NHL 2001

"Best hockey game ever?"

Well it's hockey time again, and it's time for EA Sports to put out their new hockey game.

NHL 94 was considered by many the best hockey game ever made. Every since then people have said the NHL series has dropped in quality.Well let me tell you this, NHL
2001 is the best hockey game to every surface the PC.

Graphics:

Like last year's version, NHL 2001 is awesome looking, from fluid animations and great player models. EA is truly the king when it comes to presentation. You will easily notice
your favorite NHL players, from Eric Lindros to Jaromir Jagr. The crowd this year is easily the best crowd any sports game has ever seen. If you are the home team and score a goal, the crowd will stand up and clap. Plus if your
team isn't doing good (Franchise) you will have a lot of empty seats! This may seem like nothing but does bring the NHL experience a lot closer. Stadiums look even better this
year, with banners, scoreboards, and luxury boxes.

Now that may seem all good but NHL 2001 does have some downsides. The checking animations in my opinion are terrible this year. A player will just fly up (like superman) and cross check another player. And after a player gets hit, he will just do a backflip. It's
small but annoying. Other then that it's the best looking sports game out for the PC.

Sound:

Well last year's version was very impressive when it came to the sound department and this year is no different. From the crowd, to the players, and to the announcing, NHL
2001 is perfect. The crowd will get loud with a close game and will get quite in a blow out. Announcing is once again done by Jim Hughson and Bill Clement. Both do a excellent
job announcing the game. They will give out facts about different players, rarely gets a play wrong, and both work great together. Also all sound effects are great. Kinda what
Sammy would say, ''It sounds so reeeeeaaaaaall!''

Gameplay:

The most important part of the game. Let me start off by saying that this game could play as a arcade game or a simulation. How you say? Well EA put sliders in this year's version and unlike Madden they work. Want the game really fast? Well just crank up the speed.

For those sim buffs, just turn down the speed, shot accuracy, and a couple more options to have a perfect simulation hockey game.

But it isn't always perfect. One issue with last year's version was easy goals will go in (for the computer). What do I mean? Well the computer will take either...

A)A shot behind the blue line
B)Just a lob shot that will float in

Is it this year's version? Yes it is, but not as bad as last years. But this will get on your nerves when it's a close game and the computer will just be slapping shots away from behind the blue line (and getting them in ;) ).

Now back to the good. Another issue that was very bad and killed a lot of NHL 2000's play was bad ai (kinda like the easy goals). Last year you could just pick the puck up from your end and take it downto the computers end, without being touch. Not this year! The computer will attack, attack, and attack. Teamwork is the key this year! :)


I could go on forever writing why NHL 2001 is such a great game, but I will just get to the point. NHL 2001 is one of the first games that make the simulation freak and the kid
who want’s to score 10 goals a game, happy. The computer will give you a tough fight and your strategy for previous versions will not work. Just going up to the goalie and
shooting won’t guarantee a goal. Using a team oriented strategy will get you a goal and it will be worth it. And that is why NHL 2001 is the best hockey simulation.


Replay Value:

Well the replay value of NHL 2001 can be taken in a couple of ways.

If you like a good franchise mode: No

Sorry EA but the franchise mode needs to be improved. No contracts, terrible trading ai, and a really bad free agents signing. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Online Play: N/A

I have yet to play online yet (Can’t d/l patch) so this option is up in the air, for my concern.

Sliders: Yes

This in my opinion is the best option and gives the game a lot of replay value. Adjusting the game to your preference is a really awesome idea, and I hope it happens more in sport games.


Overall:

Overall NHL 2001 is the best hockey I have ever played. So if your a hockey fan, this game is a must have!



Graphics: 10
Sound: 10
Gameplay: 9
Replay Value: 9
Overall: 9

Positives:

+Great Graphics
+Great Sound
+Best Gameplay for a hockey game
+Sliders!!!!
+Easy Interface

Negatives:
-Easy Goals will go in sometimes
-Bad Franchise Mode
-Really addictive!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/22/00, Updated 10/22/00