Video Gaming News - September 2003

Chicago, IL (September 25, 2003) - Midway Sports announced today that NHL Hitz shipped today for the PlayStation 2, the Xbox, and GameCube.

From Midway:

Nationwide focus testing of sports videogamers produced a clear message: gamers applaud the 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 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 live online gameplay for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system.

“Gamers can still enjoy the extreme-style hockey gameplay that made the franchise a success, but with an all-new authenticity that die-hard hockey fans demand,” 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.

New gameplay flexibility is built into NHL  Hitz Pro to give gamers more control to experience hockey the way they like it. Gamers can dial-in the exact level of gameplay intensity that they enjoy with the new “slider” capabilities. A few quick adjustments in the game set-up menu and gamers can change the rules of the game, the speed of the players on the ice while even the frequency of checks and fights can be increased or decreased.

NHL  Hitz Pro includes an improved AI so authentic that gamers will think they are playing with the NHL  pros. Goalie animations feature logic and behavior that realistically capture 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 Multiplayer Tournament Mode allows gamers to set up tournaments with up to 16 teams.

In addition, Midway has 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.

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