I give it an 8.
Written: Apr 22 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: gameplay, graphics, players like their real selves -for the most part
Cons: lack of modes, unrealistic checking, too many rebound goals
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| Smoothy's Full Review: NHL Faceoff 2000 for PlayStation 1 |
My room mate and I have had a series of battles on Faceoff 2000 and and though we love the game, there have been a few topics that would inspire criticism.
Here's a list of comments, ideas, opinions:
1. The players look , move, and respond very well. Skill levels among the players are reflected in their on ice ability nicely. Players like Kariya and Modano move and shoot well, Bourque and MacInnes have deadly accurate shots from the point, Forsberg can put a pass anywhere. Basically
the fast players are fast and the slow players are slow, the skilled are skilled, etc. Checking is where they all even out ( I'll get to that a little later) Uniforms look sharp, third jerseys and national teams are nice touches.
2. The camera angles are good enough - we use "high vertical" option to see more of the ice. "Side" option is more like on TV but once you get used to one, it's tough to change and be effective.
3. The season mode and stats are done very well as players' performances are tracked in many categories and trophies are awarded after the cup finals.
4. Actual gameplay is fun and challenging on higher levels. Of course you can beat the computer basically at will (after some practice) and they rarely score on any breakaways against you. The major differences between the three skill levels are found in the goaltending and the checking. The goalies allow many more "soft" goals on the rookie level and the players will knock you over as soon as they touch you on the all-star level. We usually play on all-star with game speed turned almost all the way up, but will sometimes play a game or two on veteran level to get a 15-14 shootout type of game.
5. Announcers are pretty good and keep up for the most part. Pang can get annoying but you can always turn them off.
6. The create player option is pretty thorough and you can make up to 25 players.
7. Computer rules on all trades - can't turn that off.
8. There are many goals disallowed because of crease violations but I think it gets to be kind of a fun touch - it adds some controversy, fuels the trash talking fires.
9. Interface doesn't look great, but works well and game loads pretty quickly.
10. Sound is done well, crowd reacts on breakaways, could react more in game situations - powerplay, last minute, big hit, etc. - could build after series of good plays by the home team. Ping of puck and pipe is good, shots sound good, boards sound good, hits sound good - could use some player grunts and growls. I might be getting too picky here.
11. A practice mode would be useful to help players get acclimated to the gameplay. It is also fun to sometimes play two-on-two, three-on-three or on a permanent powerplay in these practice modes.
12. I would like to see some pucks leave the playing surface (minor, but it would add something).
13. It would be a nice touch if some players (like Lindros, Simon, Primeau) would be harder to knock down than others - player size should be a bigger factor in contact situations. As it is now, players like Samsonov and Whitney can finish hits as consistently as the bigger, stronger guys. This is probably my highest priority of the things to adjust.
14. There are far too many rebound goals - it gets to be a joke when you can count on a rebound from a goalie and know that he will remain frozen for a second after the shot hits him, giving more than enough time to corral the puck and score from a ridiculous angle. The goalies should regroup quicker after easy saves. They should also consider an easier way to manually take control of the goalie. It used to be fun to challenge a breakaway in the old sega games, here it's a bit clumsy and very hit and miss.
15. I would also enjoy an option to change power play attacks and penalty killing strategies. The powerplay programmed for all teams now doesn't have a player set in front of the net. All three forward are stationed in one corner along the boards, while this allows for some effective cycling, no shot are created as they refuse to move to the slot.
Overall, I really enjoy playing the game and would recommend it to anyone who wants a fun game with a good pace, solid graphics and responsive players.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Smoothy
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Reviews written: 1
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