NHL 2003

"Very difficult! Unlike the other EA games!"

What a great game. I was so surprised at how difficult this game was. The shot count is down by 80% and it's definitely not as arcade-like such as the other hockey games.

Story: 8/10

Well there's not much of a story but there's great behind the game videos! Explore a variety of videos such as how they made the game and such. It's pretty much just what you'd expect from any NHL game!

Good:

-excellent behind the scene videos
-interesting and easy to follow

Bad:

-maybe a few more videos would do

Audio: 8/10

I would give this a perfect score but the stupid commentary had to mess it up. The in-game music is great and so is MOST of the commentary. But then they make stupid comments like ''He's an excellent risk taker, wrist-shot taker that is.I don't know the first one sounds better anyway''. But otherwise it's fine. I have to admit that some of the things they say are funny, like ''He swatted that one away like an old girlfriend'' which is pretty funny in my opinion. Also the sound effects are great! I love it when I smash an opponent into the boards or when I score an unbelievable goal.

Good:

-excellent music and sound effects
-pretty good commentary

Bad:

-some stupid commentary jokes

Video/Graphics: 9/10

Absolutely beautiful graphics. They're the most realistic in a hockey game to date. The fans are detailed too. When you're actually playing you don't notice them. But between face-offs, periods etc. you can see them making chants, munching on popcorn and booing! The video is pretty good too except for the fact that when you score it sometimes freezes for a second. This, in my opinion, is only a minor factor and doesn't really concern me. Nothing is really unclear or choppy in the game either!

Good:

-great graphics
-very detailed
-realistic fans and players

Bad:

-freezes for a second when you score (sometimes)

Gameplay: 8/10

What can I say? It's all right I guess! I did expect a bit more, though. You can play as International Teams and as a franchise but there's something missing. Ah, yes the International rosters! THERE FAKE! I really enjoy playing International Tournaments but I just can't stand the fact that there fake. Oh well I can live with it. Everything else seems to be pretty good. I enjoy the game-style and the real arenas. Nothing is really ever to slow, fast or unclear. In fact I really like everything about the game-play except the fact I told you about earlier.

Good:

-enjoyable gameplay
-real arenas
-pretty good rosters
-many game modes you can play in

Bad:

-the International Rosters are fake! (except for popular teams like Canada, U.S. and Russia)

Extras: 6/10

To me extras are not that important but I decided to right in this little feature. Cards, Easter Eggs and Profiles are some of the extras you can earn in this game but they are not very detailed and you need a lot of memory to save them!

Good:

-plenty of extra features

Bad:

-un detailed
-you need tones of memory for them!

Replay Value: 7/10

Right now this game has me hooked and probably will but I doubt it will have the same impact on me that other great games have. For example Harvest Moon was a real driller for me. I started playing it like crazy, then stopped for a while. Then I started playing it again like crazy. Oh well, maybe I'm just under-estimating on what will really happen!

Good:

-seems like I'll be hooked for a while
-have been playing it like crazy recently

Bad:

-doesn't seem to have a major impact on me

Buy or Rent:

I bought the game as soon as it cam out. I don't regret it but I do believe it is better to rent this game first. Unless your a hockey maniac that hasn't bought an NHL game for over two years, rent.

Overall: 8/10

I really enjoy playing this game and I hope that you will too. I would've given this game a nine but the stupid commentary jokes screwed it up. But don't let that stop you from buying or renting this game. You get used to it after a while. And besides, this game really grows on you!

FINAL SCORE: 8/10

*Not an average

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/08/02, Updated 10/08/02