Customer Reviews

NHL 2002 - XBOX

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Most people think that NHL Hitz 2002 is the game to get...beleive me--dont get it.. Ive played both games and the graphics are both awesome, but the gameplay is much easier with NHL 2002. EA has always made the best hockey games and no one is going to change that. Hitz 2002 is only playable in 3 on 3 and 4 on 4, and the rink is quite small. This game reminds you of Wayne Gretzky for N64, also there are many more features with NHL 2002 such as career mode. I am a diehard hockey fan and ttrust me...NHL 2002 by EA is the hockey game of the year.

Now granted, I haven't owned a hockey game since the Genesis, but I am really enjoying this new EA NHL game. Mostly because it doesn't seem to have any errors or easy-scoring functions of the EA games of the past (if anything you can change the settings and make it almost impossible to score).

Below are my Top 10 Reasons to buy this NHL game!

1 - You can adjust the settings on every aspect of the game from the friction speed of the puck, to the amount of goalie rebounds, to the sheer aggression of the players.

2 - Not only are there various difficulty settings but there are also player and goalie BOOST settings. So if you want to use Detroit but you're playing a friend who has never played, you can lower your goalie boost so it's easier to score on him. This is a great touch to help any team or player feel like they can win.

3 - The sheer controls. Each of the Xbox's 8 buttons is used. There's a lot going on and it all has a good level of importance, from the "dump in", to the poke check, to the deke move, or dive and block shot. In the blur of a game it's also easy to panic and hit the wrong button...KEEP YOUR GAME FACE ON!

4 - Coaching strategies are a nice touch which can allow you to set your offense and defense to the settings that work best for you (rush the net, behind the net offense, point, triangle, etc...). If you're down two goals you can change the offense to 100% rush the net...and it actually works...you may not get the goal but you'll have the pressure.

5 - Sound and graphics are excellent (as would be expected on the Xbox)...naturally. You can create your own player to excellent detail.

6 - Players can all go on Hot and Cold streaks during a season. And it actually means something. Don't play a tired goalie whatever you do...that boy needs rest!

7 - Officials on the ice! And yes they can get in the way.

8 - There's the Olympics in the tournament mode so you can play with the good old USA! Or give Team Belarus their day in the sun!

9 - You can unlock extra bonuses (like how your player celebrates after scoring a goal) by completing tasks throughout your games (some tasks include...score three goals in one period, get two power play goals, complete a shutout, etc...).

10 - To the best of my humble knowledge there's yet to be a flaw that allows an easy goal. If anything in the harder modes, goals are just hard to come by...and yet not impossible. It feels like you have to work hard to get a goal, and there's a real momentum to the game...if you can't clear the puck from your zone you can feel real pressure that a goal will be imminent!

The only drawback to the game is the fighting which amounts to nothing but button-mashing...but since the NHL is trying to weed out fighting I bet they're happy with it.

All in all this game is a clear BREAKAWAY SUCCESS for EA!

The game is quite fun and makes you think and be more aware than NHL Hitz. You need to actually pass to people, otherwise the pass goes nowhere or to open space.

The announcers could be better and have more chatter. It would have been really cool if they could have gotten the home announcers for each team to record some dialog.

Some of the team selection is neat. You can choose teams based on the all star team roster and the national team rosters. The amount of tweaking and tuning that you can do with this game is huge. I've owned the game for a few days and haven't really bothered yet to turn many of the knobs yet.

The biggest disappointment is that the players do not really appear to be based on the actual players. I'd hope the graphics would resemble the actual player and their actions (such as after scoring a goal) would be like the actual player. hey, this is a DVD. Let's use up all those gigs of space!

It looks like they aren't doing networked play which [is disapointing]. It would be really neat to have 4 humans against 4 humans over the network.

In general, if you want a 'realistic' game, buy this. If you want a simplified 'action' game, get NHL Hitz... or you can do what I did and get both!

