Rating: 
Summary: It's more of a sim this year and I like that.
Review: Okay, I've only played the demo, but right away I'm pleased. I've been playing NHL 2002 a lot over the net. I have 2003, but my friends never upgraded so I've played more 2002. 2004 definitely looks like butter on my GeForce Ti4200 and it seems to play more naturally. It's a big leap from 2002. I've also grown accustomed to using my Wingman Cordless gamepad. If you prefer a more arcade style, I'd stick with the Xbox version, but on the Xbox, I think I'd have to go with ESPN/Sega NHL (2K4). I do wish I'd never grabbed NHL 2K3 because of the annoying choice to go with red and black player circles/highlights. Red bleeds on televisions. It made it hard to see the puck and the player. Any noob console developer should know this. To think the Sega art department was that out-to-lunch makes me wonder. I played the demo of ESPN NHL (2K4) and it's much improved over last year's offering and the circles are far easier on the eyes. Back to PC NHL 2004. If you don't have 2003 or 2002, go for it! If you already have them, wait for it to hit the $20 mark or even better wait until it's in the ~ $15 2004 EA Sports Pack.
A novel idea would be for EA to reward its fans with a $10-20 rebate for owners of the previous edition. If it works for Norton Utilities, it should work for EA.
Rating:
Summary: Much better than NHL 2003
Review: On NHL 2003(which I also reviewed, and liked initially), I found the game to be too arcadish, and found that the computer had far too many last minute comebacks. When I got 2004, I wanted to play for a couple weeks, and play a few games into a dynasty before commenting, not wanting to repeat the mistake I made last year. NHL 2004 is a marked improvement on a number of fronts. Although, on the beginner mode, the cheap goals can be had, at least now, the computer isn't scoring 4 goals in two minutes anymore. Additionally, I've noticed that the unselected player positionally play better - not as good as I'd like, but overall, the play away from the puck is good. I can skate down the wing with the puck, and know that I have a trailer coming into the slot waiting for a pass to be one-timed. Another issue I had with last year was the ridiculous scores. On the same difficulty level last year, I had a lot of 11-10 hockey games. I enjoy games more on the sim side of things, so this was unacceptable for me. On NHL 2004, this isn't a problem at all. I also enjoy having the feature where a 15 minute period takes only five minutes. Not only have I found that this keeps the stats in a realistic realm, but as busy as I am, it takes all of 15-20 to play a game. Overall, I highly recommend this for anyone who wants a sim. IF you're looking for a game that encourages scores approaching a softball game, then I'd recommend something like NHL Hitz
Rating: 
Summary: OK
Review: The graphics on the menus screens are awful and the graphics in general are no improvement on last year. The gameplay is improved. It is much more difficult to get a break away and offense is more strategic. Hitting is cool, but at times difficult. The fighting engine is improved. This is by far the most difficult addition to the series in terms of controls. You need to have the right king of controller in order to use all of the available features. A Gravis Gamepad Pro won't cut it anymore. Overall a game worth playing, but the graphics have been a dissapointment.
Rating:
Summary: good hockey game
Review: This is by far the best hockey game Ive ever played. Ea games really improved over NHL 2003. Being an avid NhL watcher myself ; This is almost exactly like a reall NHL game ;with one exception, your the players.... This game is kool. Period
Rating:
Summary: Good Improvements, but can do more
Review: Well first of all, I am happy to say that this is nowhere near as bad as NHL 2003. The irritating color commentator + useless game breaker are gone from 2004, which makes me happier. This is long: dont read if not into novels Gameplay : Barely touched. that is all I have to say and now I am going to say this. The skating is the same, shooting + goaltending are the same. The thing that bothers me about the gameplay is that the defense is still as porous as the Pittsburgh Steelers secondary, even on tight D (or a 5 Star in the game) when you change the defense + when you have the best D-men in the game playing for you. It can do more by making it a better gameplaying experience International Mode: As I said before, this was a decent attempt by the folks at EA to get people to buy a fading product with a possible bleak future. There are 3 leagues from you to choose from. Germany's DEL, Finland's Elitserien, and Sweden's SM-Liiga. But unfortunately, if anyone cared to try it out, this mode was botched, all the leagues are the same except for rosters + playoffs. The mode is nothing more than a glorified NHL 2003 franchise mode. You can even see that when you look at the mode's interface. And most likely you will not know 95% of the players on here. So if you were not a fan of ex-NHL'ers like Greg Adams or Mike Bullard or not from Europe, don't even bother about this mode. Dynasty Mode- Due to the recent competition from ESPN NHL Hockey + it's worthless Franchise mode, EA has improved this mode. Like for a few examples, There are actually salaries on this game (in $$$, not points) and a good free agency where you dont have to overcome your horrible prestige to get a great player. But it's not that that has me upset about the mode, it's the concept of the mode that has me and most likely others fuming. Here is the concept: The Ebenezer Scrooge-like owners, realizing that they're "cash-strapped", take away every luxury item, release every staff member, + sell off every piece of workout equipment to "break even". That is where you, the