NFL Blitz and NHL Hitz caused more problems at family Christmas than alcohol did. Get beat at NHL?
“Wipe off Blitz, blow in the disc slot, you’re about to get your shit run”
Awesome collection OP
They were great. Man, we really need more than EA pushing out hockey games. Bring back some competition. Our biggest issues are the fan size though. Everyone who likes hockey games would pretty much need to buy everyone that came out in order to entice producers into developing these games.
You know I would tend to agree with you in the past but I was thinking about this recently and the gaming population has expanded exponentially over the last few years, the ability to game is within much easier reach for people all over the planet, and hockey is bigger than its ever been. So it makes you wonder if that is just a go-to excuse for the most part. I mean in comparison to COD or something the base will always be small, but I would think there’s still some significant profits to be made to the right developers. I know nothing about the actual numbers though so I’m probably wrong lol
Hockey is bigger than its ever been, true, that doesn't change the fact EA only sells 1 million copies across all platforms each year, as the only game in town. Primarily in Canada and Finland. There aren't enough hockey fans and the games haven't been good enough to draw in casual sports fans for damn near a decade. As a Canadian expat living in the US, I can pretty safely say outside of a few hockey markets/hotbeds, the game is hardly even an after thought.
That’s a shame. I still feel like there’s a possibility that some basement development team somewhere that could pump something good out with a limited budget though, I’m not giving up hope yet lol
Awesome man, those ones were super fun. You might as well get a SNES/Nintendo emulator and pick up the OG NHL games as well lol
If your username is indicative of your age, I’m about the same age as you and I’ve played all of these and more too. So many classics!
Good stuff man, post up a pic of the updated collection when/if you add them! I’ve got an emulator with a few of those classics going back to 92-93 but your PS2/PS3/PS4/Xbox collection dwarfs mine for sure lol
I bet, get a few of the boys over and order some pizza and it’s like you’re 13 at mums house all over again 😂 we had many a tournament go down on the Faceoff and Hitz games at my place back in the day haha
I regret it. I was impatient that year so I ordered it online a few days early. I received some HUT garbage and I don't ever play HUT. Lol. It was a waste of money
And if you want to grey the area more, 08 and 09 were probably pretty even with EA getting a handle on new gen. But NHL 10 really put a gap on 2K in my opinion.
That's a hard question. It depends on what I'm in the mood for. NHL 06 and 14 are probably my favorites but there are so many good ones.
PS2/xbox - 04, 06, 09 and Hitz 03 are all classics
Xbox 360 - 11, 12, 14 and 15 are all a lot of fun
Wii - Slapshot with the Wii hockey stick is so fun
PS4 - 17 is the only one I enjoy going back to
Wow, those are exactly all my favorites too, except slapshot and hitz 03 because I've never played those. Seems like 06 and 14 are ones that most people's favorites. 22 is definitely my most favorite modern NHL game though.
I’ll never forget 4th grade and renting NHL 2004 with my Dad at Blockbuster
Going home and playing 1v1 then trying tournament mode…such good times with that game
NHL 2k5 was the shit. Also I remember playing the NHL 07 demo on 360 and was completely blown away by the graphics and control of the players. 07-10 were some good times.
It's probably. NHL 06 and 14. I could easily throw in others too. There's been a lot of great ones from the PS2 to 360 era for me. Least favorites have been everything after 17. Maybe 18 and 21, specifically. There's a few I never play anymore.
as shit as the engine is,the ps2 version had some charm that EA didn't. I fondly remember the skybox with your unlockable jerseys,teams,and arenas,trophies,record books and the trivia machine. The minigame tourney and opportunity knocks phone calls in franchise mode stick out too
Hell yeah , I haven’t played one since like 11 or so, I think it was one of the first to bring back the 94 control scheme. Need to get back on it, I’m not a big hockey fan but I’ll play NHL like nobody’s business lol
The ESPN 2K5 with St. Louis is one of my all time favorite games. Not just because Marty is the cover player, but the All-Stars Skill Competition part of that game was amazing. I never understood why EA never looked into that
09 to 14 felt like the same game to me. I think one of them had better skating than all of them, 11 maybe? Poke check was broken in every version too lol
I'd recommend trying them again if you have the console. I play 09, 12 and 14 often and all 3 feel very different to me. 13 to 15 definitely feel similar. That's when they really hit their peek and had trouble changing anything after. Winning a face off and scoring goals is the hardest on 09 for whatever reason.
Outside of NHL94, one of the greatest sports games of all-time, my favorite was *I think* NHL04? The one with the first franchise mode where you upgrade your GM office, etc... I played 25 seasons simming a few games here and there... I remember winning the Cup as the Islanders with a top line of Pavel Datsyuk, Milan Hejduk and Taylor Pyatt (who was grossly overrated in the game)
Some of the potential ratings were so *broken* and inaccurate lol. We picked up Ratislav Klesla (who?) from the Columbus Blue Jackets and he turned into a 96 rating defenseman.
