PREVIEWS & STRATEGIES

NHL Rivals 2004 is the Microsoft Game Studios inaugural National Hockey League title for the Xbox.

This dramatic hockey simulation immerses gamers into one of the most realistic and exciting hockey experiences ever created. With more than 700 in-game, motion-captured animations, hockey fans will be able to take one-timers, blast slap shots, and dish out the big body checks, just like real NHL superstars.

Gamers also can settle their hockey grudge matches and create their own rivalries online with Xbox Live and XSN Sports. Control an NHL team on a quest to win the Stanley Cup, or take on your friends in a single game between two bitter rivals.

Want the latest teams and arena features? Go and online and get the new roster and content updates. They’re only available until June, so act fast!

The NHL Rivals 2004 soundtrack CD contains eleven Top 10 Billboard Rock singles with a combined sales history of over 43 million albums. Check it out!

"Amazing detail and lush graphics."
- Official Xbox Magazine, Holiday 2003

• Online play with Xbox Live: Go online using a broadband connection to take on your friends or the entire planet. NHL Rivals 2004 is part of the new XSN Sports line of games, which takes competition, attitude, and excitement to the next level. Create your own Web-based tournaments and leagues, view leaderboards, and communicate with other gamers through XSNSports.com.
• Multiple game modes: With NHL Rivals 2004, you'll be able to play in Single Game, Season, Tournament, and Playoff formats. Plus, don't miss Instant Rivalry, which drops users instantly into a match between one of the NHL's most intense rivalries, such as the Maple Leafs and Canadiens.
• Advanced Passing: Move left, pass right. Sound impossible? With Advanced Passing, you can pass the puck in any direction with the right thumbstick, while controlling your player's movement with the left thumbstick. Make no-look passes, drop it behind to your open winger, or chip one off the boards.
• Pivot control: NHL Rivals 2004 gives you new ways to control your favorite players. Use the left trigger to change the direction your player is facing. If he's skating forward, he'll keep moving that direction, while spinning his body 180 degrees. Better maneuverability on offense and tighter, more effective backchecking on defense—what's not to love?
• Heads-up coaching system: Change up your team's strategy on the fly with real-time commands. Need to buckle down to protect a late lead? Crash the net to tie things up? Whatever the situation, you can tweak your strategy to match … without pausing the action.
• Veteran NHL announcers: You'll get insight and analysis during gameplay from the veteran broadcasting team of John Davidson and Sam Rosen, with injury and intermission reports from Dick Fain at rinkside.
• Unbeatable sound: NHL Rivals 2004 brings you into the arena with full Dolby 5.1 support. Hear every slap shot, check, cheer, and heckle presented through the glory of true surround sound.
• Content downloads: Get updated rosters and maybe a few mid-season surprises through content downloads via Xbox Live.
• Crowds: You've never seen crowds like this in any game. NHL Rivals 2004 breaks new ground with dynamic truly three-dimensional crowds that react to every play. Full surround-sound recording sessions with real NHL game crowds will bring the roar of the fans right to your living room.
• Unique player roles: See your favorite NHL stars play the way you expect. Enforcers deliver crushing can-opener hits; agitators get in the face of would-be shooters; and snipers spin and fake shots on their way to the net. Learn the special moves for each role, and take your game to the next level.
• Authentic NHL gameplay: Pin opposing players against the boards, go down to block shots, and wind up for one-timers on loose pucks. Use your stick to disrupt plays—you can even execute diving poke checks when things get desperate. NHL Rivals 2004 delivers the moves hockey fans have always wanted.