NHL Hitz 2003 - PS2

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Also for: Xbox, GameCube
Viewed: 3D Third-person, floating camera Genre:
Sport: Ice Hockey
Media: CD Arcade origin:No
Developer: Midway Soft. Co.: Midway
Publishers: Midway (GB)
Released: 1 Nov 2002 (GB)
Ratings: 11+
Accessories: Memory Card
Features: Vibration Function Compatible, Analogue Control Compatible: analogue sticks only

Summary

No hard-checking, adrenaline-style sports action game would be complete without a suitably rock-hard hard rock soundtrack. Which is why it's nice to see that ageing rock god Rob Zombie provides some of the tunes that accompany the over-the-top 3-on-3 gameplay in Midway's latest ice hockey extravaganza.

Officially licensed by the NHL and the NHLPA, NHL Hitz 20-03 claims to be the only adrenaline-style ice hockey experience, placing emphasis on simple, arcade gameplay mechanics and delivering a high-speed, extreme representation of the sport.

20-03 comes complete with a host of new features, such as the all-new franchise mode, which enhances the single gamer experience by giving users the power to create a team from infancy, grow that team through international competition, earn a franchise, and eventually compete for the Stanley Cup. There's also a Hockey School mode, which features a tutorial from retired Hall of Fame coach and nine-time Stanley Cup champion Scotty Bowman. Add to this a collection of mini games and an in-depth New Season mode that enables detailed statistics tracking, a playoff tree, and official NHL awards, and you've got yourself quite a comprehensive ice hockey sim.

The featured teams in NHL Hits 20-03 have been accurately recreated in virtual form, so they take on the same playing style as their real-life counterparts. Also found are bigger, stronger and faster players, as well as improved goalie logic, behaviour, animations and control, which make it more difficult to repeatedly score the same way.

With a focus on action, adrenaline and fun, this title provides a more light-hearted approach to the sport of ice hockey.