NHL 2004

"Fast, Furious, Frustrating, but Fun"

I am sure that as I submit this post, those who have been playing the series will be the ones viewing it. NHL 2004 is by far the most radical change EA has taken from one year to the next throughout the history of the series. Let's go over some of the highlights I've noticed.

Scoring:

The Good: On the surface, the money goal would appear to be gone. This has been a problem that has plagued the series since its inception in 93 (with the exception of NHL 99, which had the most difficult money goal of the series and goalies with force fields). Goalies play realisticly in their nets based on the play developing around them. Breakaways are also kept to a drastic minimum.

The Bad: The money goal is alive and well folks, just cleverly hidden. Cross-ice passes from just about anywhere inside the blue-line will cause the goalie to dive, giving you a wide-open net to shoot at. Thankfully, you can rarely complete one of these passes due to stingy defense or your own retarded teammates' inability to collect the pass. Your breakaways are still best when put glove-side on the keeper. Oh yes, and might I make a note on the rarity of breakaways; this is mostly due to the fact that the computer loves to hook you to death. In fact, they're so good at it that they can use their hook to pull themselves in front of you. And don't get me started on how often the computer is able to block a shot when they are clearly more then stick-length behind you. Of course, such play would land your team in the penalty box faster than you can say ''tripping'', whilst the computer continues on its merry way when it is done to you.

Passing:

The Good: It's now directional based instead of player based. You can also vary the speed of the pass depending on how long you hold the button down. This allows for you to make passes you were unable to do in the previous editions (off the wall, somewhat accurate passes back to the goalie, etc.).

The Bad: We have been complaining about the unrealistic accuracy of the passing in the previous editions. EA heard us, took it to heart, and now we have multi-million dollar players overskating feather passes, blowing 2 on 0 give-and-go breakaways because of their inabliity to corral the puck, and centering the puck to the opposite team for one-timer goals. The passing is so bad in this one that it makes you unwilling to pass for fear of needlessly turning it over. I know I sound critical, but the game seems to make the worst-case scenario pass at the worst times. Even worse than that, the computer always seems to know when one of those inopportune times are coming, and is ready to one-time your pass into the back of the net. If only we were so psychic! And don't get me started into the offensive zone passing. It's as if EA intentionally made the passing in OZ difficult to cover for the fact that the goalies are shamelessly easy to score on.

Might I note that the comptuer does not have any problem passing at all, other than the problems you create by being in the way. Otherwise it's tape-to-tape.

Shooting:

The Good: Not much has changed here. Quick clicks will get you a wrister, while holding down the button loads the cannon. Rare are the irritating over-the-glass-shot-while-you're-staring-at-an-empty-net shot (not gone, mind you). The game seems to also discern well between when you mean to dump it in the zone vs. putting it on net. Shot blocking has been greatly improved as well. Goalie also reacts (or doesn't react) to screened shots with stunning realism.

The Bad: Those over-the-glass shots only come when you need them least. Trying to put that game away on OT with a one-timer? Sorry, got too much on it and some kid in the fifth tier got it. And unless you've got about a player's length between you and your defender, he can block that shot, my friend.

Goaltending:

The Good: Goalie moves well in the net and is far from superhuman this time around. If you look closely, you'll notice the goalies react according to their stats. The differences are subtle, at times, and more exaggerated at others. You will notice the difference between, say, Dan Cloutier and Dominik Hasek (and the scoreboard will reflect it). Each has their own weakness, and if you take a brief look at the opponent's goalie before each game (stats), you can exploit it shamelessly.

The Bad: Goalie tends to overreact in the crease. They also have a tendency to bobble shots they shouldn't, while corraling those short-range rockets with ease. Should a cross-ice pass complete in the zone, you're almost guaranteed a goal, provided you can get the shot through the defenders.

Checking:

The Good: Oh man! Talk about eye candy! You can take 'em to the boards and pin 'em there, or just be gracious and drive them into them. Hooking is back, and has a MUCH more realistic effect on the ''hooked''. The usefulness of the poke-check has been restored. And if you should ever be able to land a fully charged-up check, you'll get scored on because you'll be laughing too hard. On top of that, helmets fly off, the glass can be broken once again, and you can tie up your opponent on the boards. I landed a fully charged, all frustration hit on Adam Deadmarsh, who was streaking for the net. The impact flipped my monitor over. EA has done such a good job in this department that I actually save some of my hits as replays.

The Bad: The simple check button does nothing whatsoever to a player. More often than not, you will inconvenience them for only a moment. Charged checks are HARD to land, as you barely have enough time to deliver a regular one. As such, checking is unrealistically difficult for a human player (the computer does not have this problem).

Offense:

The Good: Well...not much has changed here. That's a good thing, right? Your teammates compensate for holes left in the offense by your skating around.

The Bad: You're still the master of your fate. Players don't jockey for position anymore (like NHL 2003). If you're not moving the puck around, your teammates will just stand around in their positions. The ever-so-annoying tendency of your teammates to bail out of the zone when you're heading out from behind the opponent's net is back, and don't get me started on the line change when you're set up in the offensive zone. Let's not forget to mention that you'll frequently advance into the zone alone while your teammates are standing at the bench eating oranges. Again, the computer does not have this problem, but perhaps it is my own impatience that causes this.

Defense:

The Good: The computer plays the stingiest defense ever. You really have to work to get a good play going, and the feeling of reward is great when you put one by the tender.

The Bad: Unless you're controlling your defenders, they're useless. They stand around on plays and do nothing at times, other times the computer controlled opponent just jukes them out of their jersey. The end result is the same as every other year; if you ain't controlling them, you ain't in control. Much of your time will be spent in the defensive zone waiting for a) the goalie to glove it down so you can stop play or pass it out or b)scoring on your own goal. The computer will score its fair share of undeserved goals as well, whether it be an unscreened shot from the point, or a sharp angle shot, expect your goalie to flub a few in per game.

Audio:

The Good: Arena sound effects are way cool, especially the crowd. The arena horns are cool too.

The Bad: The play-by-play. Initially, I found the lighthearted, humorous conversation of Jim Hughston and Don Taylor annoying. This game, however, leaves me agonizing for that lightheartedness again. Not only are they stoic now, what they are talking about is frequently downright inaccurate. They'll advertise a shut-out when the score is 6-5. They'll bark about how faceoff wins show on the scoreboard when it's 0-0. In the end, the play-by-play commentary seems like it was crammed in there at the last minute with no thought to quality.

Music:

The Good: You can import your own music.

The Bad: I like none of the bands featured on the ''EA Trax''. Not a single one. Not a single song. Kinda sad, ain't it?

Video:

The Good: Not much has changed from a visual standpoint. However, the new animations are just downright cool, especailly the checking one. The goalie saves are stellar, if not a little flashy.

The Bad: Do I, personally, have any complaints about this? Not really...

Final Notes:

Do I enjoy this game? In one word, yes. My gripes are nothing that a patch couldn't fix. EA has done a good job in overhauling the engine, but there are a few bugs that just need to be worked out. Was it worth the money? For me, yes. There are those who would think otherwise. One thing is for sure, this game will piss off veterans and newbies alike until you get used to it.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 10/13/03