Rate top gamesNHL 2004
About
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.
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System requirements for Xbox
System requirements for PlayStation 2
System requirements for PC
Last Modified: Mar 5, 2025
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NHL 2004 reviews and comments
The first game from the NHL series that I played.
So, the first revolutionary innovation of «NHL 2004» is «Bruise Control», as for sports simulators (at least, PC versions), minor hooks, pushes, stick lifts, and other subtle manifestations of real hockey are a novelty.
The second major innovation is the «Dynasty Mode». A new mode is included, so to speak, in addition, without displacing anything from the old set. Hence the strong decision to completely bankrupt the club's base, training rooms, coaching staff, scouting institute. Ten departments in total, divided into two groups: Facilities and Staff (five in each). The goal of «Dynasty Mode» is to restore the destroyed economy. For good performance, we will receive upgrade points and invest them in our beloved club.
There is evident development in the control system, expressed by two elements. The first is a new passing system (although I hardly felt this moment) and in general the features of the game engine: one-touch shots, the ability to stick the stick between the goalie's pads and push the puck into the net, interceptions of airborne pucks, etc. The second is the Shift key, which activates additional functions: deceptive shots, new dekes, etc.
I recommend to try it.
So, the first revolutionary innovation of «NHL 2004» is «Bruise Control», as for sports simulators (at least, PC versions), minor hooks, pushes, stick lifts, and other subtle manifestations of real hockey are a novelty.
The second major innovation is the «Dynasty Mode». A new mode is included, so to speak, in addition, without displacing anything from the old set. Hence the strong decision to completely bankrupt the club's base, training rooms, coaching staff, scouting institute. Ten departments in total, divided into two groups: Facilities and Staff (five in each). The goal of «Dynasty Mode» is to restore the destroyed economy. For good performance, we will receive upgrade points and invest them in our beloved club.
There is evident development in the control system, expressed by two elements. The first is a new passing system (although I hardly felt this moment) and in general the features of the game engine: one-touch shots, the ability to stick the stick between the goalie's pads and push the puck into the net, interceptions of airborne pucks, etc. The second is the Shift key, which activates additional functions: deceptive shots, new dekes, etc.
I recommend to try it.
«Blew my mind»
«Time-tested»