For anyone who was a fan of the previous EA Sports Hockey games...you ain't seen nothing yet. The graphics are amazing. The gameplay is smooth. And their are extras galore to make this game more and more fun. The game has only a couple of minor setbacks (thus the 4 out of 5 rating) 1. While the NHL Cards option is a nice touch it is apparently very lopsided as far as team distribution (i.e only 2 Islanders) 2. The Easter Eggs are fun when you can unlock them, however you cannot turn them off during the course of a game.

Recommendation:Play the game in 5 or 10 minute mode (game clock reads 20 minutes but time moves faster) at the medium/hard setting for realism. (I scored 47 goals in the easy 20 minute mode LOL)

I rented this game because of how much I liked previous NHL games made by EA Sports. So I picked this up and poped it in. The first thing I noticed was that there were a lot of little movies. Players getting pumped up before a game, celebrations on and off the ice. I thought that was pretty cool, and a new added feature. But other than little things like that, this game doesn't offer much of anything new. Here's what I thought about this game, and why I only thought it a renter, not a buyer.

1. The graphics: The players are sharper, the ice is thicker. The fans actually move in 3D! But overall, not to great. The puck is way too big, and the overall graphics just aren't to improved. This game had great graphics, but so did previous versions.

2. The options: HORRIBLE. No create a team, no new features. And the biggest thing, no FRANCHISE mode! That was about as dumb as having no franchise mode in NBA Live 2001. I am seriously disapointed by the options in this game. Nothing new whatsoever!

3. The overall depth: After your first season, this game will probably get pretty boring. More new features and better graphics is what this game needs. I hope EA changed things in 2003 edition. Oops, too bad! They did the same thing. Until they finally add some sort of franchise and stuff like that, EA's NHL series will continue, for me, to be a renter, not a buyer. Rent before u buy, then make your decision. Just a warning.

Hope this helped, and I expect a lot more from the great company that is EA. Thx!

NHL 2002 is a crowning achievement in videogame hockey, the first to combine techincal mastery, EA's typical fast-paced gameplay, and convincing realism into one seamless package. The beginner mode is a good tutorial to get used to the controls without getting hammered, while the difficult setting will have experts throwing their controller through the TV after the opposing goalie's 40th consecutive save. Take your team through a season on medium setting on 5 minute periods, and the point totals will accurately reflect their true range (at least with Toronto this was the case). The feeling of picking the top corner with a rocket wrist shot from the top of the circle is unprecedented, and the control is as crisp and intuitive as one could ask for. One-timers, thankfully, are still the best way to score, and even star players can miss the net when one-timing a hot pass, although more often than not they are on net. Although others have complained otherwise, I find the powerplay is recreated well, thanks to good offensive positioning. The penalty kill [disappoints] though, you can still stick handle end-to-end. And its too bad the computer AI doesn't cycle the puck or show anything resembling a powerplay. The X-Box has slightly smoother graphics, a more detailed create-a-player engine and more hit posts/crossbars than the PS2 version, but the big bulky controller is a bit more awkward and unnatural in pulling off on-the-fly line changes and spin-o-ramas. The commentary is rock-solid, but it can be very lame at times. However, I find the cheekiness a refreshing change from the usual staleness of videogame and real-life commentary. And occasionally it is quite funny (At the beginning of the 2nd period during a blowout: "Hey honey, good news; I won't be working overtime today!"). The gameplay is fully customizable, from game speed, to player/goalie boosts, pass accuracy, shot accuracy, aggressiveness, and even puck friction. Other great features include an NHL cards system that rewards skills and milestones, in-game replays of big hits and saves, the Widescreen Breakaway Camera, and (this is sweet for all you poolies) a FANTASY DRAFT. This attention to detail makes NHL 2002 an excellent game for casual fans and purists alike, and a superb choice on any system. Right now this is the best hockey game on the planet, but there are still some ideas that would make the game even more incredible:
1. Improve the fighting. Not only is a pathetic exercise in button-mashing, but I have never seen Aki Berg drop the gloves against Rod Brind'Amour in real life. It happened several times in NHL 2002.
2. Include a player editor. On top of the aforementioned Brind'Amour scandal, it is frustrating when real-life snipers like Brian Rolston and Keith Tkachuk keep missing the net due to their low shot accuracy rating. The ability to fix these tiny inaccuracies would be awesome.
3. The simulated stats are still inflated. In today's game, only 1 or 2 players will reach 100 points and 50 goals, not the 10 or 15 represented here. Only 10 or 15 players will average a point a game, not 50 or 60. Nobody will reach 500 penalty minutes, and no team will average 11 powerplay opportunites per game.
4. How come nobody ever fans on a one-timer or slap-shot?
5. Tightening up the defensive AI will lower those inflated shot totals dramatically.

