I got home from school today and there is was. I opened it and first checked out the demo disk. The playable demos are: Voodoo Vince Dino Crisis 3 ESPN NHL Hockey Metal Arms Midtown Madness 3 Outlaw Volleyball There is also some videos and downloadable content. Good new for NFL gamers also, look at how ESPN ranked these games: ESPN NFL Football- 9.3 Madden NFL 2004- 8.9 NFL Fever 2004- 7.9 NHL Games: ESPN NHL Hockey- 8.9 NHL 2004- 8.6
I hope its good, I don't wanna have to wait for Rivals to come out in order to see which hockey game I will buy this year. Give us a little inside peak on what they are saying about the game, and how the demo plays!
Here is a comparison for what the experts are saying about each of the hockey games. ESPN Hockey Scouting Report Much like EA, this is a rebuilding year for Sega's hockey.Rather than competing on the franchise front, ESPN focuses on gameplay, collectibles, and minigames. It's definitely heading in the right direction, but the array of new features and shortened development time may lead to the game being spread too thin in key areas. Depth Chart frontend- 85 Gameplay- 85 Online- 90 Graphics- 80 NHL 2004 Scouting Report After a Rocky year, EA is back where it needs to be. The gameplay is smoother than ever and the new features could only add to the excitement. But has EA gone to far? Are the controls too complex? When it comes to replay, however, EA has the online and franchise modes covered better then anyone. Depth Chart frontend- 95 Gameplay- 90 Online- 90 Graphics- 85 NHL HITZ Pro Scouting Report Although it leans more toward realism, Hitz is a spastic hockey game and reamains in a league of its own. The gameplay is much deeper than before, and the inclusion of franchise mode gives gamers a reason to keep coming back for more. It's a different direction than the other hockey games, but may become something everyone will want to play. Depth Chart frontend- 80 Gameplay- 95 Online- 90 Graphics- 80 NHL Rivals Scouting Report Microsoft's inaugrual hockey release is designed from a conservative point of view. You won't find a wealth of game modes or fantasy options in Rivals, but it does have a diverse gameplay package and robust online presence. It's perfect for pick-up-and-play sessions, but may not have what it takes to lure hardcore hockey fanatics its way. Depth Chart frontend- 70 Gameplay- 80 Online- 95 Graphics- 85 Release dates NHL HITZ Pro- 9/22 NHL 2004- 9/1(xbox), 9/16(PS2,GC,PC) ESPN Hockey- 9/16 NHL Rivals- November # of Polygons per player NHL HITZ Pro- 5,818 NHL 2004- 4,500 ESPN Hockey- 6,000+ NHL Rivals- 6,200
Cool! I think I've seen these charts before, but thanks for the reference! I just wanna hear if the graphics are much better this year, thats all.
Yeh, I am guess they didnt do a whole lot on gameplay and mostly just updated rosters and presentation or graphics.
So, has neone else played ESPN NHL 2k4 yet? The menu and stuff is EXACTLY like NFL.....I think all the games will have the same main menu.
thanks for the post up....my only concern is the writer (s) calling themselves expert, gave EA higher gameplay, frontend, and graphics??? ahhh .... i dunno. maybe the "expert" got $$$$$ from EA by writting that comparison.
I hope they improved the graphics and especially the Live interface. Cause as long as those two features were really upgraded, then I will be satisfied! BTW canucks33, I know you may like the Canucks at all but I am using them for my NHL 2K3 team at the moment, so we might have some controversy here!
Well, I really like hockey but I know I wont be able to get it right when it comes out. I have the $$ right now for NFL, but not NHL. Maybe I will have it in time for Season 5. Than hopefully I can get my :hchi:
