NHL 2004
Encyclopedia
NHL 2004, developed by the EA Black Box studios, is an ice hockey
video game. It is the successor to NHL 2003
and is widely considered to be a major turning point in the NHL series
. The game adds 3 European Elite Leagues: Germany's Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL), Sweden's Elitserien
(SEL), and Finland's SM-liiga
. (This is not the first time that European teams are included in an EA game; EA released both Elitserien 95 and Elitserien 96 for the Mega Drive in Sweden only and Elitserien and SM-liiga 2001 as an expansion pack for PC in Sweden and Finland which included those teams.) The ratings of the teams in the Elitserien and SM-liiga were comparable to the NHL rosters, however future installments had the league teams inferior to the NHL.
by Vendetta Red
) plays while the animation shows the stats of the players in the picture, ending with the captain. Because of these additions, it was praised as one of the best games in the series to date. The Dynasty Mode, regarded by many gamers, still has its flaws - trades were very difficult to accept, and only allows the player to manage the team at the maximum of 20 seasons. Commentary was also repetitive and the game play always felt slow.
Another new feature of NHL 2004 was allowing the player to select when to fight, where previously it had been a somewhat random occurrence. When two players' names flashed onto the bottom of the screen, accompanied by the word "Fight!" and a bell sounding, the person playing the game could push a button to begin a fight, or hold off until a later time. Furthermore, goaltenders were able to fight however, goalie fights appear to be completely random, as the names of other players are shown at the bottom of the screen, however, a goalie fight can be triggered by beginning the fight while the goalie has control of the puck; also, goalies are not thrown out of a game for fighting; in real life, goaltenders who fight are given both a major for fighting and a minor for leaving the crease, resulting in game misconducts for both combatants. The game however contained a glitch. On breakaway plays a player can maneuver the deke analog stick for an automatic goal. By the time EA Sports heard news of the glitch hundreds of thousands of units had been shipped around the world. The Create a team feature allowed the player to create a new NHL team and put it in the game and the player could choose between NHL jerseys as the team's uniform.
Another excellent add-on site for NHL 2004 is a site called NHL04Rebuilt. NHL 2004 is the only vintage EA hockey title from the 2000s that still (in 2011) receives regular member-based graphics and interface add-ons, and has a very active online community along with hamachi gaming networks. One exciting feature in NHL 2004 (PC) is the interface which has been completely rebuilt by members. These updates include major improvements like dramatically expanded statistics, GameCast, team reports, full box scores, ingame gameclock selectors, etc. All is possible because the interface of NHL 2004 was entirely written in Javascript and HTML, and thus easily modifiable. Many veteran EA hockey players consider the AI in NHL 2004 (PC version) unique, which is the main reason for its long, passionate and loyal "cult" following. This has led to the development of several new mods such as a mod to rebuild the game for the 1996-97 season, an AHL modification, KHL, and a classics mod, and seasonal updates to rosters, gameplay, faces and game clock (like ESPN
, NBC
, Versus
and etc.)
An online simulation league based on the game has been launched, known as the 04HL. Registered user of the site can sign up as an active "player" in the league, and can negotiate their own contracts, skill ratings, and track their player's career statistics with unique team identities and modified graphics.
was the original choice but after he was brought up on assault charges, he was removed and replaced by Dany Heatley
for the game's first shipments. After Heatley's car crash that killed his Atlanta Thrashers
team-mate, Dan Snyder
, EA removed him and replaced the cover with Joe Sakic
but not before a large number of units had already been shipped. As a result, both covers (Heatley and Sakic) made it into circulation.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
video game. It is the successor to NHL 2003
NHL 2003
NHL 2003 is the eleventh edition of the popular EA Sports NHL series, a hockey video game, released on the successor to NHL 2002. Jarome Iginla appears as the cover athlete and spokesperson of the game. Iginla appears in the Behind The Scenes video to show the player how the game was...
and is widely considered to be a major turning point in the NHL series
NHL series
NHL is a series of professional ice hockey simulation video games developed by EA Canada and published yearly by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports brand...
. The game adds 3 European Elite Leagues: Germany's Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL), Sweden's Elitserien
Elitserien
Elitserien, is a professional ice hockey league composed of twelve teams in Sweden...
(SEL), and Finland's SM-liiga
SM-liiga
The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice...
