NHL 2004

by Electronic Arts

Product Features

• Mission: The new season brings enhanced passes, searing slap shots, and a variety of new ways to check your opponent

Product Details

• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00009X3VL
• Item Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: September 16, 2003
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,608 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Platform: GameCube

NHL 2004 brings in a new world of hockey action as you try to take your favorite team to the Stanley Cup! Try your luck as a General Manager -- control every aspect of your team, and see if you can lead them into history!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Revolution in Hockey Gaming, November 10, 2003

By 

Ricky Popolizio (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: NHL 2004 (Video Game)

Yes, this game can be considered the best hockey video game made to date(only challenged by ESPN's new hockey game). While other sports like basketball, football, and baseball have had great titles and have been experiencing revolutions for some time already in the video game world,hockey has always lagged behind. But EA Sports brings you as close as anyone has ever attempted to a realistic version of hockey in NHL 2004. The game has great graphics-the checking,goaltending,passing,shooting - it all looks very real. But perhaps the best part of the game, at least for me - a gamer who actually likes a challenge- is that this game isn't easy.Unlike previous hockey titles, where you could score doing the same move every time, and skate down the ice untouched, you can no longer do these things - at least not easily. The game takes practice and learning. Impatient gamers, or gamers who want to be able to beat the computer every time - this game is not for you. Currently, i am doing a dynasty, and have the skill level set on difficult. At this setting, every game i play can go either way, and i love this competitiveness.
This dynasty mode is another great aspect of the game, and it is probably what will keep gamers occupied until the next title comes out. In dynasty mode, you are your own general manager, controlling just about every aspect of your team. It is a lot of fun.
NHL 2004 does have some flaws, but they are minor, and overlooked by the successes of the game. Don't be intimidated or discouraged when you first play this game - it takes time and effort to really appreciate it. It is very different from past hockey titles. My brother can't even bring himself to play ten minutes of this game and wants me to sell it for him, despite my efforts to tell him it was good after some getting used to. My initial reaction was the same, but i gave it a little time and now i love it. So buyers beware - this is a great game, but may get some mixed reactions from people. But the more people who give it a little time and effort, the more people will love it. Hopefully this review helped, and if you still aren't sure, go rent it first.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Very frustrating, January 25, 2004

By 

Jay Mosko (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: NHL 2004 (Video Game)

Ok so Electronic Arts comes back with another installment of their highly regarded NHL series with a self ad claiming it's the best selling NHL franchise game. So it should mean the game is the best or at least at it's best right? I would've loved to think that but this is not the case. I am a huge ice hockey fan and love the NHL but this game seems kind of a step backwards for EA's NHL series. Now don't get me wrong this game is a very fun game to play. The new fighting system is awesome and the new "bruise control" is fun to play around with, and the little quirks in the game, such as helmets flying off after a hard hit is fun to see. Although all these are good with the game, it is also extremely buggy. Didn't EA sports game testers test the damn game for these bugs ? First off when you play in the Dynasty mode the stats are so impressive even Gretzky didn't do as good in his prime as the top players do in the league, some of the players in my league have over 100 goals and over 200 points, and that's just in about 50 games. Also in the Dynasty mode goalies seem to give up very easy/flukey goals on both sides of the ice leading up to very high and ugly GAA(even for the best goalies in the NHL). Don't be surprised if you end up losing a game 15 - 11. This game can be very frustrating especially to play at times, especially with the controls. Alot of times your passes do not go where you'd like them to and the things you plan to do don't go as you planned such as your defensive coverage. I do like the Simulation part of the Dynasty mode though such as trading, negotiating contracts and such but the sim part doesn't make up for the frustrating bugs in this game. So after all these bugs would I buy this game again ? Probably not, this game seems to appeal more to the casual hockey fan who's more intent on seeing fights and violence rather than the diehard hockey fan, like myself who loves to watch and play ice hockey.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good hockey fun with some flaws, October 6, 2003

By 

"scl004" (New Orleans, LA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: NHL 2004 (Video Game)

With NHL 2004 EA decided to switch developers and add some realism. Gone are the days when you could score 10 goals in a period with a talented team. Passes no longer home in on their intended targets. This game is HARD!

The good:
-The new Dynasty mode is a big improvement on NHL 2003's franchise mode is SOME ways. As the GM/coach you set practice schedules, make trades and sign free agents, set prices, manage your team's salary, and draft players in between seasons. The AI seems to be well designed when it comes to accepting or rejecting trades. The experience point system is a BIG plus, and I think that's what will keep me playing this game through next summer.
-Goals are a lot more rare this year, adding to the excitement of the game. Scoring really feels good, because you have to work hard to make it happen. Seizing opportunity is extremely important and rewarding.
-New checking animations are excellent.

The bad:
-The game is very difficult to pick up and play. The AI is merciless when it comes to intercepting passes and generally slowing down your offensive stars. This is NHL clutch-and-grab hockey. Mario Lemieux hates it, and I'm not sure I love it.
- The Dynasty mode needs an override. I want to be able to edit rosters freely if I so choose. Also, you can NOT import created players into a dynasty once that dynasty has started. You have to create them ahead of time and then start your dynasty. That's dumb!
- EA has done away with manual post-goal celebrations. That was one of my favorite features of NHL 2003.
- There is no shootout mode.
- When you simulate games the statistics are not realistic. Jaromir Jagr is on pace to score 90 goals and 180 points this season.

All in all NHL 2004 is a very deep, somewhat realistic hockey simulation. The dynasty mode is great, but it has some flaws. The game is missing some basic options that were included in previous NHL games. I will give it a 4.

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