I got this game because I enjoyed playing NHL '99... and wanted to see the cool new features they had in this game. Boy, was I surprised!!!!
The game itself plays a LOT smoother than '99, and faster as well.... the breakaways and such is at an intense level, you are just leaning forward with the controller, holding your breath, trying frantically to get that pass off to the other side to get the goal!
The graphics are stunning, as usual... the PLAYERS' faces have actually been MAPPED into the game! So instead of looking at a generic face whenever someone gets a goal, you actually see the person's face!!! And they all look great! I can easily recognize Jagr, Yzerman, Modano, as well as all the others! A REALLY nifty feature is that you can actually use your OWN face in the game! Simply get a picture of yourself; a facial pic, close up so you can get the detail... and then save it into the NHL files! When you go to create a player, you have the option of scanning your own face from the picture! Isn't that cool??? You can actually SEE yourself playing hockey, checking someone into the boards, or shooting that high slap shot into the back of the net! My only advice? Use a picture that is VERY well-lighted.... otherwise, your character will look like he or she came from the movie "Night of the Living Dead."
The sounds are much sharper than in '99, and there are a lot more taunts and such in this game. You can actually add your own custom taunts!! By saving a .wav file after you've recorded one into the NHL folder, you can actually hear yourself taunting the other team!! (*Boy, you sure left the net SO wide open, I couldn't miss even if I shot it at .0001 mph!*)
They tweaked up the create a player part as well.. it is much harder to create an EXCELLENT player.... but there is an added bonus as well! If you created a rookie, you can then play the game extensively, from season to season, and watch your created player grow and improve in his statistics and physical attributes!
Trades are also a lot harder to do as well; don't get me wrong however! I am GLAD they made it harder... in the previous games, you could easily trade a mediocre player for an EXCELLENT player... now, you can only trade players of similar levels, and only if the team you are trading with needs the type of player you are offering! Much more balanced trading system, I think.
The commentary and the referees are developed a lot more in 2000 than in '99... you can hear the ref tell a player that has been sent to the penalty box "Get outta my face!" and watch him wave off the complaining player! The commentary is excellent as well; you can choose for your own created players a "nickname" that they will use when your player scores! So instead of "Player number 74 scores!" as in '99, you can actually hear "Chris scores!"
EA Sports sure outdid themselves when they vamped up their hockey game... and I'm glad they added what they did! I enjoy playing this game immensely with my roommate.... well, other than the fact that HIS name is Chris too, which basically makes it harder to tell WHICH Chris scores.... laughs...
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.