Tough to improve on perfection.

Gameplay

The gameplay in NHL 2002 is much improved, but still has numerous flaws.

Pros: One huge improvement in the gameplay is the opponent AI. Not only do the players react, hit, pass, and shoot faster and more intelligently, but the goalies are actually difficult to beat. They have eliminated the goal from behind your own blue line syndrome associated with some of the former versions of the game. The gameplay has also become very customisable. You have the usual difficulty and penalty settings you can customize, but you also have things such as puck friction and even puck elasticity which allow you to control even the physics of your hockey game.

Cons: The AI of your team in NHL 2002 not only seems to be completely unimproved from any of the previous years, but in fact it sometimes seems to be worse. Examples of this are the slow return over the blue line and the lack of any effort to get open. This is also shown by the lack of defensive pressure in your own zone.

Graphics

The graphics in NHL 2002 are still standard. EA needs to stop worrying about people with PII 333MHz processors and cater to the new generation of computer users.

Pros: The ?put your face in the game? feature is much improved from any version I have ever seen, but still needs some work. Another positive is that the game will still perform with decent graphics settings even on older machines.

Cons: EA?s refusal to abandon those gamers with older PCs is handicapping the users with newer computers. The graphics are good, but have not improved from last year as should be expected.

Sound

Good music, good F/X.

Pros: EA has once again gotten some great music to accompany this game. It is also appropriate music. There is also great effects including the glass, crowd, hits, boards, etc.

Cons: None

Features

Some useful, but all fun.

Pros: Put your face in the game is cool, has been improve but still needs work. New "replay" cams: hit cam, save cam, breakaway cam. All very cool, breakaway cam awkward at first, but once you get used to it you will love it.

Cons: NHL cards, great at first, but only thing that you can do with them are make a player a hero. At first you will strive to collect them all, but eventually you will find that most of them are useless because you may have 3 or 4 of the players on your team if you are lucky, you may then sell them but that becomes tedious so you will just eventually give up. The only advantage to the NHL cards feature is that they unlock the easter eggs and celebrations.