naive GM, comes into play. you trade, sign + draft your way into a dynasty. But all this mode is only about is to please those cheap, Scrooge-like owners, by giving them a surplus in the finances, then they throw GM points around. When you get 100 of them, you have 1 point to spend on your locker room or your staff, + that is what you basically do for 20 years until they shove you out the door + give you a retirement present. Let me give you a hint, dont put it on Legal! even when you have it on level 10, it doesnt work real well. The GM office and the GM ranking are just a sad attempt trying to compete wth ESPN's "Cribs" the GM office you just look at, you do not control anything in that room, and The GM rankings are just, well, GM rankings. Trading is much harder to do, no longer can you trade your way from worthless deadweight to perennial scoring champion in no time flat. and that you can no longer sign people + trade them away. The main irk of the dynasty mode is that you cannot change the concept! it is stuck like this forever! and that is why I am somewhat disappointed with this mode. Sound: It is crisp, sounding like you are watching the real thing in an arena. Unfortunately, that was true in NHL 2003. The commentary is definitely improved, why do I know this, the color commentator from NHL 2003 has been given the boot! the commentary is deeper, more serious than the distraction of last year. Graphics: They are much better from last years version, unfortunately, the faces have seemed to take a step backward this year (on my computer, that is) Final Verdict: I would've loved a better game out of EA sports, unfortunately, as always, it's the ONLY option on the PC. so once again hockey fans will have another scar to go with the possible strike coming up.
Rating: 
Summary: Much Better than NHL 2002
Review: When I first bought this game, the gameplay and the graphics were sooo much better. Even the sounds are much better than NHL 2002. The only problem with this game is the AI defense. The defense does a good job when it is penalty killing but when the offense is on a roll the AI does not do its job. The franchise mode is a little difficult, Madden 2004 has a much better user friendly franchise mode than NHL 2004. Sometimes, can be difficult at times. NHL 2004 is good for those hockey gamers and viewers that are interested in a good hockey game. I would recommend this game.
Rating:
Summary: Better than all the others and it's for the ps2
Review: When I got Nhl for Christmas, I was so excited. This game is so cool. The create-a-team is so cool but I wish they had more logos to choose from. Here are the pros and here are the cons Cons:
-Can't play as any retired legends
- It's hard to control the goalie
-When you deke you usually lose the puck
- No practice or shootout mode or anything like that Pros:
- Great graphics
- Big realistic bodychecks
- Easy to score on easy levels
- your choice about fighting or not
- ability to download current rosters off the internet
- dynasty mode where you control just about everything
- so many camera modes to choose from
- you can put created teams for all modes
- you can assign created players to any team including the all-star Many more good things about it but this is all I can think of at the time. I recommend this game all NHL gamers.
Rating:
Summary: A resource-intensive return to form for the EA NHL franchise
Review: With NHL 2004, EA Sports has made an important shift back toward the heart of this impressive series; I have every version of this game going back to 1996 with the exception of NHL 2003, as last year's game took a very wrong direction in my mind. My feelings for NHL 2004 are somewhat mixed, and I think there are a few important things that fans and potential buyers should be aware of. First off, the game has never looked better (as long as you have the hardware to truly support it). Finally, the faces of the players look impressively life-like, the camera action never gets in the way of gameplay, and the look of the action is at times of jaw-dropping proportions. Most importantly, the game feels more realistic; I, for example, am experiencing a feeling on power plays that is unlike anything I have experienced in earlier incarnations of the game. The most impressive visual aspect of NHL 2004, though, has to be the crowd. I can't believe how good the crowd looks in this game; spectators are true individuals, sporting a plethora of outfits, and reacting separately. You will see one guy jump up and cheer while those around him merely watch the ice intently, and fans indulge in "the wave" in a realistically unorganized fashion. I sometimes find myself watching the crowd in wonder rather than concentrating on the action; that's a mistake, though, because players have more moves than ever, and the goalies make some mind-boggling Hasek-like saves. NHL 2004 is also more challenging than previous releases. I am forevermore a hopeless player who must compete at the easy level, and my days of winning high-scoring contests may well be over; this is partly due to some control issues I have with the game. The first thing that I learned from firing this baby up is that my Gravis Gamepad seems to have gone the way of the dinosaurs. Oh, it still works, but I have yet to master decent control of my players, and I find myself unable to indulge in some of the new fancy additions to gameplay NHL 2004 offers. To experience all of the facets of gameplay, you really need a right-analog controller such as the Logitech Dual Action or Microsoft Sidewinder. Total player control is not possible with a gamepad such as mine, and thus I am unable to execute all of the possible player moves, including bruise control shots to specific parts of an opponent's body and, most unfortunately, the new and seemingly much improved fighting