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...continued
Interface:
Thank goodness EA Sports took the time to craft an
easy-to-use interface for the front end of NHL
2000. Whereas its contemporary, Madden 2000
struggles with a clunky system of key presses and
mouse clicks, NHL 2000 puts everything within one
or two steps. The menus necessary for conducting
drafts, making trades, setting lines, and viewing
stats are all well designed, and make exploring the
many options and features available to you prior to
hitting the ice a breeze. Obviously, it makes sense
to create a decent interface for dealing with a
grab-bag of managerial and coaching screens, but
you'd be surprised how many products get this
wrong. The fact that NHL 2000 doesn't is testament
to the polish EA Sports has put on the ol' apple.
One interesting new feature that deserves mention
is the pair of "boost bars" that can be adjusted
prior to the start of a game to handicap or
strengthen the artificial intelligence. In theory,
this is a great thing; if you think opposing
goalies are too strong, just lower their boost bar.
And it works, too. The problem is that the bars can
only be individually tweaked in exhibition mode.
During a season, adjustment of one team's abilities
creates a similar adjustment on the other's, which
really doesn't make sense. What's the point of
making the other team's AI less potent if your team
is going to suffer the same fate?
On-ice
control, on the other hand, is very intuitive,
especially if you have a gamepad. I liked having
the ability to re-map the functions of buttons
within the options menu, but didn't really find it
that necessary. Basically, if you've played any NHL
title in the past few years, you should be able to
pick this one up and start playing right away. For
those who haven't, EA Sports has included an
excellent set of tutorials that will take you
through the basic functions of skating, passing,
and shooting. I didn't spend much time on them
myself -- the appeal of skating around in an empty
rink a la The Mighty Ducks was overcome by the fact
that I'd done all this before -- but I can see how
it would be immensely helpful to someone who had
never touched any of NHL 2000's predecessors. Why
most sports offerings don't include something like
this, I'll never know.
Gameplay:
To me, all the bells and whistles in the world
don't amount to anything if a PC sports sim does
not provide either an accurate representation of
its real-life counterpart or at least an enjoyable
facsimile thereof. NHL 2000 scores on one of these
points, but falls hard on the other, if not for
lack of trying. I would definitely say I enjoyed
myself playing this game, thrilling at a lot of the
fast action and exploring the many new features
that have been added to make the simulation
elements of the series stand out more strongly. I
was a particular fan of the fantasy draft and
franchise mode, as the entry of young talent and
the maturation and development of stars has always
been, for me, a big part of the lure of
professional sports. On the ice, there are plenty
of exciting moments to be had, and it's always neat
to be able to step into the skates of your favorite
NHL personalities and make that big save or score
the game-winning goal. Both of these will come fast
and furious, which should be enough to satisfy the
twitch-conscious crowd.
The
problem is that, as amusing as this high-speed
contest can be, it's not even close to real hockey,
which is a real shame considering the steps EA
Sports took to make NHL 2000 more realistic than
its predecessors. There are so many decisions to be
made, ranging from pre-game line changes, to the
alteration of coaching strategy mid-period, to a
new method of adjusting period length, that one
almost feels guilty not appreciating this title's
gameplay. But if you're a hockey fan, you won't be
able to help but notice the many incongruities that
end up making NHL 2000 more arcade hockey than
simulation. If that's what you're looking for,
great. You'll have no problem going end-to-end
without much thought to actually setting up an
offense or defense. But EA Sports has been making a
big push for its titles lately as something deeper
than the average action-oriented sports game, as
evidenced by their inclusion of a franchise mode
replete with general manager options. If they can
transfer that depth to the ice, then they'd have
something truly special. As it is, NHL 2000 plays a
lot like its predecessors, which isn't a terrible
thing. It's just not quite where it should be at
this stage of the game.
I'd
also like to say that I had some fun with NHL
2000's Internet play. I'd like to say that, but I
can't, because I could never actually get a match
going. The matchmaking service provided by EA
Sports is currently non-functional, and I was
unable to even connect at times. A patch has been
promised, but since it's not here yet, you really
can't consider Internet gaming a part of NHL 2000's
package.
Sound
FX: NHL 2000's suite of sound effects is just as
good, if not better than, its visual package. In
terms of establishing atmosphere, it's about as
good as I've ever heard in a sports title. There is
a tendency for the actual game effects -- the
schuss of skates on ice, the crack of stick against
puck -- to be somewhat exaggerated, and that can
take some of the edge off the overall impression of
realism. Al McInnis may have one hell of a
slapshot, but it doesn't make the kind of boom
heard here. Luckily, this hyperbolic noise tends to
get lost amid the complete package.
I
would be horribly remiss if I didn't also mention
the voice work. Unlike that of most sports
offerings, the play-by-play is actually a strength
instead of a liability. Jim Hughson and ESPN's Bill
Clement have contributed a good deal of recorded
banter, and most of it is appropriate. It also
seems that they've recorded a special,
player-specific comment for everyone in the league,
which is a nice touch despite the potential for
repetitiveness. In addition, the mixing of
different phrases is executed very well, so that
you don't get the kind of jarring changes in tone
and emotion that plague many titles in this genre.
The really cool touches, however, are not part of
the play-by-play, but of the chatter that occurs
between the occupants of the ice. You'll know what
I'm talking about the first time one of your
players gets called for a penalty, turns to the
referee, and begins to argue his case. What's even
niftier is that the ref will then talk back,
telling your goon to "Get off my ice." Stuff like
this, taken individually, is not that significant.
As a whole, however, it's phenomenal.
