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NHL 2003
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 13 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 3 votes
Read user comments
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Game Info
Publisher: EA Sports
Developer: EA Canada
Genre(s): Sports
Players: 4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Release Date: October 1, 2002
Summary
Dynamic Deke Control: User-activated dekes give you full control of the puck. Game Breaker: Build enough momentum and the action slows in key moments -- feel your heart pounding while you go for goal. New Graphics and Animation Engine: NHL action comes to life with all-new animations and stunning graphics. New Puck Physics and Goalie AI: The players and puck respond more accurately to your actions. More Cool Features: 4 game modes, Create-A-Player, real on-ice sounds, and dynamic camera work bring the NHL to your fingertips. [EA Sports]
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
GamePro
You know this gameplay: There’s been a lot of excellent tuning but no mammoth overhauls.
Read Full Review >Armchair Empire
What accounts for the less-than-perfect score is the extreme amount of tweaking it takes to get everything just the way you like it.
Read Full Review >IGN
Just maintains at the status quo level. True, that's a high level, but it isn't the marked improvement we were hoping for.
Read Full Review >GameZone
With sports games, it all comes down to control, and EA’s NHL 2003 is one of the best in the business.
Read Full Review >TotalGames.net
The only downside to the visual experience is the terrible crowd – but the game is so fast your eye is on the puck at all times so you won’t notice it too much unless you’re into watching replays a lot.
Read Full Review >GameSpy
A no-brainer for hockey fans. The gameplay is completely customizable, the controls are tight, and the franchise mode is fairly deep.
Read Full Review >GameSpot
There are only a few improvements to help distinguish it from NHL 2002, but these changes further increase the realism of what is considered the best hockey simulation on the market.
Read Full Review >netjak
I daresay that NHL 2003 is a step down from last year’s installment in terms of fun and playability. All told, while it might be comparing apples and oranges to a degree, I enjoyed playing the PC version of NHL 2002 much more.
Read Full Review >Nintendophiles
There’s a lot crammed in that small GCN disc, so if you get the game, don’t forget to browse around and find the neat additions.
Read Full Review >Nintendo Power
Deke moves and a new Game Breaker feature put the focus on finesse. [Dec 2002, p.216]
Gaming Age
It’s not sim enough to match up with Sega’s offering, and Midway has a faster, more fun arcade hockey game in NHL Hitz.
Read Full Review >Play Magazine
As always, the graphics in NHL 2003 are exceptional... There were times when I thought I was watching an actual hockey game. [Nov 2002, p.88]
GameCube Europe
An uninspiring, tedious, dull game unworthy of your money, unless deeply into Ice Hockey.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this game is 7.6 (out of 10) based on 3 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Sweet Yvy gave it a 10:
It's a very good hockey game... it's not as stupid as Nhl Hitz... this is REAL hockey.
Ziggy Stardust gave it a 3:
if you want real hockey i suggest nhl 2k3. if you want arcade action, i suggest nhl hitz 20-03. both are far better games. nhl 2003 is is somewhere in between arcade and simulation. there's a few improvements over 2002, but there's also a few things that got worse. overall it's a highly disappointing title.
