Amazon.com Review
NHL Championship 2000 comes to us from Radical Entertainment, the folks who developed the NHL PowerPlay series--the only real competition EA Sports has ever had in the hockey sim department. Fans of the old PowerPlay series will be pleased to hear that Radical's latest effort is arguably their best ever. NHL Championship 2000 provides realistic hockey action (on the higher difficulty settings, at least) and much better graphics than its predecessors. That being said, the game still lags behind EA's NHL 2000 in terms of overall production values and--truth be told--fun. Hockey purists may take umbrage at the "fun" argument, since NHL Championship 2000 is more realistic than NHL 2000's check-heavy, high-scoring action hockey game. The game results in NHL Championship 2000 are generally believable, and each victory over the computer is earned, since the AI is quite good. However, some of the on-ice action is too jerky, such as sudden and violent body checks between two players who are standing stock-still. Also, many of the goals scored in NHL Championship 2000 happen so quickly that it's nearly impossible to follow the path of the puck. And the speed of these goals isn't just a byproduct of realism; it's more often the fault of poor camera angles and confusing jumbles of players that prevent you from controlling the player you ought to be controlling.
Still, this is a fine hockey game. The graphics are good and most of the animations are excellent--especially the goalie glove saves. NHL Championship 2000 accurately captures the flow of a real ice hockey game, and hard-core fans of the sport will no doubt appreciate that quality in this title. --Michael E. Ryan
Pros: Can be realistic at higher difficulty levels Good graphics Captures the Fox Sports TV look and feel Cons: Bad play-by-play Confusing game play at times The accursed Fox Trax puck
Amazon.com Product Description
With the unmatched level of control of NHL Championship 2000, use authentic player moves including wrist shots and slap slots. Get up close and personal with 3-D uniforms, and even respond to cross-checks by throwing down your gloves to have a rumble on the ice. With FOXTrax Puck Positioning System, see every shot on the goal and evaluate who your sharpshooters are. John Davidson and Kenny Albert announce play-by-play interactions for 28 real NHL teams and 18 international teams.
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