NHL Rivals 2004

The agitator has done his job well, as has the enforcer. Now, if the sniper can only …

Talking about a gang-related action thriller? Nope. The latest RTS strategy game? Nope. Although, in a strange way, both generic ideas do manage to lend themselves to the title in question.

NHL Rivals 2004, Microsoft Game Studios and XSN’s release for the Xbox, has enforcers, agitators and snipers as well as balanced players. Each group has special moves designed to fit the role they have on their respective hockey teams.

While the game has some great player moves, and has taken strides to present a realistic passing format, at times this game feels a little like the old table-top game where players moved up and down short spans of ice and rotated to pass or shoot the puck.

But before getting into that, let’s look at the game features.

There are four main modes of play before you even touch the online capabilities of the title. Open Ice allows you to take a group of five players, brush up on your skating, passing and shooting skills against a lone keeper. Instantly rivalry randomly selects two teams to go head-to-head. Single Game is self-explanatory. Under a Game Modes button, you will find a season, playoff or tournament play options. During the season you can make trades, or pick up free agents to bolster your chances at winning the Stanley Cup.

The game is also supported by Xbox Live, where you can pick up games, enter into seasonal play or tournaments. The system link option will allow up to six Xbox consoles to link for multiplayer gaming.

The game also will allow you to create a player, manage rosters or adjust the musical playlists.

Fighting may not always be the answer, and if an opposing player drops his gloves, you have the option of either dropping your players and engaging in the fight, or backing away and not risking a penalty. The game also features more than 700 in-game motion capture animations, which do provide some nice player movement.

The goalie AI is also very good.

Sam Rosen and John Davidson do the commentary, and this aspect of the game is very solid. Davidson’s little aside jokes, though, lack the comedic rhythm and flow of other titles. The musical underscore is also quite good. The game also does a good job in simulating the crowds and sounds of the game itself.

Some cutscene action has been inserted into the game and rather than look authentic, seems just a bit out of place. Players will be shown changing lines at a frenetic pace, almost as though the idea was to show them doing so, but to speed it up so as not to delay the pacing of the game.

You can also adjust the camera to give you the look you want for the action. The computer AI evolves nicely to create a challenge even at the lower difficulty settings.

The game does have a good flow, but at times, the player-controlled team seems to fall into skating lanes and won’t aggressively move to the puck.

NHL Rivals does a nice job graphically. The passing system is very well done. Being able to bank passes ahead, off the boards, or jump dumping the puck into the enemy zone is a very nice feature. As mentioned, the goalie AI is superb and you can afford to take some chances with the superb net-minding this game features.

NHL Rivals is a solid title, but not one of the better ones on the market. This title makes the playoffs, but likely won’t get into the Cup finals.

Gameplay: 7.8

Sometimes the players on the player-controlled teams tend to move into skating lanes rather than move in the direction of the puck. They do spread the ice well when in control offensively of the puck. The overall game flow is solid though.

Graphics: 8.3

The game features some great player movement, but cutscenes tend to feel out of place.

Sound: 8

Solid, but the game lacks excitement.

Difficulty: Medium

The game is tough enough and there seems, at times, to be a sluggishness in the controls, which doesn’t help.

Concept: 7.8

The game has some very nice features, but may not be quite deep enough for the avid hockey gamer.

Multiplayer: 8

The game does have good multiplayer support and the fields are a little more even in terms of control reaction.

Overall: 8.2

NHL Rivals is a good game with solid animation, and a terrific passing system. The game may not be one of the top scorers in the league, but it set up the goal scoring opportunity very well.