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NHL Hitz Pro
PAL region cover art
Developer(s)Next Level Games
Publisher(s)Midway Home Entertainment
SeriesNHL Hitz
Platform(s)GameCube, Xbox, PlayStation 2
Release
  • NA: September 25, 2003
  • EU: November 7, 2003 (PS2)
  • EU: November 14, 2003 (Xbox)
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single-player, Multiplayer

NHL Hitz Pro is an ice hockey video game developed by Next Level Games and published by Midway Home Entertainment, in the NHL Hitz series. It was released on September 25, 2003, for the PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Xbox. Unlike the previous titles in the series, it has 5-on-5 gameplay instead of the usual 3-on-3 gameplay with the earlier titles. The game does not include penalty shots, and it is still an arcade-type hockey game like its predecessors. It also has a lot of hard hitting. The cover athlete of the game is Nicklas Lidström, and features commentary from Tim Kitzrow[1] and Harry Teinowitz.

NHL Hitz Pro had the IIHF license, enabling it to use the jerseys of the Olympic hockey teams.

The game also has many game modes, one of the most popular being the "Pick-Up Hockey" game mode, where the game would turn into either a roller, street, or pond hockey match-up between two amateur teams.

Features

NHL Hitz Pro features NHL-style gameplay for the first time, and although arcade-like features pop up from time to time, the game is far more realistic than the previous titles in the series. Among the changes to Hitz Pro are 5-on-5 gameplay, as opposed to the 3-on-3 action seen in NHL Hitz 2002 and 2003, less exaggerated player appearances and wrap arounds.

Reception

NHL Hitz Pro received "favorable" reviews on all platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[20][21][22]

During the 7th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated NHL Hitz Pro for "Console Action Sports Game of the Year", which was ultimately given to SSX 3.[23]

References

  1. ^ Semsey, Rob (September 15, 2003). "NHL Hitz Pro: Tim Kitzrow Interview". TeamXbox. Archived from the original on January 6, 2014. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c EGM staff (October 2003). "NHL Hitz Pro". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 171. p. 136.
  3. ^ "NHL Hitz: Pro (GC)". Game Informer. No. 126. October 2003. p. 131.
  4. ^ Reiner, Andrew (October 2003). "NHL Hitz: Pro (PS2)". Game Informer. No. 126. p. 83. Archived from the original on November 18, 2005. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
  5. ^ Kato, Matthew (October 2003). "NHL Hitz: Pro (Xbox)". Game Informer. No. 126. p. 138. Archived from the original on November 18, 2007. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
  6. ^ a b c Air Hendrix (September 26, 2003). "NHL Hitz Pro". GamePro. Archived from the original on February 12, 2005. Retrieved July 4, 2015.
  7. ^ a b c Dr. Moo (October 2003). "NHL Hitz Pro Review". Game Revolution. Archived from the original on July 5, 2015. Retrieved July 4, 2015.
  8. ^ a b Navarro, Alex (September 24, 2003). "NHL Hitz Pro Review (GC, Xbox)". GameSpot. Archived from the original on August 24, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
  9. ^ Navarro, Alex (September 29, 2003). "NHL Hitz Pro Review (PS2)". GameSpot. Archived from the original on August 24, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
  10. ^ Fischer, Russ (October 4, 2003). "GameSpy: NHL Hitz Pro (GCN)". GameSpy. Archived from the original on December 8, 2005. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
  11. ^ Fischer, Russ (October 4, 2003). "GameSpy: NHL Hitz Pro (PS2)". GameSpy. Archived from the original on October 31, 2005. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
  12. ^ Fischer, Russ (October 4, 2003). "GameSpy: NHL Hitz Pro (Xbox)". GameSpy. Archived from the original on December 27, 2005. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
  13. ^ Bedigian, Louis (October 5, 2003). "NHL Hitz: Pro - GC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on November 24, 2007. Retrieved July 4, 2015.
  14. ^ Romano, Natalie (October 10, 2003). "NHL Hitz: Pro - PS2 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on November 6, 2007. Retrieved July 4, 2015.
  15. ^ Lafferty, Michael (September 23, 2003). "NHL Hitz: Pro Review - Xbox". GameZone. Archived from the original on November 6, 2007. Retrieved July 4, 2015.
  16. ^ a b c Carle, Chris (September 24, 2003). "NHL Hitz Pro". IGN. Archived from the original on July 10, 2015. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
  17. ^ "NHL Hitz Pro". Nintendo Power. Vol. 173. November 2003. p. 151.
  18. ^ "NHL Hitz Pro". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. October 2003. p. 121.
  19. ^ "NHL Hitz Pro". Official Xbox Magazine. November 2003. p. 126.
  20. ^ a b "NHL Hitz Pro for GameCube Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on September 18, 2015. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
  21. ^ a b "NHL Hitz Pro for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on October 30, 2015. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
  22. ^ a b "NHL Hitz Pro for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on November 16, 2015. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
  23. ^ "2004 Awards Category Details Console Action Sports Game of the Year". interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on 7 February 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2023.

External links

Midway sports video games
Next Level Games
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