NHL 2004

THE BAD:
Well the worst about this game is that you cant see how long your player is injured for when you simulate games and stuff. The only time it shows you is when you are playing the game and after the game it tells you other than that it doesnt tell you if he is recovering well and stuff like...

THE BAD:
Clunky Checking System
Dumb Goalies
Boring Commentary

SUMMARY:
NHL 2004 is better than the other games in the series and it's very addicting but, it's still got a lot of flaws that have been fixed in the past and brought back. Many things that were good in NHL 2002 like the ease of checking an opponent and the funny commentary have been replaced with crap. The checking system is clunky at best, you can line up a perfect check and unload on a guy and your player just bumps off the guy or makes him stumble while the comp can lay hits every 2 seconds. They also replaced Don Taylor with a guy who makes Pat Summeral sound exciting and he's supposed to be the color analyst! The worst thing has to be the goalies though, I've played around 50 games and in about 10 the comp scored on me because my goalie got the...

THE BAD:
No all Star game (booo), Early stages of Dynasty mode (older players are useless in dynasty mode), No indication injury length (vital information)

SUMMARY:
This is the most true to life hockey title ever released. Improvments can be made to certain areas of the game such as adding a playable allstar weekend in Dynasty mode. Other things of note are when starting a Dynasty you will be playing with a severe handicap until you earn sufficient GM experience points (which can take a couple of seasons to do). Because of this you may never use such older players as Sakic, Lemieux, etc.... to their full potetial in this game mode. There is also consistent way to check players injury progress. The injury length scrolls across the bottom of the...

THE BAD:
-Gameplay
-AI
-Goalie animations
-Passing
-Inaccurate sliders
-Non-dynamic gameplay
-No non-NHL selectable custom team jerseys

SUMMARY:
EA NHL 2004 is easily the worst, most frustrating hockey game I have ever played. Its lack of realistic gameplay made me want to kill the people who dishonored hockey in this way. First of all, 99% percent of goals have to come in the following ways:

-Weak shot right as you're crossing the blue line
-One timer through the crease
-Skate parallel through the crease, watch the goalie do nothing, score

Goalie animations? What goalie animations? Apparently diving saves, stacking the pads, and other great gaves don't exist. Oh, and we wanted to mention that goalies never let goals in through the five hole. But let's not overlook...

THE BAD:
You can only use the analog (joystick) when playing, bad updates on injuries and for how long the injuries are. No All Star game!

SUMMARY:
At first I was skeptical about this game. I did not want to learn to play a new game with the analog stick that I have been playing with the D pad for such a long time, since 91. After a little getting used to this game has become addicting. All of the other games keep the player attributes the same, well in Dynasty mode you start at a lower level and have to work up to your potential. This makes this game more amazing than ever.

The gameplay is faster, the CPU is smarter, including the goalies, and the way the passes are made have improved drastically. Now you are able to pass up the boards, and saucer pass. If your rookie player is...

THE BAD:
Dynasty Mode No blood, when you get a hit

SUMMARY:
This game is great but the real upst is the Dynasty mode, When you get a upgrade you get 1 1 1 1 1 point like thsts going to do something and you need like 50 wins to ge a upgrade I on average score 15 goals a game and i get 1 upgrade point that is a put down.In NHL 2005 I hope if ypu are a bad GM you get fired like madden 2004 but EA sports hockey is 100% better then 989 Sports hockey.I really do like this game for the graphics, hitting, Should be blood and injures for a big hit agaist the boards. Thtank you EA Sports for such a great game. :)

THE BAD:
Defence Think Their Offence
Offence Think Their Defence

SUMMARY:
Gameplay:7.8/10

the gameplay is much better than nhl 2003 with slower more realistic gameplay. The skating looks pretty realistic too. What doesn't impress me is that the computer isn't as good as should be. An example of this is when your defence pretend to be forwards and your forwards think their defence. The hitting makes up for this with the all new hitting and fighting engine.


Graphics:8.2/10

The graphics are majourly improved, atleast i think and with 3d players and better fan looks and arena looks the graphics are one of the best parts of this game.


Dynasty Mode:9.0/10

The dynasty mode is great but could...

THE BAD:
Cheesy Off-sides
Analog Control Only

SUMMARY:
NHL 2004 is by far the best EA hockey game made. Every year they promise improvements and I get all excited only to have my hopes dashed when the improvements are minor. This year, the promised a better game and they delivered. Everything from the graphics/cutscenes to checking to realistic puck physics is improved over the previous versions of the game. They finally improved the goalie AI as well! No more diving across the screen on their heads to make saves even Brodeur or Roy could never make!

The game does take a while to get used to as the control scheme is completely different than the past games. If you feel comfortable with the analog sticks, you won't have a problem. For people who...