From the Archives of The Hockey News comes a story by Kevin Woodley of just how "realistic" games from the start of the early 2000s were. Today, we're used to groundbreaking graphics, realistic gameplay, and a truly immersive experience when we play ice hockey video games. Meanwhile back in 2000, what we today would consider "ancient" was groundbreaking technology that truly did seem all too real.
Relive the iconic memories of just how truly groundbreaking games such as NHL 2001 and NHL FaceOff 2001 were in this read from Kevin Woodley back on November 24, 2000, from Vol. 54, Issue 12 of The Hockey News.
Imagine Jaromir Jagr breaking down the right side, using a quick hesitation move to slip past the forwards lined up three across at the blueline, then sliding between the defensive pair with a cute head fake and out-of-this-world stick handling. The only thing left between him and a red light is the goaltender.
Now imagine you are in control of Jagr’s every move.
Believe it or not it is possible.
In fact, with technology in the 21st century constantly improving the quality of today’s video games, it may be tough to distinguish between the computer-rendered Jagr and the real deal without auditing their bank statements.
The days of goofy, caricature-styled games are long gone. So too are the unrealistic 33-21 football scores of older hockey games. They have been replaced by realistic simulations designed to make even the most rabid of hockey fans feel like they are at the game. About the only thing separating today’s hockey video games and a trip to your local NHL rink is the distinctive lack of stinky, sweaty equipment.
And today’s games allow the fans to control everything from the on-ice action of the defensemen, forwards and goaltenders, to the back-room dealings of NHL general managers trying to build and re-build their franchises.
While Sony’s PlayStation remains the most common way to play the better hockey video games, some are also available for use with PC and Nintendo Gameboy and a few can even be played over the Internet against opponents from all over the world.
There are new games, old favorites and new versions of old favorites available, but all offer realistic renderings of the same product witnessed by millions of fans every winter in NHL rinks throughout North America.
Two of the latest releases — NHL FaceOff 2001 from 989 Sports and NHL 2001 from EA (Electronic Arts) Sports — are re-modeled versions of last year’s games. Both added new features designed to further duplicate life in the NHL, right down to the playing expansion teams in Columbus and Minnesota.
And, just in case the Detroit Red Wings-Colorado Avalanche rivalry isn’t enough for you, they’ve even got international competition featuring between 18 and 20 teams from around the world. National anthems, classic uniforms and the world’s top players are combined to create the raw emotions of international hockey. So you can square off NHL teammates Mats Sundin and Curtis Joseph in a shootout to determine whether Sweden or Canada will take home the gold medal during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
When you do, you’ll be able to count on both players performing in a manner similar to their everyday NHL performances.
They even look the same. Three-dimensional player models are scaled to actual player height, weight and body style with real texture-mapped detailing true to the facial features of NHL stars. So don’t play soft if you are controlling the. New York Rangers because Mark Messier may just shoot you a look cold enough to make you really feel like your playing on a real ice surface.
The designers employed real NHL players and a process known as motion capture animation to bring the movements of NHL hockey to the video game world, perfecting every subtle flick of the wrist, crossover stride, board-rattling check and stick-bending slap shot.
NHL Face Off 2001 continued the tradition of the original NHL FaceOff realism to include motion capture animations from Chicago Blackhawks’ winger Tony Amonte, St. Louis Blues’ winger Scott Young and former San Jose Sharks’ goaltender Kelly Hrudey — totaling 150 player animations. EA Sports also got in on the motion-capture technology with NHL 2001, adding Hollywood stuntmen to the usual mix of NHL players to capture over 900 new moves.
Both games also feature new artificial intelligence technology designed to mirror the tendencies of real NHL players.
That means goaltenders have to be extra careful anytime they see Messier striding down his off wing. He might just lift that left foot into the air and fire one of his deceptive wrong-foot wrist shots into the far corner.
And when he does, the Face Off 2001 edition makes sure someone is on hand to provide an excited call of the action. FaceOff’s authentic two-man broadcast team features New Jersey Devils play-by-play announcertrol of the puck during the back swing, enabling them to launch a bullet past the goalie and into the top corner.
As with most new hockey games, FaceOff 2001 offers the ability to play through an entire season, track Mike Emrick and ESPN’s Darren Pang.
They even offer each NHL arena with unique characteristics re-created in amazing detail from the actual blueprints and complete with championship banners, Jumbotrons and interactive crowds that draw players into the game through team chants, yells and special animations (like hats being thrown onto the ice after a hat trick).
