That was the first game to take a sport in an entirely different direction.
The speed was increased, most of the major rules were taken away, and all that
was left was a fun arcade game that got the attention of everyone, even gamers
who didn’t play sports games.
In 1997, Midway tried their
hand at football with NFL Blitz. Blitz did everything that Jam did and more.
Four years later they took a stab at my favorite sport: hockey. A few
developers had attempted this type of arcade-style action before and failed.
Would Midway have what it takes? Gamers answered with a resounding yes,
making NHL Hitz one of the top sports games of 2001.
For the latest addition
to the series, NHL Hitz Pro, developer Next Level Games went beyond
expectations. From year to year, we usually expect to see sports games get
upgraded. NHL Hitz Pro is much more than that. It truly is the "pro" version
of the series.
Incase you didn’t know,
the first NHL Hitz created teams of three players in order to make the game
play faster and feel more like an arcade title. That was a smart move at the
time, but for NHL Hitz Pro, the developers found a way to increase that number
to five without losing any of the arcade appeal.
NHL Hitz Pro has an
incredible control system. The rarely-used analog shoulder buttons are put to
great use here. In bad situations, you may want to quickly toss the puck away
from the net to prevent the other team from scoring. You can to do this by
lightly tapping the left trigger. If you press the trigger in too deeply it
will not work regardless of how carefully you do it. If done successfully,
the puck will be tossed away and, if you aim correctly, will land near one of
your teammates. You can also press the L trigger to dump the puck on the
boards, causing it to slide across it (another defense tactic).
The shoot and pass
controls haven’t seemed to change much, but they do feel a little more
accurate. The fake shot and fake shot pass are a great way to trick clueless
opponents into thinking that you’re readying a slapshot. If standing in
between two opponents, you can block a pass or a shot just by pressing and
holding the L trigger. Players will stay in the block shot/pass position
until the L trigger is released. Blocks can be done while stationary or while
running, but if done while running you’ll dive for the puck and lose some
control over your player.
The franchise mode isn’t
new, but it is worth mentioning. It is one of the many reason to play NHL
Hitz Pro when you’re friends aren’t around. Think of it as a fictitious
season mode: you pick one make-believe team (such as the Hounds or
Barbarians), enter your city, and begin the journey as a nobody to a team that
everyone wants to see win. A calendar is set up to outline all of your game
days and who you’ll be battling. In between games you have the option to
manage your team (choose which goalie you want to start, which players you
want to use, etc.).
When you’re done
training, NHL Hitz Pro gives you a reason to put up with your annoying
friends: the multiplayer mode. It doesn’t do anything different from the
single-player modes, but there’s nothing like having competition from a
real-life person. The computer AI is good, but it can only go so far. Your
friends, on the other hand, can continue to improve their skills just as you
can. They might not be able to keep up with the owner of the game – but
that’s a reason for them to pick it up, too. Either way, NHL Hitz Pro should
be in every game room, college dorm, or any other place you go to game.
NHL Hitz Pro’s music has
the same screaming-rock theme as the first game, but it doesn’t include any
hugely-popular artists. Before you had artists like Korn and Limp Bizkit who,
at one time or another, sold millions of records. Now you’ve got Seether,
Powerman 5000, and Logan 7. There are several others, including Exit This
Side and Flipswitch, but none of them are well-known names among fans of the
genre. Music doesn’t have to be known to be good, and overall this is a
decent soundtrack. But for the opening theme I wish they had gotten something
comparable to Limp Bizkit’s "Rollin’." I never liked that song but it really
seemed to fit NHL Hitz.
NHL Hitz Pro is great,
but what if you already have the first two NHL Hitz games? Having purchased
those titles only shows how much you love the series, and no fan should go
without this title. Don’t get rid of the original – it’s still a classic that
you’ll want to keep in your collection. But once you play NHL Hitz Pro you’ll
never want to go back. The realism pitfall that sank many "Titanic" games
only helps to keep this one afloat. It’s a little faster, a lot more
exciting, and more addictive than ever before. The updated franchise mode is
great fun, and who could deny the entertainment found within the deep season
mode. Then, when you’ve got all of the secrets unlocked, you can get together
with three friends and have hours of multiplayer fun.
Gameplay: 8.5
Who could resist
the hard-hitting action of NHL Hitz Pro? If you loved the first one, you’ll
love this Pro addition, and if you’ve never played the series before, now’s
the best time to start. The season and franchise modes will keep you busy for
several weeks, and that’s assuming you have the time to play through them
persistently. You’ll have to finish the season mode at least a few times to
unlock all of the game’s secrets.
The
franchise mode teams are pretty creative, and work well with many existing
cities. The Hounds, for example, are listed as being from Hamilton (you can
choose whichever city you want, but Hamilton is used as the default city when
they are the opposing team). The fictitious names sound like real hockey
players, too (Dave Forshaw, anyone?).
Graphics: 7.9
The graphics
haven’t aged as well as the gameplay. Actually, let me rephrase that: the
gameplay hasn’t aged, it only matured; the graphics, however, are less
fortunate. The scratch-heavy ice looks alright, but the players don’t
represent NHL very well. Their faces just don’t cut it. You rarely see their
faces, and likely be impressed by the more visible details like the game’s
realistic animation. Still, smooth animation isn’t enough to make a sports
game look beautiful when the first Hitz had it two years ago.
Sound: 7.5
Decent music,
silly commentary. That about sums up this game’s sound. However, it is worth
noting that the developers did include one subtle music addition. As anyone
who watches hockey knows, music plays quietly in the background before every
face-off. The same thing happens in the game, and every song is taken
directly from the soundtrack. Pretty cool.
Difficulty: Medium
Concept: 8
5-on-5 action,
improved AI, an in-depth franchise mode, etc. NHL Hitz Pro takes all of the
lovable qualities of the first game and combines them with several simulation
elements to create the best Hitz game yet. Best of all, it still plays and
feels like Hitz, only more realistic.
Multiplayer: 8
One word says it
all: addiction. This is an addictive, easy-to-learn game that any gamer could
get into. It’s difficult to master, and if your friends are the persistent
type, they’ll surely want to battle for many months to come, especially if
they’re the ones losing. (Persistent gamers play until they win, so if you
don’t want the fun to stop, make certain that you never lose!)
Overall: 8.5
Any hockey fan
who passes this puck should be body checked into the boards. NHL Hitz Pro is
just what it should be: a solid improvement over the original. It doesn’t fix
what wasn’t broken; instead, Next Level Games added to all of the things we
loved. It’s not as crazy or as outrageous, which might seem a little strange
after seeing the direction the game was going in. But once you play NHL Hitz
Pro, even for only a few minutes, you’ll see that the developers have taken
the series in the right direction. The idea to make Hitz more realistic was
risky, but the outcome is all that matters, and the results speak for
themselves. Whichever console you own, whichever console you prefer, slapshot
this game into your collection as soon as you can.
