NHL2001...EA Shoots,they Score

Each fall I eagerly await EA Sports' NHL title. This series,which has always delivered solid graphics and game play,always seems to provide something new. This season is no exception,so let's drop the puck and take a look.

With the exception of some new animations for the goalies and goal scorers the graphics pretty much remain the same. Not that there's anything wrong with that at all. The players look good,moving smoothly and naturally across the ice with no slowdown at all. Uniforms are accurate,and include alternate and throwback where available. Players faces have features and seem to show emotion after a score.

The arenas themselves,although seemingly empty,look sharp. Championship banners hang from the rafters in proper locations and numbers. The score board not only shows the correct score and time,but also flashes prompt messages after goals and before each period. It will even sometimes flash the scorers name after a goal. Very realistic,and a nice touch indeed. I've only seen a couple of flaws in the graphics. Players can sometimes skate right through the net,and during between play animations players lower bodies are visible through the boards. Neither affects game play,so it's really no big deal.

For the most part the game does a good job of re-creating the sound of a night at the rink. The organist plays all the familiar tunes heard at the real NHL arenas. While the fans may be invisible,they are quite vocal. They cheer and boo at proper times,the better(or worse)the home team plays,the louder they become. All the in game sounds,like the crack of a slap shot or the thud of the puck off the goal tender's pads can be heard as well. Some may feel these effects are too loud,but have you ever been to a real game? Sounds are amplified at a real rink.

On the downside,the commentary becomes repetitive very fast. How many times can you hear"stoned by Osgood"or"Bure's been turned into a pylon" before hitting the mute switch? The P.A. announcer also mixes up the players and numbers occasionally,giving the goal to an assisting player,the assist to the scorer.(stat tracking will still be correct) The music is nothing really special either. Worth noting here is the fact that ALL sounds in this game can be adjusted or turned on and off individually. You only have to hear what you want to hear,and how loud you want to hear it.

Control has always been one of this series strong points and NHL2001 follows suit. All the controls are responsive and easy to use. Most moves like dekes,spins,and big hits are simple one button presses. Line changes come off smoothly and quickly,and the player change and handy(very handy at higher settings)last man back buttons work quickly as well. The shooting and passing controls are still the best I've seen in a console game,making one-timers a second nature.

In all,veterans of previous games will have no trouble at all,while new players should be fine with minimal practice. My only complaint,the fighting system. You just stand toe to toe and mash buttons. I wish they'd bring back the moving,ducking,grabbing and punching from NHL99. Oh well,guess we can't have everything.

The game is loaded with modes of play and adjustability. There are quick start,exhibition,season,shoot out,and tournament(featuring the International teams)to compete in. And everything is adjustable. You can set the period length,frequency of penalties and fights,game speed,and difficulty. Off-sides and icing can be turned on and off,and as previously mentioned,the sounds can be adjusted as well. Create a player,line editing,trades,and waivers can all be found in the player management section. Multi-season play is also available,letting you experience the front office,dealing with things like free-agency,retirements,and the rookie draft. There does seem to be a wide gap in difficulty between the two lower settings and the two higher ones,but this seems to be the trend in sports games(NFL2K1?) Don't worry,the game's still very playable.

Two new items deserve their own mention here. First is the momentum meter. As your team makes plays,kills penalties,and delivers big hits the meter goes up. The higher it goes,the better your squad performs,and if at home the louder the crowd gets. When at max you can really move the puck around and set up great scoring chances or make big defensive plays. Of course poor play or good play by your opponent will cause you to lose momentum,bringing the expected result in play and crowd reaction. Nice.

The other is the NHL challenge. Here you create a player.then choose at set of goals to accomplish during game play. Success gains more points to add to the player's abilities. Complete all three lists(they get harder as they go)and you've got the next Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemuix.

Put everything together and you've got another solid offering. EA has done a good job of conveying the NHL experience to the PSX once again. Once you adjust to the higher difficulty settings you'll see realistic scores to go along with the sights and sounds. If you like hockey.this is the game. Give it a try.