Rating: 
Summary: The sweet hockey action...
Review: I love hockey. I'm not the world's biggest fan, I don't know every stat in the universe. I can't tell you who the second fastest skater on a breakaway is in the league today, and I doubt I ever will be able to.This game feels so much like being at a hockey game that I couldn't care less about it's flaws. Visually and audibly, the game is gorgeous. The sound of the skates on the ice, the clicking of the puck, the great cross checking animations, the look of the uniforms, the fast passing and the sudden scoring. All of it captures the mood of a hockey game so well. Gameplay is very strategic. If you're used to old school hockey games (like I was) where you can just pop the puck in by skating around the net every time you want a goal, get ready for a challenge. You're going to need some skills to play this game. Likewise you're given a ton of play options so you can break out those skills: fake shots, poke checks, dekes both manual and automatic, wrist and slap shots, kneels and dives on defense, and a lot of other great stuff. Learning to control the game is a challenge itself. This game isn't perfect. Like every EA sports title the interface isn't so well designed and online play can be very buggy. The passing game is really funny sometimes, and has made me throw the controller - I don't know why my computer controlled teammates skate off in another direction *right after* I pass to them. If you're a serious puck-o-phile who knows everything about the game, you might not enjoy this title. Very knowledgable hockey fans have told me that the stats on the players are not very well done, especially speed stats. They've also told me that the passing game is, bluntly, total crap, partly because of the player's tendency to stop their forward motion or do a "u turn" when receiving a pass. This is a real problem when playing against a computer opponent that can be very skilled at taking the puck, especially when the player you're passing to "u turns" right into an opposing player who cleans their clock. If however you're a casual hockey fan, or can forgive flaws like these, or you're just someone who loves the spirit of hockey, this game is great. It may not be perfect but that hasn't stopped me from yelling when I smash guys into the boards or shouting like a happy fool when I one time a great shot into a net.
Rating: 
Summary: Well now!
Review: I saw my first hockey game when I was about 10 years old. I was walking thru the living room when I noticed my mom watching intently while Derrick Sanderson and John Ferguson were wailing on each other in the center of Boston Garden. I stopped to watch the fight. I stayed to watch the game. I've been hooked ever since. I go to as many games as I can afford. I've converted most of the people I work with into die-hard fans. I don't want to age myself but I purchased my first video hockey game for the Intelevision game system back in 1980 (those little stick figures could really move). I think I may have purchased every hockey sim since (with the exception of Wayne Gretzky Hockey and NHL Hitz). EA Sports has pretty much dominated the genre since 1990 peaking with the release of NHL 2001. NHL 2001 was close to being the perfect sports sim. All that was required to make it perfect was improving the AI but for some reason EA decided to change the graphics engine in 2002/2003 and add cartoonish incentives for people who don't like hockey. NHL 2004 has returned to the lofty standards set with 2001. The graphics may have actually topped 2001 (although the face recognition system in 2001 has yet to be matched by any sports sim). The AI picks up the puck where 2001 dropped it. The defensemen actually play defense (remember 2001 when they used to hide behind the goalies?). The player movement is simply unbelievable. Goaltenders stop the puck with their pads and gloves. You can see them straining to see thru screens and following the puck when it goes behind the net. They also incorporated loose pucks in front of the net. Goals can be scored on scrums in front of the net. One thing EA sport has always gotten right was the pace of the game. The strides of the player cover exactly the amount of ice that they should. The controls are laid out sensibly (try making line changes in (2K4). The audio has always been the best in the industry. You can hear the skates cutting up the ice, the puck thudding off the goalie pads. If you have a surround sound system it sounds like you're sitting in the middle of Chicago Stadium. Even the fans look like real people (instead of cardboard cutouts). Clearly EA is feeling the heat of the competition. NHL 2004 re-establishes them as the undisputed leaders in hockey sims. I still wish they would include the vintage teams and the Hall of Famers (2K4 does) but I guess you can't have everything. Anybody who loves hockey will love this game and hey....the people who don't can buy 2K4. I hear they have air hockey. P.S: Traditionally this franchise has always been strongest on the PC.
Rating: 
Summary: Very disappointing.
