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Radical, the folks who brought us NHL Powerplay, is a developer that is fanatical about hockey. The latest hockey title from Radical is NHL Championship 2000. Radical has not deviated a whole lot from the basic gameplay of Powerplay. The same attention to AI found in Powerplay has been implemented in NHL Championship 2000.

It is always tough to recommend the "best" hockey game to gamers because of the great difference in gaming tastes. Casual fans of the sport generally think of hockey as a fast-paced sport with lots of checks and end-to-end runs. While these types of elements are what one sees in highlight films, diehard fans of the sport know that there is much more to hockey. Hockey is actually a sport of patience, endurance, and strategy. Breakaways do not occur that much in real life, and the current trend in hockey is less scoring.

While not quite perfect, NHL Championship 2000 comes closer than the other PSX hockey titles in emulating the play of the NHL. It is a game that requires gamers to pay attention to player match ups, set up plays, and move beyond the mindless "shotfest" of NHL 2000. The following review will help you determine if NHL Championship 2000 is a title up your alley.

There are a nice number of game modes from which to choose in NHL Championship 2000. Gamers can select season, tournament, playoff, head-to-head, or world tournament. The usual in-game options can be selected. A feature that is really nice is the ability to select from separate offensive and defensive lines. Want to play your first offensive line with your third defensive line? NHL Championship 2000 offers this capability.

Although there are three difficulty levels to play in NHL Championship 2000, I highly recommend playing at the All Star level. The goalie AI is really good at this level. I found the lower two difficulty levels to yield too many goals to be considered realistic. A problem that is present at all difficulty settings is the lack of CPU scoring. I was able to get a large number of shutouts at all levels, which was disappointing. Even poor goalies are too effective. The AI in NHL Championship is very good. The CPU players do a nice job of getting into the appropriate positions on both offense and defense. Also, the defensemen play realistically, which prevents an inordinate number of breakaways from occurring. Also, crossing passes in front of the crease are not overly successful, which limits effective one-timers. At the lower two difficulty levels, there is a fairly large hole in the AI. Fast skaters can score quite a few goals by moving across the slot and shooting in the same direction they are skating. I was able to get a ton of goals with the likes of Bure by utilizing this maneuver. Fortunately, at the highest difficulty setting, this strategy is not nearly as effective, as players will get set down on their rears by nasty checks from the CPU players.

The main gameplay issue that may turn gamers off to NHL Championship 2000 is the slow speed of the game. There is no option to adjust gamespeed as in FaceOff 2000. While I learned to adjust to the gamespeed, I can see where people that are used to the fast-paced style of the other titles will find the gamespeed of NHL Championship 2000 to seem sluggish. The slow gamespeed allows for plays to develop, which will appeal to gamers looking for a simulation-style game. In addition to the slow gamespeed, the pace of the game is also slow. There is no way to press a button and skip to the faceoff. Gamers must wait while the lines change and the teams position themselves for the faceoff. The developer should have made a "skip-through" option available for people who want to cut to the chase and avoid the peripheral activity during dead time.

When the dust has settled, the AI of NHL Championship 2000 emerges as a winner. That is not to say it is without fault. There is not enough room behind the net to yield realistic play from that position on the ice. An extra skater appears on the ice during a couple situations. The goalies at the All Star difficulty level are actually too good. The CPU offense is not as potent as would be desired. The CPU team pulls their goalie late in the game on occasion when they have a one-goal lead. However, faults aside, diehard hockey sim fans should find a large amount to like about the AI of NHL Championship 2000.

NHL 2000 is the only hockey title this year to offer career play. It is too bad that Radical did not include a career/franchise option in NHL Championship 2000. With such a good AI, it is the only hockey title in which I really would want to play continuous multiple seasons. Like the other hockey titles, NHL Championship 2000 does not have the most up to date rosters and lines (It is the most current of the three titles). Fortunately, the lines can be readily edited and players can be created. Also, the coaching options in NHL Championship 2000 are good. The strategies of the actual NHL teams are accurately represented by default. However, the user can always change these strategies in a variety of categories. Within the game, coaching strategy can be changed on the fly. The coaching aspect of this game adds longevity by providing a nice element to the gameplay.

