NHL 2004

"NHL 2004 Shoots and Scores"

Here we go again, another round of NHL hockey from the gurus of EA Sports. Again, they have produced a great game, although it is still missing some minor details.

Graphics: Wow. If you have a video card that can push this game to the limits, it looks outstanding. The players look like the actual players and their facial expressions are incredible. Overall, some excellent graphics, although not necessarily the best out there.
Score: 8.5/10

Sound: The sound is great. The crowd roars with a bonecrushing hit or an amazing goal off of a great deke. You can often hear the crowd chanting to try and cheer there team on. Not only does the crowd sound great, but the attention to detail on all of the sound effects is also excellent. You can hear the slapping of sticks on the ice, players calling for a pass, the coach yelling out line-changes, and that ringing 'ding!' as the puck strikes the post.
Score: 10/10

Controls: The controls for this game are really designed for a PS2-type controller. Your GamePad Pro wont allow you to truly experience full control but it's still pretty good. The new passing and hitting touch sensitive controls respond fairly well. The longer you hold down the 'charge hit' button, the harder your hit will be if you time it just right. Passing has been expanded to two buttons instead of just one. Now, there is a seperate button for a Saucer Pass. The longer you hold down either pass button, the harder the pass will be.
Score: 8/10

Dynasty Mode: Ahh yes, the newest addition to the NHL Franchise. Dynasty Mode allows you to be the GM of the team of your choice and rise from the depths of the NHL to being the best dynasty in the history of the game. You start off Dynasty Mode with a very limited staff and almost no facilities. You must work your way up and earn Experience Points in order to upgrade your staff/facilities. The more you upgrade, the better your players will be. During your 20-year reign as GM, you are able to control the price of tickets, trade players, sign free-agents, extend contracts, even put players down to your minor league team for development. The better you do in Dynasty Mode, the better of a gift the other GM's will buy you when you retire after your 20th year.
Score: 10/10

Gameplay: This is the meat of NHL 2004. The gameplay is the most realistic that we have seen for a few years. Passes and hits are touch-sensitive, shots are often blocked if you wait to long to shoot, and the computer hooks and holds like mad. On the higher difficulty levels, it is indeed a challenge. When playing on difficult, the AI is nearly perfect and even the most experienced all-stars will have some trouble with it at first. But, with practice, you can overcome it and have amazing hockey games against a more than willing computer opponent.
Score: 9/10

Overall: Overall, this game is very good. The sim-like gameplay is what the hardcore fans have been wanting for years and EA Sports has gotten very close to it this time around. All they need to do is include some of the missing details in the game, like personalized goalie masks. The create-a-player and create-a-team is better than previous years as you get to include your created team in any mode. Including Season and Dynasty modes. Again, this game is the greatest hockey game available and, with some small improvements, NHL 2005 just might be the best of all time.
Score: 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/02/03