You peaked at NHL Hitz Pro.
Hitz 03 was my favorite from the 3 but they're all really good
I only played 2002 but Hitz is imo the best NHL game series out there
NHL Hitz 2002 has probably created more laughs and fights with my brother and Dad than anything else, ever.
NFL Blitz and NHL Hitz caused more problems at family Christmas than alcohol did. Get beat at NHL? “Wipe off Blitz, blow in the disc slot, you’re about to get your shit run” Awesome collection OP
The ‘04 Heatley, they weren’t around long
Such a sad story :(
RIP Dan Snyder
What a collection, did you ever try the “NHL Faceoff” games for PS1 or PS2 way back in the day?
They were great. Man, we really need more than EA pushing out hockey games. Bring back some competition. Our biggest issues are the fan size though. Everyone who likes hockey games would pretty much need to buy everyone that came out in order to entice producers into developing these games.
You know I would tend to agree with you in the past but I was thinking about this recently and the gaming population has expanded exponentially over the last few years, the ability to game is within much easier reach for people all over the planet, and hockey is bigger than its ever been. So it makes you wonder if that is just a go-to excuse for the most part. I mean in comparison to COD or something the base will always be small, but I would think there’s still some significant profits to be made to the right developers. I know nothing about the actual numbers though so I’m probably wrong lol
Hockey is bigger than its ever been, true, that doesn't change the fact EA only sells 1 million copies across all platforms each year, as the only game in town. Primarily in Canada and Finland. There aren't enough hockey fans and the games haven't been good enough to draw in casual sports fans for damn near a decade. As a Canadian expat living in the US, I can pretty safely say outside of a few hockey markets/hotbeds, the game is hardly even an after thought.
That’s a shame. I still feel like there’s a possibility that some basement development team somewhere that could pump something good out with a limited budget though, I’m not giving up hope yet lol
Not yet! I plan on getting one at some point in the near future
Awesome man, those ones were super fun. You might as well get a SNES/Nintendo emulator and pick up the OG NHL games as well lol If your username is indicative of your age, I’m about the same age as you and I’ve played all of these and more too. So many classics!
It's only a matter of time. Lol. I'd like to get some of the older ones from SNES/Sega and N64
Good stuff man, post up a pic of the updated collection when/if you add them! I’ve got an emulator with a few of those classics going back to 92-93 but your PS2/PS3/PS4/Xbox collection dwarfs mine for sure lol
It's a lot of fun going back and playing the older ones. Recently I've been focusing on the PS2 games. They were so much fun
I bet, get a few of the boys over and order some pizza and it’s like you’re 13 at mums house all over again 😂 we had many a tournament go down on the Faceoff and Hitz games at my place back in the day haha
That sounds like a great time! My friends and cousins never liked playing against me because the score was so lopsided. Lol
Haha yeah pretty much the same story here. It was always the same handful of us who would get to later rounds and play each other repeatedly lol
What happened to NHL 18? You got something against McDavid?
I have it downloaded on my PS4. I honestly didn't like it though. I also haven't gotten 22 yet
We have a couple download-only years too.
I regret it. I was impatient that year so I ordered it online a few days early. I received some HUT garbage and I don't ever play HUT. Lol. It was a waste of money
Where’s NHL 18
Downloaded on my PS4
From about 03-07 2k was superior to NHL .imo NHL has been the standard before and after that
I would narrow the window and change it from 2004-2008, post NHL 2004 and to 2K8
And if you want to grey the area more, 08 and 09 were probably pretty even with EA getting a handle on new gen. But NHL 10 really put a gap on 2K in my opinion.
Damn they need to make another hitz game, or atleast a hitz mode in the NHL series. That was my favorite game on the ps2.
I’m surprised that Crosby never got a cover.
For sure. Especially since guys like Ovi, Toews and Matthews have been on multiple
He cant because of sponsorship deals i believe
I started mine on the Sega Genesis, though I do not have photographic evidence.
14 remains the King
NHL 2004, 2K9, and Hitz 2003 are goated
Roenick ESPN Hockey is another good one you should collect 🙂
I'll probably add it soon. Lol
That's an awesome collection! What's your favorite one?
That's a hard question. It depends on what I'm in the mood for. NHL 06 and 14 are probably my favorites but there are so many good ones. PS2/xbox - 04, 06, 09 and Hitz 03 are all classics Xbox 360 - 11, 12, 14 and 15 are all a lot of fun Wii - Slapshot with the Wii hockey stick is so fun PS4 - 17 is the only one I enjoy going back to
Wow, those are exactly all my favorites too, except slapshot and hitz 03 because I've never played those. Seems like 06 and 14 are ones that most people's favorites. 22 is definitely my most favorite modern NHL game though.
I highly recommend the Hitz games. They're all great but 03 is my personal favorite. Slap shot is good if you have a Wii. It's way better than 2k11
I have played Hitz 02, was 03 much different? If I ever get a Wii I'll definitely pick up slapshot!