It might sound nit-picky, but I'm just rambling on in hopes of convincing others that future NHL titles will be just as groundbreaking as this one. As I said before, the best hockey game on the planet, one that you will be playing until the next precedent-setting EA hockey game is released.

This is my favorite game for the Xbox. The graphics are top-notch and the game play is spectacular. The majority of negative things I have read about NHL 2002 can be turned off in the form of a menu option. The skill levels are appropriate, you will easily move past beginner once you learn the basics and only the experienced player should attempt the All-Star level. I'm happy on Pro most of the time. You can create seasons, playoffs, or Olympic tournaments using either NHL or International hockey teams. You can also save a roster file to keep up with the latest trades going on in the NHL and always have the latest, most accurate team rosters. Perhaps the best addition to the EA Sports NHL game as of late is the emotion meter. Win a fight or follow-through on some big hits, your emotion meter goes up and you may find it easier to score goals. Great addition as this is the case in real life hockey games. I've read mixed reviews on the color commentary and while some of it is cheesy, I find most of it very hilarious and entertaining. "I have a message for a spy in our audience... do not trust the smiling penguin, I repeat, do not trust the smiling penguin. Good luck Mr. Spy."

If you do decide to pick it up or already play NHL 2002, here is a cool trick I discovered. If you start holding the shoot button to get your shot meter up and then click either the right or left trigger button at the same time (just holding trigger makes you spin), you put a shot right on net regardless of where you are on the ice. I've had shots from behind MY blue line sail past the goalie. This is also a great trick to use when they pull their goalie at the end of the game and you want to score with a specific person. The shot never misses. I scored 66 goals, most empty netters, with Scott Parker, the enforcer for the Colorado Avs, in my season using this trick.

Though SEGA's NHL 2K3 will not be available on XBOX until late 2002/early 2003, I think it may be worth waiting for. SEGA's NHL 2K2 for Dreamcast easily bested EA's NHL 2002 in terms of gameplay. EA's game is not as fluid or intense as SEGA's effort, and I would go with a wait-and-see attitude unless you are dieing for an XBOX hockey title today. Somewhat recommended - A good game, but you'd be better off waiting for SEGA's NHL 2K3 to surface on XBOX.

Being from HockeyTown I know a good hockey game when I see one. This is the best. From the opening when the players talk smack while the lights and lasers shoot around the ice. To the automatic breakaway sequence. This game is mind blowing. The fighting deal could have been better. Ladies and Gentlemen your Detroit Red Wings!!!!!!

If you're in the market for a hockey game for your Xbox, you currently have two choices: Blackbox's NHL Hitz 2002 and EA Sports' NHL 2002. The names are confusingly similar, but the games couldn't be more different.

On the surface, the choice is a simple one. If you're not a serious hockey fan--but just want a fast, fun game--you'll probably enjoy what Blackbox has on offer. If you want a detailed simulation of the actual game (International or North American), you'll doubtlessly choose the latest version EA Sports has put out.

But if you dig deeper, you'll realize that neither game has everything you want.

