NHL Hitz: Pro

In 1997, Midway tried their hand at football with NFL Blitz.  Blitz did everything that Jam did and more.  Four years later they took a stab at my favorite sport: hockey.  A few developers had attempted this type of arcade-style action before and failed.  Would Midway have what it takes?  Gamers answered with a resounding yes, making NHL Hitz one of the top sports games of 2001.

For the latest addition to the series, NHL Hitz Pro, developer Next Level Games went beyond expectations.  From year to year, we usually expect to see sports games get upgraded.  NHL Hitz Pro is much more than that.  It truly is the "pro" version of the series.

Incase you didn't know, the first NHL Hitz created teams of three players in order to make the game play faster and feel more like an arcade title.  That was a smart move at the time, but for NHL Hitz Pro, the developers found a way to increase that number to five without losing any of the arcade appeal. 

NHL Hitz Pro has an incredible control system.  The rarely-used analog shoulder buttons are put to great use here.  In bad situations, you may want to quickly toss the puck away from the net to prevent the other team from scoring.  You can to do this by lightly tapping the left trigger.  If you press the trigger in too deeply it will not work regardless of how carefully you do it.  If done successfully, the puck will be tossed away and, if you aim correctly, will land near one of your teammates.  You can also press the L trigger to dump the puck on the boards, causing it to slide across it (another defense tactic). 

The shoot and pass controls haven't seemed to change much, but they do feel a little more accurate.  The fake shot and fake shot pass are a great way to trick clueless opponents into thinking that you're readying a slapshot.  If standing in between two opponents, you can block a pass or a shot just by pressing and holding the L trigger.  Players will stay in the block shot/pass position until the L trigger is released.  Blocks can be done while stationary or while running, but if done while running you'll dive for the puck and lose some control over your player.

The franchise mode isn't new, but it is worth mentioning.  It is one of the many reason to play NHL Hitz Pro when you're friends aren't around.  Think of it as a fictitious season mode: you pick one make-believe team (such as the Hounds or Barbarians), enter your city, and begin the journey as a nobody to a team that everyone wants to see win.  A calendar is set up to outline all of your game days and who you'll be battling.  In between games you have the option to manage your team (choose which goalie you want to start, which players you want to use, etc.).

When you're done training, NHL Hitz Pro gives you a reason to put up with your annoying friends: the multiplayer mode.  It doesn't do anything different from the single-player modes, but there's nothing like having competition from a real-life person.  The computer AI is good, but it can only go so far.  Your friends, on the other hand, can continue to improve their skills just as you can.  They might not be able to keep up with the owner of the game – but that's a reason for them to pick it up, too.  Either way, NHL Hitz Pro should be in every game room, college dorm, or any other place you go to game.

NHL Hitz Pro's music has the same screaming-rock theme as the first game, but it doesn't include any hugely-popular artists.  Before you had artists like Korn and Limp Bizkit who, at one time or another, sold millions of records.  Now you've got Seether, Powerman 5000, and Logan 7.  There are several others, including Exit This Side and Flipswitch, but none of them are well-known names among fans of the genre.  Music doesn't have to be known to be good, and overall this is a decent soundtrack.  But for the opening theme I wish they had gotten something comparable to Limp Bizkit's "Rollin'."  I never liked that song but it really seemed to fit NHL Hitz.

NHL Hitz Pro is great, but what if you already have the first two NHL Hitz games?  Having purchased those titles only shows how much you love the series, and no fan should go without this title.  Don't get rid of the original – it's still a classic that you'll want to keep in your collection.  But once you play NHL Hitz Pro you'll never want to go back.  The realism pitfall that sank many "Titanic" games only helps to keep this one afloat.  It's a little faster, a lot more exciting, and more addictive than ever before.  The updated franchise mode is great fun, and who could deny the entertainment found within the deep season mode.  Then, when you've got all of the secrets unlocked, you can get together with three friends and have hours of multiplayer fun.

Gameplay: 8.5
Who could resist the hard-hitting action of NHL Hitz Pro?  If you loved the first one, you'll love this Pro addition, and if you've never played the series before, now's the best time to start.  The season and franchise modes will keep you busy for several weeks, and that's assuming you have the time to play through them persistently.  You'll have to finish the season mode at least a few times to unlock all of the game's secrets. 

The franchise mode teams are pretty creative, and work well with many existing cities.  The Hounds, for example, are listed as being from Hamilton (you can choose whichever city you want, but Hamilton is used as the default city when they are the opposing team).  The fictitious names sound like real hockey players, too (Dave Forshaw, anyone?).

Graphics: 7.9
The graphics haven't aged as well as the gameplay.  Actually, let me rephrase that: the gameplay hasn't aged, it only matured; the graphics, however, are less fortunate.  The scratch-heavy ice looks alright, but the players don't represent NHL very well.  Their faces just don't cut it.  You rarely see their faces, and likely be impressed by the more visible details like the game's realistic animation.  Still, smooth animation isn't enough to make a sports game look beautiful when the first Hitz had it two years ago.

Sound: 7.5
Decent music, silly commentary.  That about sums up this game's sound.  However, it is worth noting that the developers did include one subtle music addition.  As anyone who watches hockey knows, music plays quietly in the background before every face-off.  The same thing happens in the game, and every song is taken directly from the soundtrack.  Pretty cool.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 8
5-on-5 action, improved AI, an in-depth franchise mode, etc.  NHL Hitz Pro takes all of the lovable qualities of the first game and combines them with several simulation elements to create the best Hitz game yet.  Best of all, it still plays and feels like Hitz, only more realistic.

Multiplayer: 8
One word says it all: addiction.  This is an addictive, easy-to-learn game that any gamer could get into.  It's difficult to master, and if your friends are the persistent type, they'll surely want to battle for many months to come, especially if they're the ones losing.  (Persistent gamers play until they win, so if you don't want the fun to stop, make certain that you never lose!)

Overall: 8.5
Any hockey fan who passes this puck should be body checked into the boards.  NHL Hitz Pro is just what it should be: a solid improvement over the original.  It doesn't fix what wasn't broken; instead, Next Level Games added to all of the things we loved.  It's not as crazy or as outrageous, which might seem a little strange after seeing the direction the game was going in.  But once you play NHL Hitz Pro, even for only a few minutes, you'll see that the developers have taken the series in the right direction.  The idea to make Hitz more realistic was risky, but the outcome is all that matters, and the results speak for themselves.  Whichever console you own, whichever console you prefer, slapshot this game into your collection as soon as you can.