I'll admit it, I'm from Minnesota (big hockey state), and although I love the new Minnesota Wild, I never really sit down and watch hockey all that much. But after playing NHL 2001 a few times, I swear that I have just sat through three exciting periods of action-packed, intense hockey. EA Sports has completely made me a believer of what the PlayStation 2 is capable of with all the different graphics they have redefined. To set the tone, they first recreated all player models with likable animation movements, facial features, and body styles. Then, the camera angles make you believe you're just sitting on your couch watching an actual game! And every ice arena is an exact replica of their real-life counterpart. Hell, even the coaches don't look fake.

The sounds are another crucial element that contributes to the professionalism this game presents. Slap shots, body checks, and crowd noise are surreal, and the commentary always keeps up with the action.

It's safe to say that NHL 2001 is the closest thing to winning the Stanley Cup that we mere mortals are capable of. After stepping out onto the ice, you are transformed into the team of your choice, trying to lead them to victory. Along the way, each man is capable of slap shots, spins, dekes, body checks, and so much more. And the game gets even more intense with a Momentum Meter, which goes up and down depending on how many big hits and shots you make. Don't worry about getting bored with just a few teams, in true EA Sports fashion, they have provided all 30 NHL teams, along with 20 different international affiliates, so you can never get bored. The same options are there just like the previous series, Exhibition, Season, and Shootout. It's all good!

There were a couple things I noticed that people should be aware of. First, I was very used to the PlayStation One version with the speed of all the players, but it has been drastically changed. The game doesn't run slower or anything, it's the players who have been slowed to an even more realistic ordeal. The other thing that I found to be somewhat of a glitch was that it was a little too easy to score from the blue line by just lobbing the puck over the goalie's head. These are just the two things to watch for.

The difficulty for NHL 2001 depends completely on which variables you change. First, the levels of Beginner, Rookie, Pro, and All-Star are your standard degrees, but it really comes down to the options that can be adjusted. Examples being whether you turn some rules on, or by adjusting how many big hits there are in the game, how well your shot accuracy is, or even how well the players can handle the puck. And the computer's AI is improved to figure out your tendencies on offense and defense, making it that much more difficult to score and such.

With the superb graphics I have spoken of, you would think there would be catch (i.e. the game runs slow), but believe me, NHL 2001 does not lose a step once the puck has been dropped. The loading time doesn't take much at all, and I didn't find problems with multiple people. A slight chunk in your memory card will be taken care of, but there is still enough room for other things. And the game controls work to the confinement of your hand perfectly. Each button has a function, but learning them doesn't cost you any brain cells.