I bought NHL 99 for my Nintendo 64, and after many years of playing, I've now realized it was probably the best game for that system. It kept me entertained for hours and hours. However, after a couple of years, naturally, I got sort of bored of it. You can't blame me, the commentary is not the best, and the graphics, are well, Nintendo 64 graphics. So I purchased NHL 2002 for the computer! I saw it on my cousin's computer and thought it would be great if I got it.
GAMEPLAY
The gameplay of NHL 2002 is pretty good. Many people do not like sports games, but If you like hockey games, this is the game for you. There are various modes like, shootout, tournament, season, and playoffs. In tournament mode, you can pick a team that represents a country, and try to get the gold! There is also a Play Now feature where you can start playing with two teams of your choice quickly. You can even play co-operative with the computer! You can choose 1 position on the team, while the computer controls the rest of the team which i think is really cool. I like playing just the goalie so I can make really good saves. Going on to options, well, there's a lot of them. You can pick how strict the referees are, how much fighting there is, the image quality, the volume of various parts of the game, different views, and much more. The camera angles are okay but you are able to change the view that suits your needs. Going on to the commentary. There are 2 types in this game: normal commentary, and color commentary. Color commentary is a lame attempt to bring humour into the game, however it doesn't work. In the end, don't let that make you decide if you should buy the game, because you ccan turn the color commentary off. Now for the glitches. I have played this for about 3 months, and I've only encountered 1 minor glitch (my player was spinning around in circles on the ice!) The game makes you feel like your watching a game, which I really enjoy. There are lots of neat cinemas, plus good replays after you score a goal. There are also different difficulty levels which is a must-have so you can get used to the game, and once you feel like your up to a challenge, you can set it to a higher level.
GRAPHICS
The graphics are pretty good, that is if you have a good enough computer to run them. I'll explain. For users who don't have a fast enough computer to run that game at full performance, the graphics are less detailed, and the crowd, well, look like a flat sheet of different colours. However, for people with faster computers, they can bring the graphics to the best, which are quite good. The crowd still looks a little silly, but is better looking than anything i've seen. Also, when the game closes up on the players' face, the graphics are pretty astounding.
CONTROLS
The controls are simple, because there are not that many of them. I'll admit though, it does take a while to get used to the controls. On beginner mode it is easy, but once you get the higher levels, you should be quick at the buttons, or you'll probably loose the game. You can play the game with the keyboard, a controller, or a joystick.
MULTIPLAYER
There is, in fact multiplayer on this game, in 2 different ways. One way is to play online with one of your buddies. The other way is for one person to play on the keyboard, and one person to play with the joystick. I've tried this method, and it is okay, but a little ewkward and could be crowded on the desk.
SOUNDS
This game lacks a little in sound. Although you can't expect much sound from a hockey game, there should be some. The hitting sounds are okay, but unrealistic. All in all, the sounds are acceptable, but not to my expectations, especially the crowd. One thing I enjoyd in NHL 1999 was that when you scored a goal, the crowd would cheer wild like a real crowd, and when the visiting home scored, they would boo really lowd, like a real crowd. However, in this game, when I score, i can barely hear the crowd. Their voices go up a couple of decibels higher, but nothing like a real NHL roar.
OVERALL
Overall, I enjoy this game. The reply value is great, especially when you get into the playoff mode. You can also make your own dream-teams, and believe-it-or-not actually put your face into the game. The graphics are superb, if your computer can handle them (the requirments arn't that demanding) and there are plenty of options to choose from. The downside: for me, the noise of the crowd is disappointing, and the colour commentary should be turned off. All in all, it's one of my best games in the pile.
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