PlayStation 2
Released in 2000 by 989 Sports
Grade: B-
If you can tolerate some pretty shoddy graphics, this is actually a fun hockey game. It’s simple to play and strikes a good balance between sim and arcade.
Where it falls in the series
It’s the sixth in the series and the first on PS2, and the series gets worse from here. The 2002 version was cancelled, then there’s NHL FaceOff 2003, another empty year in 2004, then new branding for NHL Gretzky 2005 and NHL Gretzky 06 before the folks at Sony/989 Sports hung up their skates for good.
Praises and gripes
While the skating doesn’t exactly feel realistic, it’s easy to get around in this game. You can weave your way through open ice as AI teammates effectively get open and create good passing lanes.
The control is simple and responsive. On offense, you can pass, shoot, or speed burst. On defense you can check or switch players. Everything happens fast, but it’s easy to keep up.
Goals are mostly scored on one-timers, with other methods working well occasionally. It’s not super realistic, but it’s fair. There aren’t many cheap goals.
The graphics are bad, which I think may be a big reason this series struggled to sell in a market occupied by EA’s reputation for solid gameplay and 2K’s impressive graphics.
You see all sorts of flaws in the collision detection; one-timers are blasted off without the puck coming within two feet of the stick, and hits rarely look like they connect. And for a game called “FaceOff,” the zoomed-in faceoffs look horrible.
The ice surface is textured with funny looking circles that are a frequent distraction. The game doesn’t have the bright shine you’d expect. It looks like it’s meant to look like hockey on TV in the 80’s.
The talented Mike Emerick provides play by play. While it’s not impressive for a game from this era, it’s nice to hear his unique voice.