FaceOff 2001 also provides four new play modes. In addition to the previously mentioned Tournament Mode with its international flavor, there are Shootout Mode, Practice Mode and Draft Mode, which allows gamers to assume the responsibilities of a GM by drafting and trading players.
They’ve also added a new Line Manager feature to adjust rosters to fully utilize more than 12 different offensive and defensive strategies designed by real NHL coaches, including dump and chase tactics to make offensive line changes a little easier. A new Shot Aim Option, gives gamers Raymond Bourque like coning more than 30 individual and team statistics and competing for any of 15 NHL awards, including the Hart Memorial, Art Ross, Vezina, Conn Smythe, Presidents’ trophies and the highly coveted Stanley Cup.
EA Sports has also added new game features for NHL 2001, their tenth edition of the popular format. In addition to new camera close-ups, cannon shots from the point and one-footed wristers and a new shotmeter that allows gamers to gauge shot velocity, they’ve added an NHL Challenge play mode.
NHL Challenge allows gamers to unlock valuable bonus points by completing tasks on the list of challenges for each level and bonus points can be used to boost the attributes of created players for skills like speed, shot power, checking and others. Users can track of all challenges accomplished and save them to a memory card to create a superstar, or a team of superstars. Points are awarded equally on both sides of the border so Canadian participants don’t have to worry about a deflated dollar when they try to build a team of superstars.
On the PC version, fans can create their own franchise and lead them to the Stanley Cup with the Create-A-Team feature. You can build your own expansion team, right down to a customizable team logo, team jersey, city name. Using EA’s Face in the Game technology you can even make yourself the star player by following simple instructions that allow game players to take a digitized picture of a face and place it directly onto their own hockey player. The PC edition also features full online Internet play via EA.COMSM. Here players can match up and compete against opponents around the world with as many as eight players. Chat rooms and match-up servers provide gamers a forum to congratulate opponents on a well-played match or discuss an upcoming contest.
New to NHL 2001 is a Momentum Meter that fluctuates during the game according to each teams performance on the ice. Scoring key goals, winning fights, and comebacks all increase team moral resulting in better team performance, while the opposite adversely affects the team and decreases momentum.
EA Sports has also released a copy of NHL 2001 for the new PlayStation 2.
With nearly ten times better resolution (5,000 polygons per player instead of 600 polygons per player) and three times smoother game play (20 frames per second on PlayStation becomes more than 60 frames per second on PlayStation 2), this game may actually confuse some people. With the increased graphics quality, EA Sports went out and re-mapped all NHL players faces, right down to the facial hair.
In addition to the new releases from EA Sports and 989 Sports, there are many other high-quality hockey games available. Some of the better ones include NHL 2K for Sega Dreamcast, NHL Championship 2000 from FOX Sports Interactive and NHL Blades of Steel 2000 from Konami.
Released in February, 2000 NHL 2K features more than 700 motion-captured moves, realistic fighting and 3-D graphics, including spotlights, ice sprays and skate cuts on the ice. The game has 29 highly detailed arenas, each with actual championship banners, retired numbers hanging from the rafters and rotating advertisements. It even features the voice of Hockey Hall-of-Fame play-by-play man Bob Cole and his Hockey Night in Canada color commentator Harry Neale.
FOX announcers Kenny Albert and John Davidson are waiting to give you play-by-play commentary on FOX Sports Interactive’s NHL Championship 2000 for PlayStation.
Players have the option of different coaching strategies as well as putting on the GM’s cap to set their own rosters. The game features multiple difficulty levels, variable season lengths and support for up to eight individual players.
In addition to PlayStation, Konami’s Blades of Steel is also available for Nintendo Gameboy Color and has all new player animation, ranging from sprawling goalie saves to blistering slap shots. It also has faster game play and makes it easier for players to score. Hart Trophy and Art Ross Trophy-winner Jaromir Jagr of the Pittsburgh Penguins has endorsed the game.
Speaking of Jagr, here he comes down the right side again and this time he looks mad. You can see the determination on his face as he tiptoes gracefully through the defense and bears down on the net. You can see his muscles twitch as he slips the puck quickly from forehand to backhand and back again.
The snow flies of his skates as he stops suddenly to unleash a wicked wrist shot.
And you smile and nod knowingly as the goaltender reaches out impossibly fast with his glove hand to take Jagr’s precious goal away.
You’ve never liked the Penguins. You live and die Maple Leafs blue and you were quick enough to switch the controls over to a red-hot Curtis Joseph.
And nobody, not even Jagr, is going to beat you glove side today.
Isn’t technology great?