NHL 2004 Critic Reviews

Not to be outdone, EA Sports has upped the ante with NHL 2004 and it truly has left me speechless. What am I so excited about? One word - Dynasty Mode... For hockey fans, this is a no brainer.

Given how far this franchise has come, however, I've no doubt that the team behind NHL will keep this series out in front of the curve from now on.

Everything that has been revamped makes me look forward to next year's version and see if they can bring it all together.

With graphical enhancements and improved controls over last year's edition of the NHL franchise, EA Sports manages to keep the hits coming.

This is almost certainly the best release in the history of the NHL series and one of the most authentic action-oriented sports games currently on the market.

A hockey game at its most realistic, therefore making for a game that’s both fast-paced and hard-hitting...just the way we hockey fans love our hockey.

Mimics the real thing more than ever and therefore the joys of the sport are found in big hits, near misses and brilliant scoring opportunities that barely miss lighting the lamp. If you can get over the fact that scoring is going to be reserved only for those that deserve it.

Expanded fight controls include grappling, punch selection and the ability to pull off the gloves whenever rink rage overcomes you.

While the game moved from the arcade feel to more a realistic feel, the impressive graphics remain.

This is a strong title, and will hopefully be a sign of more good things to come from the series.

Dynasty Mode is NHL 2004's best feature. It's literally an RPG.

Although NHL 2004 does fall just shy of beating out the competition, any previous fan of EA's NHL series will find very little to complain about in this installment.

The series is turning towards the likes of "Madden," with realism being added into every nook and cranny of the game. The greatest strength NHL 2004 holds is that it brings back the game of hockey the way it was meant to be played...physical and tight scoring.

It's remarkable that EA has managed to catch up to the incredible effort from Sega in a single generation, and if it weren't for an overly trying physics engine on the ice, the two would be in a dead heat.

Does a fantastic job for the hardcore hockey fan with endless hours of play in Dynasty mode, but it can’t quite match the competition when it comes to delivery and mechanics. The lack of online play for Xbox owners once again makes me want to holler at EA for their irritating deal with Sony.

Pound for pound, it's gritty play - and experience points - propel NHL 2004 to a hard-fought win .

Though there's room for improvement in its dynasty mode, controls, and overall presentation, NHL 2004 is a huge step in the right direction for a franchise that was recently skating on thin ice.

An extremely good hockey game but has one major failing in my eyes: lack of fun.

The customary mid-game fighting seems a little pointless, but for a game with such a wealth of strengths, this isn’t really a problem. Prepare to be pleasantly surprised by this title.

Hits a nice middle ground between realism and action.