January 14, 2001
Hybrid

NHL Hitz (GC)

NHL Hitz is the type of game that you would expect to see plugged in next to NFL Blitz at your local billiards or mall (and maybe you do). Many refer to this type of game as an "arcade" game. Hitz keeps in touch with the rest of Midway's extreme sports games in its pre game code system and "no refs, no rules, no mercy" motto. Unlike recent offerings of Blitz and Showtime, Hitz actually has a little more going for it than what we would expect.

GAMEPLAY: First off, the idea of having 3 men on the ice instead of two was a good idea. Besides passing and shooting, you can also guard the puck, use turbo, spin, charge your shots, pull off one timers, check, and of course fight. The addition of the 1-timers adds depth to the game in that they can be a little tricky to pull off at times but they are the most likely of shots to go in. If you can pull off three in a row, your team is lit on fire. Instead of infinite turbo, now fire just means a boost in stats and harder checks. Speaking of checks, you can literally check someone through the glass. This isn't too surprising considering the over the top dunks in NBA Showtime and NFL Blitz's uber long passes, but can impress some of your friends if they get lucky enough to do it to you. The gameplay is simple to apply to the arcade gaming crowd, but there is also some depth that should impress some sim fans thanks to the guys at BlackBox (the creator of NHL2k1). The action is fast paced enough that you will rarely be just pushing the control stick. As for fights, the system is pretty basic: punch, hard punch, block, avoid; nothing spectacular but nice to have at least. To sum up, Hitz has a little more than you would expect from the "itz" series.

VALUE: NHL Hitz is fun but after about a week, you may find yourself only playing with friends. The hockey shop and custom teams may keep you busy though. If you win a match against the computer, you get a certain number of credits to spend at the shop depending on the difficulty you selected. There is also trivia after each game that awards credits. The shop consists of different arenas, jerseys, custom heads, and special teams. The custom team feature is thankfully more in depth than NFL Blitz had, in that this one is actually worth trying out. You can take your team to the Midway cup and earn stats for your players instead of credits for the hockey shop. Overall Hitz is still made for maybe a few games now and then or as a 4 player party game. There is also a skills area where you can test out all of your moves but once you beat them, you probably won't go back.

SOUND: Well this is a tough category to rate because on the one hand, the sound effects fit well and you've got the same announcer from the Blitz games, but I personally just don't like the music. While the announcer can be repetitive and sometimes annoying, he doesn't take anything away from the game. However, the fact that I have to listen to "Rollin" by Limp Bizkit every time I start up the game makes me want to stop playing before I start. Some other notable "favorites" of mine include Staind's "Mudshovel," Korn's "Make Me Bad," and Fuel's "Scar." Basically the only GOOD song is Good Charlotte's "Festival Song" and even that gets annoying after hearing it over and over again. I don't exactly like having full songs in games because they get extremely repetitive and annoying very fast, especially THESE songs. There are some "punk" and techno beats too so you'll just have to hope you get those. Now if you like hearing that type of music constantly, this shouldn't be a problem for you. Thankfully this music isn't played while a game is taking place (unless it's really soft and I can't catch it).

GRAPHICS: With most sports games showcasing the graphical prowess of their respective console these days, Hitz falls a little short. In the "Making Of" video, the developers say that they detailed the character bodies after their human counterparts, but all of the faces look pretty similar. The arenas are nicely detailed in some locations but not detailed to the point where the gameplay slows down. There is some minor slowdown but it rarely pops up and is almost unnoticeable. Hitz features a real time crowd, which would be an amazing feat if it weren't for the fact that they all look like 1st gen DC characters. I'm talking Dynamite Cop quality or lower here. The fire and lightning effects aren't bad but they aren't anything spectacular. Again, this is an arcade game so it's got to keep things flashy yet simple. In actual gameplay, the graphics are nice and smooth but after say…a guy wins a fight, he looks like a dork.

Final Verdict: With slightly more replay value than most arcade type games and quick gameplay, Hitz should please anyone that liked Blitz and doesn't hate hockey. Hell, you may hate Blitz but Hitz could still appeal to you. While the graphics aren't amazing or nearly on the same level of Rogue Leader or Madden, they aren't terrible to the point of saying "This could easily be done on Dreamcast." But it would come damn close. I would suggest this game to someone that needs a hockey game or actually has some extra money to spend on game they intend to play with someone else. If you only play alone, Hitz is at best rental material.

Not since "Blades of Steel" have we had a good hockey game for the arcade crowd. NHL Hitz is more than Blitz on Ice, but it sure as hell feels like it. This can be considered the first good effort at an extreme hockey game, so try playing somewhere at least once. However, missing out won't be the end of the world.

Gameplay: 4
Graphics: 3.5
Sound: 2.5
Value: 3.5

Verdict: 3 (out of 5)