PlayStation 2
Released in 2005 by Sony Computer Entertainment
Grade: D
Hockey, out of all the sports, rewards raw effort the most. But in video games, sometimes the harder you try, the worse you get.
Where it falls in the series
It’s the final installment in a series that started in 1995 with the original NHL FaceOff. The PS2 run has two missing seasons and one branding change, with NHL FaceOff 2001, NHL FaceOff 2003, NHL Gretzky 2005, and then this. In both the PS1 and PS2 run, the games got worse as they went along, trying harder and harder to make a more sophisticated game, and never topping the original.
Praises and gripes
Is this a fast and furious arcade game? Or is it a deep and detailed simulation? I can’t even tell.
The action moves fast and goals come easy. Breakaways occur out of nowhere, hits are devastating, and the puck zips around so fast it’s hard to see. Goalies are stuck sleeping sometimes, allowing unrealistic goals, especially against certain attacks. Sounds kinda arcade-like.
There are also deke moves and you can adjust your team strategy on the fly with the D-pad. Sometimes you can string together quick, short passes and make a move up the ice like a well-orchestrated hockey team. You need to be diligent on defense to avoid penalties. Sounds kinda sim-like.
And all the while, the whole thing feels off. The puck takes odd bounces, but not the good kind that give the game realism. Sprinting doesn’t make your player speed up as much as it makes him wobble like he’s drunk. The camera wobbles too, no matter which one you choose. Dekes look weird, and shooting doesn’t feel natural.
The AI spits in the face of hockey fundamentals. Your players aren’t in position to receive a pass, and when you turn it over, they’re not in position to defend. You’re constantly chasing the other team down as they unleash a flurry of shots at your braindead goalie.
I can’t stress how frustrating the scoring logic is, favoring robotic one-timer plays that you never see in real hockey. I often lost the puck skating past my own blue line, and the CPU quickly slapped it into the top corner of the net at light speed from 65 feet away while my goalie stood there like he was checking social media on his phone. And then later, you’ll set up a perfect one-timer from side to side at an ideal angle and see the puck casually steered aside.
It’s hard to explain how much of a mess this game is, but I think I turned you off enough already, so I think we’re done here.