. (This is not the first time that European teams are included in an EA game; EA released both Elitserien 95 and Elitserien 96 for the Mega Drive in Sweden only and Elitserien and SM-liiga 2001 as an expansion pack for PC in Sweden and Finland which included those teams.) The ratings of the teams in the Elitserien and SM-liiga were comparable to the NHL rosters, however future installments had the league teams inferior to the NHL.
Features
The game included many improvements to its gameplay (more realistic puck and rebound control and better checking) and game modes (a completely reworked franchise mode renamed "Dynasty"). In addition to the gameplay improvements, one particular non-gameplay improvement was added. When a team wins the Stanley Cup Finals, a large-scale celebration ensues. It included players skating around the ice holding the Cup over their heads. This then led to the common snapshot of the team and the coaches that holds true in the NHL. A "secret" song (ShatterdayShatterday
"Shatterday" is the first segment of the first episode of the first season of the television series The New Twilight Zone.-Opening narration:-Plot:Day 1: Someday...
by Vendetta Red
Vendetta Red
Vendetta Red is an American alternative rock band from Seattle, Washington that formed in 1998. They released an EP, 6 Kisses, A Blatant Reminder of Why We Are Alive, in 1999 and two albums, Blackout Analysis in 2000 and White Knuckled Substance in 2001, before signing their first major label deal...
) plays while the animation shows the stats of the players in the picture, ending with the captain. Because of these additions, it was praised as one of the best games in the series to date. The Dynasty Mode, regarded by many gamers, still has its flaws - trades were very difficult to accept, and only allows the player to manage the team at the maximum of 20 seasons. Commentary was also repetitive and the game play always felt slow.
Another new feature of NHL 2004 was allowing the player to select when to fight, where previously it had been a somewhat random occurrence. When two players' names flashed onto the bottom of the screen, accompanied by the word "Fight!" and a bell sounding, the person playing the game could push a button to begin a fight, or hold off until a later time. Furthermore, goaltenders were able to fight however, goalie fights appear to be completely random, as the names of other players are shown at the bottom of the screen, however, a goalie fight can be triggered by beginning the fight while the goalie has control of the puck; also, goalies are not thrown out of a game for fighting; in real life, goaltenders who fight are given both a major for fighting and a minor for leaving the crease, resulting in game misconducts for both combatants. The game however contained a glitch. On breakaway plays a player can maneuver the deke analog stick for an automatic goal. By the time EA Sports heard news of the glitch hundreds of thousands of units had been shipped around the world. The Create a team feature allowed the player to create a new NHL team and put it in the game and the player could choose between NHL jerseys as the team's uniform.
PC Modding Community
In addition, a "My NHL" option was introduced for creating brand new NHL teams and players from scratch, adding to the replay value dramatically. Though not very noticeable at times, NHL 2004 included all new graphics. For those playing the game for the PC, the "template" for creating new jerseys, masks, gloves, pants, players faces, basically everything you can edit were all changed. In 2007, these templates are still used, all of which can be found in the download section of www.nhldepot.net.Another excellent add-on site for NHL 2004 is a site called NHL04Rebuilt. NHL 2004 is the only vintage EA hockey title from the 2000s that still (in 2011) receives regular member-based graphics and interface add-ons, and has a very active online community along with hamachi gaming networks. One exciting feature in NHL 2004 (PC) is the interface which has been completely rebuilt by members. These updates include major improvements like dramatically expanded statistics, GameCast, team reports, full box scores, ingame gameclock selectors, etc. All is possible because the interface of NHL 2004 was entirely written in Javascript and HTML, and thus easily modifiable. Many veteran EA hockey players consider the AI in NHL 2004 (PC version) unique, which is the main reason for its long, passionate and loyal "cult" following. This has led to the development of several new mods such as a mod to rebuild the game for the 1996-97 season, an AHL modification, KHL, and a classics mod, and seasonal updates to rosters, gameplay, faces and game clock (like ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, Versus
Versus (TV channel)
Versus is a sports-oriented cable television channel in the United States. It was previously known as Outdoor Life Network and was launched on July 1, 1995, focusing on fishing, hunting, and other outdoor sports...
and etc.)
An online simulation league based on the game has been launched, known as the 04HL. Registered user of the site can sign up as an active "player" in the league, and can negotiate their own contracts, skill ratings, and track their player's career statistics with unique team identities and modified graphics.
