NHL 2002 Demo

The National Hockey League is one of the most intense and unpredictable competitions in the world, given the fact that all the teams are very well trained and just as likely to go home with the title at the end of the season. However, a few special clubs have distinguished themselves from the rest of the crowd, as it is the case with every other sport played at this level.

NHL 2002 is a hockey simulator developed by EA SPORTS and it certainly manages to make the sport look and feel as entertaining as it is in real life. By allowing you to control one of the twenty NHL teams and a few other international clubs, the game provides you with the opportunity to feel the stress of the competition and work hard to come out on top in the end, by employing the desired tactics and a bit of skill as well.

There are many more game modes to try out, though, other than the classic Career and Playoff. Hence, it is also possible to play in standalone tournaments, as well as go through a single season or practice your shootout expertise. Naturally, the gameplay remains the same in any of the chosen modes, with the difference being that you get a bit more or a lot less responsibility. In the Career mode, as an example, you have to manage multiple aspects concerning the squad formation, player injuries and many other variables, while in Playoff you only have to worry about winning the match.

Once you are out on the ice court, everything revolves around your ability to coordinate the players and maintain the possession of the puck for as long as possible, while also scoring in the meantime of course. The gameplay is fluid and smooth, while the controls are natural and easy to handle by everyone. Even if you are not at all familiar with the hockey rules and regulations, you can still enjoy it from the first few minutes, although you might not win the match.

Technically, a lot of work went into trying to make the game look nice as well, which is clearly visible in the advanced player modeling and the good ice effects. The commentary is pretty fun to hear as well, although just like in all the other sports games with this feature, it gets very repetitive and annoying after a few hours of gameplay, regardless of how funny the jokes may be.

In the end, NHL 2002 is a game done right and there are few things that did not pan out as planned. Hence, whether you are a fan of the sport or you just enjoy a good simulator, the game at hand is definitely a good option, since it can keep you occupied for long periods of time without causing too much boredom.