NHL Hitz 2002

NHL Hitz 2002 is an arcade-style ice hockey video game released by Midway Games. It is the first game of the NHL Hitz series. Midway launched this game along with NFL Blitz.

NHL Hitz 2002
North American cover art for GameCube, featuring Scott Stevens
Developer(s)Black Box Games
Publisher(s)Midway Games
Designer(s)Daniel Rosado
SeriesNHL Hitz
Platform(s)GameCube, Xbox, PlayStation 2
ReleasePlayStation 2
  • NA: September 25, 2001[1]
  • EU: November 16, 2001
Xbox
  • NA: November 15, 2001
  • EU: March 14, 2002
GameCube
  • NA: November 18, 2001
  • EU: May 10, 2002
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Summary

This video game was a launch title for both the Xbox and the GameCube and was also released on PlayStation 2. It differs from traditional NHL games in that it does not try to accurately simulate real-life ice hockey. The rules are much more relaxed and the attributes of players dramatically increased, giving the game its arcade feel.

The game features three players on the ice for each team, with an additional 3 players on each teams' bench. Line changes could be done in between periods. Fights were included in the game, but the rules of such greatly differed from NHL rules. Fights last until a player is knocked out, and the losing player is taken out of the game permanently. Since there are only 6 players per team, after one team loses 3 fights, no additional fights are allowed. Hits are encouraged rather than penalized, with players able to knock over other players to temporarily remove them from play, incurring no penalties.

If a player scores 3 goals in one game on their respective team that player becomes "On Fire", making them tougher to knock down and giving them a more powerful shot. If any team scores three uninterrupted one-timers, they achieve "Team Fire" in which every player has Blue Flames surrounding them and have all the advantages of the aforementioned On Fire. There are no line changes during a period and there is no regular season play.[2] The front cover features now retired NHL defenceman Scott Stevens of the New Jersey Devils.

The game had a skills competition section with multiple different challenges. Also featured was the ability to unlock sick heads, stadiums and throwback jerseys.

Reception

The game received "generally favorable reviews" on all platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[3][5][4] Jim Preston of NextGen's final issue called the PlayStation 2 version "the best 'wacky' sports game we've played in years."[24] The magazine similarly said of the Xbox version, "If you're up for a game of hockey where players quite literally catch on fire and suffer frequent flights through the glass, this is superb stuff."[25]

References
  1. I. G. N. Staff (2001-09-25). "Five New PS2 Titles Ship". IGN. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  2. "NHL Hitz 20-02 Training Manual (Xbox)" (PDF). Games Database. p. 15.
  3. "NHL Hitz 20-02 for GameCube Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  4. "NHL Hitz 20-02 for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  5. "NHL Hitz 20-02 for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  6. Marriott, Scott Alan. "NHL Hitz 20-02 (Xbox) - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 16, 2014. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  7. EGM staff (February 2002). "NHL Hitz 20-02 (Xbox)". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 151. Ziff Davis. p. 168.
  8. Bramwell, Tom (April 5, 2002). "NHL Hitz 20-02 (Xbox)". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  9. "NHL Hitz [20-02] (GC)". Game Informer. No. 106. FuncoLand. February 2002. p. 87.
  10. "NHL Hitz [20-02] (PS2)". Game Informer. No. 104. FuncoLand. December 2001. p. 94. Archived from the original on April 10, 2005. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  11. "NHL Hitz [20-02] (Xbox)". Game Informer. No. 105. FuncoLand. January 2002. p. 87.
  12. Atomic Dawg (December 20, 2001). "NHL Hitz 2002 Review for GameCube on GamePro.com [score mislabeled as "4.5/5"]". GamePro. IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on February 9, 2005. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  13. The D-Pad Destroyer (December 7, 2001). "NHL Hitz 2002 Review for Xbox on GamePro.com [score mislabeled as "4/5"]". GamePro. IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on February 14, 2005. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  14. Dr. Moo (October 2001). "NHL Hitz 2002 Review (PS2)". GameRevolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on July 3, 2015. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  15. Satterfield, Shane (November 21, 2001). "NHL: Hitz 2002 Review (GC)". GameSpot. Red Ventures. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  16. Satterfield, Shane (September 28, 2001). "NHL Hitz 2002 Review (PS2)". GameSpot. Red Ventures. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  17. Satterfield, Shane (November 9, 2001). "NHL Hitz 2002 Review (Xbox)". GameSpot. Red Ventures. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  18. Moen, Michael (December 21, 2001). "NHL Hitz 2002 (GCN)". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on February 16, 2005. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  19. Hiscock, Josh (October 26, 2001). "NHL Hitz 2002 (PS2)". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on December 15, 2004. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  20. Lafferty, Michael (November 20, 2001). "NHL Hitz 20-02 Review - Xbox". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 10, 2007. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  21. Mirabella III, Fran (November 20, 2001). "NHL Hitz 2002 (GCN)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  22. Zdyrko, David (September 25, 2001). "NHL Hitz 20-02 (PS2)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  23. Boulding, Aaron (November 14, 2001). "NHL Hitz 20-02 (Xbox)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  24. Preston, Jim (January 2002). "NHL Hitz 20-02 (PS2)". NextGen. No. 85. Imagine Media. p. 81. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  25. "NHL Hitz 20-02 (Xbox)". NextGen. No. 85. Imagine Media. January 2002. p. 31. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  26. "NHL Hitz 20-02". Nintendo Power. Vol. 151. Nintendo of America. December 2001. p. 170.
  27. "NHL Hitz 20-02". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. Ziff Davis. December 2001. p. 170.
  28. "NHL Hitz 20-02". Official Xbox Magazine. Imagine Media. January 2002.
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