Customer Reviews

NHL 2002

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

For any fan of hockey out there, your in for a real treat with NHL 2002 for the PS2. Almost every aspect of last years title has been either fixed or improved. So what makes you wanna buy this game, well lets get started. 1) The clumsy frame rate near center ice has been fixed, as well as even better graphics than last years game. 2) An all new career mode has been implemented into the game where you can play 10 consecutive seasons as well as draft, work around retiring veterans, and signing big name free agents at the end of the year. 3) The create a player mode has been totally reworked with you being able to customize any face you want complete with facial hair, arm size, leg size, etc..... 4) Another change is the all new breakaway cam where when you break down the ice the picture will go to widescreen and it focuses in on you and the goalie. 5) An all new card system has also been implemented (like those on the Madden games) where you will be able to earn them by completing special tasks, and then therefore use them for ungodly powers like inflicting the other team with the flu. 6) All new updated rosters, so accurate it even has Mr. Hedbergs blue "Moose" mask on it.

If none of the things I've mentioned before are blowing your skirt up, then you obviously never had a rush like hockey can give you, real life or a video game, it is undescribable how exciting and emotional hockey is. Well if you've read my review you will have all the inside info you should need to buy this game, oh yeah did I mention #66 is under your control......

THE GOOD:
-Better framerate than last year's version
-Impressive graphics!
-Game Story feature (details the big events of the game, such as possible shutout, total domination)
-Saucer passes (great for getting the pass by frisky defensemen)
-Create-a-player feature (put yourself in the game!)
-Hero line (puts your best players on the ice, good when you need a goal late in the game)
-Tons of customizable features (such as puck elasticity and friction)
-Franchise Mode (start your dynasty now!)
-Good controls, easy to learn
-The crowd looks good (some of the crowd are wearing the home team's jersey!)
-Customizable celebrations! (pick and choose how you celebrate your goal)
THE BAD:
-Annoying color commentary (but you can turn it off)
-Camera angle. It's either too far away or too close up.
-Load time is still a little slow
-The power play needs work
-The fighting needs a complete overhaul. It's just a button-mashing contest. EA needs to go back to the days of NHL for the Genesis. Now THAT had some great fighting.
-The breakaway camera can be confusing (and annoying)
-No hats thrown on the ice for a hat trick?!? Again, EA needs to go back to their roots

SUMMARY: RECOMMENDED
Good game. If EA heeds the words of the fans, next year's version could be flawless.

EA Sports has done it again. Quite frankly, I am not a fan of hockey or soccer, but I do enjoy video simulations of both sports. This is the best hockey game since NHL '93 for the Genesis, and is a must-buy for anyone who likes games with lots of action. The graphics are superb, the 4 difficulty setting means there will always be a challenge, and the audio is above par. The announcers are funny and have a lot of different phrases, although they will repeat themselves after a few games.

The action is smooth and easy to follow, thanks to a large variety of available camera angles. There are in-game replays of particularly hard hits and spectacular saves, although this does tend to hinder the flow of the game. I turned this option off after a few games.

Probably the best thing about NHL 2002, though, is that it is very easy to learn. This makes it one of the best four-player/party games available. It is worth getting a multitap and the extra controllers in order to play two-on-two. My brother, who is videogame illiterate for the most part, scored two goals in his first game and was checking people all over the ice.

If you are a parent, there is some low-level violence, and the players can get into fights, although this option can be turned off.

NHL 2002 for the Sony Playstation 2 is a decent hockey game with some good points, bad points, and a few completly terrible points.

The good: It's hockey (I seem to say that every year, but hockey is a great sport). This game has great graphics and options (dynasty/franchise mode for example). AI is much improved in the goalies from last season. Goalies are much more consistant this year as scoring is a bit more difficult and realistic on the medium and difficult modes. Also, the game plays true-to-life when it comes to your strategy. If you go all-out to constantly make open-ice hits or don't dump the puck into the offensive zone while changing lines, there's a great chance you'll give up odd-man rushes that can very well lead to a lot of goals against.

