ESPN NHL Hockey

"A Hockey Fans Dream, and a Newbs Nightmare"

First off I'm going to state that I was an avid EA sports lover until this year. I bought NHL 2003 and was satisfied at first, but I kept hearing great things about NHL 2K3. So this year I decided to take a chance and buy ESPN Hockey 2004. Being a Canadian and an avid hockey fan I totally embraced this game and can not put the controller down.

Graphics: The graphics are amazing. I cant compare them to last years cause I never really got a hands on experience with 2K3 but from what I heard the graphics were almost non existent in last years game. Well Sega stepped it up this year and made a game that is pleasing to the eye. The faces on the players are so realistic I sometimes forget I’m playing a game. The textures on the jerseys, and the ice textures are amazing also. The crowds are old school cardboard cut out look-alikes but that's something you can get past because you can see where Sega focused their attention on. The attention to detail is amazing also, with different gloves, sticks, helmets, and jerseys. Also one thing that impressed me was that as you play a period, the ice gets worn, and then after an intermission the ice looks resurfaced and all new.

Gameplay: Here is where this game takes off. The gameplay is some of the most realistic hockey I have ever played. All the little cheap moves you could pull in other hockey games that almost assured you a goal are taken out. 1 timers are money ONLY if you can hit them at the precise time. The defenders get the in way more times then not, and just cause you hit the pass button does not mean you will not get your pass picked off. The goalie passing is more realistic, showing how hard it is to make a precise tape to tape pass with a goalie.
Here is where you separate the newbs from the real hockey players. On rookie, the settings are fairly easy, a pro can prob score 8 goals a game. But as soon as you put the difficulty up then it gets extremely harder. Some will get frustrated with the inability to score goals because the goalies are money with their respected holes. You need to fake/trick/school the goalie in order to score, and if you do trust me he will then be looking for that. Taking 50+ slap shots from the points will not assure you goals as the defenders will stop as many as they can.
The only real negative to the gameplay is the fighting, which is downright horrendous. It looks like something they just threw together at the last min. But if you bought this game for fighting, then you should never be allowed to play a hockey game again.

Sound: The in game sounds are amazing, the ping as the puck hits the crossbar or posts are accurate but annoying when you need that 1 goal to win or tie the game. The commentary is apparently vastly improved this year, almost right on with the play that is happening. There is only 1 licensed song in this game, which is Queen ''We Will Rock You'' but really is there anything else you need? I mean the Hey Hey song would have been good but you can deal with the music. The goal horns are generic this year though.

Extras: The pond hockey is awesome, the skills competition will keep you busy for hours, and the mini rink mode adds a bit of Hitz action to this game. The skybox mode is eye candy, and the unlockables are numerous and will make a hockey fan jump for joy with all the old teams and jerseys. The absence of the Whalers jersey is a little disappointing but understandable and not Sega's fault.

Disappointments: There really is nothing that has Marjory disappointed me in this game. There are minor things like the fact that some of the names and positions are mixed up, and some of the names are pronounced wrong, but nothing that will take a whole lot away from the game.

Overall this is a must get for any hockey fan. Nuff said.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/17/03