NHL Hitz: Pro

When Midway Sports first introduced its Hitz series of sports games, it not only introduced some really excellent sports titles but an alternative to the more serious titles already available.  With its NHL Hitz games, we saw some pretty interesting things happening to our favorite sport and this is what made it so damn fun to play.  Now, with NHL Hitz Pro, the series has gone pro and even features five-on-five hard-slamming action.  Ah, you can already feel the heat this one is generating.

Last year’s game saw a three-on-three game match that gave the game its unofficial feel since it did away with all the conventional NHL regulations.  In fact, the game defied logic with real-life pros suddenly steaming and then catching “on fire” as their strength and speed increased.  You better believe that all of this just made the game so much more fun.  NHL Hits Pro will fool you with its new title but thankfully it still has all the things we love in our Hitz sports games.

Hitz Pro features five different playing modes: Exhibition, Season, Franchise, Pick-Up Hockey and an online playing mode that features two classics (Exhibition and Tournament).  There are plenty of teams to choose from including some international ones (e.g. Sweden, Russia and even the USA team just to name a few) to use in a full season of hockey action.  The Franchise mode is more in-depth this time around, allowing more GM options as you take your team through several seasons as you attempt to take your team all the way to the Stanley Cup finals as an official NHL team.

Missing this year are the mini-games that were too fun to put down.  In its place is the Pick-Up Hockey mode that has you playing a very quick-paced game of hockey over frozen ponds, a park and even a parking lot as rival auto shop mechanics.  You can even select the number of goals needed to win the game.  If this sounds like a poor substitute, it isn’t . . . really.

The Hockey School is back and NHL coach Scotty Bowman does a good job of explaining all the basics of the game such as passes, checks, dekes and different kinds of shots.  If you’re new to the series it’s always a wise idea to start here first.  Then again, the controls are so easy to manage that you can also simply just pick up a controller and start playing without any trouble.  Thanks to the arcade-styled controls, each move flows naturally.  In other words, if you want to pass the puck to your center, just direct yourself at him and press the X button.  Easy, huh?

The opposing team is also a bit smarter this year, making for some really intense and fast-paced games.  What makes the game more intense, though, is the on-fire feature that builds up your character’s strength and ability to stay on turbo for the short duration of time.  Winning a fight, for example, you’ll notice smoke rise off your player.  That then turns into flames and your team is given an advantage.

Here’s the part that had me cheering: NHL Hitz Pro is also online.  Unfortunately the Xbox didn’t get some online action but the PS2 version gets a Broadband only online game modes. There’s a tournament and exhibition game modes that runs very smoothly thanks to the fast internet connection.  I’ve encounter no slow-downs so online the action is as fast as it is if you’ve played against a buddy or two at home.  

While not as sharp as the Xbox version, the visuals for the PS2 version are quite excellent.  Hitz Pro features some of the best looking arenas that practically breathe with life since the camera wraps around it 3D-style--even the fans look amazing.  The player models look good enough out there on the ice but they hardly look anything like the real-life players.  Still, this isn’t really a big complaint since the game moves so fluidly and the animations hardly show many signs of clipping.

One of the game’s other strong points happens to be the sounds department, which so happens to bring us some pretty hilarious commentary by the color commentator and the play-by-play voice.  Not only are they fun and entertaining to listen to but they are also quite insightful and call the game accurately and fluidly.  As for the sound effects, the game handles it well.  Skates shaving the ice sound authentic, as does the vicious checks.  Listen carefully and you’ll hear hecklers try to tick off Eric Lindros and the coach’s voice cutting through the sounds of the cheering masses.

NHL Hitz Pro for the PS2 is a fast-paced game of hockey sports fans will be proud to have among their collection and with online play, you can’t go wrong with this one.  Really, with great graphics and smooth as ice controls, gamers will surely get plenty of bang for their buck.  While it would have been neat to see the mini-games back again, the deep Franchise mode ought to keep you very happily busy for some time. 

Gameplay: 9.0
It’s arcade-styled fluidity is what makes this game so damn fun and Midway Sports certainly knows a thing or two about arcade fun.  While the Hockey School shows you all the right moves, this is the type of game you can simply pick up and play.  Everything from dekes to body checks are handled easily and smoothly and the puck handling feels so much better this time around.  My only complaint is the fights, which feel rather empty and a bit too easy.

Graphics: 8.7
While not visually stunning, the PS2 version of NHL Hitz Pro is still nothing to sneeze at in terms of overall quality.  We’re talking about some sharp-looking player models with helmets that reflect the overhead lights and jerseys the fold realistically.  The players move fluidly out on the ice and it’s cool to see that you can knock a player’s helmet off his head or toss him over a wall.  And while the players don’t look anything like the actual pros, the great camera angles and attention to detail on the arenas is what fans will truly appreciate.

Sound: 9.0
The Hitz games are known for their hilarious commentary work and the team of Tim Kitzrow and Harry Teinowitz certainly work well with this game.  While listening to them poke fun at fans with mullets and how big the pads have gotten over the years is absolutely amusing, they are always spot-on when calling plays and quick to point out even the smallest fault.  The sound effects are pretty good too.  There are some tunes found in this game, most from hard-hitting artists like Powerman 5000, Diffuser and 12 Stones.

Difficulty: Medium
Being the most fast-paced games of hockey certainly keeps you on your toes and allowing your defense to drop just a little bit is just asking for trouble.  Naturally the harder difficulty setting the harder the AI opponent work and this makes for very intense games.  Of all the matches, the Playoff games are the most challenging games.

Concept: 8.9
I long for the cool mini-games that had you playing all sorts of fun games like hockey tic-tac-toe but thankfully the game added the Pick-Up Game mode that allows you to play as rivals taking each another on in a frozen pond, parking lot or park.  There are also plenty of teams to choose from and on-fire feature is still one of the most coolest features.  Yet it’s the ability to play online that steals the show here.

Multiplayer: 9.0
Somebody get me a napkin because I can’t stop drooling over the fact that this game can be played online in a tournament-styled duel.  Yes, Broadband users, connecting online is a snap and the game runs ultra smooth that it feels as if you were playing somebody sitting right besides you.  It would have been cool to have allowed voice chat via a USB headset but the Exhibition and Tournament mode online is just so fast and ultra furious that you won’t have much time to exchange witty repartee.  You can also play this game with up to eight players using the PS2 Multitap.

Overall: 9.2
Still one of the most enjoyable alternatives to the serious pro hockey games out there, NHL Hitz Pro is one intense game of hockey fans will love.  The five-on-five treatment really works for this game but its’ the arcade-styled fast-as-lightning gameplay that will have gamers playing this one for a long time.  Add the online game mode and you have yourself a real winner.  Buy this one right away, PS2 sports fans.