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Preview  NHL Hitz 2002
- By Chris Montreuil
The sports genre, while imminently enjoyable and continually satisfying, has its limitations. There are just so many sports out there to simulate in this wonderful medium of ours. I mean EA could come up with All Star European Darts or an International Bocchi Ball but I doubt millions would flock for those offerings. Enter the ever increasingly popular world of extreme sports. Enter Midway's NHL Hitz 2002.
Built upon the tradition forged by their other "itz" title Blitz, Midway has created an intense 4 on 4 based hockey game with all the extreme trimmings you have come to expect in the series. Not to be satisfied with players "on fire" and vicious body checks, Midway has added some realistic touches as well with official licenses by the NHL® and the NHLPA with real NHL® teams and players. Realistic could also be used to describe the graphical elements of Hitz as well. Huge, highly detailed player models populate the ice and move in a smooth lifelike fashion. Often the weak graphical link in a sports game is its rendering of crowds. This is most certainly not the case with Hitz, which features a fully 3D crowd that accurately reacts to the events taking place on the ice. Midway has gone all out in this latest incarnation and claims an impressive list of features.
- Adrenaline-Style, Over-the-Top Gameplay-Players leap, glide, check, fight, pass and score on would be defenders
- Outrageous, Over-the-Top Animations-Watch out for the blistering "on fire" puck
- NHL® and NHLPA Licensed Product-Play your favorite NHL teams and players
- Classic Midway Sports Asylum On-Fire Mode-Players and teams catch fire and become almost unstoppable
- Fully 3D Modeled Crowd-First interactive 3D crowd in any sports videogame
- Fantasy Stadiums, Hidden Teams and Players-Secret arenas for every team presented in a unique fantasy setting, as well as hidden teams and special players to unlock along the way
- Next Generation Graphics-Photo-realistic graphics that deliver hockey like never before
- Big Players-Huge player models with real player faces and expressions
- Mini-Games-Including skills competitions straight from the official NHL and NHLPA super skills competition
- Create-A-Player-Allows players to design their ultimate ice warrior
- High Powered Play-by-Play-Commentary to describe all of the outrageous action
- Big Hits-Aggressive hits that break the glass, putting players over the boards
- Different Player Skill Sets-Real player stats, abilities and attributes
- Multiplayer Hockey-One to six players
- Ice Deterioration-As the game progresses, the ice will show wear-and-tear
Scheduled to be released as a Gamecube launch title Hitz will represent the sole hockey title, simulation or extreme, available. While it is safe to assume fans of the series and extreme sports in general will be sure to snatch it up, those of us who are holding their breath for an EA NHL title to come to the Cube ought to investigate the over the top stylings of NHL Hitz 2002.
- 11.3.2001 |
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Release Date:
11.18.2001
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