NHL Rivals 2004

NHL Rivals 2004 Description

Considering that the amount of Xbox ice hockey games currently on offer is almost into double figures, you couldn't really be blamed for demanding a little more from this latest release from Microsoft's in-house team. Thankfully, NHL Rivals is emblazoned with the Redmond giant's latest Xbox Live-associated logo, XSN Sports, and therefore comes complete with an abundance of online features, which basically make up the main focus of the game. Consequently, the emphasis is most certainly on hooking your big black box up and taking on other 'real' players from across the globe over the Internet. Via XSNSports.com you can organise teams and take part in such events as leagues and competitions, with Xbox Live automatically broadcasting all the resulting up-to-date scores, stats, standings and trade proposals throughout. Aside from the online aspect, the game also offers all the usual fare of localised options, such as Single Games, Playoffs and Seasons, with some more in-depth solitary play being found in the Tournament mode, which allows you to create up to a 16-team round-robin knockout competition. Finally, Rivalry mode instantly puts you into a grudge match between historic rival teams - such as the Canadians versus the Maple Leafs - with no need to pick teams or set lineups. At its core, the gameplay in NHL Rivals 2004 doesn't venture too far from the usual tried-and-tested ice hockey game formula, aside from a couple of new features, one of which is known as the Faceoff system. In an attempt to recreate the importance of a real-life faceoff, this element features a unique stick-placement system with special moves and counter-moves that enable you to win the puck clean with the stick, use the player's feet, or block the puck just like the pros. As has long been the case with ice hockey titles, the physical act of fighting plays quite a part in the game, courtesy of what's been dubbed as the Player Fuse. Each hockey player's real-world personality and inclination to fight have been incorporated into his composure rating and 'Fighting Fuse' - the shorter it is, the more likely he is to drop the gloves and start beating the opposition around the head. To get a rival riled you need to hook, check and frustrate him - should it happen to you then you're given the choice of whether to fight or back off, depending on whether or not you deem it wise to play nice and take the penalty. NHL Rivals 2004 is one of the first titles to take advantage of Microsoft's new XSN Sports offering, which promises to bring the sports gaming world closer together on quite a grand scale. If your Xbox is Live, then this is almost reason enough to check the game out, as, underneath all the online features, there's still a solid hockey game to be enjoyed.

• XSN Sports. XSN Sports is the first lineup of Xbox games where sports fans compete beyond the game. For the first time ever, gamers can challenge real people, create their own leagues and build their own rivalries. XSN Sports is the breakthrough sports fans have been waiting for.
  
• XSNsports.com. XSNsports.com is the Web-based service that links a gamer's Xbox console, Xbox Live, PC and cell phone together for the first time ever. "NHL Rivals 2004" fans will now be able to organize their own teams, leagues and schedules from a centralized Web site, and Xbox Live will automatically broadcast up-to-date scores, standings, statistics and trade proposals to any Web-based device.
  
• Online play with Xbox Live. Hockey fans can take their game online with head-to-head gameplay to rekindle old rivalries with friends and start new ones with other gamers. Gamers will be able track individual and team statistics, leader boards, and win/loss records, and players can engage in cooperative, team, ranked and unranked play. With Xbox Live, gamers can download quarterly roster updates, All-Star Game rosters, updated player ratings and more.
  
• NHL role-playing. Unique player roles including Snipers, Enforcers and Agitators offer gamers a chance to take advantage of different styles of play and abilities. Players will have moves specific to their role on the ice.
  
• More modes of play. Gamers can hit the ice for high-octane hockey in Single Game, Playoff, Season or online play modes. In addition, "NHL Rivals 2004" features two exciting modes of play, Tournament Mode and Rivalry Mode. In Tournament Mode, gamers can set up eight-, 10-, 12- or 16-team round-robin knockout tournaments. Rivalry Mode instantly puts gamers into a grudge match between historic rival teams such as the Canadiens versus the Maple Leafs, with no need to pick teams or set lineups.
  
• Top announcer team. "NHL Rivals 2004" includes more than 20,000 lines of dialogue, play-by-play, stories, insight and analysis from the broadcast team of Sam Rosen and John Davidson along with rink-side reporter Dick Fain.
  
• Faceoff system. "NHL Rivals 2004" features a unique stick-placement system with special moves and countermoves to make the faceoff as important in the game as it is in the NHL. Gamers will be able to win the puck clean with the stick, use the player's feet, or block the puck just like the pros.
  
• Player fuse. A player's real-world personality and inclination to fight is incorporated into his composure rating and "fighting fuse." Every player has a fuse; the shorter it is, the more likely he will be to drop the gloves. To set off a rival player's fuse, gamers will have to check, hook and frustrate him to goad him into a fight. Unique physicality animations allow a player to fight or back away from a fight if the gamer determines it's not wise to drop the gloves and take a penalty.
  
• Hockey camp. To help rookies get up to speed, "NHL Rivals 2004" walks gamers through an interactive tutorial that presents basic game skills and provides active feedback on performance.