As mentioned before, NHL Rivals 2004 is Microsoft's first attempt at hockey, and, as a result, the game is a pretty bare-bones effort when it comes to available gameplay modes. Predictably included are the usual single game, season, tournament, and playoffs modes. However, there is no franchise mode. The season mode lets you perform trades, it lets you assign free agents to different teams, and it lets you manage basic coaching functions for a full NHL season--but that's it. No salaries, no drafts, and no future are presented beyond that lone season. Rivals also features a mode called instant rivalry. By selecting it, you will play a single game between two teams who have historically been at odds with one another, whether it be due to feuding fan bases or division rivalries. Unfortunately, you can't choose what pairings of teams you'd like to have square off. Basically, random chance determines what rivalry you'll end up with, so, when you consider that the game doesn't really play any differently in this mode, there isn't a whole lot of point to it.

Rivals' problematic gameplay stems largely from some unbalanced AI issues.

As with all of Microsoft's first-party sports titles for the Xbox, NHL Rivals 2004 is Xbox Live-enabled and features all the benefits of Microsoft's XSN, or Xbox Sports Network. The XSN support is exactly as it is in its NFL and NBA counterparts and features online leagues and tournaments, complete with stat and transaction tracking available through e-mail. In terms of the standard online play, you can obviously jump right into a regular game of hockey between two Xboxes, but you'll also have another type of game available. Pickup hockey is an online-exclusive mode where up to six different Xboxes can log into a single game to play 1-on-1, 3-on-3, 2-on-1, or whatever number combination you can come up with between two and six (depending on how many players you have, of course). Pickup hockey takes place on outside rinks, away from the glitz and glamour of fancy hockey arenas, and, during the game, each player is relegated to a single, controllable player. That player, of course, can assume any of the different roles available in the normal game. It's a cool, little mode, and it's actually kind of a shame it isn't available offline. As far as online performance goes, the game played just fine and only featured a couple of drop-offs here and there; no lag worth mentioning was noticed.

NHL Rivals' graphics are probably its strongest feature, but they still have some notable issues. Rivals' best visual asset is most certainly its excellent-looking hockey arenas, which are full of detail and polish in most every aspect--especially when it comes to the ice itself. The game's player models look pretty good as well, though they're a bit blockier than in other recent hockey offerings. A good portion of the game's marquee players have their own unique faces, and they also look appropriately accurate. Apparently, only the most recognizable name players have warranted their own faces, so you'll see quite a few generic ones throughout the game. Unfortunately, the generic faces don't look quite as good, nor do they look terribly close to accurate with regard to the players they're supposed to represent. The graphics' biggest sticking point comes in the category of animation, which, for the most part, looks very stuttery and off-kilter. Some of the stand-alone animations look good by themselves, but it seems like the game really lacks any solid transition animations to go between them, which leads to a lot of herky-jerky movement on the ice that just doesn't look natural at all. There's also a decided lack of any real cutscene or celebration animation, and what the game does provide in that respect is rather paltry compared to some of the excellent scenes depicted in Sega, EA, and, Midway's NHL offerings.

Rivals' sound presentation lacks in most every category. The obvious highlight here would be its soundtrack, which contains some good, if not immediately recognizable, tunes. Since the game supports custom soundtracks, you can basically program it at will. Some of the in-game effects are pretty good also, like the nicely reactive and realistic-sounding crowd noises and the sounds of skates cutting through the ice. However, there are definitely some problem areas with the sound effects as well. Certain actions, like checking another player or hitting a slap shot, just don't sound right at all, and the understated effects used are actually pretty pathetic. The game's commentary is provided by the duo of Sam Rosen and John Davidson, who, while reasonably accurate when it comes to the action on the ice, don't do much to distinguish themselves. Overall, much of the commentary feels incidental rather than realistic.

Rivals' online support is well done, but, because the game isn't much fun to play, most of the online support's appeal has already been negated.

One could try to make excuses for NHL Rivals 2004 by stating that it's a first-time effort and that, obviously, Microsoft couldn't do everything that the competition is doing since its got so little comparative experience under its belt. While this is a fair statement, even for a first try NHL Rivals is a decidedly underwhelming effort that does little to impress you beyond some flashy visual touches and a few good gameplay concepts that don't quite hold up under the weight of the game's larger issues. Perhaps, with time, Microsoft will come into its own with the Rivals franchise and can then take the game to the level of the current competition's NHL titles. But, as far as Rivals 2004 goes, with so many better hockey games on the market today, it simply cannot be recommended.