New NHL 2K3 details

Sega is planning to make a number of improvements to the NHL 2K series with NHL 2K3, which will be released on the GameCube, the PlayStation 2, and the Xbox. For starters, the game will feature an in-depth franchise mode that incorporates many of the options found in World Series Baseball for the Xbox as well as NFL 2K3. Players will be able to hire scouts and managers and, of course, make trades to establish the best team in the league. There will also be a refined create-a-player mode for those who want to make their own players.

As far as visual improvements are concerned, Treyarch has added more detail to the player models, increased the texture quality (which can be seen in the individual goalie masks), and redesigned the stadiums so that they look more like their real-life counterparts. Players will also notice that each arena has a team-specific crowd with individual fans wearing home-team jerseys. Reflective effects have also been enhanced, particularly in the Xbox version of the game.

The Xbox version of NHL 2K3 will also be the only version of the game to carry online multiplayer support. NHL 2K3 is scheduled for release in the fall.