Amazon.com: NHL 2004: PC: Video Games

37 Reviews

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(7)
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3.6 out of 5 stars (37 customer reviews)

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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A resource-intensive return to form for the EA NHL franchise, October 12, 2003

By	Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

With NHL 2004, EA Sports has made an important shift back toward the heart of this impressive series; I have every version of this game going back to 1996 with the exception of NHL 2003, as last year's game took a very wrong direction in my mind. My feelings for NHL 2004 are somewhat mixed, and I think there are a few important things that fans and potential buyers should be aware of. First off, the game has never looked better (as long as you have the hardware to truly support it). Finally, the faces of the players look impressively life-like, the camera action never gets in the way of gameplay, and the look of the action is at times of jaw-dropping proportions. Most importantly, the game feels more realistic; I, for example, am experiencing a feeling on power plays that is unlike anything I have experienced in earlier incarnations of the game. The most impressive visual aspect of NHL 2004, though, has to be the crowd. I can't believe how good the crowd looks in this game; spectators are true individuals, sporting a plethora of outfits, and reacting separately. You will see one guy jump up and cheer while those around him merely watch the ice intently, and fans indulge in "the wave" in a realistically unorganized fashion. I sometimes find myself watching the crowd in wonder rather than concentrating on the action; that's a mistake, though, because players have more moves than ever, and the goalies make some mind-boggling Hasek-like saves.

NHL 2004 is also more challenging than previous releases. I am forevermore a hopeless player who must compete at the easy level, and my days of winning high-scoring contests may well be over; this is partly due to some control issues I have with the game. The first thing that I learned from firing this baby up is that my Gravis Gamepad seems to have gone the way of the dinosaurs. Oh, it still works, but I have yet to master decent control of my players, and I find myself unable to indulge in some of the new fancy additions to gameplay NHL 2004 offers. To experience all of the facets of gameplay, you really need a right-analog controller such as the Logitech Dual Action or Microsoft Sidewinder. Total player control is not possible with a gamepad such as mine, and thus I am unable to execute all of the possible player moves, including bruise control shots to specific parts of an opponent's body and, most unfortunately, the new and seemingly much improved fighting system. Oh, I'm still able to make some bone-crunching hits and revel in the sight of breaking glass and helmets being separated from my victim's heads, but the real magic will not be at my fingertips until I upgrade my controller.

One thing I don't like about NHL 2004 is the fact that faceoffs occur very quickly after stoppages of play. In the past, the slight delays after calls afforded me a much-needed moment to regroup, take a breath, and check the feeling in my left hand, but now you had better be ready soon after the whistle blows. Worst of all, at least to me, is the fact that you can't really do anything on the ice after a call is made; I have always taken great joy in delivering as many brutal blows as possible after play stops, dishing out the punishment while only rarely being hit with a penalty in reaction to my dirty tactics, but I'm forced to play a cleaner style of game in NHL 2004. Even delivering great shots to my opponents during gameplay is much harder in this new version, partly because of the limits of my current controller.

On the plus side, and this is a major improvement that lends gameplay a much more significant air of realism, you now have the ability to shove your opponent and engage in scrums along the boards; this much improved board play is to me the greatest innovation offered by this year's release. Another improvement is the audio commentary; gone are the constant jokes and fluff, replaced with serious play-by-play announcers who lend a further air of realism to the game. Those interested in the management aspects of the game should love the new, much deeper dynasty mode which allows you to guide a team over the course of 20 years with an impressive degree of micro-management options. Another extra comes in the form of 39 new international teams at your disposal (drawn from Germany's DEL, Sweden's Elitserien, and Finland's SM-Liiga). Online play is also improved with NHL 2004.

There is a lot to love about this game, especially if you have the hardware to enjoy all of its many offerings. In my judgment, you need at least a 1GHz processor, 256 MB of RAM, and a 16x CD/DVD drive. Your video card is really your most crucial piece of hardware, though, as you'll need a video card of at least 32 MB which features one of the following chipsets; NVIDIA GeForce 256 or greater, ATI Radeon 7200 or greater, Matrox Parhelia, Sis 315, or Xabre. For complete player control, you would also do well to invest in a Logitech Dual Action or Microsoft Sidewinder controller. If you have the system, you will experience the closest thing yet to realistic enjoyment of the coolest game on ice. I would not spend the money to upgrade your system just for this game, however. Even with the more complete control of the action which this game makes possible, I much prefer the control and feel of NHL 2002, yet, in the final summation, the truth of the matter is that NHL 2004 offers enough improvements in terms of realistic gameplay that it is clearly superior to any previous version of this outstanding series.