The bad: The sound has hurt this game more than anything. The play-by-play and color comentating are the worst I've ever heard. This is hockey--a full contact game where the weak get crushed and pounded and fighting gets you five minutes rather than five games. The developers at EA have decided to take a physical sport and turn it into some kind of comical relief type of atmosphere that doesn't work at all. Checks sound like explosions and slap shots sound like rockets. EA needs to hire a new sound team as each season their sound effects keep getting worse. The music even has the comical Bare Naked Ladies group for their music choice. And where's the organ music (seldom heard) and national anthems? Also, some added replay features are put into the game to stop the action while some stupid replay of a big save or big hit is shown three times (this can be turned off, though--which makes this a waste of programming and dics space). Breakaways are put into widescreen mode to "add" to the excitement or whatever of one of the most exciting moments of the game. Well, it does take getting used to, but this feature is not wanted in a hockey sim.

The ugly: Fighting looks much better this year, but it's still a non-skilled, button-mashing contest. No ducking or grabbing--just fistacuffs thrown for about three seconds. The fighting in EA's NHL 96 for the Sega Genesis was much better than this garbage (remember pulling your opponents jersey over their head, throwing them down to the ice, and continue to beat him while they're down?--Ahhh, the good days of real hockey programming--Mark Lesser: Where are you?!?). I'd love to see that go from 16-bit to what we have today on the PSX2--not this button-mashing garbage.

This is not a bad title by any means. When you get used to the controls and aweful color comentary, you'll see that this is an addictive game as there is a lot of simutation and realism involved. Simply adjust the options to your liking and to eliminate to annoying garbage and you'll have a great sim on your PSX2. Is it better that NHL 2001? In most areas, yes. It's not the add-ons that make it better (with the exception of the franchise mode), it's the better gameplay (mainly the goalie AI) that makes it better.

NHL 2002 is a good investment for any hockey fan, and EA has the best game out there in with this year's version. While some tinkering is still needed, this game is still very fun

Here's a breakdown of some of the highlights:
-saucer passes (helps against those pesky defensemen)
-breakaway cam (nothing but you, your heartbeat, and the goalie)
-game story feature (adds to the overall feel of the game by highlighting possible shutouts or comebacks)
-better graphics, better sound

-create-a-player (put yourself in the game)
-big hit replay (crush you opponent in style)
-funny commentary
-better goalie AI

Some things that need to be changed (hopefully before next year's version comes out):
-the fighting is still the same old button-mashing style. EA needs to bring back the jersey grab, the ducking, the blocking, and possibly...the blood
-the commentary, while funny and endless, needs to take on a more serious approach.

Overall, it's a good game. I'd recommend it!

EA sports needs to seriously evaluate the color commentary for next year. I'd give this game a perfect rating, if it wasn't for the sub-par, inane, and completely useless chatter and elementary school humor of the announcers.

Why not tell me something interesting about a player's past accomplishments? Better yet, have the commentator's compare your performance over the season to the past performance of a player. Give me some meaningful insight and interesting hockey trivia, not humor inspired from Bob Saget's worst writing on "America's Funniest Home Videos".

On the plus side the gameplay is realistic. It's nice to really fight for the puck and screen the shots from the slot. Good to see low scores for a change, too. Defintely the most challenging and rewarding hockey gameplay I've ever had.

But, one more bad thing about the sound. No more "Let's go Buffalo" chants during powerplays? Come on EA, get with it and make next year's as realistic as the game strategies.

