• ID = PS0633
• STYLE = Hockey
• DEV. = Electronic Arts
• PUB. = EA SPORTS
• R-DATE = Sep-01-2001
• ESRB = E / For Everyone
• PLAYERS = 1-2 players
• LIST PRICE = $29.99
  

Turn on the red light and your teammates mob you. Dominate the boards and the crowd wants more. Score the Stanley Cup winner and you're a legend. EA Sports ramps up the noise, the glory, and the sheer physical force of NHL hockey to deliver higher levels of intensity and emotion. With more customization, stellar gameplay and graphics, and a unique card-based reward system, NHL 2002 takes you from the locker room to the ice to the shoulders of your teammates. Get in the game and be the hero.

See the action from a whole new angle with the breakaway cam and live as the hero of the most exciting play in hockey. Show off crazy skills and dazzling moves to earn cards for boosts, cheats, and other cool stuff. With the EA GameStory feature, go in a whole new direction and follow the game's plot in cinematic and audible detail. Come from behind by pumping up your home crowd or quieting the thronging masses. An emotion meter gauges the crowd's reactions, and your team will respond.

Description 2:
Lace up those blades and hit the ice in this update on the long-running NHL series. Choose your pro hockey franchise, set your lines, toggle those strategy settings, and get ready for more hard-hitting checks and high-velocity slap shots than ever. The new NHL Cards rewards system allows you to unlock certain in-game advantages and hidden features, and an all-new Breakaway Camera follows from behind your man’s shoulder as he loses the rest of the pack for a one-on-one showdown with the goalie. New graphics and sound effects deliver highly realistic hockey to your TV screen, and commentary from veterans Don Taylor and Jim Hughson makes things even more enjoyable. The game is fully licensed by both the league and the Players’ Association, which means that you’ll have access to all the real players, arenas, logos, and uniforms of the NHL. Play against the computer’s awesome AI, or challenge a friend.

• All real NHL teams and players.
• Current stats.
• New graphics.
• Variable skill levels.
• Multiplayer action.

Amazon.com Preview
Building on the excellent 2001 version, NHL 2002 takes the tight gameplay of its predecessor and adds light improvements to the fine graphics as well as a plethora of new features. Slated for a fall 2001 release, this game should be the finest hockey title on the market. Increased animations give players an extensive assortment of smooth movements. Precision puck handling allows for a wider variety of passes, including saucer passing.

A new create-a-player mode is included for further variety. Also new to the game is the breakaway camera, which features muted replays in letterbox format for a dramatic effect. GameStory mode recaps important events in the game, which are then pieced together and replayed. This adds television presentation qualities to the game. For example, a replay of all the goals in a player's hat trick will be shown with fresh commentary for the entire replay segment.

Taking a cue from the Madden series is the new NHL card feature. Gamers are awarded cards for performing various feats, like making three big hits in a period or scoring five goals in a row. There are a total of 189 cards--153 player cards, and an assortment of Easter egg and celebration cards. Easter egg cards allow for various wacky modes (big heads, giant players, etc.) while celebration cards unlock additional post-goal animations. --Raymond M. Padilla