Customer Reviews

NHL 2004

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This game is VERY hard. I was a multiple-cup-winner in 2003 on difficult, and I can barely win a game on easy this year. The new passing engine is the DUMBEST idea ever conceived. If you want to stand still and wait for your pass meter to charge so that you can attempt a pass (which probably won't go anywhere near where you want it to anyway) good luck. I get nailed 9 out of 10 times trying to pass. Your players are slow. Even with turbo, my guys get smoked everytime, making it almost impossible to bust up the ice for a shot or beat an opponent to the puck. These two aspects add up to being grossly outshot most of the time. Don't be surprised if your opponents consistantly get 40 SOG. The game also fails to inform you when players are injured/sick/tired, and how long they're out for. This bites when it means you have linemen with the flu and a goalie in net who is too tired to play effectively. I've played with great teams and mediocre teams and I get the same results. This game has resulted in more anger and frustration than I thought I was capable of.

I've outlined some of the pros and cons below. If I were you, I'd stick with 2003 for now, the superior gameplay far outweighs the aspects of dynasty mode provided in 2004. Hold out for 2005, hopefully the gameplay will be improved.

Pros
- Dynasty mode allows more realistic control of a team
- New fight engine is much better than previous years
- New visuals such as helmets coming off and the ice showing wear are cool
- Real-time PPs and PKs are fun
- Sound effects are the most realistic yet

Cons
- Gameplay is near impossible, due mostly to new passing engine
- Team AI seems dumber than in 2003 while the computer AI forecasts your every move
- I miss the celebrations after scoring a goal
- Game never informs you of when players are sick, injured, or tired.

I love the game, I dont think EA SPORTS could come out with a better game. The best part of this game is the graphics,the new updated rosters,and the dark jerseys representing home,just liike the NHL.

Only bad part: Jaromir Jagr is the best player in the whole game.

I got this game because Hockey is a fun game, although I'm not an NHL fan. I enjoyed to play NES's Ice Hockey it only had like 7 national teams but it was lot of fun. Since I don't follow NHL I had't have much interest in a hockey game, but since I played a demo with my son and he enjoyed it, I decided to buy this one to go along with Fifa 2004, and Madden 2004 so it worked with the EA Bio. My surprise was it had three european leagues German, Finish and Swede and FINALLY NATIONAL TEAMS. Game play could be better, but I have had lot of fun playing with Team Italy, Germany, Sweeden, Finland, Canada, UK and USA, but it includes other teams from the former soviet union, and other european national teams. This feature is the one I like the most, and I can unlock new features in Fifa and Madden while I play with my son this game.

This is one of my favorite games and i didnt even play or watch hockey before this. Now i watch it on TV. Well anyway this game is sweet. Because the Dynasty mode rocks and so does everything else.

What im trying to say is: JUST BUY THE GAME

Ill start off by saying hockey is very underrated. It is fun to watch and best of all, it is fun to play. Especially if you have NHL 2004. Load up for a bone crunching hit or wind up for a slapshot that breaks the sound of speed. With a wide selection of teams to play with, including all NHL teams and most of the European teams, you can always play with a new team. The create a player and create a team function is a very detailed option and is fun to use. The twenty year dynasty mode could use a little improvement, but it is very good with a wide range of options including improving the team facilities and even changing the look of the GM's office. There are also unlockables that you earn by playing the game. All in all, this is worth buying.

The reason this game is so good is because you can choose to be in one of Europe's top three Elite Leagues. Or you could be the G.M of your own hockey franchise. This year EA made Bruise Control where you can even more easily check your opponent. You can also be the N.American all-stars & the World all-stars. Also you can be the Eastern & Western all-stars. That's why you should get NHL 2004.

When I bought NHL 2004 I thought it was going to have the same camera angles as 2003 but I was totally wrong. When you are going up the ice and you are on the wall you can barely see the puck and the player is small.(action view) Going down is fine because the camera is closer but overall the camera view is dissapointing. The fighting is not easy to do and not as fun as in 2003.

I did like the new options with the dynasty mode and the Elite league. I also like the way you can check with bruise control.

Overall, I think that EAS put too many options into the game instead of sticking with better gameplay. While the options are better in this game, I would suggest ESPN hockey 2004 because of better gameplay.