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NHL Faceoff 2001 (PSX) ReviewRelease Date: September 2000 Background Info
This year, two new teams are added to the NHL fray and are duly represented
in the latest console hockey title. In addition to a couple of new teams, 989
packed a couple of extra features into the game. The end result is a solid
and entertaining hockey title just in time for the first drop of the puck.
Presentation/Graphics : 86
Take an about face. The fellas at 989 did not disappoint graphically (nor
in play). As soon as I got to the first game, I was wowed by the detail in
the stadiums. My first game was in the stadium for the Nashville Predators.
Besides detailed American and Canadian flags hanging from the ceiling, the
stadium included the intricate girders comprising the roof. While the crowd
looks bland and is a pixelated patchwork of colors, the rest of the stadium is
great. Lights reflect off the ice and cast shadows of the players. You can
also see the reflection of the boards in the ice. The glass even shakes when
a player hits it too hard.
The players also look great. Uniforms are detailed and there will be no
mistaking player numbers. During replays, the quality bumps up a notch and
details such as white teeth or plastic face shields on helmets are noticed.
Likewise, the player animations are smooth; skaters fluidly skate across the
ice. The goalies may stop the puck and then stretch their legs across the
goal to stop a rebound shot. When players leave the ice, the half door opens
to let them in. Even the intermission animation is good, complete with
Zamboni machines and small inflatable blimps that are common to indoor arenas.
However, not all is well in graphics-land. The only real problem graphically
is one that affects the play of the game. While there are several camera
views available in the game, they all suffer from the same problem. On
faceoffs, the camera zooms close to the action. Once the puck is dropped, the
camera slowly pulls out and changes to your default angle. This transformation
seems to take an eternity (well, a second or two). During this time, you are
essentially skating blind. Even if you win the faceoff, there is no guarantee
you will retain possession of the puck since you can't tell where your nearest
opponent is. On more than one occasion I lost the puck to this factor. It
is particularly worrisome when in your own zone.
Presentation/Audio : 95
Once the anthem concludes, the crowd starts cheering and the two-man booth of
Mike Emrick of the Devils and ESPN's Darren Pang call the action. They call
a straight game and are on top of the action. The calls are accurate and the
commentary remains fresh. While it doesn't have the witty (and tiring)
comments of a John Madden, fans of the classic style of play-by-play will
appreciate the sound. On the ice, you get the usual hockey sounds. Pucks
coming off the pipes clank, boards rattle when hit, and slap shots pop.
Interface/Options : 82
In addition to the long 82 game season, the Quick Start mode lets you jump
right into the action without setting the game options. To play a single game
with customized settings, play in Exhibition mode. For those wanting a happy
medium between Quick Start and Season, the Playoffs and Tournament modes
provide a short trip to the championship. The two modes are essentially the
same, except that the Tournament mode uses international teams to capture the
gold medal. There is also a practice mode that can be accessed (but probably
not) and a Shootout where you take penalty shots. This was perhaps the best
part of the game (please note the sarcasm).
Before heading out to the ice, you can configure the game to fit your style.
The game has settings for injuries, penalties, rules, difficulty, and more.
Perhaps the best option is the ability to change the speed of the game. I
am a fan of realistic sports games. All too often sports games take place at
speeds which approach ping pong rather than the sport they represent. Faceoff
2001 has a slider bar to adjust the speed of the action. I set the speed to
around a quarter of the bar and found the pace to be realistic. The speed can
be adjusted for any difficulty level.
Once on the ice, game controls are a breeze. On offense, every button is
utilized. Using various buttons and combinations, slap shots, wrist shots,
redirected shots, drop passes, and one-timers are at your disposal. You can
even fake your shot to outwit the goalie. On defense, the controls are
minimal. The game lacks in this department, as defensive controls are
restricted to player switching and hip checks. There are no poke checks in
the game, nor the ability to wrap a player up. Even more, there is no lay
down feature to drop to the ice to block a shot.
