Developer: EA Sports Publisher: EA Sports. Genre: Sports Simulation Rating: Everyone Minimum Requirements: Intel 200 MHz, or AMD K6 32 MB Ram 4X or faster CD-ROM 100 MB HD Space Direct3D or Glide capable 4MB PCI or AGP Video card with directx 7 Drivers Recommended Requirements: Intel Pentium 400 MHz or faster 64 MB Ram 8X or faster CD-ROM 600 MB HD Space 16MB or greater Direct3D or Glide Capable video card Supports: Keyboard, Gravis Gamepad Pro, Microsoft Sidewinder Gamepad, Logitech Wingman Gamepad. Da Introduction: I love hockey. The cold Canadian winters leave nothing for us to do except play or watch hockey. Now I'm much too fragile to play this rough sport, nor am I nimble enough to be crushed into the boards. Having said that, playing hockey video games is about to as close to the real thing you'll ever get. Now, year after year, EA Sports releases their versions of NHL hockey and the question in everyone's mind is, "Is it worth the money again for this year's version?" Answer: "Definitely. This year's NHL 2001 is awesome." Da Graphics: Exceptional. 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. Different camera angles have been added as well which gives the replays a new life. Replays on penalties, goals, and saves look just like the ones that you would see on the big screen. This year you can also make your own jersey or import your face into the game. Da Sound: 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. The announcing has never been better. Gone are the monotonous voices that slow down a good sports game. The analysis is awesome. After a goal, the commentator will go back talking about what led up to the goal - one too many rebounds, that extra pass, or a well aimed wrist slot. Even the boring stretches from the game aren't that boring anymore. The announcers will talk about the history of some of the players such as, "Mike Vernon has played with Detroit, San Jose, but most of his wins have come from playing with the Calgary Flames." It may seem corny, but it really adds to the atmosphere of the game. Commentary during the game is still there, and the same corny phrases are still there such as, "He's going to be charged with robbery if he keeps making saves like that!" or "What a hit!" It's not great commentary, but it does the job and still keeps the game very enjoyable. Even further in-depth analysis can be found after a game. The commentators will talk about why a team won the game, and why the other team lost, which is very relevant and interesting. For example, they'll say that a team needed stronger performance from one of their key players, or that they spent too much time screwing around in their own zone. Da Gameplay: Gameplay 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 (Yes, I know, so they're having an off season), 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. The AI is very strong in this game. The opponents skate hard and play hard as well. Gone are the days where your player will have 100 goals, and your goalie has 40 shut outs in a single season. The learning curve on this game isn't hard on the rookie mode, but gets difficult on the All-Star mode. This gives the game an excellent replay value. As it stands right now, I'm 21-10-3-1 in my season with the Calgary Flames playing on the All-Star mode. The games that I have lost have been blowouts, and my wins were hard fought games where I only beat them by a goal. Furthermore, scoring goals against the opposition is difficult. You can no longer come in at an angle and score almost every time like in NHL 2000. Finally, you're a very lucky man if you can get a break away, which is very realistic. Just like any hockey game, you can edit your lines so they match up well against the opposition. In addition, you can trade players with other teams and have a fantasy draft as well. You can also create your own player, which I did. I'm a 5'10, 200 pound scoring machine. I have the grace of Pavel Bure and the muscle of Donald Brashear. I know, it's not realistic, but it's fun. I also lead the league in penalty minutes, which isn't something to brag about. Anyway, your players are very susceptible to injuries and fatigue so you do have to take care of them. There are different play modes available in this game. One is a season mode, where you can choose from short, medium, and long. In addition, your season has a 10 year career limit, which allows you to play 10 seasons with a team and a fantasy draft as well. Penalties, off sides and icings are all options that you can turn off and on. NHL 2001 includes all 30 NHL teams as well as 20 International teams. In addition, EA Sports has roster updates on their website along with some patches as well for improved playability. If you don't already own a joystick, you had better get one. This game is definitely not fun on the keyboard. It's very hard to score, check, and win because the controls on the keyboard aren't graceful when it comes to your players' movements. Multi-Player: The multi-player is where the best part of the game can be found. I played online with a couple buddies of mine (each with cable modem speed), and man was it a blast. We played 8 games, where I ultimately won the series with 5 wins. If your friends suck at the game, or they don't own the game, you can look for opponents online through EA Sports website. There is also an online league where you can track your points in a league, and if you're good enough, be the ultimate champion. Da Conclusion: 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. The joystick is way up on this one. Ratings: Sound: 9.5 Graphics: 9.5 Game-Play: 10 Tilt: 9 Overall: 9.5 This game was tested on 2 machines: AMD Duron 700 128 MB Ram Full Installation 52X CD-ROM Sound Blaster Live Voodoo 3 AGP Altec Lansing Surround Sound Speakers AMD Athlon 1000 128 MB Ram Full Installation 52X CD-ROM Sound Blaster Live Riva TNT2 32 MB AGP