NHL 2002 (GBA) Review

NHL 2002

GBA, 2001

~$100 New

~$30 Used

NHL 2002 is a bit of a random game, but it was the only main series NHL game on Game Boy Advance! It's a neat part of EA's history and it was way more fun than I expected!

Presentation

NHL 2002 appears to be based on NHL 1996 on the SNES. While '97 and '98 look mostly the same, 96 is the best match. All of the player animations are terrific, and small details like the crowd and goal light are done well. The pixel art for the scratched-up ice is awesome, especially how the center-ice logo gets worn out over time. The star highlighting the player you are controlling is very clear and helps you know what you're doing.

Unfortunately, because the whole rink doesn't fit on the screen East to West, it's really tough to do lateral passes. This is a really big issue, and I'm not sure if this is worth the enhanced graphical fidelity of the rink.

All of the team logos are very well-done, as well as the images of the Stanley Cup and other trophies. Menus looks fantastic, and the opening is neat and, although cheesy, gets you excited to play the game.

The game doesn't contain any in-game music, but I think that's a benefit, especially if you're playing a long game. You can play your own music instead. The sound effects are a bit silly, but they get the job done. The voice lines are a little compressed, but they still sound good. I really like how the crowd chants on a power play, and how it changes whether you are the home or away team. I wish that the crowd would react more as you approached the net, but the power play is still great.

Pros:

Player animations
Stadium details and sound effects
Menus and team logos

Cons:

Crowd only reacts on a Power Play
You can't see the entire width of the rink

Sports Presentation Ranking

2000s Game Presentation Ranking

Controls

For the most part, the controls are very simple: B is pass or check, and A is shoot. However, there are quite a few tricks that you learn over time. You can do one-timers, spin-o-ramas, block shots, and more. What's more impressive is the goaltender controls. When the enemy team gets ready to shoot, the game seamlessly switches to goalie controls. It's a little jarring at first, but once you learn how it works, the controls are perfect.

You can switch between players very quickly to position yourself better on the ice. Although being with a D-pad, the player movement is very precise. A lot of cool tricks are possible to score.

Menus are simple and always allow you to back out quickly if you make a mistake.

Pros:

Tricks are included, but controls stay simple
Automatic transition to goaltender
Simple menus

Cons:

Perfect!

2000s Game Controls Ranking

Sports Controls Ranking

Content

NHL 2002 contains a few modes, including Play Now and Quick Play, as well as multiplayer with the Game Link cable, but the main draw is the Season Mode. Like most NHL games, you get to play a full 82 game season culminating in Playoffs. In this game, you don't pick a team, but have the option to play any games you want. Of course, you can skip as many as you want as well. The game contains 30 teams up to the 2000 expansion, as well as 2 secret teams based on the developers.

What I think is so great about the campaign in NHL 2002 is the amount of customization that you have. You can change the period length, penalties, skill level, the amount of games in a playoff series, and many other settings. Within the season, you can trade players and check in on league leaders in points, goals, assists and goaltending. There are a ton of stats - this is a very comprehensive season mode. Although there isn't a whole lot aside from Season mode, I was satisfied with the game after playing a few seasons.

The best part of NHL 2002 is getting better at the game. If you start on Novice mode and work your way up, you will slowly improve. At the beginning, I had trouble beating Novice difficulty, but eventually, I could regularly beat Expert teams by 10+ goals by learning tricks and exploits. While this might sound like a bad thing, it allows you to chase after all the trophies like the Vezina and Conn Smythe.

The important thing to consider with this game is that it is very fast. Your teammates often can't keep up with you, so it ends up becoming a breakaway contest. You can't really set up for a power play unless you wait for a long time. Once you reach Expert mode, the flow of the game does slow down a bit. Nonetheless, this is still a huge issue if you are looking for a realistic NHL experience.

Pros:

In-depth season mode
30-team roster
Skill development

Cons:

Season is the only full mode
Too many breakaways

Sports Content Ranking

2000s Content Ranking

Fun Factor

It's clear that NHL 2002 has a couple of issues that set it apart from typical NHL games. However, I think these make it more unique than bad. Your first time playing the game will be a bit awkward, but once you get used to everything, it's a ton of fun. The game has a perfect balance between precise and chaotic gameplay, and playing with 5 minute periods is a really fun time. There are a ton of tricks to learn, and Expert mode can really give you a run for your money on the first attempt.

The different settings mean that you can speed through a season without getting bored. I really think the last thing NHL 2002 could be described as is boring. It's a really fun adventure, that, once you get the hang of, is something to replay over and over. Once you get good enough to exploit the computer opponents, it feels amazing to plow through every opponent.

I don't think that NHL 2002 would work as a console title, but as a fun handheld, it's fantastic. There is a lot of great detail in the game design, and it still has all of the elements that make it feel like a real NHL game.