slow it down grind it out sim style. Overall control and gameplay is solid, if not for a few response issues with you skater, it would be perfect. Visually ESPN NHL Hockey is also much improved over last year. This year’s version got an overhaul with a new graphics engine. Player faces are spot on! Best I’ve seen in any sports game. Another nice touch is the player size, in relation to the rink. Seems much more realistic this year, maybe it’s the tight camera views, but it seems much better. Speaking of camera views, would have been nice to have a zoom feature, something that will be added next year no doubt. Since that is the main complaint going around. I would tend to agree. Overall you won’t find a better-looking hockey game, yet alone sports game! Sega is king in that category this year. The audio department is another top-notch feature. Adding Bill Clement and Gary Thorne automatically improves this year’s version. Bar none the best commentary I’ve ever heard in a sports game. Feels like you watching and listening to an ESPN hockey game on TV. Crowd and arena effects are excellent as well. Hearing the crack of the goalie stick on a save, or numerous different “pings” of the post are outstanding! Crowds swell during appropriate times, and even chant. Hearing, “Marty! Marty! Marty!” after a huge save only adds to the experience. ESPN Hockey has the usual game modes, exhibition, playoffs, tournament, shootout, etc. One nice twist is the skills competition. A great place to hone your skills, or have a blast with a buddy. There are also unlockable game modes where you can play on a frozen pond in the middle of nowhere. I’ve spent numerous hours playing the mini-rink mode, 2 on 2 hockey played at your settings. Surprisingly addicting. There is also the Skybox feature (where you can play air hockey); witch is similar to The Crib in ESPN football. That mode doesn’t get me too excited, give me the gameplay. It is cool to see trophies, or even Lord Stanley’s Cup, in your skybox to show off though. The franchise mode isn’t much different than last years, which is disappointing. Same “point” system on contracts, non-active computer on roster moves, too frequent injuries (which can be turned off thankfully). NHL 2004 is sure to win here from the sound of it. I haven’t played online, but that feature is here once again, with some issues from what I’ve heard. Online play can’t be perfect, never has been in any game I’ve played. Still a solid offering. Overall ESPN NHL Hockey is a great hockey sim, or arcade game. It mainly comes down to finding the right fit for you in the sliders option. A near perfect game for any hockey fan. Hopefully Sega will put together a more in depth franchise/owner mode next year. Definitely worth a Gamefly rental until we compare it to EA’s offering. Can NHL 2004 improve their gameplay? That is the question…

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