NHL 2K3

"The best hockey sim yet."

NHL 2k3 is the best hockey sim ever. Sega didn't make an arcade-like hockey game like NHL 2003 or NHL Hitz. NHL 2k3 is the most realistic hockey game you'll play.

Graphics: 2k3's graphics are good during gameplay. The players all animate realistically and there are several different motions players go through depending on whether they are checked, hooked, tripped etc. The menus look professional and the ESPN licensing is a nice touch. Goalies perform several different saves and they all look fantastic from simple catches to last-ditch efforts of diving across the crease. The only downside to the graphics is the crowd (which no sports game does right) and the player's faces. The in-game athletes look almost nothing like their real-life counterparts. Some, like Mats Sundin, are comical. 8/10

Sound: The audio is average in 2k3. All the sound effects are done right and the music during the stoppages in play is standard tunes you'll hear at a hockey game. The theme music for ESPN's Sports Centre is played during the credits and the introduction. The announcers sound clear and have some good lines, although they will get repeated fairly often. Overall the audio accomplishes everything it needs to without supplying much extra.

Control: NHL 2k3 controls perfectly. there are 3 different control settings: basic, intermediate and advanced. basic lets beginners play the game with its simple controls and advanced gives you full control over everything that happens on the ice. With advanced controls the L button acts as a modifier button. For example, pressing B performs a wrist shot while holding L and pressing B results in a slapshot.

Gameplay: There are several modes of play in NHL 2k3. Exhibition lets you play a single game with any NHL, International or All-Star team. Practice is exactly as the name implies. Season lets you take any NHL Team through a full 80 game season plus the playoffs. Franchise mode lets you make all the teams decisions from signing and trading players to strategies used on the ice. In both season and franchise mode stats are kept on every player. Each athlete is rated in several stats allowing you to make very accurate decisions about which player is the best for each position.

Rent or Buy? Any fan of Sports games or hockey should pick this up. 2k3 is the best hockey sim and you should act now if you want to buy it because it is the only Sega Sports hockey game that will be released on GCN.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 08/12/03