Introduction: Although ESPN NHL received a much needed facelift, the core of the game has remained mostly the same (which is definitely not a bad thing). Unfortunately, some unforgivable problems prevent it from being the perfect game I wanted it to be.

The Game: All the now-standard gameplay modes are present, with a few new additions. The Mini-Rink is a fast paced, high scoring 2-on-2 arcade version of hockey. It's a great diversion when you're sick of being stonewalled by Lalime. Another newcomer is Pond Hockey. This basically takes away the arena and fans, and places you in the middle of nowhere with the ability to replicate your favorite Russell Crowe moments from Mystery, Alaska. Super Speed hockey is played just like a regular game, except that everything (and I mean everything) is very, very fast. It looks like a replay of the normal game on fast forward. Finally, there's the Skills competition which is also playable in the Franchise mode during the All-Star weekend. All the popular events are here, without the lame and cheesy interviews. This is actually an extremely fun addition, requiring a decent amount of skill if you want to succeed.

While the gameplay of ESPN NHL has remained mostly unchanged, Kush Games has come up short in a few critical areas. First, the pass-aim assist slider is either broken or the effects are so minute as to be negligible. This is key only because the AI will aggressively forecheck, and the inability to bank the puck off the sideboards causes innumerable turnovers in your end. This is both a critique and a compliment. If the AI wasn't so adept at closing off the passing lanes and forechecking the puck carrier, it wouldn't even be an issue. Unfortunately, mounting any kind of breakout is unnecessarily difficult due to this broken feature.

Another complaint is goaltender passing. For some reason, passing with the goalie is complicated and often ends up leading to a turnover. I'm not talking about Belfour making a pass to send Sundin on a breakaway. I mean just trying to pass the puck to your defencemen behind the net. The defence seems confused by this, many times allowing the opposing forward to come in and scoop up the loose puck. Not helping this problem is the fact that skating over the puck happens way too often. Watching 3 players miss a puck is just unrealistic. In addition, occasionally receiving a pass from the goaltender causes the recipient to immediately pass the puck forward, leading to many unnecessary icings.

Despite these somewhat large problems, ESPN NHL does a lot more right than wrong. The AI is tenacious in defending the goal and slot area. The defence blocks as many shots as the goaltender and tries to force the puck carrier to the outside. If a pass manages to get through to someone in the slot, very rarely will he have time to shoot before being checked off the puck. Because of this, most goals come from one-timers on the rush. That's not to say that the occasional slapshot from the point or rebound attempt won't find the net, but they're too few and far apart to be relied on as an efficient way of scoring.

Offensively, the computer is just as adept. Bringing a defensive winger down to the corner when playing a Box+1 or zone system will leave the point open, and the AI will quickly exploit that mistake. It also does a great job of protecting the puck and setting up a one-timer, forcing you to play intelligently. Following the puck to the point with your defenceman is inviting the AI to score against you.

On anything higher than the Rookie setting, netting a goal provides a sense of accomplishment, as they are a reward for smart play and precision passing. While some of the stats may not be realistic (45-50 shots per game), the final scores undeniably are. Unlike other hockey games of the past, almost every goal has at least one assist, while most have two. Those few goals without an assist will come from turnovers in the opposing end. This shows how team-oriented this game is, and how much work goes into each point. Gone are the days of Genesis hockey when J.R. was unstoppable, scoring at will and making little Wayne's head bleed.

Playing the franchise mode, I was underwhelmed. It has the same setup as ESPN NFL, with an email screen that gives you updates on standings, injuries and so forth. You can take your team through many years of Stanley Cup victories, and available funds increase or decrease based on your performance. The addition of the Skybox is brilliant, and far supersedes those retarded EA cards. You can gain points from everything as trivial as winning a face-off to going undeafeted on a 5 game road trip. These points can then be used to buy new game modes, retro jerseys, and powerhouse teams from the past. But everything else in the franchise mode seems to be done poorly.

Drafting rookies lacks any kind of depth. There's no scouting system and you see their full stats on draft day, making it simple to decide whom to draft. The computer does a horrible job of signing free agents (as in, it doesn't). Simulating 4 seasons (Devils over Stars in 5 in 2004), Cliff Ronning, with an 87 overall rating, was never signed. Indeed, I didn't notice one free agent that had been signed. I received no trade offers, and it seemed too easy to swindle the AI when initiating one. And you better enjoy the difficulty level you started on, because it's set for life. While this isn't too big a deal due to all the sliders that adjust difficulty within each level (which actually make a difference, unlike the pass-aim slider), the one slider that's lacking is for injuries. They simply happen way too much, although they only seem to occur when the human actually plays a game.

