I'll be honest, after playing 989 Sports' debacle of a football game, otherwise known as Gameday 2001 for PlayStation 2, I was definitely skeptical about playing anymore of their sports games. However, NHL FaceOff 2001 was nothing like I expected it to be, which turned out to be a very good thing. The graphics were much cleaner than any 989 game I've ever seen, as they used just the right amount of detail for a realistic looking hockey game. Plus, the player models weren't blocky, another quality I haven't seen in recent years, along with player animations being enhanced with the use of more than 1,500 motion-captured animations. The arenas weren't bad looking, although they left something to be desired here, as it seemed some of the features in the arenas looked all the same to me. However, the crowd didn't look atrocious, which blew my mind since I haven't seen one this good looking from 989 in a long time. In fact, the polygonal animated crowds would clap, drink, wave towels, bang on the glass and move in the aisles during the game. When did 989 learn how to do this?

The audio delivered punches at times, and left you waiting for more at others. I thought the sound effects like the checking, shooting and crowd volume were fine, as was the music selection. However, the TV-style commentary of Mike Emrick and Darren Pang sometimes sounded a little blocky and choppy, and it didn't seem to flow from period to period.

If you like your action fast, your ice cold, and your checks vicious, then NHL FaceOff 2001 is definitely for you. Complete with all 30 NHL and foreign teams, plus all the players, including 'Captain Comeback' himself, Mario Lemieux... you are sure to be entertained for hours with the amount of fun that is provided. Much like its previous years, FaceOff 2001 compiles real life hockey into an amazing video game that allows one-timers to flow like water, goalies to make glove saves like nobody's business, and crowds to throw their hats out onto the ice after someone scores a hat trick like an everyday ritual. Plus, you can change plenty of different variables like time, speed, line changes, or any bothersome rules that hamper you from playing your game to perfection.

Probably the thing I liked most of all about NHL FaceOff 2001 were the amount of modes I could play. The new Shoot Out mode allows you to encounter the most exciting play in hockey, as you go one-on-one against the goalie. The Tournament mode lets you play against international teams to see which country has the best team in the world. If you're playing with your friends, try out the Playoffs mode to crown the champion between you all. You can also play a single game in Exhibition, or a Season with one or multiple teams. Throughout that Season, take on the responsibilities of a General Manager by trading, releasing and signing players, or just perform one big Fantasy Draft. Once you've put your dynasty of a franchise together, choose from 12 different offensive and defensive strategies that fit the mold of your team in the Line Manager.

The difficulty that is designated in NHL FaceOff 2001 consists of Rookie, Veteran, and All-Star. However, I found the first two levels to be completely easy, which made All-Star a bore once I mastered it. The best thing 989 Sports could have done would be to either add a fourth level of difficulty, or just enhance the AI for each of the levels. In case you are having difficulty with a certain degree, play the Practice Mode, where you can practice out different scenarios like 5-on-3, or vice versa.

NHL FaceOff 2001 loads incredibly quick, and your memory card won't be full any time soon either. The controller configuration was so easy that I didn't even bother reading the manual to see what did what (although I would recommend reading it anyway). Controlling the direction of the shot was completely easy, one I got the hang of it. One thing I did notice was, even though the disc loaded quickly, the game would always slightly pause for a second before each face-off, which is something I especially don't like when I'm trying to get the puck.

Like I said earlier, NHL FaceOff 2001 knocked me out of my chair because it wasn't what I was expecting. It may not be the best hockey game out there, but it certainly does rank up there. And it's even got Lemieux, so how can you go wrong? Enjoy!