“Hockey players wear numbers because you can’t always identify the body with dental records.”
PlayStation 2
Released in 2002 by Midway
Grade: A+
This is arcade hockey done right: fast, straightforward, wacky, chaotic, and surprisingly tactical.
Where it falls in the series
Midway also published NHL Open Ice: 2-on-2 Challenge and the Wayne Gretzky 3D Hockey series, but Hitz was made by different developers and it’s a different beast. Sadly, the series only lasted through three games. NHL Hitz 2002 and NHL Hitz 2003 have similar 3-on-3 gameplay, and then NHL Hitz Pro went to 5-on-5 action.
Praises
Like a good sports game, it’s easy to pick up but hard to master. And like hockey, even if you master it, there’s so much chaos that anything can happen.
It moves at just the right speed. You never feel out of control, but you’re always in danger of getting knocked over or having the puck poked away. The 3-on-3 action fits perfectly on the undersized rink. The controls are just deep enough. On offense, you can shoot, pass, guard puck, spin, or dump the puck. They’re all quick and responsive, but one-timers can’t always be magically fired away in an instant, which adds a little bump in the learning curve.
This game actually has more in common with real hockey than you might think. You’ve got to pass quick and play the angles. Goals are usually earned by passes that make the goalie move to set up a one-timer.
Unlike some arcade sports games, scoring isn’t too easy. With three-minute periods, 2-1 and 3-2 are common final scores.
There are penalties, if you can believe it, for interference (skating into the goalie), and the occasional 3-on-2 powerplay adds a nice twist. Fights are simple, quick, and brutal, and the losing player is out for the game. Midway’s classic “on fire” feature is here. You fill a meter as you connect on hits, and usually fire pops up two or three times a game. It gives you a boost but won’t lead to surefire goals, which keeps things fair.
There are different player types, each with clear strengths and weaknesses. There are even strategy settings, three for offense and three for defense.
The season mode is unique and adds tons of fun you won’t get with standard games. You build a fictional team (with plenty of wacky pre-made uniforms to choose from), and in each game you have a set of tasks to complete. For example, you gotta put up 20 hits, 30 shots, and two assists by the same player, and win the game. These get more difficult and elaborate as you go along. I usually don’t care much for this nonsense in sports games, but it works well here and has had me hooked for hours.
The graphics are awesome by PS2 standards, both charming and effective. And the sound has Midway’s usual flavorful presentation.
The thing about arcade sports games is that no matter how fun they are, they get old quickly. But this game cracks that code. It’s got the wild and wacky fun of arcade hockey, but also the depth to keep you interested.
A semi-important note: Some people, including me, can get a literal headache from the camera jolting quickly back and forth to keep up with the puck. But guess what? This game has a really nice side view option, which I love. It looks like this:
Yes, I took a picture of my TV screen for this.