system. Oh, I'm still able to make some bone-crunching hits and revel in the sight of breaking glass and helmets being separated from my victim's heads, but the real magic will not be at my fingertips until I upgrade my controller. One thing I don't like about NHL 2004 is the fact that faceoffs occur very quickly after stoppages of play. In the past, the slight delays after calls afforded me a much-needed moment to regroup, take a breath, and check the feeling in my left hand, but now you had better be ready soon after the whistle blows. Worst of all, at least to me, is the fact that you can't really do anything on the ice after a call is made; I have always taken great joy in delivering as many brutal blows as possible after play stops, dishing out the punishment while only rarely being hit with a penalty in reaction to my dirty tactics, but I'm forced to play a cleaner style of game in NHL 2004. Even delivering great shots to my opponents during gameplay is much harder in this new version, partly because of the limits of my current controller. On the plus side, and this is a major improvement that lends gameplay a much more significant air of realism, you now have the ability to shove your opponent and engage in scrums along the boards; this much improved board play is to me the greatest innovation offered by this year's release. Another improvement is the audio commentary; gone are the constant jokes and fluff, replaced with serious play-by-play announcers who lend a further air of realism to the game. Those interested in the management aspects of the game should love the new, much deeper dynasty mode which allows you to guide a team over the course of 20 years with an impressive degree of micro-management options. Another extra comes in the form of 39 new international teams at your disposal (drawn from Germany's DEL, Sweden's Elitserien, and Finland's SM-Liiga). Online play is also improved with NHL 2004. There is a lot to love about this game, especially if you have the hardware to enjoy all of its many offerings. In my judgment, you need at least a 1GHz processor, 256 MB of RAM, and a 16x CD/DVD drive. Your video card is really your most crucial piece of hardware, though, as you'll need a video card of at least 32 MB which features one of the following chipsets; NVIDIA GeForce 256 or greater, ATI Radeon 7200 or greater, Matrox Parhelia, Sis 315, or Xabre. For complete player control, you would also do well to invest in a Logitech Dual Action or Microsoft Sidewinder controller. If you have the system, you will experience the closest thing yet to realistic enjoyment of the coolest game on ice. I would not spend the money to upgrade your system just for this game, however. Even with the more complete control of the action which this game makes possible, I much prefer the control and feel of NHL 2002, yet, in the final summation, the truth of the matter is that NHL 2004 offers enough improvements in terms of realistic gameplay that it is clearly superior to any previous version of this outstanding series.
Rating:
Summary: Better than all the others and it's for the ps2
Review: Wow, this edition of EA's NHL line is vast improvement upon all others. It's realistic to the point annoyance in many aspects. Players missing the net, and making bad passes on great opportunities has caused me a great deal of frustration a number of times. A players skills fluctuate from game to game depending on a number of factors such as morale, quality of travel, practice rink, equipment, gym, and locker room. Player progression is dependent on the quality of your coach and not just his stats or potential. I've yet to see a goalie let in a shot from the blue line as well. Skating has become much more realisitic as well, you can no longer reach top speed in just a couple strides or continue at high speed after making a sharp turn. What I don't like about 04 is that for dynasty mode you have to play the long season, that means you play 82 games every season plus play-offs. When a team proposes a trade all you see is the overall stat and how much they get paid, you don't see their potential, age, or anything else. It's become nearly impossible to make any trades because there is no way of knowing what other teams want or determining how likely a team is to accept. All trades offered end up with the user holding the short end of the stick. Also there are no longer box scores for previous games.
Rating:
Summary: Very VERY good
Review: Wow, this edition of EA's NHL line is vast improvement upon all others. It's realistic to the point annoyance in many aspects. Players missing the net, and making bad passes on great opportunities has caused me a great deal of frustration a number of times. A players skills fluctuate from game to game depending on a number of factors such as morale, quality of travel, practice rink, equipment, gym, and locker room. Player progression is dependent on the quality of your coach and not just his stats or potential. I've yet to see a goalie let in a shot from the blue line as well. Skating has become much more realisitic as well, you can no longer reach top speed in just a couple strides or continue at high speed after making a sharp turn. What I don't like about 04 is that for dynasty mode you have to play the long season, that means you play 82 games every season plus play-offs. When a team proposes a trade all you see is the overall stat and how much they get paid, you don't see their potential, age, or anything else. It's become nearly impossible to make any trades because there is no way of knowing what other teams want or determining how likely a team is to accept. All trades offered end up with the user holding the short end of the stick. Also there are no longer box scores for previous games.
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