It's obvious that EA wasn't trying to create a perfect sim of hockey with NHL 2002, they were attempting to satisfy the majority of gamers with a fun, long-lasting game. To their credit, they succeeded.
The gameplay is excellent, there's finally no slowdown at all, the players move realistically, and the multiplayer is a blast. I for one am happy with this year's commentary. I'd rather laugh at the stupidity of Don Taylor than listen to two boring, dull, and lifeless announcers (NBA 2K2, for example) that would put me to sleep. Their remarks are spot on, and they even announce your created player's name sometimes.
If anyone from EA Sports is reading this, here are some things that definitely should be changed for 2003: 1) Scrap the fighting all together, it's just a waste of time anyway, 2) Where's the create-a-team feature? The one in Madden is outstanding, and is sadly missing here, 3) More powerplays and a better feel for them. I never really could setup in the opponents zone to create chances. 4) Less jerkier replay, the one in FIFA is smoother and far superior.
Even though hockey season is almost over, if you can pick up this game used or at a discount price, take full advantage. It should last until NHL 2003 comes out, especially if you have many friends.

NHL 2002 is the new benchmark for hockey games. It's fun, it's deep, it's got features up the wazoo, and best of all, it lasts long.

The gameplay has been upped significantly since last year, framerate hicups are gone, horrible A.I. is out, while Franchise mode, NHL Cards, Create-A-Face builder, and new commentary are in. Thankfully all of these are welcome additions. Since it's already July, you can probably see how deep this game is, and I bought it in October. The Franchise mode helps considerably, but the option to make shorter seasons and longer Franchise years is needed in 2003. Also EA, let us take down the period length to 2-4 minutes instead of only four set times (5, 10, 15, 20 minute periods are your only options). And EA, where's the Create-A-Team feature? Just walk over to Madden or FIFA studios and steal theirs, jeez.

A lot of people whined about the color commentary, but frankly it's a great addition in my books simply because most commentary teams are incredibly boring (Madden/ Summerall, I'm looking at you). So what if Don Taylor is constantly cracking jokes, it's better than listening to repetitive and dull insight from lifeless announcers, like in NFL or NBA 2K2, for example. Here are a few of his brilliant comments:
- Hockey is like Chess, only with way more bodychecking.
- That shot so hard my lunch almost came back up...again!
- Lucky the boards were there to stop him from getting hammered into the fans!
- They capitilized on that powerplay in capitillian fashion!

I think commentary in video games is underrated and I'm glad NHL's is at least tolerable and as not boring as 95% of all the other sports games.

Overall hockey video gaming doesn't get any better. By now you should be able to pick this one up pretty cheap, and you can't possibly go wrong here. It may lean to the arcady side a bit but it's a blast to play- by yourself or with friends.

The PS2 version of this game rocks. The sound, game play, music, and graphics are all superb. My only real complaint is that it is so much harder to score on the DIFFICULT skill level than it is on the MEDIUM skill level. I have to bump the opposing goalie down one notch at the start of each game, but at least they've included that feature (which allows you to adjust each team's skill level before each game).

Does anyone else think EA should make these games available on a subscription basis? Yes, I'm going to buy next year's game for the new rosters and new "team chemistry", if there is such a thing, but it's a shame my purchase really only lasts 12 months. Or give us a "dynasty mode" where we can build our team (and tweak others) over the course of several seasons so we can adapt each team's overall skill level for years to come. Just my two cents.

NHL 2002 is a very cool game. I own it for my ps2 and I love it. I do have the Xbox and the cube, but the ps2 version of extreme hockey truly stands out. I love the textured graphics and the funny comments the commentators say when you score a goal: AHHH, I spilled coffee on my pants! No, u spilled coffee on my pants! Says the other guy. This game is great in many ways and EA has made a winner. I reccomend you to get this game if you like sports!

Graphics: 5/5
Gameplay: 4/5
Satisfaction: 5/5
Sound: 4/5
Overall: 5/5 (not averaged)

Greatest Gaming Moment:
Creating a really cool player named GAMEMASTER JASON and kicking my three freinds butts at it.

Time played: 20+ HOURS

-Gamemaster Jason