NHL 2004 Demo

Hockey is a sport that enjoys a lot of popularity around the world, although it primarily enjoyed in Canada and the United States, due to the fact that there are a lot more fans there than anywhere else in the world. Some of the players are quire famous as well, not to mention the teams and various rivalries that exist between the clubs.

NHL 2004 is a game that aims to provide you with the opportunity to simulate the sport on your computer and take control over the best teams in the world, in order to compete in various tournaments and win trophy after trophy. As with every new release, a lot of emphasis is put on portraying the sport as close to reality as possible, especially when it comes to the way the matches evolve.

First and foremost, the game features a wide array of gameplay improvements, all of which are designed in order to make the experience smoother and the controls feel a bit more natural. This is achieved with the help of new mechanics that can be used to perform a variety of new actions, thus expanding the freedom you have out on the ice and the spontaneity of the matches.

Beside the fact that all of the old licenses have been renewed for a new season, a great deal of new teams have been added as well, spanning all the way into Germany and Finland. However, a lot of the old content has been remade as well, which means that some stadiums have been remodeled in the meantime, in order to include more detail and take advantage of the new engine capabilities.

Speaking of which, the graphical improvements must be acknowledged as well, since they also have a great impact on the gameplay. The most obvious of these should be considered the new motion-captured animations for the players, since they move and react much more realistically on the court and it makes interacting with them a lot more fun and immersive.

In the end, NHL 2004 delivers everything it promised and it certainly makes the sport a lot more attractive and fun. The changes do not affect the underlying mechanics, which means that any returning players should feel comfortable with the added features, while newbies can pick up the basics in a matter of minutes.