Hands-on: NHL Hitz GameCube

Midway's GameCube version of NHL Hitz was playable at Midway's recent Gamers' Day, and we took it for a spin. The playable version, an early rev of the game, let only one player hit the ice against the CPU but it still looked promising. Featuring clean but somewhat blocky character at present, the game played very smoothly with the GameCube controller. The GameCube version of the game will offer all the modes found in the PS2 and Xbox versions. In addition, Hitz on the GameCube will do the PS2 version one better and offer four-player multiplayer support instead of two-player.

The game's graphics are still a bit rough, but they did offer some nice touches. As in the other console versions of the game, the crowd is polygonal and animates, and the crowd noise changes with the action in the rink. Player reflections on the ice only extend to the character's knees, but each character did sport full shadows. Glass shattered nicely when a player was slammed through it, which is always a welcome touch. Overall the colors looked a bit brighter than the other versions shown on the GameCube, although the poly models weren't quite as smoothed out as the PS2 and Xbox versions yet. Given that the game isn't due to release for a while, there's still time for Midway to polish things up.

Gameplay was solid, with the control translating very well to the GameCube controller. Playing like a pugilistic NFL Blitz on ice, the game lets players be "on fire" once they'd scored successive goals. Fighting in the game was also possible, with the camera pulling back to a side view and combat taking place in a 2D plane. A simple button layout of punches keeps the action quick and accessible.

Look for more information on NHL Hitz for the GameCube in the coming months as it nears release. NHL Hitz is currently slated to be a launch title for the GameCube this November.