Video Gaming News - April 2003
Chicago, IL (April 8, 2003) - Midway Sports announced that it has
refocused its league-licensed sports products to appeal to a broader sports
gaming audience. NHL Hitz Pro, the re-invented version of the NHL Hitz
franchise, is in development and scheduled to ship in fall 2003 for the
PlayStation 2, the Xbox, and Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance.
From Midway:
Nationwide focus testing of sports videogamers produced a clear message:
gamers applaud Midway Sports trademark arcade-style gameplay and intense action
but also want to experience their favorite teams, players, and stadiums in an
authentic professional sports context. Midway Sports answered the call by taking
NHL Hitz in a new direction.
Officially licensed by the NHL and the NHLPA and featuring real NHL teams and
athletes, NHL Hitz Pro retains the well-known Midway Sports “edge,” but with a
new emphasis on realistic NHL features such as 5-on-5 gameplay (including
goalies), league penalties and violations, and for the first time ever, live
online gameplay.
“NHL Hitz Pro combines the best of both worlds, delivering a combination of
Hitz signature extreme-style hockey gameplay but with added realism hockey fans
will respect,” said Helene Sheeler, vice president of marketing, Midway.
The head-to-head online play in NHL Hitz Pro features online player rankings
and tournaments. NHL Hitz Pro also includes 100 percent NHL legitimate, 23-man
player rosters that bring together pro players and authentic team lines with
real offensive and defensive team formations in precise correlation with each
NHL team.
NHL Hitz Pro includes an improved AI that is so authentic gamers will think
they are playing with the NHL pros. Goalie animations, logic and behavior are
realistically captured and feature everything from stick saves to stoning a
knee-buckling 5-hole shot to slapping the ice with five seconds left in a power
play. Gamers also have the ability to score from anywhere on the ice and will
feel the tension and strain of NHL action with a new Player Fatigue System that
causes them to tire out after experiencing tough checks.
Playing on accurately diagrammed rinks, players will get cheers and jeers
from the realistic crowd that reacts to the action on the ice. Additionally, an
upgraded Franchise Mode allows players to build a Dynasty and manage every
aspect of the team; a re-tooled Hockey School Mode teaches and tests gamers’
hockey skills; and a Multi-player Tournament Mode allows gamers to set up
tournaments with up to 16 teams.
In addition, Midway has signed an exclusive deal with Nicklas Lidstrom, star
defenseman of the Detroit Red Wings. Lidstrom appears on the packaging and cover
art for the game and also brings his big hits to NHL Hitz Pro’s DVD section.
Viewed as one of the top defensemen in the NHL, Lidstrom is a four-time finalist
and recipient of the coveted Norris Trophy and member of the 2003 Western
Conference All-Star team.
NHL Hitz Pro Key Features:
• New Online Play – Head-to-head gameplay, online player rankings and
tournaments.
• New 5-on-5 Gameplay – Just the way hockey is played in the NHL, 5-on-5. Every
team, every player, and every position.
• Full NHL Penalties and Violations – From offsides and two-line passing to
holding and cross- checking, all NHL penalties will be enforced in NHL Hitz Pro.
• 23-Man Player Rosters –100% legitimate NHL rosters. All players are available
and all authentic team lines are ready to score on goal.
• Real Stadiums –NHL arenas are accurately diagrammed in NHL Hitz Pro.
• Real Offensive and Defensive Team Formations – Every team’s offensive and
defensive scheme in NHL Hitz Pro is in precise correlation with the actual team
in the NHL.
• Player Fatigue System – Just as in a real hockey game, as players dish out the
checks, or as the player gets checked to the ice, the more tired they become.
• “On the Fly” Line Changes – See your line becoming tired or spot a mismatch in
the defensive team and switch up your line “on the fly” to have the freshest
players on the ice.
• Legitimate Stick Handling – Just like the real players in the NHL, glide and
move the puck back and forth like a yo-yo near the net, through the use of the
right analog stick. NHL Hitz Pro offers the most realistic stick and puck
handling on any hockey game to date.
• Realistic Crowd Reactions – For the first time, a sports videogame will
accurately recreate a realistic crowd and player emotion based on the flow of
the game. You might get a “ho-hum” reaction from the crowd and your teammates by
scoring a goal to go up 8-0 against your opponent, but the crowd will flip out
and your teammates will rush you when you score the game-winning goal in
overtime.
• New Color Commentary – Midway Sports is adding a second commentator to the
booth, and he’ll give you his take on the game as well as the lowdown on some of
your favorite NHL players.
• Upgraded Franchise Mode – GM Mode option lets you build a Dynasty and manage
every aspect of your team. Draft and trade players at your whim! Choose the
offensive strategy and plot the perfect defensive scheme to prevent other teams
from abusing your squad. After you create the perfect strategy, now determine
who starts, and who gets left behind on the bench.
• Re-tooled Hockey School Mode – NHL Hitz Pro features an all-new and
restructured Hockey School where the game player is taught and the skills
tested. Your instructor will introduce a young NHL All-Star to tell you a little
more about what is important in hockey, as well as provide an NHL Hitz Pro game
tip.
• Score from Anywhere on the Ice – NHL Hitz Pro now has multiple new ways to
score, new context-sensitive plays like wraparounds, deflections and flip shots
from behind the net.
• Multiplayer Tournament Mode – Set up tournaments with up to 16 teams.
• Advanced Options – With different tunable settings and sliders, you can
completely customize your gaming experience, from glass brittleness right down
to puck friction.
• Enhanced Fantasy Draft – Choose your favorite team and begin your NHL season
from the absolute beginning where all players become free game and are eligible
for the draft. Feel like an NHL owner and all the pressures that come when
trying to construct a team from scratch.
• Improved AI – Smarter players, realistic offensive and defensive behavior. NHL
Hitz Pro delivers such realistic AI, you’ll think you’re playing one of your
friends.
• Improved Goalie Animations – NHL Hitz Pro has gone to great lengths to ensure
the best and most realistic goalie animations ever. From stick saves, to stoning
a knee-buckling 5-hole shot, if a goalie can make the impossible save in the
NHL, he can make it in Hitz.
• Improved Goalie Logic and Behavior – From slapping the ice with five seconds
left in a power play, to sprinting to the bench with one minute left in the game
to give your team the one-man advantage. Goalies in NHL Hitz Pro behave and
react like the real thing in the NHL.
• Officially Licensed Equipment – Through Franchise Mode, users will be able to
gain equipment to better suit their players. There will be five levels of
equipment, including many of the biggest brands in hockey: The Hockey Company,
Bauer Hockey, Itech and Easton.
• New Motion Capture Animations – From new checks, slap shots and goalie
animations, NHL Hitz Pro improves on more than 1,500 motion-captured animations
in the game.
Midway Games Inc. is a leading developer, publisher and marketer of
interactive entertainment software. Midway videogames are available for play on
all major videogame platforms including the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment
system, XboxTM, Nintendo GameCubeTM and Game Boy® Advance.
For more information about Midway Games and NHL Hitz 20-04 visit
www.nhlhitz.midway.com.
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