During the season, stats are kept and are realistic. Stats are kept for every
category imaginable. In addition to the
realistic seasonal stats, games end with realistic scores. Goal-fests simply
do not occur on the higher difficulty levels (Veteran and All-Pro). However,
playing on the Veteran level did tend to be fairly easy. Using the Penguins,
I have won many more games than I lost on that level. The step to All-Pro,
though, is severe and will kick plenty of tail.
Gameplay : 86
What I like most about the game is that it captures the essence of hockey.
On offense, the AI controlled defense is not overly aggressive. You don't
have one or more defensemen hounding you the moment you receive the puck. Each
time down the ice you have time to set up plays. You can pass across the ice
to set up a shot, although passing too many times will result in a turnover.
During a 5-on-4 advantage, the CPU resorts to a box or diamond defense. Unlike
other hockey games that continue to attack the puck, the AI defense bunkers
down and defends the shooting lanes. Once they get their sticks on the puck,
they instantly clear the puck to the other end. I did, however, notice one
flaw in regards to penalty play; if the CPU is called for a delayed penalty,
it sits back rather than attack the puck to get the whistle and stop a
potential 6-on-5 short-term advantage. Getting the CPU to be called for
penalties took some doing. The default penalty setting never seemed to call
penalties in my favor. Increasing the penalty option by a position made for
a balanced game.
Scoring in Faceoff 2001 is realistic, and the goalies play excellent defense.
Despite shooting near 25 shots per game (10 minute periods with a fast clock)
on average, my goal percentage hovered around 15 percent. Cheap goals can be
had, though. Slapshots are rarely stopped by the goalie, and players following
the play can sometimes pick up the scraps for an easy feast. More times than
not, however, your players just don't have the position. Scoring can occur
from all parts of the ice. I've had slap shots go in from the point, wrist
shots on breakaways, and even wrap around goals. One complaint I have on both
sides of the puck is the goalie play once he captures the puck. CPU goalies
always freeze the puck, even when there is no immediate threat. This slows
the game down and is more of an annoyance. My goalie will also freeze the
puck if I'm not quick enough on the outlet pass. There is nothing worse than
an errant pass by the CPU that lands down in my zone. My goalie grabs the
puck and I wait for my men to cross the blue line. Even before one of my
guys or a CPU player crosses the line, my goalie sits on the puck.
Another complaint I do have is with fatigue. Initially I was playing with
fatigue on and the line changes option set to on. After some time, I noticed
the same players on the ice. Furthermore, they were fresh as daisies.
Befuddled, I looked through the options and noticed I could also set the
line changes to auto. In doing that, the lines certainly do change, but the
lines never seem to tire before their shifts end. I notice no difference in
speed between the beginning and end of a shift.
Additional complaints I have with the game include pucks that seem to
penetrate skaters and faceoffs. Rarely do pucks deflect off the sticks or
bodies of either team. With so few deflections, some of the realism is taken
out of the game. Likewise, faceoffs are unbalanced. Winning upwards of 80
or 90 percent of faceoffs is a breeze. Of course, with the aforementioned
camera problem, keeping the puck after winning the faceoff can be a challenge.
One other complaint I have is the lack of checking by the CPU players. My
checks against the CPU were nearly an order of magnitude greater.
All that changed once I bumped the difficulty up to All-Pro. The CPU took me
to the woodshed for a grand whoopin'. Its checks increased to a realistic
level and it was called for more penalties. It retained the same defensive AI but
was more aggressive and successful on offense. The number of shots it took
was on par with my team. Yet it still had trouble winning faceoffs.
Replay Value : 88
I do wish more defensive controls were implemented in the game. With only one
aggressive move you lack the ability to play a finesse defense. The hip check
is a dangerous maneuver that often draws a whistle. Even momentum based
impacts for a body check would have been a great addition. However, the game
excels in spite of some of the misgivings.
Overall : 87
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