NHL 2003 is the eleventh edition of the popular
EA Sports NHL series, a
hockey video game, released on the successor to
NHL 2002.
Features
NHL 2003 introduced a new feature, the GameBreaker. It is activated once a player performs enough "dekes" and it is used to help change the momentum of the game, such as scoring a big goal, delivering a big hit or winning a big fight.
Commentary
The commentary in
NHL 2003 is voiced by
Jim Hughson and
Don Taylor. Hughson has been the
NHL series announcer since
NHL '97, while Taylor first appeared in the previous year's version.
NHL cards
Returning from
NHL 2002 is a feature called
NHL Cards. They are EA custom cards with most of the NHL player names on them. There are tasks at each difficulty setting: beginner, easy, medium, and difficult. The tasks are simple as getting a
goal, to get a hat trick with 2 players. They are accomphished by doing the tasks in only one game. You would get the most out of it for playing a 60-minute game. Another is beating team
Canada with Japan in International mode. There are many different ones, including some in a season, playoffs, and International mode.
There are over 180 cards in the game. There are three types of cards: celebration cards, cheat cards, and most of the pro NHL players. The regular cards for the game that include most of the players of the 02–03 NHL season. They show most players in action, while some show still pictures of their face. They are used for and extra skill boost in 1, 2, or 3 periods depending on the color of the border of the card. (Bronze for 1 period, silver for 2, gold for 3.) Some decrease opponent's skills for 1, 2 or 3 periods, like the player cards.
This feature is found only on the Playstation 2, Xbox and Gamecube version.
Soundtrack