They should have called it NHL Reboundz.
PlayStation 2
Released in 2003 by Midway
Grade: B-
A deliciously fast-paced 5-on-5 hockey game with easy arcade-style control, held back by goalies routinely giving up rebounds that lead to cheap goals.
Where it falls in the series
It’s the followup to two excellent 3-on-3 games, NHL Hitz 2002 and NHL Hitz 2003, and that was sadly all she wrote for this series.
Praises
The control is distinctly tight and simple. It’s not meant to feel like realistic skating, but there’s enough sliding and carving for it to work. The controls are very responsive, helping you keep up with the speedy gameplay.
Teammate AI is perfect for the flow of the game. Passing is intuitive; your guys are almost always where they should be. Forwards will switch spots with defensemen if someone’s out of position.
I wanted to love this game, but it’s just ridiculous how often goalies stop shots but let the puck squirt right in front of them, and there’s always an offensive player there to knock it in. I even tried fixing this in the game’s handy sliders with no luck.
Besides the dreaded rebound goals, scoring success seems right for an arcade-style game. Skating across the goalie for a quick wrister or passing side to side for a one-timer are properly rewarded.
Hits are easy to make if you track down opposing players. A few times a game, you’ll end up in a frenetic series of big hits and possession changes before someone can sneak out to open ice with the puck.
Three simple strategy settings, passive, normal, and aggressive, have clear differences and each has its merits.
Compared to the bright colors of the earlier titles, Hitz Pro looks dark, like someone turned off a few lights in the arena. It also has a choppier frame rate, but animations still look fine.
A refined sequel could have been great, but this game wasn’t much appreciated in its time and Midway hung up their hockey skates altogether.