NHL FaceOff 2000

• Release Date: September 14, 1999
• Genre: Sports
• Style: Hockey
• Similar Games: NHL 98 (IBM PC Compatible), NHL 98 (Sega Saturn), NHL 98 (PlayStation), NHL FaceOff '97 (PlayStation), NHL 98 (Super Nintendo Entertainment System), NHL 98 (Sega Genesis), NHL FaceOff (PlayStation), NHL 99 (PlayStation), NHL 99 (Nintendo 64), NHL 99 [CD-ROM Classics] (IBM PC Compatible), NHL 2000 (Game Boy Color), NHL 2000 (IBM PC Compatible), NHL 2000 (PlayStation)

Game Description

From 989 Sports comes the new incarnation of NHL FaceOff 2000. Officially licensed by the National Hockey League and NHLPA, it features many authentic bells and whistles that are found in actual NHL games. Everything from crease violations, deflected shots, and strategic play styles have been included with many configurable options. Players are able to shorten or lengthen gameplay, change the difficulty levels, and alter some presentation aspects of the game!

The rosters and teams for the 1999-2000 NHL season have been included with the expansion Atlanta Thrashers. Because players can configure strategies, starting lines, and overall setups concerning the team, NHL FaceOff 2000 provides an actual coaching experience! If there are a few stragglers on your roster, trade them to other franchises or dip into the free agency pool. Do whatever it takes to make your team better!

Keeping with the newly founded regulations, NHL FaceOff 2000 features many unique and realistic rules including disallowed goals, true-to-life rink dimensions, and rule changes. There is also a wealth of extra options including official three-star presentations, scoreboards, plenty of in-game music, and a television-styled coverage. Nailing that coverage home is play-by-play commentary from Mike Emrick and Darren Pang.

Among the various gameplay options are the Exhibition, Season, and Playoffs modes. Whereas the Exhibition mode is simply a single game of hockey, the Season is a full 82-game romp for the Stanley Cup! If this seems a little long, choose the Playoffs mode -- this allows players to choose a team and guide them through the playoffs only.

NHL FaceOff 2000 also supports the PlayStation multi-tap device for an eight-man action experience! So strap on those skates and get ready to hit the ice!

Roots & Influences

The NHL FaceOff series was started as 989 Studios' competition to Electronic Arts' NHL games. NHL FaceOff 2000 is based on the 1999 edition but adds new gameplay elements and an updated roster.

Review: Overall

Living up to the strong EA Sports hockey titles on the PlayStation is a challenge indeed, and only a few games have made that grade. NHL FaceOff 2000 by 989 SPORTS is a title that comes close to being one of those sleek, authentic, and action packed games. This game features full NHL and NHLPA licenses so you can play with all you favorite teams and players, including the expansion Atlanta Thrashers.

The modes of play are similar to those found in many other hockey titles. You have a standard Exhibition mode where a one-on-one game takes place, a Season mode that allows players to follow one of their favorite teams to the Stanley cup, or you can just go straight to the Playoffs. Additionally, multi-player support has been enabled for this game thanks to the Multi-Tap Adapter -- up to eight players can play at once!

While these modes are sufficient, there are no Practice or Shootout modes included with NHL FaceOff 2000. This is unfortunate because they always add something extra to the overall feel of the game. Another absentee is the player creation/edit feature; because EA Sports' NHL 2000 has such a feature, why would 989 Studios omit this option? This would have really helped this title in the long run.

Before you lace up your skates, there are many other aspects of the game that you can change and configure to your liking. Game speed, period length, penalties, and rules can all be altered and turned on or off. Presentation aspects, like commentary and camera angles, can be played with as well. All of the data for NHL FaceOff 2000, whether it be options, records, or a season can be saved onto the memory card.

Once you load up a game, you will be treated to a rendition of a national anthem (changes depending on where you're playing) by various singers; you'll then hear the voices of Mike Emrick and Darren Pang who setup the game information with goalie comparisons and silly comments. Once the puck is dropped you can control the players fairly easily and make them do quite a few actions. Shooting, passing and player changing are the simplest features, but you can soon master harder tricks like one-timers and give and goes as well as shot deflections. Goalie control can also be switched on if you like. The other features you can change in a game are the lines; players have the option to alter the actual lines and then select them during the game itself. Plays and strategies are another aspect of the game that can be changed on the fly. Want to forecheck harder? Want to dump and chase? You can by changing it on the fly!

The presentation of NHL FaceOff 2000 is fairly realistic. While the graphics do leave some things to be desired, they do provide enough of an atmosphere that will immerse you into the game. Just because the graphics are a tad on the shoddy side, the authenticity is very much there. There are many little bells and whistles to be seen and heard; there's a working scoreboard, actual music playing during the breaks, and a three-star presentation that adds tremendously to the gameplay. One neat little feature is when a player obtains a hat trick, the fans will shower the rink with hats! This looks really cool.

Additionally, the game also sounds very good. Whether it be the solid but goofy commentary from Mike Emrick and Darren Pang or the accurate pinging off the post noises, it's all in there. My favorite line of commentary would have to be, "What a bong-jarring hit!" Another nice feature in the audio department is the musical selection during the breaks or timeouts. You'll be treated to classic pop/rock songs like Takin' Care of Business and Europe's The Final Countdown; these really add something to the overall atmosphere.

NHL FaceOff 2000 has a few shining qualities, like sound and presentation, but lacks in the graphical and general appeal that EA Sports games tend to have. That's not to say this isn't a bad game -- it's a good game that could have been better. I just wish 989 Studios added a few more gameplay modes; then it would have surely been a competitor.

Review: Enjoyment

Though lacking in the gameplay and graphical departments, NHL FaceOff 2000 is a fun title. There are many authentic bells and whistles that add to the overall enjoyment including different national anthems, three-star presentations, and cool music from actual bands.

Review: Graphics

Not as good as some of the EA Sports titles, but still has some solid looking visuals. Obtaining a hat trick is really cool.

Review: Sound

With solid commentary, great sound effects, and classic rock songs that play during the action breaks, NHL FaceOff 2000 sounds great!

Review: Replay Value

Though up to eight players can play a game of hockey, the omission of the shootout, practice, and player creation modes hurt the overall replay value.

Review: Documentation

The manual adequately outlines the controls, options, and gameplay explanations.

Production Credits