NHL 2002 Preview
We hit the ice with a nearly complete build of this year's iteration of EA Sports' NHL game.
If you liked NHL 2001, chances are that you'll like NHL 2002. A look at a nearly final build of the game reveals that EA Sports has made relatively few changes to its shinny simulation. That shouldn't be surprising information to anyone paying attention, as last year's addition to the long-running series is widely regarded as the best ever produced. Greater emphasis on realism and the incorporation of a suite of AI slider bars that allowed users to customize nearly every aspect of the on-ice action pleased even hard-core hockey fans.
So, for 2002, EA Sports has apparently adopted an "If it ain't broke..." approach. The design team has confined its changes to relatively minor tweaks that enhance the game's atmosphere. Arcade elements and a sense of goofball fun have been thrown in as well, lending NHL 2002 a bit of a Triple Play feel. The latter three words are likely to exasperate serious simulators right off the bat, as the Triple Play series has lately been excoriated for being more of a parody than a depiction of real baseball. Take heart, however. While the changes won't bring a broken-toothed smile to those who learned to skate before they learned to walk, all the additions can be turned off or ignored.
You'll probably want to keep some of them on, though. A few of the new twists actually add welcome new dimensions to the game. NHL player cards, for starters, should be appreciated by anyone who used to blow his or her allowance on those neat little wax packs with the grout-like gum. Points earned for accomplishing certain feats during gameplay--ranging from basic accomplishments such as winning a game to tougher challenges like beating Team Canada with Japan in tournament mode--can be spent on these card packs. In addition to providing neat pics of your NHL faves, the cards can be used to boost the hero (see below) skill ratings of the players depicted. The performance enhancement is good for one, two, or three periods, depending on the gold, silver, or bronze level of the card.
In addition to these standard player cards, a number of special cards enhance entire teams or unlock goal-scoring celebration moves and Easter eggs. The penalty free card lets you avoid the sin bin for a certain number of periods, while off-target causes your opponent's next 10 shots to miss the net. Swordsman, on the other hand, opens up a stick-twirling scoring animation, and superstar lets you turn a spotlight on the scoring player and cause flash bulbs to go off all over the stands. There are more than 40 of these cards in total, including nine that unlock Easter eggs like sumo hockey and big-head mode. Purists who find all this too "arcadey" can simply disregard these latter options and just try to gather all 189 cards in the virtual book provided. Collecting should provide players with a lot of fun all on its own, as doubles are common and you'll inevitably have to sell some cards for enough points to buy more packs.
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- GameSpot Score9.2Editors' Choice
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NHL 2002 Review
There are quite a few excellent enhancements to the gameplay and the computer's artificial intelligence hidden beneath NHL 2002's dizzying array of flashy new features.
- Sep 19, 2001
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