Online Leagues using NHL 2004
The only current PC league known to still host games using NHL 2004 is the NEHL. The NEHL has been around for 12 years hosting various incarnations in the EA NHL series. They decided to go with the NHL04 Rebuilt after plans for NHL 10 for the PC were cancelled. The NEHL web site can be found here www.nehl.nhlpc.net. Some matches are also telecasted at their web television, the NEHL Network, which can be found from http://www.nehl-network.tk.Cover man dilemma
Picking a cover athlete for NHL 2004 proved to be problematic. Joe ThorntonJoe Thornton
Joseph Eric Thornton is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League . He was selected first overall by the Boston Bruins in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft and went on to play seven seasons with the club, five as its Captain. During the...
was the original choice but after he was brought up on assault charges, he was removed and replaced by Dany Heatley
Dany Heatley
Daniel James Heatley is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger, and alternate captain for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League . Originally drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers second overall in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, he won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the top NHL rookie in 2002...
for the game's first shipments. After Heatley's car crash that killed his Atlanta Thrashers
Atlanta Thrashers
The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League on June 25, 1997, and became the league's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 NHL season...
team-mate, Dan Snyder
Dan Snyder
Daniel Snyder was a professional Canadian ice hockey player. He played as a centre in the National Hockey League for the Atlanta Thrashers...
, EA removed him and replaced the cover with Joe Sakic
Joe Sakic
Joseph Steven "Joe" Sakic is a former Canadian professional ice hockey player and current hockey executive. He played his entire National Hockey League career with the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche franchise. In his 20-year tenure, Sakic won the Stanley Cup twice, captured numerous NHL...
but not before a large number of units had already been shipped. As a result, both covers (Heatley and Sakic) made it into circulation.
Hidden characters
Members from the band Alien Ant Farm and Gob appear as available players as well as some of the EA Developers. Any player already in the game can be re-created with the same face and portrait and stats.Information
- Tagline: "Gloves off Hockey"
- Covers: Dany HeatleyDany HeatleyDaniel James Heatley is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger, and alternate captain for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League . Originally drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers second overall in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, he won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the top NHL rookie in 2002...
(Original) and Joe SakicJoe SakicJoseph Steven "Joe" Sakic is a former Canadian professional ice hockey player and current hockey executive. He played his entire National Hockey League career with the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche franchise. In his 20-year tenure, Sakic won the Stanley Cup twice, captured numerous NHL... - Released for:
- WindowsMicrosoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
- PlayStation 2PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
- XboxXboxThe Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
- GameCubeNintendo GameCubeThe , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
Soundtrack
| NHL 2004 Soundtrack | |
|---|---|
| Artist | Song |
| Adema Adema -2003–2004: Unstable, Mark Chavez's and Mike Ransom's departure:Adema's second album, Unstable, was released by Arista in August 2003. It was produced by Howard Benson, whose credits also include producing albums with P.O.D., Hoobastank and Cold.... |
"Co-Dependent" |
| Alien Ant Farm Alien Ant Farm Alien Ant Farm is an American alternative rock band that formed in Riverside, California, in 1995. Their name comes from an idea original guitarist Terry Corso had about aliens and the earth: "I was daydreaming at my dull desk job with my feet up, and I thought to myself, 'Wouldn't it be cool if... |
"S.S. Recognize" |
| Autopilot Off Autopilot Off Autopilot Off is a punk rock band from Orange County, New York composed of Chris Hughes , Chris Johnson , Phil Robinson and Rob Kucharek .... |
"Clockwork" |
| Avenged Sevenfold Avenged Sevenfold Avenged Sevenfold is an American heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California. Formed in 1999, the group consists of vocalist M. Shadows, lead guitarist Synyster Gates, rhythm guitarist Zacky Vengeance, bassist Johnny Christ.... |
"Chapter Four" |
| Bowling For Soup Bowling for Soup Bowling for Soup is an American pop-punk band which originally formed in Wichita Falls, Texas in 1994... |