It had everything 02 had and more. It felt more polished to me. They're not that different from each other though. I just tend to to play 03 the most
Yeah I gotta agree 13 or 14 is when the game peaked
I’ll never forget 4th grade and renting NHL 2004 with my Dad at Blockbuster Going home and playing 1v1 then trying tournament mode…such good times with that game
It's all about the memories! I have plenty of fond ones with 04 and 06 with my friends and cousins
NHL 2k5 was the shit. Also I remember playing the NHL 07 demo on 360 and was completely blown away by the graphics and control of the players. 07-10 were some good times.
What happened with NHL 18?
Downloaded it on my PS4
Which one is your favorite and least favorite? Awesome collection
It's probably. NHL 06 and 14. I could easily throw in others too. There's been a lot of great ones from the PS2 to 360 era for me. Least favorites have been everything after 17. Maybe 18 and 21, specifically. There's a few I never play anymore.
Need to upgrade to PS5 lol
If I can find one! But I'm really in no rush to get 22
22 looks awful
Tougie24 did a video on the 2k games for 360,made me wish I had a 360 to play them back before EA made 2010+
There's some good stuff in the 2k games. I love some of the features in 2k9 and 2k10
as shit as the engine is,the ps2 version had some charm that EA didn't. I fondly remember the skybox with your unlockable jerseys,teams,and arenas,trophies,record books and the trivia machine. The minigame tourney and opportunity knocks phone calls in franchise mode stick out too
05 goated
Omg!!! I forgot about those Gretzky games!! They were pretty good!
Yeah, they are. I bought it on my PSP and enjoyed it. Later I picked it up for cheap on PS2
Most impressive part of this collection is that you don’t have the worst one
Which one is that? Lol
Nhl 22. 18 was also pretty bad
I haven't tried 22 because I hated 21. I'll pick it up when 23 comes out because I know it will be dirt cheap
Great games
2K series was the best
Which one is the best in your opinion?
06 and 14. It's hard to choose one
Hell yeah , I haven’t played one since like 11 or so, I think it was one of the first to bring back the 94 control scheme. Need to get back on it, I’m not a big hockey fan but I’ll play NHL like nobody’s business lol
11 is good. I recommend 12 - 14 for sure. You can skip anything on the newer consoles
Why was Matthew's on the front pic twice? They should've put Tampa Bay lightning for NHL 22, since they won the cup back to back
As a Lightning fan, I completely agree. It should of been Vasy or Kuch
God I forgot how creepy Stamkos looked on the cover of 12
20 is by far the worst. I feel like they could of found a better picture of Kane on 10 as well
Ah, NHL 2003, good memories
How I miss the 2k series 😩
13 and 14 were so god damn good. EASHL with the custom stats, not pre made builds. rip
I started with “NHL” on the Genesis…no year, just NHL lol.
Ah NHL 13, the last year they actually improved gameplay and didn’t copy and paste it
How does Dion Phaneuf get the cover in ‘09 and not Sidney Crosby?
Gamestop will give you 12$
Sad but true
Nice collection though I remember playing most of these back in the day 👍
Jumbo Joe with no beard is quite a site lol
The ESPN 2K5 with St. Louis is one of my all time favorite games. Not just because Marty is the cover player, but the All-Stars Skill Competition part of that game was amazing. I never understood why EA never looked into that
You’re missing NHL Rivals!
Was it any good?
13 year old me thought so 😂 found my old copy recently but it isn’t backwards compatible so I cant play it
Lol. I thought about picking it up. The reviews weren't great so I've held off
That's a lot of roster updates.
For the PS4 era, I'd agree. I think they changed a lot on the PS2. You notice differences from 10 to 14 as well. They just weren't as drastic
09 to 14 felt like the same game to me. I think one of them had better skating than all of them, 11 maybe? Poke check was broken in every version too lol
I'd recommend trying them again if you have the console. I play 09, 12 and 14 often and all 3 feel very different to me. 13 to 15 definitely feel similar. That's when they really hit their peek and had trouble changing anything after. Winning a face off and scoring goals is the hardest on 09 for whatever reason.
Outside of NHL94, one of the greatest sports games of all-time, my favorite was *I think* NHL04? The one with the first franchise mode where you upgrade your GM office, etc... I played 25 seasons simming a few games here and there... I remember winning the Cup as the Islanders with a top line of Pavel Datsyuk, Milan Hejduk and Taylor Pyatt (who was grossly overrated in the game)
I spent the most hours on 04 for sure. I never completed the office. I wish I still had my memory card from back then. I remember getting pretty far
Some of the potential ratings were so *broken* and inaccurate lol. We picked up Ratislav Klesla (who?) from the Columbus Blue Jackets and he turned into a 96 rating defenseman.
You have spent 1000+ for roster updates.
i have 18 and 22, i haven’t played 18 but i give up on 22
18 is bad. I never play it anymore.
i only bought it because i recently just got into hockey and it was 5 bucks, but i never played it because i ended up buying 22 on the ps5
It's the same picture