We're back with another edition of 'Sports Games You Forgot About!' When people think of classic sports games, often their minds turn to games such as NHL 94, Tecmo Bowl and NBA Jam, completely overlooking hit games from the early 2000s era. Don't get us wrong, we love the classics that came out of the 8-bit era and beyond, but there are certainly other sports titles that have blossomed into hits after being considered bargain clutter for nearly a decade.
These days, in the sports video game genre it's all about realism. Signature player animations, authentic equipment, a robust physics engine. Don't get us wrong, all of those things are welcome editions, but realism isn't the only thing that makes a sports game fun. In the early 2000s arcade sports games were still going strong, with annual entries in marquee franchises such as NBA Jam, NFL Blitz and MLB Slugfest continuing to roll out. All three of those franchises made for a phenomenal, button mashing time, but one game stood above the rest, leaving a legacy that has yet to be topped in the arcade hockey genre...NHL Hitz.
Bone crushing hits may have defined the NHL Hitz series, but it was the fiery slapshots, Tim Kitzrow's signature play-by-play stylings, the bizarre lightning ceelys, the fighting system, the introduction of mini-games in 2003 and the gratuitous use of the spin move button that made the franchise an absolute classic. Also, has a professional athlete ever fit the cover of a sports video game as perfectly as Scott Stevens did with NHL Hitz 2002? We don't think so. Limp Bizkit song withstanding (sorry Undertaker fans), the menu, the player intros and the vapor trails on the puck really take us back. Remember the Canucks best lineup?
Even though we're huge fans of both the NBA and NFL Street franchises, it still shocks and amazes us that the NHL never received the same treatment. Street hockey could almost be considered Canada's second national pastime. That's why NHL Hitz 2003's shootout mini-game really struck a chord with us.
King of the Rink, Three in a Row, Keep Away. Take your pick, but in our eyes nearly all of the mini-games NHL Hitz 2003 had to offer were extremely addicting. The Shooting Gallery may have been our actual favourite, though.
If ever a game franchise needed a reboot, it's NHL Hitz. We know that there have been a number of other 3 on 3 games that have launched in the past 5 years, but none of them have held a candle to NHL Hitz. Listen, Black Box Games, we know you're currently held up with people begging you to finally release Skate 4, but we think it's about time brought the gang back together again to develop a brand new entry in the hallowed NHL Hitz series.
