Reviewing A Classic: The NHL Hitz Series

May 6, 2012; Newark, NJ, USA; Philadelphia Flyers right wing Jaromir Jagr (68) skates with the puck during the first period in game four of the 2012 Eastern Conference semifinals at the Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-US PRESSWIRE

Remember the NHL Hitz series put out by Midway? If not let me jog your memory. There was NHL Hitz 2002, 2003, and Pro. I wasn’t such a fan of the “Pro” game but that’s besides the point.

The 2002 and 2003 versions of the game were by far the most fun I’ve ever had playing a hockey game. Granted NHL 2002 is a classic in it’s own right, but if you had a big group of friends over you wanted to play xbox you were playing NHL Hitz and not NHL.

I still play NHL Hitz 2003 from time to time. It’s backwards compatable on the xbox 360, but the only downside is you can’t be connected to Xbox live and play the game at the same time. It’s not such a big deal considering I really only play the game when friends are over anyway.

The thing I love about the game is the nostalgia. There are three teams I usually end playing as. I usually either play as the Avalanche, Red Wings, or the Rangers. Since you only play with three players on the ice at a time (4 with the goalie) it’s always fun to play as those teams. When I play as the Aves my 3 players are always Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, and Rob Blake. When I go with the Red Wings it’s Yzerman, Fedorov, and Lidstrom. Rangers it’s Lindros (lough out loud but he’s one of the best players in the game), Bure, and Leetch.

Just playing the game reminds of the dark ages of the Rangers, but it’s laughable now. It’s really funny to play the game and look at the roster of the Rangers. Petr Nedved, Bobbi Holik, and Tom Poti. Need I say more?

This game is extremely nostalgic and brings me back to my younger days every time I play it. I feel really bad for anyone who didn’t grow up playing this game as I think it’s the greatest hockey video game ever. The only thing that can rival this game is NHL 94′. That game was extremely groundbreaking in so many ways, but I don’t think it was as fun as NHL Hitz 2002 or 2003. I’ll let you guys decide what’s the greatest hockey game though. I will now leave you with these two videos. Judging by the videos you might actually think the Rangers were a good team back then based on how many times they show their players.

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