Musical
Score: First of all, I'd like to personally commend
whoever it was that put together NHL 2000's
introductory video. The use of Push It by Garbage
is very appropriate, as the driving techno-rock
beats jibe very well with the big checks, shots,
and saves being played across the screen. Sadly,
this trend of excellence isn't continued with
what's presented as a musical score over the many
menus and screens that make up NHL 2000's off-ice
features. It's the same kind of industrial tune as
the one in the opening, only with a lot less
personality and direction. Frankly, I had to turn
it off after a short time. When I'm trying to
ponder whether to trade away a promising young
winger for some defensive help, the last thing I
need is an overly repetitive bunch of electronic
noise in my ear. But the good news is that the use
of music during actual games is spot-on. During
breaks in the action, you'll hear the kind of "jock
jams" that are piped in to stadiums the world over,
and which ESPN has managed to parlay into
successful record sales. When the puck is dropped,
however, the music ceases. Which is exactly as it
should be.
Intelligence
& Difficulty: Truth be told, EA Sports has made
several improvements in the artificial intelligence
and behavior of the computer-controlled players.
The "super goalies" of NHL 99 are now a thing of
the past, meaning that it's now possible to score
in ways other than off the rebound. You'll find
yourself putting in slapshots from the circle, and
possibly even a one-timer from the point, if you're
skillful and lucky enough. This alone does a lot to
make NHL 2000 more enjoyable than its predecessor.
What's more, the computer player also seems a lot
more aggressive, and it wasn't unusual for me to
find myself out-shot severely on the upper
difficulty levels. It's good to see a designer pay
attention to these kinds of problems, as it would
seem to indicate a desire for the betterment of the
series.
Unfortunately,
there are more than a few very large AI issues that
severely taint this progress. To start, there seems
to be very little in the way of diversity in style
of play between different teams. The Red Wings will
rush the goal, using their speed to create scoring
opportunities. That's fine. But so will the Florida
Panthers, known for their slow, smothering
defensive game. And so will every other team in the
league, regardless of whatever other strategies
their roster makeup might suggest. Of course, this
may be a sound way to go considering the fact that
defensemen on both teams still get caught up-ice
with frightening regularity. Whether this happens
because they're just out of position or because
they've been called to the bench at precisely the
wrong time by some pretty poor coaching AI is
anyone's guess, but both will definitely happen if
you let the computer control your line
changes.
Other
anomalies pop up from time to time, such as my own
netminder's inability to get off his knees when an
errant pass was floated into the air, resulting in
a goal. Or, even worse, the fact that
computer-controlled goalies cannot stop a
wraparound, no matter how many times you do it. I
discovered this fact when I was down 4-0 in the
third period of a season game. I ended up winning
6-4, because all I had to do was keep plugging at
that wraparound, and I was guaranteed to light up
any team. While one could easily hamstring one's
self by refusing to perform such moves, it's not
really right to have to do so. The same thing can
be said for the general manager AI that will always
allow you to trade for a player whose overall
rating is two or three points higher than that of
the one you're offering. By exploiting this
loophole through a series of deals, it's possible
to turn a scrub into a superstar. What's more, my
enjoyment of the Fantasy Draft feature was tainted
somewhat by the fact that AI GMs apparently don't
want to build a strong team. When I can select
Dominik Hasek in the first round and Paul Kariya in
the second -- and this is with middle-of-the-round
picks -- you know something's out of whack. If EA
Sports ever wants this franchise to be taken
seriously as a hockey simulation, they've got some
work cut out for them in terms of AI both on and
off the ice.
Overall:
NHL 2000 is alternately fun and frustrating. To be
sure, it brings across the atmosphere of NHL hockey
superbly through the use of some eye-popping
graphics and stellar use of sound. The continuous
pushing of this envelope, despite the steep system
requirements it demands, really makes this title
stand out over any competition. If player facial
reactions and this mapping thing go any farther,
I've no doubt that, before too long, what you see
on your computer screen will soon rival what you
can see on television every night from October to
June. I was very pleased with the "Face in the
Game" feature, despite the fact that it somehow
constantly made me look like even more of a freak
than I normally do. And every part of the visual
presentation, from a split-screen goalie comparison
that prefaces each opening face-off to the yawning
of players sitting on the bench, is so well
put-together that I found myself continuously
impressed.
I
also appreciated the fact that EA Sports is taking
steps to make NHL 2000 a more complete hockey
simulation. The franchise mode is a huge addition,
adding a great deal of the replayability that
eluded previous NHL titles. I also liked the
Fantasy Draft, a bonus that too many sports games
ignore. On the ice, the reduction of the "Super
Goalie" to a mere annoyance is a very welcome
change, as is the improvement in the scoring model.
Control is smooth and, with a gamepad, almost too
accessible. It's also nice that the designers of
NHL 2000 have avoided the front-end pitfalls that
befell their counterparts on the Madden 2000 team.
On the whole, this game is a very polished, well
put-together product.
Ah,
but then reality kicks in -- or, to be more
accurate, a serious lack of it. Let's put it this
way: NHL 2000 may look like real hockey, and sound
like real hockey, but it sure doesn't play like
real hockey, at least not the way I've seen it
played. These discrepancies can mainly be traced to
the suspect AI that will plague you both on and off
the ice. Don't get me wrong, the computer still
puts up a good fight, and it can be fun getting
into a sprinting/breakaway contest from time to
time. But there are just far too many holes,
gaffes, and unrealistic reactions to overlook.
There's plenty of action, big hitting, and
puck-handling to go around, but it's tainted by
gaffes like the horrible positioning of defensemen
and the inability of computer-controlled teams to
clear the area in front of their own net. The
general manager AI could also use a whole lot of
tweaking. Does all of this slippage ruin things
completely? No, because NHL 2000, with its
fast-paced on-ice action and bevy of features, can
still be a pretty cool game. It's just not a proper
simulation yet.
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