Controls are available for dumping the puck into the offensive zone along with the offensive fake and speed burst. The slap shot, wrist shot and one-timers display a meter to measure the power of each shot. Defensive moves include the ability to body check, hook, hold and, the favorite of most hockey players, execute a bone crushing hit. Practicing the wide assortment of offensive and defensive moves is a must for full enjoyment since they're such an integral part of gameplay.
Perhaps the only disappointing element of NHL is the lack of an upgrade to the play-by-play announcing. This isn't the fault of Bill Clement and Jim Hughson, who have long been associated with this series, but shows a lack of attention given to this area by the designers instead. The phrases are often repeated and, if you're a fan of the series, you've probably heard most of them hundreds of times.
Not since the days of the Genesis could I say that about a hockey sim, but EA once again raises the bar for console sports. The player likenesses and stadiums are stunningly realistic, and the sounds give you a rinkside seat for a game that plays so real it's scary.
I never felt anyone got hockey quite right on the current generation of consoles, but after a few speed tweaks to the game settings on this title, the game played as well as it looks.
This is a must-buy title. Browse games Game Portals. NHL Install Game. Click the "Install Game" button to initiate the file download and get compact download launcher. Locate the executable file in your local folder and begin the launcher to install your desired game. Game review Downloads Screenshots Playstation 2. Overall rating: 9. People say: 9. GameFabrique EA Games , and Electronic Arts. Virtually all were realistic and competitive, and a good half-dozen games stand out as classics that have taken their place in my mental Hall of Gaming Memories.
There was a great one against the Dallas Stars. The game was gritty and defensive and end-to-end in turns. It was also marked with a great three-point passing play between Doug Gilmour, Joe Thornton, and Steve Thomas that resulted in one of the prettiest goals I've ever notched. Then there was our great comeback against Calgary. The Flames took a lead into the third, but Eric Lindros and Gary Roberts deflected point shots to tie the game.
Lindros then scored his second off a nice feed from Derek Morris trade me, will ya? And I can't forget the blowlout of the Habs in Montreal where Ed Jovanovski laid seven big hits on the wimps wearing the blu, blanc, et rouge. If the real Maple Leafs perform as well as my fake ones this season, I'll be very happy next spring. Yet NHL is not perfect. As enjoyable as the end product is, there are some aspects of gameplay that just can't be adjusted satisfactorily with the sliders.
Perhaps the most annoying issue regards line changes. Players on the "wrong" side of the ice from their bench often get trapped out there, refusing to head off unless the puck is fully iced.
This isn't that noticeable if you leave Fatigue set at the default 3, but if you bump this up to 4 so that teams can't give their top two lines upwards of 30 minutes a game, these caught players run out of gas in an obvious fashion, very quickly. I eventually gave in and turned Fatigue back to 3. Defensive positioning is still pretty rough and ready.
Some of the best defensemen in the league, with Defensive Awareness ratings well into the 80s, will often scramble around. They'll go to the same man, part like the Red Sea allowing forwards to go straight up the middle, or simply stand around at the blueline. This latter issue is the biggest problem with defensemen in the game.
Computer forwards will blitz right by you if you're not very careful when choosing to take over control of the blueliner or notsometimes it's best to leave well enough alone. At the other end of the ice, the computer-controlled defensemen will often back away from larger forwards.
Eric Lindros, for example, can usually put his head down and barge right to the crease, with the obliging defender backing up all the while. Soft computer goals are also frustrating. Even with Goalie Boost maxxed out, an average of one or two will float by your netminder every game or two.
This could be marked down to goalie fatigue, but even then it doesn't make sense because good starting goalies aren't this inconsistent even when they play five or six games in a row. Fighting is flat-out terrible. Two combatants simply square off and begin punching each other in the face as quickly as possible.
Hit the necessary button fast enough and you'll be rewarded with a win and a momentum meter boost. This can be pretty tough, however, as the computer pugilists throw 'em pretty quickly. Also, all players who will fight are rated fairly similarly in terms of how many punches they can take.
Seeing Dave Manson get schooled by Kirk Muller despite landing five or six solid rights to the former Hab captain's beak was almost more than I could take. The computer won't win any awards for the General Manager skills it demonstrates in season play. While it stops well short of giving players away, some values don't reflect reality.
Youth and potential mean very little to the AI. It rates current ability and holes that need to be filled before making a deal; nothing else. At the same time, nobody had any interest in super-prospect Nik Antropov, who'd certainly be worth more in the real world open market than any of the three players that I did move. You can't use these holes to poach true stars, though. Of course, if you're patient and dedicated to running a career for the full ten years, the best way to go would be to pile up youngsters for next to nothing.
That should get you a Cup contender within three seasons. In the meantime, though, anyone want a big kid from Kazakhstan? A far more serious problem is the game's current lack of stability. I've experienced a number of hard locks and drops to the desktop in menu screens and between periods.
Irritating, but not unexpected in this day and age. But I also had a season file corrupted after 26 games. The program locked up on the main season screen after finishing a game with Pittsburgh and attempting to simulate the following match-up with the boring Capitals.
All further attempts to get back into this season resulted in drops to the Windows desktop. Guilty Gear X Sammy Corp. SimCity 4 Electronic Arts. Conflict: Vietnam SCi Games. Latest added games View All.
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