"Punk Rock 101 Punk Rock 101 "Punk Rock 101" is a song by Texas pop-punk band Bowling for Soup. It appeared on the second release of their 2002 album Drunk Enough to Dance. The single peaked at #43 on the UK Singles Chart.... " |
| Brand New Brand New Brand New is an American rock band from Long Island, New York. Formed in 2000, the band currently consists of vocalist/guitarist/lyricist Jesse Lacey, guitarist/vocalist/lyricist Vincent Accardi, bassist Garrett Tierney, drummer Brian Lane, and guitarist/keyboardist Derrick Sherman.In the late... |
"The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows "The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows" is a 2004 single by the alternative rock band Brand New. It was the first single from their second album, Deja Entendu, and their highest charting song to date, peaking at number four on the Mainstream Rock Track Chart. The single was originally released... " |
| Cinder Cinder (band) Cinder is an alternative rock/alternative metal band, formed in 1999 when singer Roger Young and lead guitarist Kenny Craig began playing bars and clubs around the Southern Florida coastline and writing songs for album Soapy Tuna. It was at this time they picked up bassist Pat McGuire and drummer... |
"Soul Creation" |
| Deftones Deftones Deftones are an American alternative metal band from Sacramento, California, founded in 1988. The band consists of Chino Moreno , Stephen Carpenter , Chi Cheng , Frank Delgado , and Abe Cunningham . Currently Sergio Vega is standing in on bass while Cheng recovers from a car accident... |
"Minerva Minerva (song) "Minerva" is a song by American alternative metal band Deftones and the lead single from their fourth studio album, Deftones. Released in April 2003, it charted at #9 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart, #16 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and #15 on the UK Singles Chart... " |
| Dexter Freebish Dexter Freebish Dexter Freebish is a band based in Austin, Texas, consisting of lead singer Kyle, guitars of Scott Romig, bass and vocals of Chris Lowe, and the drums of Rob Schilz... |
"Falling Down" |
| Dexter Freebish Dexter Freebish Dexter Freebish is a band based in Austin, Texas, consisting of lead singer Kyle, guitars of Scott Romig, bass and vocals of Chris Lowe, and the drums of Rob Schilz... |
"Life Of Saturdays" |
| Gob Gob (band) Gob is a Canadian punk band from Langley, British Columbia formed in 1993, The Band consists of Tom Thacker, Theo Goutzinakis, Gabe Mantle and Steven Fairweather. Gob's most successful album is World According to Gob and their most successful song to date is I Hear You Calling... |
"Oh! Ellin" |
| Jerk Jerk (band) Jerk was an industrial metal band from Sydney, Australia. They released a single album, and featured in the video games Need for Speed: Underground and NHL 2004... |
"Sucked In" |
| Jet Jet (band) Jet are an Australian rock band formed in 2001 while attending St Bede's College Mentone in Melbourne, . The band consists of lead guitarist Cameron Muncey, bassist Mark Wilson, and brothers Nic and Chris Cester on vocals/rhythm guitar and drums respectively... |
"Get What You Need" |
| Less Than Jake Less Than Jake Less Than Jake is an American ska punk band from Gainesville, Florida. Originally formed in 1992 as a power pop trio, the band evolved into a hybrid of ska punk. Less Than Jake have also been cited as showing influences from a wide variety of genres including post-grunge, heavy metal, alternative... |
"The Ghosts of Me and You" |
| Living Things Living Things (band) Living Things are an American indie rock band from St. Louis, Missouri. The band, consist of chief provocateur singer/songwriter/guitarist Lillian Berlin and his two siblings Yves Berlin and Joshua "Bosh" Berlin , . Singer Lillian Berlin lyrics and songwriting has been described as " fiercely... |
"Born Under the Gun" |
| Modern Day Zero Modern Day Zero Modern Day Zero is a hard rock band based in St. Louis, Missouri. Formerly called Mesh—changed to Mesh STL after the name-conflict with Mesh—the band renamed and restarted as Modern Day Zero. Their single, "Sick Inside," from their first album, Coming Up for Air, spent eight weeks as the... |
"Down" |
| The Ataris The Ataris The Ataris are a rock band from Anderson, Indiana. They have released five studio albums, and their most recent E.P. was released on November 25, 2010 on the Gainesville, Florida based label, Paper + Plastick. It contained the brand new tracks "All Souls' Day" and "The Graveyard of The Atlantic"... |
"Radio #2" |
| Vendetta Red Vendetta Red Vendetta Red is an American alternative rock band from Seattle, Washington that formed in 1998. They released an EP, 6 Kisses, A Blatant Reminder of Why We Are Alive, in 1999 and two albums, Blackout Analysis in 2000 and White Knuckled Substance in 2001, before signing their first major label deal... |
"Shatterday" |