Review: I was not at all happy with this game. I think EA went too far to the "simulation" side of things with this release. The Bruise Control checking option is really clunky -- after playing for two hours I had only managed to nail three players. The new graphics/reactions are cool enough (players now crumple against the boards and flop to the ice, as opposed to splatting directly to the ice as in 2003), and it's alot harder for a shot from the point to actually make it through a pack of bodies in from of the net. The controls are horribly convoluted as well. There's no way you'd be able to play this game with all it's moves/options without using a 10-button controller of some sort. I have such controllers, but really don't enjoy using all 13-buttons to get things to work properly. I definitely miss the 2003 set-up that permitted the use of, really, only 6 buttons to get everything done. The new create a player option is really lame, too. You can no longer personalize each face, for example, by choosing various eye shapes/color, hairstyles, noses, etc. Instead, you're presented with predetermined faces... so the possible variations are pretty slim. The Bruise Control is by far the biggest disappointment for me personally. I did not at all find 2004 fun... I bought it the day it was released, played it for three days (had to give it a chance), and then proceeded to pack it back in the box and tossed it on the bookshelf where it's sat ever since... gathering dust. It would have been far better if EA had not tinkered with the controls and simply updated the graphics and animations. 2003 wasn't perfect, but I could play three or four seasons and still enjoy every game. With 2004, I didn't enjoy the game at all and never even bothered getting to the Franchise or Season modes (both of which got blasted pretty hard on EA's website forums). I'm going to have to check out another NHL title in order to get my fix this winter. Or just keep playing NHL 2003, I guess. Either way, I'll be more hesitant to buy the next EA NHL title when it comes out next year. I'll definitely wait to read some reviews before dropping the dough for it.
Rating:
Summary: Realistic? In your dreams
Review: I'm sick of seeing people claim that it's so much harder to score making the game more realistic. I don't mind the difficulty scoring. On medium, I can usually score about 4 or 5 goals a game (unless I'm against a goalie who likes standing on his head). The reason this game is beyond pathetic is that the computer opponent can score at will and, as usual with EA sports, your own defensemen just love putting the puck in your own net. I just lost 8-4 (a scene that is becoming commonplace) because two goals were allowed in from the blue line, on one goal my computer controlled defenseman fell down trying to block a shot even though the computer didn't take or fake a shot, my defenseman put a goal in his own net, and I was trying to clear the front of the net when suddenly the goalie got the puck, I took control of the goalie without knowing it and put the puck in my own net. What should have been a close 4-3 or so game ended up becoming an 8-4 boring as hell rout. Before we go for realism, lets work on the bugs that make gameplay so frustrating and fix them. Oh wait. EA can't do that. They're too busy working on NHL 2005. Then when that buggy piece of garbage comes out, they'll be too busy working on NHL 2006 to fix the bugs. Some old story. If I didn't get this disc for a song, I wouldn't have bought it at all. Stick with NHL games before 2000. They may be less realistic, but at least they're fun.
Rating:
Summary: Mistake made by costumers who have played
Review: I've read a lot of reviews telling us about a flaw that they make the home jerseys the away ones and vise versa. This time EA Sports did not make an error. The NHL this year is having all teams have their dark jersey's as the home ones like they did many years back. I do not have the game yet but I just wanted to point that out.
Rating: 
Summary: Good attempt, not perfect
Review: In certain areas this game vastly improved. I enjoy the franchise mode. There is more involvement in the total aspects of a hockey team. Unlike 2003 where there are two or three Gretzky caliber prospects every draft year that immediately dominate the league, 2004 is more realistic, having average prospects overall that will develop into great players. When it comes to trading, there are still some flaws, which is understandable until artifical intelligence is invented. For instance, occasionally there are ridiculous trades made where a the top team in a conference trades away their best player for a lesser player and a low draft pick. Atlanta does this often, trading away either Kovalchuk or Heatley for an average player, after which they fall drastically in the standings. There are usually no financial reasons for this. As far as the game play goes, it has become more realistic in certain areas, while overdone in others. One thing is the hitting. While it has become more realistic visually, it is a lot harder to hit opposing players. The skating is improved in certain aspects, but in others it is frustrating. The major problem with the gameplay is momentum. When the opposing team captures the momentum, it is sometimes extremely hard to do anything. The opposing team will knock you down every time you touch the puck, while stop any clearing attempts, and will slap pucks at your net at overly-rapid rates. But not just this. Even your players will be drastically affected. Every time you pass it to a player when the other team has the momentum, if they receive the pass, for some reason they are always skating the wrong way. So you have to turn the player, but then you are usually checked hard in doing so. Sometimes, in key situations always, my player I'm controlling will just stop. Nothing I do will move him. If I switch players, suddenly that player stop. This lasts a few seconds. And it only happens when the other team has the momentum. The balance, of course, is way off when it comes to this momentum factor. When the opposing team scores a goal, a slight majority of the time they will score another goal seconds later. I've played a game where I was winning and held the momentum. Suddenly I was caught offguard and the other team scored a goal. No problem, right? Well, in less than a minute they scored five goals on me. It was as though my players had suddenly smoked something and my goalie had fallen asleep. Suddenly the other team will make perfect passes to the front of the net where their teammate will be sitting unguarded. This is too skewed. It is extremely frustrating. On close games, more often than not, the opposing team will score within minutes of the end of the game off a shot from behind the goal line, while I'm controlling the momentum and in perfect position. At these points I come close to taking the cd and breaking it, it makes me so mad. It just doesn't happen in real life, or at least not that often. A common occurence is there will be a minute or so to go, the game will be tied, and a less than average goal scorer will float a shot past a defensemen that is obviously guarding him perfectly, they will be stationed on the goal line at the boards, the goalie is leaving absolutely no room for any puck to get through, as well as there being other players between the shooter and the goal, and somehow it trickles over the goalie and inches it way slowly past the goal line while the goalie is just standing there still looking at the shooter and other defensemen won't get to the puck, despite standing a foot or so from the puck. This needs adjustment. There are other things as well, but you get the idea.
