So what makes you think i would want to buy this?...because it's awesome that's why!

User Rating: 9.1 | NHL 2002 PS2
By fishdalf | Review Date:
I know what you're thinking, EA has made so many sports games that turned out to be huge flops, NHL 2001 wasn't the best game ever either. So what makes you think i would want to buy this?...because it's awesome that's why!. The best hockey game ever on any computer from any time period, it's the closest thing to actually watching it on the TV. The biggest improvement from previous installments is the actual gameplay itself, it's not shaky like it used to be and it doesn't drag along at a dismally slow pace like it used to. Everything runs so smooth and so fast that it becomes very addictive and very fun to play solely or with friends. There's no more stoppages every 5 seconds either, if you slam somebody into the ice then you just carry on usually and this makes the game flow a lot better. The designers also decided to throw a few new moves in to add to that fun factor, you can now to manual dekes which can see you skillfully tapping the puck past opponents with ease or handing it straight to them. Saucer passes have also been thrown in for good measure. All the best modes from previous installments return, from career mode to just creaming your friends in the fast multiplayer. The amount of modes here is pretty impressive and with the added feature of NHL cards the lifespan of the game is increased considerably. This see's you collecting cards for doing certain challenges like 'score 10 goals in a game'. Once certain challenges are done you can unlock 'Easter Eggs' that enhance the game quite a bit, from making players grow everytime they score to giving players humorous celebrations. The Create-a-Player mode is back and has a lot more features in order for you to make that ideal player that little bit more realistic, there is also an option here to include your own face. This has it's bad points and your face may not always look identical but overall can be pretty fun to mess around with. Even some of the professional players included don't look exactly like their real-life counterparts and rather like overweight junkies. A lot have camera effects have been added this time round and all adds to the overall experience. They slow down the action whenever a good save is made or you slam someone into a wall. These do add to the intensity but can be pretty annoying times. One cam that really is great is the 'Breakaway Cam' which appears when you create a 1-on-1 with the opposing goalie and see's the camera focus behind the attacking player. If this isn't your style then it can be turned off but where's the fun in that?. The only big fault this game has is the really really bad fighting that has managed to sneak it's way into this game, how it got in is anybodies guess. Perhaps im over-exaggerating because im comparing it to the rest of the game which is so good but it really is terrible. The rest of the stuff that has been added this year though more nd makes up for it and brings together all the ingredients for a great sports game. You don't have to be a hockey fan, you don't even have to be a sports fan to enjoy this game, it's fun to play on your own and it's fun to play with friends. Gameplay - Brilliant gameplay, smooth and really fun. Keep you amused for hours on end with it's addictive style. Graphics - Some players look the same but other than that it looks really crisp and just like the real thing. Sound - Great sound effects and great commentary makes, it's funny and it's sharp and with bands like Sum 41 in the soundtrack it gets a perfect score. Value - All the modes will keep you glued to it for weeks, collecting all the NHL cards will take you a while.

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