NHL Hitz 2003

For a lot of gamers, sports games are a love it or hate it affair.  Some gamers want jocks out of nerd culture, or think that playing a game about something they could go outside and do is a waste of time.  Yet others love the skill testing and competitive nature, or want an opportunity to live the dream of playing in the pros.

Personally, I think franchise mode Madden is the most underrated RPG of all time.  I could go on as to why, but we aren’t here to talk about Madden or any of its simulation style brethren.  Today, we discuss arcade style sports titles.  Specifically, the long forgotten NHL Hitz franchise.

Most gamers, both casual and hardcore, are familiar with NBA Jam or NFL Blitz.  Rather than focus on a realistic representation of their sports, these titles focused on insane plays and bone crunching hits.  Why make a perfect form tackle when you can German suplex the QB and then hit him with an elbow drop?  I am shocked it took so long to apply this formula to hockey (maybe they thought it wouldn’t be enough of a departure from actual hockey?) but its a good thing they did.

All 30 NHL teams are here, with real players and rinks.  The arenas don’t look any different, but the character models are big, bold and move smoothly.  Controls are simple, you can shoot, pass, deke, spin and check your opponents.  Lay in enough damage and you can ignite your team on fire, leading to infinite turbo.  Games are 3 Vs. 3 and periods are only three minutes, so games are quick, exciting affairs.  This is one of the two games that made me buy a multi-tap for my PS2, playing it with six players was just insane.  Controls are tight and responsive and those with short memories are reminded of the layout before each game starts.  It’s super easy to pick up and play and you don’t need to know a thing about hockey to enjoy it.

The biggest problem with games like this is always depth.  After you play a handful of games, what’s left to do?  Plenty.  There’s the standard sports game stuff, you can play a season, playoff or tournament.  But this goes beyond that.  You have an awesome career mode where you create a team from scratch and sign players.  You travel the world, playing other teams and completing objectives to unlock new gear and level up your players.  You start by taking on other fictional teams before you take on the NHL ranks.  It’s a lot of content for a game like this.

There are a lot of other pretty cool unique features, including mini games and create-a-player.  Sometimes developers use mini games to pad their feature list, but these are actually pretty fun.  Those who want to learn a little more about hockey concepts can check out hockey school with NHL legend Scotty Bowman.  It’s a well thought out and designed tutorial with some relevant information.  It’s almost seems a little out of place in an arcade style game like this, but its a nice feature.

But the real draw here is just the over the top craziness.  Crushing your opponents with body checks is so satisfying, especially when you put them through the glass.  The challenge level is just right, its difficult to score a goal but not impossible.  There is also a mercy rule setting to keep the action going if you are just destroying the computer.  Of course, this wouldn’t be an arcade style sports game without crazy unlockables.  Sure its great to play as your favorite NHL player in your favorite arena, but wouldn’t you rather be a camel on skates playing hockey on a pirate ship?  There are so many customization options it will make your head spin.

Look, there are plenty of flaws in Hitz.  It isn’t the best game to play alone and all the teams have a certain sameness to them.  Ratings don’t seem to matter all that much.  It’s not that its not fun to play as Scott Stevens, it just doesn’t feel the same when  everyone else hits just as hard.  By their nature, games like this are limited in scope.  This isn’t going to have the impact of a FInal Fantasy or Metal Gear Solid title, but it is a great time with a bunch of buddies and a few beers.  All the extra features push it into “great” territory.

8.25/10, add an additional .25 to the score for each player beyond the first.

Play this if:

You are looking for a fast paced, action packed game

You were a big fan of NFL Blitz

You are looking for a good multiplayer game to play after a few beers

Avoid if:

You prefer more realistic sports games

You’re looking for something with more depth and complexity