NHL 2002 is the best selling hockey game ever, and there is a reason for that. It has the best graphics, modes, music, and most important of all game play. NHL 2002 for Xbox is no exception to this trend of the game just getting better and better every year. This year the player cards play a huge part in the game. You earn points for doing special tasks, then you spend the points on a pack of cards that include cheats, celebrations, and player boost cards. There are several high quality songs on this game, along with great sound effects and the best graphics there has ever been in a hockey game. If you like hockey games, or if you are a NHL fan this is a must have game no matter what system you play it on. Graphics The graphics in NHL 2002 are the best ever in a hockey game. Each player is individually modeled, which makes it so if you are a hockey fan you can tell who the player is by just looking at their face. The jerseys are very well done with the highest of quality, and even from the furthest away camera you can see what number the player is. There are actually referees on the ice that skate around with the play. The animations are also done very well. When scoring a goal, you have the choice of what celebration you want to do. They also show a section of the crowd who are individually modeled and animated to do actions like booing and celebrating. When there is a big hit or a goal or a spectacular play and the auto replay goes on it has a very dramatic slow motion repetitive animation. However after all of this, the most impressive part of the graphics is the ice. The ice looks as real as ever, you can see the reflection of the players, the crowd, and the stadium. You won't notice this when you are playing but the ice actually wears down and loses some of its shine just like in real life. The only time you will notice this is after the end of the period after the zamboni has went over the ice you can see that it is so clean and shiny now. The graphics in NHL 2002 are one of its best qualities, and there are no flaws. 9 out of 10 Sound Effects/Music The sound effects and music aspect of this game is as flawless as the graphics. There are several popular bands and songs in this game including Sum 41's "Fat Lip". The sound effects work really well with the action on the ice. When you check someone you can hear the hit and you can feel it. If you shoot the puck and it hits the post it will ping as soon as you hit it. What is really cool is when you are just skating around, you can hear the skates gliding on the ice, and when you stop you can hear the skates dig into the ice. The sound of the stick hitting the puck is also very well done. The announcers are absolutely hilarious. This is the best part of the sound effects. The color commentator makes remarks that will make you pause the game because you will be laughing so much you won’t be able to concentrate on the game. The announcers barely ever make the same comment twice in the same game which is a big improvement from last year’s version on the PS2. The Public Address announcer also makes a lot of funny comments that that will catch you off guard. The sound effects and music in NHL 2002 are almost flawless. 9 out of 10 Gameplay If there is an average category that NHL 2002 is in its Ease of Play. It is very hard get the controls down; the learning curve is about an hour. One of the best things about it is you can set the game speed, so if it isn't fast enough you can make it faster, and if it isn't slow enough you can make it slower. You can also adjust the how good the goalie is on each team, so if you're team is scoring too many goals, turn the goalie boost up, if their team is scoring too many goals, you can turn your goalie boost up. These options help you adjust the game to your level no matter what it is. Once you get the hang of the controls you will be having fun for a long time especially if you play with your friends. There are several modes of play which are: Quick Play, Exhibition, Season, Tournament, Playoffs, and Shootout. The season mode is very fun, you can pick as many teams as you want to play as, such as a team in each league and then if you are good enough they will both play each other in the Stanly Cup Finals, where you can either pick a team or just let the computer play it. In NHL 2002 they use the player card system. You get points for such things as winning 10 face-offs in a period, scoring on the first shot of the game, 10 big hits, a hat trick, etc. Each pack of cards costs you 2,000 points, and you will not get new cards in every pack. Just like in real life the computer randomly chooses the cards you get. There are three types of cards: Player cards, cheat cards, and celebration cards. You can use these cards at any time and gives the game a little extra to play with. The game play is a little better than average, but once you get used to the controls this is a really fun game to play. 8 out of 10 Long Term Fun The long term fun factor in a sports game is usually limited to the sports season, for example when it's hockey, football, baseball, or basketball season, I want to be playing that sport on whatever console I'm playing. However NHL 2002 has thought of that and that is one of the reasons they have brought the player card factor into the game. Normally in games you have tasks to do, whether it is save the universe, win a race, solve a mystery, or just blow everything the hell up. In sports games, there is only one thing to do, win a game, season, or dynasty. But with the player cards, you have something to work for. You will find yourself in the middle of the game not concentrating on winning the game, but rather trying to accomplish your goals so you can collect every single player card and celebration. There is an actual goal to work for rather than just win the game. This will keep you playing longer than usual. Even if you don't want to try and collect the player cards the season mode in NHL 2002 is done very well, it is very realistic in the trading deadline, the AI actually proposes trades, which is uncommon in sports games, usually you are the one offering trades. Once you start a season you will probably not finish it because the season is 82 games long, that is why you can select shorter seasons, which gives you more options if you are the kind of person that gets bored with games very easily. If you have your friends come over a lot, this is one of the main games you will be playing. Having four people working together is the ultimate gaming party, if one person is checking, another is passing, and another is faking the shot and passing for a one-timer for the last person. Or you can just play against each other which is always fun because of the huge hits and dramatic features put into the game such as the breakaway cam where it the camera zooms in and you can hear the player's heartbeat. This game will last you a while, but in the off season months it will probably catch some dust on your shelf. 8 out of 10 Reviewer's Tilt 9/10 Overall This game has the best graphics a NHL game has ever had, and the other categories follow in suit. The announcers are hilarious, and you will be playing this game for a long time. The player cards add a little more than expected with a sports game, and give you more goals to work for. If you are a hockey fan this game is a must have. The options are almost unlimited with the teams you can choose; there are all of the NHL teams plus the Olympic teams. If there is one hockey game that you are going to get, it's this one, there is just no other competition out there. 8.6 The Best Hockey Series does it again! -Ben Berry
NHL 2002 is just one of those hockey games. I actually didnt want to review this one or even play it. But when i did, it was actually pretty fun to play. I was so surprised. I like first of all, the options and profil... Read Full Review
This has got to be one of the best hockey games out there, well, at the time the x-box was first released. The season mode is great, you can stack your team a bit too easily though. Playing against the games AI got rea... Read Full Review
