Hitz goes Pro. Does 5-on-5 gameplay ruin the Midway Sports formula? Check the full review.
Hitz is back for another season of hockey, but some changes have been made from the first two games in the series. As you might have guessed from the title, NHL Hitz Pro's biggest change comes in the new realistic gameplay, somewhat like other simulation hockey games on the market. However, Midway always adds their trademark attitude, and it shows in yet another fine hockey title in the Hitz line.
Although Hitz Pro has everything found in the more realistic games on the market, it is by no means a hockey sim. The game features 5-on-5 gameplay, line changes, icing and offside violations, penalties, and more of the true-to-the-sport stuff that would suggest the game is realistic. Well, it's not. Players can still be checked through glass, up-ended at center ice, knock down goaltenders with 130 mph slap shots, and get in fights numerous times a game. The arcade game that spawned the series is still there, even in the shell of a more realistic title. This presents a unique take on the sport of hockey, and that's a good thing.
The game can be set up any way you want it. If you want a more realistic hockey experience, you can turn on all penalties, all violations, line changes, and fatigue. If you slam someone that's not carrying the puck, you'll get called for interference and will need to kill off a power play. If there's a long stretch of uninterrupted play, your top lines will tire, and you'll have to put in second or third string players with lower stats so first string can rest. The sim game that NHL Hitz offers is obviously less realistic than what EA or Sega make, but it's realistic enough for any die-hard hockey simulation fan to be satisfied with.
Of course, if you're not the type that wants things to be as real as possible, you can turn off all the boring simulation stuff and play a straight-up 5-on-5 old time hockey game. If you've played either of the first two 3-on-3 games, then you'll know exactly how it plays. You can level someone skating by who forgot to keep his head up. The goalie doesn't need to stay on his skates all the time, either. Your sniper on the ice can go from blue line to blue line without needing to be worried about being called offside, which frees the game from slowing down with multiple face-offs. If you want to play hockey with that arcade feel, then Hitz is the only way you're going to do it.
As with any hockey game, you can pick your favorite NHL team and play a quick game, do a full season, or make just a playoff run. You can also choose a team and play a pick-up hockey game on a frozen pond, the parking lot outside of work, or other locations that would suggest that it's just a game of hockey between friends. This pick-up hockey game mode, however, seems as if it's separate from the main game. The teams in that mode aren't NHL teams, and they can only be picked in that mode. On top of that, this year's franchise mode is very weak compared to last year. You choose one of 15 preset teams, and then play through 15 games against all the other franchise teams. If you get 10 wins, you'll be added to the NHL schedule. Other than earning special stat-boosting equipment by completing tasks throughout the game, there is very little customization available. Though it is nice to see your custom team make it through to the big leagues, doing things like building your characters from the ground up, naming them, and doing everything else is sort of a downer.
The game's final menu option, Hockey School, is greatly improved from last time. This mode teaches you the basics of the game, showing you what all the controls do, and when they should be used. This time around though, NHL Pros will explain in their own words why each skill is important to the game. What they have to say will help you out in the game immensely, because you'll need to adapt to playing 5-on-5 hockey the Hitz way. The mode will show you how solid the game's control scheme is and has always been, from dumping the puck in along the boards, pulling off one-timers, blocking shots, and spinning around a check. The controls are simple, too, so you won't need to learn about button combinations or anything confusing like that.
With all the changes Midway has made to the Hitz formula, a few things were left out, and the game suffers somewhat because of it. There is nothing to unlock in NHL Hitz Pro, meaning you'll be playing the game without fantasy arenas for the NHL teams, silly heads, out-of-this-world teams, or weird cheats to spice up the game. Because everything the game has to offer is there from the start, you have less drive to keep playing. Also, with all the players on the ice and the larger, more true-to-life playing surface, the game plays slower than what the 3-on-3 game did, even with the speed setting turned all the way up. This really isn't a negative, but Hitz veterans will be somewhat peeved by the relatively slow gameplay.
We all know how important fighting is in a hockey game, so what you're about to read will be a blow for you knuckle sandwich fans. The fighting has been drastically watered down. Once the gloves drop, the battle becomes a race to hit a button as fast as you can. Whichever side hits the appropriate button faster than the other guy in a best three out of five wins, and the winning team catches fire. This stupefies the fighting process, making it so easy that you'll always win. Since the only other way to get hot is to go on the power play, it takes playing with fire completely out of your hands. The fire system in Hitz 20-03 is light-years beyond Hitz Pro, that's for sure.
These few complaints aren't going to drag this hockey title down, though. There's plenty of good stuff in the game to cancel out the lack of features. Commentary is less repetitive than before, makes more sense, and can be hilarious in some cases. Dodge-branded replays show big saves and big hits, and really give the perception of watching a TV broadcast. Between plays, you can see players on the bench and the coach talking to them. The game is presented very well, and it makes playing it that much more fun.
Despite a couple of gaping holes in the game's feature package, the fact of the matter is that the NHL Hitz series was fun to play from day one, and just because there are four more players on the ice for NHL Hitz Pro doesn't change that one bit. Midway has created a game that can be played either as a simulation or an arcade title, and does a pretty good job with both. This gives it a wide appeal to all hockey fans. If you're one of them, you might want to check this one out. Be advised, though, if you want something that's really deep, EA's NHL 2004 is probably the game for you. If you want to have loads of fun without all the super-realism though, get Hitz Pro now.