Graphically, there's really no question which game wins. NHL Hitz was created specifically for the Xbox, and it shows. It fully takes advantage of the system, providing all the polygonal joy one could hope for-at least for now. It also has a much better spectator engine. The fact that the audience has a grip on what's happening to its home team-cheering, booing, and even leaving the rink, as appropriate-enhances the experience of this game noticeably. What really boosts this game, though, is its "fantasy" element. Rinks aren't merely copied from one location to the next with the change of a logo. There's a whole series of unusual match locations, like the moon, a castle, and even an iced-over pond. What's more, you don't have to play with human players at all. Each one of these new locations has a home team of its own, ranging from snowmen to sharks to aliens.

By contrast, NHL 2002 is a mere porting from the PC environment. It doesn't seem to particularly take advantage of the Xbox's nVidia chip at all. That's not to say that the graphics aren't great. They are-for a PC game. EA just hasn't come up with anything as "Xbox startling" as is found in Hitz.

This graphical advantage carries through to the matter of incentive play, as well. Casual players will probably prefer they way Hitz gets you to keep playing. Each game you win helps you unlock a new rink, uniform, or species of player-or it adds strength to your custom-made teams. The problem is, you'll eventually unlock everything or create the "perfect" team. When that happens (and it's sooner rather than later) there's no longer any incentive to keep playing, other than your own admiration of the game. NHL 2002 doesn't place the premium on winning, so much as improving your skill. For each thing you do-be it winning a face off, scoring the first goal, or having a certain number of hits in a period-you win points that you can then apply to buying cards. These cards will then potentially enhance the abilities of a player for a certain length of time. Like codes in Hitz, there are a few of these cards which change certain graphical or gameplay elements of a match. Unlike Hitz, though, these cards get increasingly difficult to obtain as you play on. By far the most impressive incentive to continuing to play NHL 2002, though, is the same reason you follow real life hockey in the first place: to see a team bob and weave through an entire season, survive a playoff, and then finally win the Stanley Cup. While there's a "Stanley Cup" feature on Hitz, it's a shadow of the NHL 2002 experience. It's not so much a playoff as a goal of beating every other team once.

How's game play itself? Like all the other elements of the games, it's a fight between artistic license and faithful reproduction.

With Hitz, you get, what you might expect from the title: an aggressive style of play, jazzed up with a bit of superhero graphical magic. It's fast and fluid action that doesn't always have much to do with real life, but it's so much fun you don't really mind. Parents should be aware that user-controlled fighting (with the object being to KO your opponent) is a default (though optional) part of every game, and that the game can even award points for successfully beating up opponents. It's also way easier to score a goal in Hitz than NHL 2002. Reason: the game's designed that way. Much of the secret to scoring is exploiting the one-timer and goalie fatigue. Once you figure out how to do this, you'll be scoring with an almost boring regularity. But the biggest single factor contributing to playing style is the fact that your team is three players plus a goalie. This, more than any other single factor, makes Hitz an arcade game.

NHL 2002, on the other hand, is a real simulation. Where Hitz limits you to six broad attributes, every player in NHL 2002 has at least 50 different settings, each controlling detailed functions You have a full team, divided into changeable lines, which can then be coached using real strategies. Rules-almost entirely absent from Hitz-can be applied to do everything from simulating an Olympic hockey tournament to an American high school match. You can fiddle with the rules to get them to create an environment that doesn't exist, but which might. For instance, if you like the way Olympic hockey is played but want to use your favorite NHL team, you can eliminate fighting, 2-line passes, cut down on icing calls, and expand the rink to international proportions-but otherwise run a normal NHL season. And while you won't see any of your players or the puck suddenly catch on fire as in Hitz, your players can do more things, like skating backwards, or deking in a particular direction.

With all these differences, it's easy to see that your choice of hockey game for Xbox is going to be a difficult one. Neither is best, really, because neither completely satisfies. Maybe with new versions the choice won't be so hard, but for the moment, I can't recommend anything other than that you get them both.