NHL 2004

NHL 2004 is one of the year's most anticipated games. The dynasty mode, which had been a mainstay of console NHL games since NHL 2002, features a lot of depth for players to work their way through.

The best thing about the franchise mode in NHL 2004 is that it's actually possible to make decisions on which player you want to control. What happens at the end of each game will determine the outcome of certain NHL seasons and win the game for the next season. A season mode, as it's often called in EA's NHL franchise, allows players to make decisions on everything from minor settings to specific team situations.

The franchise mode has been done by NHL 2K11.

We spent a great deal of time with NHL 2004 on the PS2, and it's a testament to the best level of detail in the game. We spent some time in the game and spent a great deal of time with all of the ESPN college teams in the game, and we found the game to be a lot of fun. As a fan of the NHL brand, I feel like this title is the closest the series has come to replicating what it's like to watch a team captain in the league as a broadcaster.

The music in the game is brilliant.

GS: In addition to your career, will there be any sort of license-specific goals? Will you be able to add any unique actions to your team, such as hitting a goal with a player that's on the same team or having a special move by pressing up on the D pad?

CH: There will be a wide variety of goals in NHL 2004. There are only a few of them, but some will be completely random and you'll never be able to get the same goal unless you win a specific way. Some are more obvious than others, and many are more esoteric than others. One example I will highlight in the list below is the aforementioned special move.

GS: There will be a lot of actual ice hockey action in NHL 2004, especially when playing against other players online. How many online modes will you be able to play?

CH: There will be more than 20 teams to choose from in the game, including all-new and veteran teams, international stars, elite teams, big-name players, and all-new members of the LAUFF TKO Team (formerly the Columbus Blue Jackets); a mixture of real-world NHL players, legends of the NBA, and other NHL favorites (including Team Canada (Toronto Raptors star Kobe Bryant) from previous games in the series. Each player has a designated zone (where he excels at leading a team and hitting the puck at the net) and a particular game type that he can play against his or her teammates. That team is a great choice, because it’s going to take you a while to become champion.

GS: On the Xbox 360, your only control over your player in NHL 2004 is the way he talks. Tell us about what your decision is on that platform and how that might affect the experience.

CH: We don’t control the player you play with on the 360. You can choose whether you want to do the whole game, or give him feedback and stats. It’s something we’re evaluating in the right way. And what we can do with the 360 controller is allow you to do more. As the game feels and looks, the player moves, and he’s moving as he gets closer to the puck. This is something we’re focused on, and we think we have that to do with the player controls.

GS: On the PS2, you can have a nice split between controlling your team and playing the game. Does that happen with the Xbox version of the game?

CH: Yes, the Xbox version will feature two player options--one controlling the goalie, and the other controlling the computer goalie. If you look at the Xbox version, that control is essentially the same. The game controls are quite different, but I can’t speak to that yet.

GS: But you mentioned in the demo that players will be able to choose between playing on the old Xbox or the Xbox 360.

CH: On the PlayStation 2, the Xbox game is basically the same. We just implemented some new control systems, so it is still possible to have the player control a goalie and he has all his skills, from blocking, to aiming and blocking to ball control. That is not the case on the PS2 version, though we are more of a team than a team. In the 360 version, you will be able to choose between playing against AI opponents in both modes--and that is where the new, more advanced, support-only features will be implemented. So, we added new play calling options for the player, and you can change the pitch on the fly. You can also change the direction of the pitch during a game and adjust the throwing order of the defenders.