NHL 2001 is the game i can't put away

I always happen to love hockey games...the speed the excitement, the sound of the horn when you score, it all makes hockey games that much better.

NHL 2001 takes all those things and meshes it well, along with great off-the-ice options at your disposal. As fun as playing NHL 2001 is, if you're like me and like being in control of my team, then this game is even more fun and exciting. As a team manager you decide who stays and who goes, you can make trades mid-season, you are offered trades, you can create a rookie or veteran player and watch him grow better as he plays. You can guide any NHL team to the Stanley Cup, then defend it the next year. You'll get your chance to steal players in the post-season Free-Agent pool, if they choose to play for you, and you'll have your off-season departure as well. You can also play internationally and adjust players on your international squads. Simply put, this game is a dream come true for everyone who loves the ins and outs of hockey, from training camp to the Stanley Cup.

While the game packs so many great features off the ice, it does its best on the ice as well. Graphically, the game could stand to be powered by better colors and screenshots. Indeed a lot of the gameplay looks very repetitive. There are no real signature moves by any players and no real personality on the ice, all players skate the same, seem to be the same height and weight, and just basically do the same on the ice, especially the goaltending. Surprisingly, the player faces are so real its scary. The game controls are also very good, the ability to change controller options is key and lets you style your gamepad to your requirements. While controlling can get tricky at times (like all sport games), they are very easy to master and the games difficulty levels make th learning curve that much easier. The computer's AI can leave a little to be desired. Forget about easy mode, you'll score on just about every other shot and on about 100% of rebounds. Difficulty level 3 is the one i find more accurate. However despite adjusting the Difficulty it will still leave a few dissapointments. For example, even on the hardest level i can easily outshoot my opponent by 10-15 shots a game, but i can still lose 5-0. Goaltending in the main difference in difficulty settings. Naturally the harder you go the more shots your opponent can get off, but I can usually field a very good team despite having a goalie who can only save 80% of his shots. That's one of the major drawbacks, I'd rather the computer and I work for good shots and goals, rather than just having them score on every 4-5 shots, cause it will happen. Also the AI is too choppy...The computer will play unbelievable for about 5 minutes, then I'll score 5 goals the next period. Some teams have good and bad nights,i understand, but the computer should play consistent all game, not just "get good" after i get up a goal or two.

The momentum meter is a nice effect but it can get distracting at times and i don't see it being a great help to me offensively, its more important when the cpu gets it, it will definitely make it easier to score for them. I would have liked to see some crowd animation, maybe an on ice referee, even some stats on attendance. The play-by-play is pretty silly after a while, but unlike other games, they tend not to repeat as much.

Overall I think this is a fine piece of an NHL game. It has everything you can want top to bottom. While asthetically it could have used a little more here and there, it has more than enough to hold it together. I'm already halfway into my second season and I've had the game for not even two months...I get the feeling I'll be playing this game for a long time to come.