I've played through half of a season already, and at no time was my team totally healthy. At one point I had to sign free agents because nine of my starters were out for more than a week, and even calling up all the players from the minors, my roster was still short. In addition, the computer does you the favor of scratching every player that gets any type of injury. This means if Fedorov gets a minor cut in one game, the computer scratches him despite the fact that you can still use a player with minor injuries. Now, I know Fedorov's desire to play is questionable, but this isn't baseball. If he has recovered before the next game, you still have to insert him back into all of your lines. This is the most frustrating part of any sports game I've played. I like juggling lines to deal with injuries, but not to this extent. What's even more confusing is that the computer controlled teams have almost no injuries, and when simulating a season, injuries are so rare that they're pointless. Also, like the difficulty level, there's no way to turn off injuries once you've started.

Finally, perhaps the most mind-boggling issue in the franchise mode is the inability to choose your opposing teams' jersey. Unless you play as Chicago, that cool 1930's Blackhawks jersey you just unlocked can only be viewed in an exhibition game. Also, if you want to use a retro white sweater, the computer team won't automatically switch to a dark colored one, forcing you to play with two teams wearing white.

Online play with ESPN NHL is great. I've experienced practically no lag, with plenty of games to join. Hipchecking someone into the bench can now be accompanied with suitable trash-talking. You can even play in the Mini-Rink and Skills competition. The only complaint with online (once again, Kush has taken a step back from last year) is that your settings aren't saved from game to game. This means that at the start of each match you have to set line changes, shot aiming, controller setup, etc. Not game breaking, I only mention it because last year's version allowed the saving of settings.

Graphics & Sound: The graphics in ESPN NHL are excellent. Everything from the multiple animations to a hat trick celebration is done extremely well and is greatly improved over last year's effort. Checking players into the boards never looked so good on a console. The player faces look like their real-life counterparts, with marquee players obviously getting the most attention to detail. Some of the third and fourth liners look a little generic, but if you're familiar with the real person then you'll be able to tell them apart. The ice subtly degrades as the period wears on, although the change isn't fully noticeable until a new period starts. The stadiums are realistically modeled, with appropriate banners for each team, and even the light reflections off the ice are different in each arena. Replays are well executed, and during puck stoppages players are highlighted and stats are shown. This is the most improved area from NHL 2k3, and it shows. If you want a beautiful looking hockey game, you need look no further.

The sound matches well with the graphics. Gary Thorne and Bill Clement do a superb job of narrating the action being played. Clement will key in on a few of the important players on each team and go into player specific trivia. It's truly amazing when you shoot on the lower right part of the net and both Thorne and Clement recognize the position of the shot. Score on a turnover in the offensive zone and they talk about the broken play that set it up. While any commentary gets redundant after awhile, these two make the journey there quite pleasurable.

Sound effects in this game are also outstanding. Getting slammed into the boards sounds like you're there. Crowds will yell team specific chants (Go Flames go) and most goaltenders have their own chants when making a larcenous save. They even boo the ref for uncalled penalties against the home team. And finally there's a game that perfectly nailed one of the most distinct sounds in all of sports: the puck ringing off the post.

Innovation:The new gameplay modes and the Skybox are inventive and great additions to an already stellar game. Did I mention the Skybox is so much better than those lame EA cards? The unlockable old-school sweaters are impressive and in an amount unseen in any other game, but the inability to change your opponents' jersey in the Franchise negates this. After years of playing powerful teams of years past in Madden, you can finally do the same in ESPN NHL. And it's about time. The trophy room inside the Skybox is another stroke of genius. It allows you to see all the hardware you've won since you took the reins. The lack of saved settings for online play, which was present in NHL 2k3, is annoying and silly for it's absence, and knocks this score to a 7.

Mojo:The ability to play as Gretzky and the '84 Oilers or getting a Gordie Howe hat trick with the '52 Wings just oozes mojo. Cycling the puck down low and finishing it off with a one-timer from the slot is impressive in real life. In a video game it's brilliant. Doing it against a human opponent is even better. If you understood what I just said, then this game is for you.

Lowdown:ESPN NHL flirts with perfection, but eventually falls short. The flaws aren't many, but they're significant for what's already available in other sports titles. Playing an actual game is pure enjoyment, and while not the perfect simulation of hockey it claims to be, shows great promise for the future. Online play is fun, and brings a longevity that's lacking due to the weak Franchise mode. Even for gamers without a Live subscription, however, this game will remain in their Xbox for months to come.

Gameplay: 8, Graphics/Sound: 9, Innovation: 7, Mojo: 9 . Final: 8
GOTY RUNNER-UP: BEST SPORTS GAME OF 2003