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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Better Than ESPN -- Trust Me, October 14, 2003

By	John L. Maillard "Digital Enthusiast" (Toms River, NJ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

For PC users, SOLID sports games are a rarity. This year, however, we're seeing a revolution in PC sports gaming with titles like Madden 2004, Tiger Woods Golf 2004, and now, NHL 2004 from EA. Don't be fooled: THIS IS NOT LAST YEAR'S VERSION OF NHL HOCKEY FOR THE PC. Gone are the asinine commentary, the ridiculous deke moves, and overall warp-speed game play. This year, Electronic Arts got smart and reevaluated their once best-selling hockey franchise and put it back on the map with gorgeous graphics, exciting gameplay, precise control, and a true simulation feel that hasn't been there on the PC for quite some time.

I tried ESPN Hockey for the PS2 this year, and honestly, it doesn't compare to the PC version of NHL 2004. Graphics, sound, and gameplay are all superior. Yes, the ESPN version has the cool "owner's box" feature, but honestly, do you want to get rewarded with enough tokens to play with the '84 Oilers, only to find that instead of Wayne Gretzky, it has "Center" with the wrong number and statistics? You then have to manually go in and change everything to fit The Great One's stats. Not fun.

The "Dynasty" mode is NHL 2004's answer to the GM mode of ESPN, and it's much better. You can set practices, promote players, trade your 3rd line wingers for some help in goal, etc. All of this comes into play during the season in terms of people in the seats, revenue, and all the stuff that goes along with being a successful GM. Truly a great feature to the game, and one that adds ton of replay value.

Although the presentation could use some work, as it takes three or four mouse clicks to simply make a trade or get stats on a player, this game is essentially the best that has come out for the PC in a long time. The hitting has been toned down, and actually, almost made too difficult, but besides those gripes, NHL 2004 will reward players with unparalleled graphics, smooth, slider-controlled gameplay to fit your talents, and sound that brings out the best of the arenas across the country.

If you have a PC and you're a hockey fan, then you owe it to yourself to pick up NHL 2004.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good look, Good feel, Good game!, December 9, 2003

By	"bigbm" (North Fort Myers, FL) - See all my reviews

I am more concerned with how "realistic" these games play more than how they look or what kind of gimmics there are. This game is good. The goalies do more than past versions. The board play is more realistic (players don't just skate right thru an opposing player). The game speed can be adjusted to your liking. Even when playing 5 minute periods (which is the only way to get "realistic" stats) you get a "real" two minutes on your power plays. You can actually set up a power play and move the puck around looking for a quality scoring chance. The computer plays good defense but still allows you to make plays. This game really makes you earn your victories. The look is very good. The fans are more realistic. The arenas look a little crisper. I thought 2002 was the best version but 2004 is better. You do need a computer capable of running it. The one thing I don't like is they took away the big save and big hit replays that 2002 had but still the game plays better. Also, it seems you can't save a game in progress? Either I can't find that control or they did away with it? Oh yah, the menu screens have too much info and the font is too small. Again, I look for realistic game play and this game has the best so far. All in all, this game is an improvement over 2002 (definitely better than 2003)! After reading some other reviews, I had to add this in. Why so much complaining about the number of controls? Don't use them all, you don't have to. I play this game with virtually 3 buttons, pass, shoot and speed burst. Yes, I could use more but I don't need to. Play the difficult level, boost your players and goalie to give yourself a slight edge and you will find yourself playing some really good games either against the computer or another human. So, if you don't like all the "control" options, then don't use them all and you won't get so frustrated. I guess it all depends on what you are looking for in the game. I like playing a game where I have to work to get a "W", so I set my options where I get the most "realistic" play I can. If you want to play the Red Wings vs. Avalanche and come out with a 3-2 finish and feel like "man, what a game", you can set your options and get just that! If your looking for a bunch of gimmics that a 10-year old would find amusing then I guess you play something else?