Most people who play video games like sports, I think that's a fair assumption, and most people own sports video games, in fact most people own several. Some people like soccer games, some like NFL games, some tennis, some basketball, some baseball, the list is endless. Hell, it's the running joke amongst my friends how much I hate Brian Lara Cricket on the PSX. I don't know why, I just think it's so dull I can't stand it. Mind you, I don't like cricket but pretty much all my mates do. Go figure.
Anyway, it's still not as easy as that. How many sports titles do you want? How many is your collection big enough for? Do you buy the inevitable annual update or stick with your original, even though the kits out of date? What about multi-player options, are they important to you? And are you looking for an arcade experience or more of a simulation? There are so many questions that people ask themselves when a new sports title that tempts them is released, not least that all-important question; do you like the sport? Many would argue that wouldn't matter, but Riddle me this Batman; If you've been bought up on baseball, would scoring a try in the finals of the Rugby League world cup really give you the same sense of exhilaration?
A lot of it admittedly is due to your world locality. In North America soccer games sell okay, but in the rest of the world they sell more than any other sports title. In the US and Japan baseball games sell, in India cricket games are popular. Golf and tennis, on the other hand, are accepted everywhere.
Ice Hockey, on the other hand, is a misnomer. Nowhere in the world is it as popular as it is Canada and the US; particularly northern states like New Jersey, and that puts it on a distinct disadvantage as a global seller. For a start with, most European gamers won't know who any of the players are, which questions the licensing fees, and as many may not understand the rules. It seems like any hockey game has an uphill struggle on its hands this side of the pond.
So how come, then, EA hockey on the old Megadrive was disgustingly popular? Every body had it, everyone, I don't know why, but we all played it, and passionately too. Shouting, screaming, swearing, fighting, the lot, we loved it. Everything just seemed to work; the player momentum, the stick control, the violence, it was magic. And the replays, oh the replays, I think EA hockey is the first time I remember gloating over a score ever. And not just me though, who remembers the Vince Vaughn gloat in Swingers when he shows his mate the instant replay over and over? Or Brodie in Mallrats finishing off his game in the morning when Renee dumped him because Vancouver were winning? That's two cool movies with Sega Hockey and how often do video games crop up in cool films? Not often enough...
When are you going to get round to talking about NHL 2K3 though? Okay then, now. NHL 2K3 is a pretty good game, let's get that out of the way. It's biggest problem today is that leviathan what is EA Hockey, which I've already mentioned, and the much better Xbox version, but more on that later. The major difference between this and EA Hockey is that EA hockey is very arcadey, whereas this title is a lot more of a simulation. Don't be scared though, it's saved by having an abundance of sliders meaning you can tweak everything back to arcade handling if you really want to.
The actual in game mechanics, though, are great but not perfect, but I like that. You mix that with an AI that is good but similarly not perfect and you get quite tense and quite close games all round. Let me explain. Sometimes, you'll pick up the puck loose on the blue line and find weaving between two defenders and placing the puck in the corner of the net easy. The replay will come in and it'll look as sweet as honey and you'll think you cracked the game. Next thing you know, you don't get a touch of the puck for ages, the computer is slamming you against the board constantly and you can't just switch to the right player when you want to. Funny thing, though, is you don't ever feel like the computer is playing brilliantly, there's no 5-0 drubbing like you get in EA's NHL hockey, you just have periods of inconsistency. Soon enough, though, the skates feel like they fit again, your teammates are weaving up the ice the way you want them too and it's the computer who seems inconsistent. In general annoying, but at the same times brilliant, you never know what's going to happen, although on the default 'pro' difficulty setting, you tend to often come out on top before the final bell goes. Watch out for power plays though, I always tend to loose them and the computer has a frustrating habit of dumping the puck in your net.
The graphics are pretty good and the game runs smoothly, but they are noticeably weaker than EA's effort. Still, the level of detail, from player faces to team shirts and the sponsor stickers on the sticks themselves, is pretty good, and the crowd detail is often really impressive. If only I could be so enthusiastic about the menus, they are quite poor. Bizarrely, they reminded me of NBA Jam on the old Playstation, and that was how many years ago? The frame rate is strong, though, and the animation is only very rarely jerky, not enough actually so that you'd notice it or let it distract from your actual game. The one saving grace that 2K3 does have, though, is a fantastic zoom in and out camera system which you can set yourself. I can't think of any other game in which you have that much freedom and it's nice that Treyarch, the developers, had the courtesy to include it.
When it comes to game modes, 2K3 also scores highly. Exhibition, Season, Playoffs, etc, they're all there, plus a fairly comprehensive franchise mode. This is basically team management as well as the usual games. It's decent but is marred by the bland menus I mentioned earlier. Get this though; you can pick as many teams as you want to control, and you can switch sides with the four pads (assuming you have a multi-tap and friends) as much as you want. This makes this one of the most multi-player games I've played recently, since this option transcends all game modes.
And that's the real point, NHL 2K3 handles really well and is great for those frantic multi-player matches. So good, I'd say, that that's why this game has lifted itself up to the prestigious '8' slot.
Not as good as the Xbox version though, which has much slicker graphics and full online capabilities. The PS2 game is good, but not as good, and that's a shame but it doesn't really surprise. If you only have a PS2, however, and you are a hockey fan then you really should own this. I prefer it to EA's NHL hockey; the game all in seems a little tighter and the movements more fluid and that's what any hockey fan should be looking for in a hockey game.
At the end of the day, I guess that's good news for all you gamers across the pond from me. It's a shame too that most of the people here will inevitably overlook this game in favour of the next football title...
NHL 2K3
PS2 review by Jim Smith - Thursday 1st May 2003
Thunderbolt score: eight out of ten
Players: 4
Online: No
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