NHL Championship 2000 (PC)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 4.0 stars Excellent
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 8.0 (4.0 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Patrick Miller
• Reviewed on: 12/03/1999
• Updated on: 05/09/2000
• Released on: 11/03/1999
• Originally published on GameSpot: NHL Championship 2000 (PC) Review

The average sports fan identifies hockey with blazing speed, smoking slapshots, and wild brawls. Because the more popular computer hockey games are designed with the average sports fan in mind rather than the serious hockey enthusiast, they come off as caricatures of the sport rather than realistic simulations. For the past several years, EA Sports has dominated the PC hockey world with its NHL series by producing games with great graphics and sound that are lots of fun to play. But some hard-core hockey fans have argued that EA Sports' hockey is more of an arcade game than an accurate simulation of the sport. With NHL Championship 2000, Fox Sports has created a fun game that gives serious hockey fans more of the realism they demand.

NHL Championship 2000 lets you experience the "coolest game on earth" by taking control of one of 28 teams in the National Hockey League or one of 18 international teams. Games can be played as single exhibitions, a season (short, medium, or long), or as a playoff series. World tournament mode is available for the international teams. As the coach, you can arrange your lines and special teams and make trades. You also have the ability to determine your team's style of play when it's on the attack or defense. The player editor lets you add players not on the roster or tweak player settings to make them perform the way you think they should.

NHL Championship 2000 isn't likely to turn the heads of those who place a high priority on sound and graphics. It also lacks the features (such as a career mode) and polish of NHL 2000, which does a better job of duplicating the atmosphere and excitement of a live hockey game. But for those who want a game that plays and feels more like real-life hockey, NHL Championship 2000 is the better choice.

That's not to say that the Fox Sports game is a dead-on accurate simulation of hockey. One of the game's most serious flaws is that line changes are so slow that attempting to change on the fly is an invitation for the opposition to score. Fortunately, it's usually not difficult to get a stop in play to make a change when you need it without having to ice the puck. Even then, waiting for the line-change animation to finish is irritatingly slow, which makes you long for NHL 2000's speed-game option. But unlike the EA Sports game, NHL Championship 2000 lets you change lines and defensive pairings separately.

In addition, the checking animations are ridiculous. Hard checks frequently send players flipping wildly through the air, making them look as if they belong in the WWF and not the NHL. Less-serious checks will cause players to rebound backwards for yards while the puck magically remains glued to their sticks. These animations don't ruin the game, but they seem out of place and tend to detract from its realism.

Fights are a part of hockey and are simulated in the game. I found that unless my player was seriously outmatched, I could win nearly every fight by repeatedly pressing the "rabbit punch" button. I have yet to see a hockey game that treats fighting in a realistic manner. That's why I normally play with the fighting option turned off.

What I appreciate most about NHL Championship 2000 is that my players can carry the puck into the offensive zone, move it around, and attempt to set up a player for a wrist shot in close to the goal or a one-timer slap shot from the blue line. The dump-and-chase tactic also works. "Snipers" are most effective when taking quick wrist shots in close, while power forwards will make you pay if you give them too much time to tee up for a slap shot. The game forces you to work for a good shot and gives you a feeling of accomplishment when you put the biscuit in the basket.

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