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NHL Hitz Pro

by Steven Rodriguez - August 25, 2003, 11:48 pm EDT

Turn Pro with Midway's new take on the Hitz series. Read all about the new features inside.

When Midway first introduced the NHL Hitz series, it gave gamers a good arcade-style hockey game. The sport is arguably the hardest to re-create in videogame form because of its speed, and the three-on-three gameplay of the first two Hitz games did quite well. On the other hand, Midway’s ailing Blitz series needed a facelift, and Blitz Pro was created. For whatever reason, Midway took the winning 3-on-3 Hitz formula and gave it the Pro face as well, and thus NHL Hitz Pro was born. Just like Blitz, the new Hitz game will be more realistic, yet still have that arcade feel that gives it that Midway touch.

Now the game is 5-on-5, complete with real penalties, full power plays, icing calls and other violations, player fatigue, line changes on the fly, and all the other stuff you'd see in an actual NHL game. However, even with all this new-fangled simulation stuff thrown in, it's all broken down into simple forms, so there isn't anything too terribly complicated that newcomers will need to learn. Of course, this still being an arcade game at heart, all of the above may be turned off, so you old-time fans can bash each other silly without fear of being penalized.

Fans of the first two games may know that original Hitz developer Black Box Games was bought out by Electronic Arts, so they weren't available for Midway to contract for Hitz Pro. However, Midway was kind enough to inform us that the four key developers behind the original Hitz games left Black Box after EA had acquired them, forming their own development company for the sole purpose of developing Hitz Pro. This is wonderful news for those worried about how the gameplay might change under the hands of a new developer.

The game plays almost exactly the same. If not for the four extra players on the ice and larger rink size to accommodate them, you wouldn't notice much of a difference. Big checks, flaming slap-shots, one-timers, the on-fire mode and all the features that made a name for NHL Hitz are all there, and all at a blazing fast speed. The game is fun to play, even at this incomplete stage, which is a good indication that the completed product will be beyond fun.

Though it's still unclear why Midway brought the Pro angle to the proven successful (but still young) Hitz series, it might be moot point after the reviews are in for NHL Hitz Pro. Like the Slugfest and Blitz Pro games, it's got enough sim in it to keep the purists happy, but it has plenty of arcade attitude to bring in the folks who just want a pick-up and play hockey game. Look for it in late September.

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Genre Sports
Developer Midway
Players1 - 4

Worldwide Releases

na: NHL Hitz Pro
Release Sep 25, 2003
PublisherMidway
RatingEveryone

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