People have done that with NHL 2004, replacing just about everything they can: rink graphics, jerseys, player faces, coach models, statistics, rosters (rosters are up to date as of the trade deadline of this year), game clocks (CBC, TSN, ESPN, etc.), and in-game menus. I remember doing this with NHL 99 when that game was still current. One of the really awesome parts of having a game on the PC is the ability to modify just about every facet of the game, from uniforms to game menus, as well as music/sounds. I believe NHL 2011 has overtaken that assessment as far as console gaming is concerned, but since EA Sports no longer produces NHL series products for the PC, NHL 2004 remains, in many gamers eyes, the best NHL game on the PC. NHL 2004 is widely regarded as one of the best iterations of the popular EA Sports franchise. I spent most of the weekend installing it and getting it ready to go on my laptop.įirst, a little history. Although this new close-checking AI is still several notches from perfect - games can still be won with suspicious momentum shifts or goon factor defensive tactics - it's nevertheless a significant improvement on past versions.Before the long weekend, I stumbled across an online community dedicated to - and I mean this literally - rebuilding the PC version of NHL 2004.
True hockey fans have detested the 'trap' since Jacques Lemaire foisted it on us it with the New Jersey Devils in the mid-'90s, but like it or not, it's part of the game and Black Box has taken pains to model this in NHL 2004. Defenders clutch and grab at speedy forwards with the same brutal degree of effectiveness they employ in the real NHL, and as a consequence, it's no longer possible to run up the score on opponents by executing stock one-timers, play after repetitious play. NHL 2004 delivers a much more authentic representation of the fastest game on ice and this is reflected in its tight checking action (low-scoring games are now the norm) and truer-to-life gameplay mechanics. The gameplay improvements probably won't be popular with the arcade crowd or anyone else who actually preferred the slapstick commentary, dramatic camera work, and double-digit scores featured in NHL 2003.
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