NHL 2001 first impressions
By Raul

Conclusion

Again, it is difficult to pass a definitive judgment on NHL 2001 because of the limitations of the demo. Regardless, first impressions are as follow. NHL 2001 has a lot of promise and the game engine itself has been improved greatly. But it has sacrificed some gameplay for that increased detail. This is not a good thing, and hopefully the arcade mode or a different balancing of options will solve this problem in the final release. The only problem is, with so many customizable options, how will two players who have each been playing on their respective setups at home ever come to a consensus on a setup that will not favor one or the other?

The proof, as they say, will be in the pudding. EA has a winner of a game engine on its hands, and I hope they won't let technical details wreck what is one of the greatest sports game franchises of all time.