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EA did a really good job in this department. The
graphics are crisp, clear, and better than ever. Players actually look
human, and I could even recognize some of the players from different
teams. The crowd looks awesome and very authentic. Each fan wears
different colours of clothing, and waves and cheers differently. The
coaches scream and yell after a bad call or when a goal has been scored
against them. Coaches will lean over to their players and give them
instructions, just like you would find in a real hockey game. The players
are also well detailed. They'll take their gloves off and scratch their
heads between plays, and players on the bench will lean over and cheer
their team on.
Better sound has never been heard out of a sports
game. Past versions of NHL hockey, and even sports games for that matter
have been mediocre at best. The sound in NHL 2001 is, I can safely say,
"perfect." The hockey game atmosphere is very realistic. The
crowd roars in conjunction with the game play or boos when the referee
makes a bad call. The home team now has the advantage as the crowd cheers
and chants throughout the game.
Game play has got to be the strongest point of this
game. Finally, a hockey game has been released where the less skilful
players actually feel less skilful. For example, my favourite team is the
Calgary Flames, and Denis Gauthier, a heavy bruiser type guy, would be
hard pressed to skate fast or deke around opponents. This guy is tough,
and cranks out the hits, which is very realistic and authentic. The goal
scorers on your team have harder shots, but also more accurate shots than
the tough guys on your team, which means they'll tend to score more. In
addition, there are different checking options such as poke checks and hip
checks that allow your not so tough guys to still be effective on the ice.
NHL 2001 is about as realistic as it gets for hockey
games. In fact, I packed up my joystick and wandered over to my buddies
house to play some games over there. That same evening, there was a
Canucks game on, and we were also playing NHL hockey on his machine.
Needless to say, by the end of our game, all the guys in that house had
turned their attention to our monitor, and not the television. EA Sports
did a fantastic job this year with NHL 2001, and is a must have for any
hockey fan. For all those wondering if it's worth the money to get this
years edition, that is a definite yes.
Star Rating: HHIII
Producer: EA Sports
Required Spec:
Intel Pentium 400 MHz
64 MB Ram
8X or faster CD-ROM
600 MB HD Space
16MB or greater Direct3D or Glide
Capable video card |
