NHL 2K3 Review

As you can see from the subheading of this review, I wrote “the true hockey simulation,” and that’s just what this game is. None of that needless and frustrating arcade style of hockey like NHL 2004 & 2005 have is featured in this game. It’s pure hockey, and not a thing more or less. The gameplay engine Sega implemented in this game is a shining example and reflection of just that. When it comes to the GameCube, this is as close as you will get with regards to what an actual NHL hockey game might be play out as. How you execute your offense and defense are most definitely retrospect of what you might see in real life, and that is exactly why this game is so great.

Now it definitely does depend on how hardcore of a hockey videogame player you are, because there are numerous ways to tweak this game. There’s rookie, pro and all-star difficulties, each of which obviously dictate how tough it is for you on your end. There are actual in-game mechanics that you can shuffle through and adjust to your liking such as the speed of the game, how good the opposing offense and defense is, how good the goalies are, right down to how the puck is actually affected with the physics of the play!

With regards to the actual controls, there are actually 3 different design templates for those as well. There is the beginner, intermediate and advanced options of play, and obviously the one you choose will dictate how you play the game. There are some things you do in advanced that you can’t do in intermediate and beginner play, so that is obviously the better choice to go with if you want the widest variety of executable maneuvers with your team. The two biggest features of advanced are deking and protecting the puck yourself that you won’t find with the other two modes, so it’s strongly suggested to just stick with advanced and get used to it as quickly as possible.

Now it definitely will take a while for newcomers to this game to get used to how if feels with overall play, but it certainly isn’t entirely difficult because the consistency with what you use on the controller is actually quite balanced. There are multiple button combinations to perform some of the more advanced maneuvers such as the deking and such, but nothing too confusing that you’ll find yourself always asking a friend for help or consulting the instruction manual for help that way.

Really the only downsides to the gameplay in this game are the facts that there really are no “interference” penalties so if you’re that kind of hockey videogame player that loves hovering around your opponents’ net, you will often find yourself getting “laid out” more often than you should by the computer, even if you don’t necessarily have the puck. Frustrating? It can be, but there are always ways around it if you’re good enough. Also, the fighting engine in this game is TOTALLY uninspired. It almost doesn’t surprise me that it is that way since Sega did so much to make everything else as realistic as possible. It’s just another “button mashing” event to go through, and the simulation of an actual fight in hockey is just not there at all. Bad? Not really, but if you like that kind of thing in hockey games and like to nitpick, it could be.

Other than that there really isn’t too much to complain about, just simply more to praise. There really is a much better chance of you setting up true NHL hockey plays such as one timers and firing slapshots from the blue line with your defensemen and scrambling for a possible rebound in front of the net with your forwards. The best thing about that is the goalies really aren’t completely stupid, even if they do have their moments, and you won’t find scoring to be an easy thing most of the time. Unlike what was claimed with NHL 2004 & 2005 by EA Sports, you REALLY do have to earn your way to the goals that you score. There are only so many ways that you can actually fool the goaltender, but even sometimes when you think you have it, the goalie WILL shock you and pull off an incredible save!

The only feature that will seem unbalanced at times, but really isn’t a detriment to the game, is the number of breakaways that each team can possibly get during each game. Now the average I’ve seen while playing this game for the time I have is around 2 to 3 a game. But I have seen up to as many as 7, and that’s just not normally possible. Thankfully that doesn’t happen very often, but if you are playing a team that has incredibly fast skaters, it is strongly suggested that you keep on your toes on defense, poke-checking and checking at all possible times to keep them from getting behind you too easily!

Everything else about this game is simply excellent. Sega really pulled out everything they probably could’ve in making this game feel like a true NHL hockey game. The AI was surprisingly and impressively well-done, even though it’s not 100% realistic ALL the time. The controls hardly ever feel choppy, and that coupled with great animation definitely makes this for one heck of an awesome hockey gaming experience!

Just like most other hockey games, there really is no concrete ending to this game, however the Stanley Cup presentation if you win the championship series as well as all the season player/team awards afterwards is actually quite nice! Sega definitely helps you feel satisfied with your accomplishments, and if you happened to have quite the dominating team during the regular season and playoffs, you will enjoy a plethora of awards for your various teammates. It’s amazing how many you can actually get!

NHL 2K3 is replay value in of itself. Just playing the regular season itself is just so much fun that I’m actually on it through for my third straight time with my favorite team of all time in the Pittsburgh Penguins! Now there isn’t only the regular season to get involved in, but just because of how much fun it is for me, I haven’t even touched the other modes! There is a Franchise mode where you can form your own dynasty and take them through their own unique season. There is a Tournament mode where you pretty much dictate how things work, and can play to what your heart desires. There’s also the Sega Sports Challenge which is basically what it says. Sega challenges you to do various things, and you have to complete them to progress! But nevertheless, the season mode truly is very engaging, and it’s definitely one of the best in hockey gaming history. It will continue to grab a hold of you, constantly making you want to push your team further, and Sega couldn’t have done a better job with it!

It is most unfortunate that this game sold very poorly when it was released, because Sega did so many things right in this game. The last time I heard, it sold less than 20,000 copies, so I’m one of less than that number of people who actually own this game, and I find that truly saddening. I think too many people are too willing to flock to what EA Sports has to bring to the table when it comes to hockey, because most of the people I know actually HATE EA’s hockey games because they are just too frustrating and feature truly crappy AI programming. The graphics aren’t perfect, but they are good enough to satisfy even the most hardcore hockey gamer. The music is pretty good, the sound effects are just awesome and even the announcing can have its entertaining moments even if it does just get too repetitive too quickly. But where NHL 2K3 most definitely shines and outdoes all other hockey games on the GameCube is the ease and fluidity of the controls. They just FEEL like you are playing a real hockey game, and the replay value is more than there to complement them. If you really do want a TRUE simulation of the NHL game, then look no further than NHL 2K3!