NHL 2K3

NHL 2K3 won?t blind you with all the red lamps it?s lighting, but it does deliver a sizzling, authentic hockey simulation.

Hockey has never been fairly represented in the world of video games. Sure, plenty of hockey games have been ridiculously fun, but always at the cost of realism or accurate simulation. NHL 2K3 changes all that, and hockey fanatics should greet it with the same cheers they rain on their hometown team as the players hit the ice.

The previous two editions of NHL 2K on the Dreamcast sparkled with potential though not with polish, but NHL 2K3 delivers like a first-round draft choice ripening into a star after a stint in the minors. It?s not a souped-up arcade-style scoring contest, but a fittingly realistic and authentic representation of the sport. Hockey fans will relish touches like managing their team?s breakout style, separately changing offensive and defensive lines, or pinning an opponent along the boards while they skirmish for the puck. When you bury one in the twine, you feel like you actually earned it, rather than just getting lucky on a dice roll.

The robust features don?t set a new standard or anything, but they cover the bases. Alongside the usual Season, Playoff, and Tournament modes, a deep Franchise mode lets you get lost in haggling over player contracts, fiddling with a massively detailed line editor, and toying with the minutiae of strategy. The ESPN presence cloaks everything, but that?s the only gimmick to be found.

For those gamers who have the luxury of choosing between systems, the Xbox is definitely the way to go. Not only do the Xbox graphics look a notch sharper and better, but more important, it?s the only version that supports online play. The PS2 and GameCube editions are also excellent choices, though the PS2 graphics are a tad rougher, and because of the sports-unfriendly GameCube controller, that version doesn?t handle as smoothly.

In all three versions, the controls are a real breakthrough for hockey games. They?re so complex that they have their own separate difficulty levels, so if you prefer to stick with the standard (or ?beginner?) hockey format, have at it. But as you immerse yourself in the game, you?ll probably be tempted to try out some of the bells and whistles, and you?ll be intrigued by the depth that emerges as you learn to kneel to block a shot or kick the puck when pinned against the boards.

The graphics and sounds are not the high point, but they?re perfectly respectable. Detailed animations mostly give the players a realistic grace, but they?re sometimes a bit robotic. Overall, the visuals could use a few more layers of polish and pizzazz?they?re serviceable but lack any real eye candy.

The audio is much the same. Supported by two no-name but decent announcers, the standard array of organ music and on-ice sound effects colors in the background of the action without making you pause to appreciate it.

NHL 2K3 probably won?t find a huge audience because many gamers turn to hockey games not for a simulation of the sport, but for spine-shattering checks and double-digit scoring. Of course there?s nothing wrong with that, but those gamers should fire up NHL 2003 or NHL Hitz 20-03 for their dose of board-battering goodness. However, if you?re looking to play hockey of the NHL variety, to tackle pro challenges and use real-life strategies, NHL 2K3 will thrill you as much as watching your team heroically survive a five-on-three penalty kill.

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