Well here it is the beginning of the new hockey season and with it comes the latest release from EA SPORTS…NHL2002.  OK puck heads its time to take hold of your favorite team and take them all the way to the cup!

NHL 2002 is flashy, beautiful, and fairly easy to play.  The interface is loaded with tons of options which may seem a bit confusing at first, but a little trial and error, or a flip through the instruction booklet, should have hockey fans on the ice in no time.

Some new features:

Breakaway, save, and hit cams add some intensity to the hockey experience.  The breakaway cam puts you in a tunnel-vision sort of feel complete with the sound of your heartbeat before you release that bone crushing shot. You can earn hockey cards by performing superior skills.  Use the cards for boosts, cheats, and other cool stuff.

Track events and follow the EA Sports Game stories as they happen.  Put yourself in the game with the create-a-player face-builder.  New animations allow players to reach for passes, lift passes, and kick the puck up onto their stick. Featuring music from the Barenaked Ladies and Sum 41 and much more.

NHL 2002 is really a great game, but true hockey fans that buy the latest and greatest that EA gives us each year will not see a whole lot of changes.  The game played pretty much like NHL 2001.  All my key moves worked about the same on 2002. The AI seemed a tad better after playing with the slider bars, but still could use a bit of work.   Not to say that’s bad.  I prefer up-to-date rosters and player stats, which that alone is worth shelling out the 40 bucks. All in all, it’s a fantastic selection for any hockey fan.  GO WINGS!

Installation:  Easy

Gameplay: 9
Pretty easy to get the hang of it, but AI still could use some help.

Graphics: 9
Fast frame rates plus real time lighting effects.  The 3D rendering is superb. 

Sound: 10:
The sound was great, the crowd, the music, the sound effects were all nicely done.

Difficulty: 9
It really depends on what you gear yourself up for. Sometimes it will seem easy, other times it’s tough as hell.

Multiplayer: 8
Takes some playing around with the interface. If you already have an account with another EA Title, you can just log on with that account or start up a new one. TCP/LAN

Concept: 7
Not exactly a new concept, but lots of cool tools to work with.

Overall: 9.0
Well Done