Another element that adds to the longevity rating is the accurate simulation of CPU stats. I simulated a number of seasons and found the end-of-the-year stats to be believable. I am always more inspired to keep playing a title that offers this type of realism. Overall, gamers should get good mileage out of NHL Championship 2000, but a career mode would have boosted the score in this category.

It took a little getting used to the default controller configuration. Since there are two buttons for shooting, the triangle button is used for speed burst. Once I got used to the layout, control was super easy. Of course, if you can get used to the default layout, there is the option to configure the controller. I have always liked the idea of the user determining shot type. In NHL Championship 2000 the user can choose between a slap shot and a wrist shot. On offense, the moves include pass, slap shot, wrist shot, fast skate, flip pass, and drop pass. On defense, the moves are poke check, hook, block shot, body check, fast skate, and skate backwards. The fighting system in NHL Championship 2000 is not bad. Fighting in NHL Championship 2000 offers more variety and skill than the fighting in NHL 2000 and NHL FaceOff 2000. The fighting moves are duck, rabbit punch, uppercut, and grab. The gamer must utilize these moves in a strategic combination to win the fights. The only major control issue that I found frustrating was the seeming inability to place shots on goal.

The player graphics in NHL Championship 2000 are solid. The main problem with the player graphics is that the players are too large in relation to their environment. This problem with the graphics also carries over into the gameplay in that things get unrealistically cramped in some spots on the ice. Speaking of overly large, the puck is also too big. The jerseys are accurate, and many third jerseys are included. The animations are good. Several of the save animations of the goalies are awesome. It is too bad that signature moves are not included in this game.

The arenas, logos, ice, glass, and boards look decent. The arenas are not perfectly modeled after the actual arenas and the ice surface does not look overly fantastic, but they do the job. The streak behind the puck is implemented well and does not distract from the gameplay. One thing I like about the graphics is the overall "clean" look of the game.

The presentation has a distinct Fox flavor, from the fonts to the information boxes. The menus look especially nice and are easy to read. The statistic screens are designed well and offer a large amount of information to view at once. Before certain games, the user is treated to a cool laser show.

Although there are a variety of camera angles that can be used, the default camera is very good. The distance of the camera is close enough to feel a part of the action, yet far enough away to allow the gamer to see an adequate amount of ice. The adjustable zoom for each camera angle is a nice touch. It is fun to play from the "chase" angle, with a low amount of zoom. Helpful arrows are used to indicate the position of off-screen teammates.

The commentary in NHL Championship 2000 is awesome! Kenny Albert and John Davidson are the commentators and they pump life into the game. Sure, some of the phrases get a little repetitive, but the commentary keeps up with the action, and the commentators offer a great sense of humor. The in-game sounds are solid, but not extraordinary. Hits against the boards sound good, but the other sounds are average.

The background music before faceoffs is appropriate, but barely audible. People who have attended professional hockey games know that the music blares at a high volume. Perhaps the decision was made to keep the music volume low so as to make it appear more like a TV broadcast. I do not like it. I want some loud, in-your-face music between faceoffs. The signature Fox music occurs when entering and exiting the in-game menu screens. This music adds to the overall presentation and makes the user think they are involved in an actual Fox broadcast.

Thank goodness that Fox Interactive decided to pick up Radical to develop a hockey game for the Playstation. Given the fact the AI in NHL FaceOff 2000 and NHL 2000 is not enough to satisfy gamers who like the sim aspect of hockey, the addition of NHL Championship 2000 to the fray provides relief. If several of the AI flaws could have been remedied before its final release, NHL Championship 2000 might have earned the title as "best console hockey game ever." I am disappointed that these AI problems were not addressed before release. Radical is too good of a developer to allow major AI snafus such as the goalies leaving the net at inappropriate moments. Fortunately, the AI problems do not dominate the game, and the AI performs great the majority of the time. When the dust has settled, there is little doubt about which Playstation hockey game offers the greatest sim value. NHL Championship 2000 has more accurate gameplay than its competition. It is a solid effort in every aspect and should be given a look by hockey gamers.