Abranut

Hey all,

I was just trying to find out if anyone the word on EA's NHL 2003. IGN says it's coming out on October 1st, but I haven't heard anything on the game in a few weeks. Wouldn't there be reviews out already if the game was coming out?

What the dilly yo...

EDIT: Oops, sorry about the typo in the title. Also, ebgames.com says this one ships 10/2. So, what does that mean for when it arrives in stores?

Abranut

BUMP: I called Electronics Boutique and they told me that it was scheduled to come out this Tuesday.

BravesMG

I was in EB today and they had a big sign up for a Tuesday 10/1 release of NHL 2003.

Not to totally wander from the point, but I am a diehard EA NHL fan and won't be picking this one up because I can't put NHL Hitz 2003 down. I picked it up on a blind recommendation from a friend and I really can't say enough good things about it. Of course it's not the deepest game out there, but it's one of the most addictive games I've ever played in my life.

El Talon Del Monstruo

man Tuesday is gonna rock

one of the highlights of my birthday celebration is that I am almost garunteed to swag the latest NHL release from EA Sports on my birthday (10/3)

almost 10 years running I have gotten NHL (whatever year) for my birthday

mrlumpy

Hmmm...Buy.com lists it as coming out 10/2, and amazon.com lists it as coming out on 10/7. How curious...

I hope it does come out tomorrow - my wife is away on a business trip for a few days, so I can get my fill of a new hockey game without interruptions!

EDIT: How weird...BestBuy.com lists it as in-stock on 9/30. Now I am totally confused.

mr.snowmizer

I thought somebody might might write that they're skipping it for NHL 2k3. But from what I've read at hockey game forums, this makes sense, too. I've read almost nothing but good things about NHL Hitz 2003, proving once again that the recently-acquired-by-EA Black Box knows their hockey.

What a battle in quality we may see next year if Black Box takes over development for the NHL series.

mrlumpy

I was seriously thinking about doing this - I never played NHL 2k3 on the Dreamcast, but it had some great reviews. I may just rent NHL 2003 and 2K3 when they come out and decide from that.

Then again, I don't know if I can wait until mid-November to try out NHL 2k3. That's a long time to keep playing NHL 2002.

CaptDS9E

Gotta pick this puppy up

capt

MFRONE

I was told Thursday when I went to pay the rest of the pre-order.

vdadlani219

Same release date for the PC as the systems? I played the demo for the PC and it rocks.

Rodimus79

the stores around here tell me October 9th (for the xbox version)

Abranut

Anyone pick this one up yet? First impressions? I can't wait!

jdpatri

Anybody know what changes have been made to this year's version?

Ralph Wiggum

I'm curious about the how 2k3 and 2003 stack up myself. Especially in the online game.

BravesMG

Happened to be in EB today (finally saved enough for Madden 2003) and didn't see any NHL 2003 for Xbox, even though the sign I saw was still up saying a 10/1 release date. Forgot to ask about it though, but I asked the manager about the newest Xbox releases and he said the latest was Lord of the Rings and Kelly Slater Pro Surfer. I'll check next time I'm in, but I'm too broke for this game to be as good as I bet it will be.

macross vfx

Theres no online play for NHL 2003 (boo EA) at all excpet for PC and NHL 2K3 is online for Xbox only. This was the info I was able to find trying to help make my choice on which to get for PS2. If Im wrong about the online aspects let me know.

mr.snowmizer

Online? The only online console hockey game is NHL 2k3 on Xbox.

As for every other area of 2k3 and NHL 2003, based on last year's games and the directions the games are going with their new additions, one will CLEARLY be superior.

If anybody's interested in what the most rabid of video hockey fans are thinking, feel free to check out these forums. (Unfortunately, a server switch for the Thunderpuck forums has wiped out a vast archive of informative threads.)

Thunderpuck (EA-affiliated) hockey forums:
http://dynamic3.gamespy.com/%7Ethunderpuck/forum/

NHL 2k2/2k3 Treyarch (developer) forum:
http://www.treyarch.com/cgi-bin/yabb...board=nhl2k2_b

TheMadMonk

So, are you still loving this game? I'm tempted to get it. I had the EA 2002 for Xbox, but didn't really like it. I've heard that Hitz 2003 is more like the old-school EA games on the Genesis, which I loved.

AXP 103

I have 2002 Hitz and it is one of the games kept in regular rotation in my house (I live with 2 of my college buddies in a house they own). It is very similar to the old Genesis games, which means it is fun and not a battle of attrition. Get tiresome just banging shot after shot at the goalie, hoping one just randomly goes in, as has been the case in the EA series since the jump to Playstation.

I had the first NHL2K for the Dreamcast and liked it. I'll give the new one a rental when it comes out.

Abranut

I called the Electronics Boutique near my house today, and they said that NHL 2003 had been pushed back to being released this Thursday (10/3).

BravesMG

Absolutely, I couldn't recommend it highly enough, but as long as you know what game you're going into. It has virtually nothing to do with actual hockey, but is just a great, addictive game. I didn't play genesis games (SNES for me), but it's just a fun game that's easy enough for virtually anyone learn to play really quickly and play really well. And if you think the game isn't deep enough to merit a purchase, the features and mini-games keep me almost as occupied as the franchise mode. So unless NHL 2003 gets the most glowing reviews I've ever seen, or hear something totally unexpected, I'll be waiting for a while to pick that one up.

TheMadMonk

Okay, now I'm more tempted, but I have another question: How is the scoring? Is it realistic? That is one thing that bothered me with EA 2002; I'd have a sniper right by the crease, and pass it to him for an easy chip in/redirection, and he'd miss the net by 3 feet. Then I'd shoot with some goon from behind the blue line and that one would go in. I just want to be able to set up some nice plays, and score on opportunities where I would score, and not have the game be just full of garbage goals.

Also, I've heard that all the players in Hitz are pretty much the same in terms of abilities. Is that true? Do the players all pretty much seem like clones of each other, or can you tell when you have a faster player, harder checker, better shooter, etc?

Thanks again.

DJ_Longfellow

I can notice somewhat of a difference between players in HITZ2003. However, you can still compete with weaker teams against powerhouses. Example, i created a team, and it's overall rating was like a 50 (if that), and i played my friend (he was the Red Wings), and i think he beat me by one goal, and honestly, he's better at the game than me. But, you can notice some guys check harder, and some skate faster.....

I think this game is great though....lots of fun, especially with 4 players. However, they have seemed to take the codes out of the game like most HITZ/BLITZ series.

BravesMG

Scoring is actually much harder than it has been in previous years of Hitz. The really hard slapshots from behind the blue line don't have a chance of scoring. But well setup one-timers and open slapshots are usually goals, but you do have to aim the shot. The aiming isn't overly exact, basically top left/top center/top right, bottom left/bottom center/bottom right, there's no real grey area.

I've got no gripes about the player dimensions and abilities, the only problem is they all kind of look the same. I mean there are distinctions between big and small guys, but the intermediate guys tend to blend together. Since I know most of the guys in the league, I can tell who's the faster guys and who the big hitters are, but if you're playing with a foreign team or something it gets kind of difficult. I pretty much stick with the Flyers, so I'm golden with them. There is a stamina factor and after every period you get to change your 3 man roster, so there's skill involved in keeping the right guys on the ice during the right situations.

I'm making it too complicated though, but I like to really get into it. You can just turn stamina off and grab 3 friends and it's probably the most fun multiplayer sports games I've played. You can also play in cool stadiums like shark tanks, space (if I remember correctly), disco, etc. I also highly recommend playing the tic-tac-toe minigame with a friend, just be prepared to get really frustrated, but in a fun way.