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Here are my current game reviews!
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Game of the Month (October)- NHL 2004
After a down year last year, EA's hockey title is back in business. A number of improvments to the gameplay and presentation make NHL 2004 not only the best hockey game out this year, but one of the best in a very long time.
The gameplay in NHL 2004 has been greatly improved. The right analog deking/shooting is one of the best innovations in any sports game ever, period. It's easily the best way to simulate stickhandling and shooting without actually putting a stick in your hands. The new quick change strategies are a nice addition, as is the board pinning (which was lifted from last year's NHL2k3).
The other big addition is the dynasty mode. This plays out very much like an NHL RPG. Basically, you are put in charge of a rebuilding team, and have to buildit up to glory by improving your team's facilities. This is done through upgrade points, which are obtained by building up experience points. EP are gained through making trades, signing free agents, and just flat out winning games.
Another layer of depth is added to Dynasty mode by forcing you to track your teams attributes and morale. To maintain and/or improve your team's status you must carefully schedule practices which directly affect your teams performance. It can be a little tricky at first, but it quickly becomes an easy thing to manage.
Overall, NHL 2004 is extremely solid on the ice, and outstanding off it. There is no doubt in my mind that this is the best game of hockey to be found this year. Any fan of hockey, or sports games in general would be well served to pick up a copy.
Score: 9 out of 10 Crates!
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Past Review Scores-
Ace Combat 4- 9/10
Advance Wars- 10/10
Animal Crossing- 10/10
Armored Core 2- 8/10
Armored Core 3- 8/10
Auto Modellista (PS2)- 6/10
Battlefield 1942- 10/10
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance- 9/10
Dark Cloud 2- 9/10
Dungeon Siege- 9/10
ESPN NHL Hockey (PS2)- 7/10
Guilty Gear X2- 9/10
Halo- 8/10
ICO- 10/10
Jak and Daxter- 6/10
Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (X-Box)- 8/10
Kingdom Hearts- 9/10
Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker- 10/10
Luigi's Mansion- 8/10
Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (PS2)- 7/10
Maximo- 9/10
MechAssault- 7/10
Medal of Honor: Frontline (PS2)- 8/10
Metroid Prime- 10/10
Metroid Fusion- 9/10
Mobile Light Force 2- 7/10
Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 (PS2)- 10/10
NHL2k3 (PS2)- 9/10
NHL 2002 (PS2)- 10/10
NHL 2004 (PS2)- 9/10
Phantom Crash- 8/10
Project Gotham Racing- 9/10
Ratchet and Clank- 9/10
Rayman: Revolution- 10/10
Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc (PS2)- 8/10
Robotech: Battlecry (PS2)- 6/10
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus- 9/10
Splinter Cell (X-Box)- 8/10
Super Mario Sunshine- 9/10
Super Smash Bros. Melee- 10/10
TimeSplitters 2 (PS2)- 8/10
Vagrant Story- 10/10
Warcraft III- 9/10
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The Crate Scoring System-
Based on a scale of a possible 10 crates-
10/10- An instant classic! Buy this game now!!
9/10- A tremendous game. Worth checking out for almost anyone.
8/10- A good game. Worth at least a rental for most.
7/10- A very solid game. Worthwhile purchase for any fan of the genre.
6/10- Decent yet flawed. Fans of the genre might enjoy it.
5/10- An average game. Nothing great, but doesn't stink outright either.
4/10- Not too hot. Has one or two redeeming factors.
3/10- Ugh... might have a few minutes of fun mixed in somewhere.
2/10- Utter garbage. Nobody should go anywhere near this game.
1/10- Run from this game while you still can!!!
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ESPN NHL Hockey-
If I could sum this game up in one word, it would have to be... unfinished. This could have been the greatest hockey game ever, but their are simply too many flaws to overlook. There are still good times to be had with this game, and I would recommend it to hard core hockey fans, but there are bugs in this game that will make you want to bang your head against the wall. Definitely a letdown after the superb NHL2k3.
Score: 7 out of 10 Crates
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