Rating:
Summary: A BIG Improvement from Past Editions
Review: Let me start out by saying that NHL 2004 is an excellent game for the PC. However, I can only compare this year's product to NHL 2000 and NHL 99 since those are the only other two editions that I have. The gameplay for NHL 2004 is the best that I've seen. It's realistic in that players can pin each other up against the boards, one on one battles in the corners are present in the game, and dishing out checks requires more precision in which you have to line the player up in order check him. These three hitting elements didn't exist in past versions and is probably the most realistic part of the game. Also, the check button enables you to shove players which is great since this allows you to push a player off side. The graphics are great as always. No real problems here but EA has taken a more cartoonish approach as far as facial animation is concerned and player's faces are either very accurate to real life players or they are completely off. The new fan animation and involvement is also cool since they wear the different home team's jersey. Sound in the game is great. The sound of the puck banging off the glass and boards sounds exactly like it does at a real hockey game. Also, the fan chants are great. You'll hear plenty of "Let's go Rangers" chants and "Go Leafs go" chants and the like. In fact, fans begin to boo the home team if too much play is going on in their defensive zone or if the home team can't create anything on the powerplay. Some detail is missing. For example, after a playoff series the players don't shake hands. This of course is a minor part of the game, but it would be cool if EA included this in future editions. Overall, NHL 2004 is a great game that hockey fans who crave for realistic present day NHL style hockey will love. However, I wouldn't recommend this game for those who like arcade style hockey with a ridiculous amount of scoring. But you can alter the AI to make it that way if you choose. However, the theme of this game is realism.
Rating:
Summary: Great Game...Can use some improvements
Review: NHL 2004 turned out to be a bit less than what I expected but it is still a fun game to play. The graphics are extremely good in this year's version. The crowd is in 3D and the players seem much more realistic than in my old NHL 2002. Some faces look a bit screwy but it is noting really bad. Gameplay is much more difficult this year. NHL 2002 was a breeze for me even on hard but NHL 2004 presents much more of a challenge. The game does feel a bit more realistic though. One con is that hitting another player is made very difficult. I have not gotten off nearly as many hits as I wanted to and the Bruise Control system is hard to work with. It will take a while to get used to everything and the numerous controls. I play it on a keyboard and it is a bit too much for it. A gamepad will help but the amount of controls available can be a bit overwhelming. Advanced maneuvers will be challenging to pull off until you can get used to everything. The interface seems fairly streamlined but in-game menus seem clunky as if it was still in early beta testing. EA could have done a much better job in making that look more streamlined. Sound is pretty much as good as it gets. Commentary sounds less cheesy and more professional. There are a few jokes thrown in but nothing as bad as the ones in NHL 2002. Overall, its a pretty decent game once you get the hang of it. I am still training myself to work with the game on Easy right now and hope to advance up to higher levels one day. The only major con I see is the difficulty to control players with so many commands available at your fingertips. Most of you should enjoy NHL 2004.
Rating:
Summary: Good...but not the best
Review: NHL 2004 turned out to be a bit less than what I expected but it is still a fun game to play. The graphics are extremely good in this year's version. The crowd is in 3D and the players seem much more realistic than in my old NHL 2002. Some faces look a bit screwy but it is noting really bad. Gameplay is much more difficult this year. NHL 2002 was a breeze for me even on hard but NHL 2004 presents much more of a challenge. The game does feel a bit more realistic though. One con is that hitting another player is made very difficult. I have not gotten off nearly as many hits as I wanted to and the Bruise Control system is hard to work with. It will take a while to get used to everything and the numerous controls. I play it on a keyboard and it is a bit too much for it. A gamepad will help but the amount of controls available can be a bit overwhelming. Advanced maneuvers will be challenging to pull off until you can get used to everything. The interface seems fairly streamlined but in-game menus seem clunky as if it was still in early beta testing. EA could have done a much better job in making that look more streamlined. Sound is pretty much as good as it gets. Commentary sounds less cheesy and more professional. There are a few jokes thrown in but nothing as bad as the ones in NHL 2002. Overall, its a pretty decent game once you get the hang of it. I am still training myself to work with the game on Easy right now and hope to advance up to higher levels one day. The only major con I see is the difficulty to control players with so many commands available at your fingertips. Most of you should enjoy NHL 2004.
Rating: 
Summary: this game sucks!
Review: oh no! there goes all the excitement
I'd rather go back to playing NHL2001
it actually has more options than 2004.
This game is terrible..even though i've only played it for 5 minutes..i already know.
The game play is really slow.
They took away alot of fun features.
The deflected shot, the back to back passing, Bill Clement,
do i care who sings the songs? get rid of that stupid box!
there is no more stat keeper for your self and your friends
don't buy this..there's only disappointment.
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