Behind-the-scenes Look At The Making Of Video Game

[Rock]

Screen shots

A behind-the-scenes look at the

making of a hockey video game

By Robert Picarello | Impact! Magazine

http://www.nhl.com/intheslot/read/impact/2...mber/games.html

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The Flyers just spanked the Red Wings and, face it, you're gloating. So what do you do with the endorphin rush? Anyone who has been to a Flyers game and watched them win knows that feeling. It brings on that indescribable urge to take to the streets outside the freshly renamed Wachovia Center, waving your jersey in the air while high-fiving any fellow fanatic who crosses your path.

When you're at home watching the game, you miss out on all of this fun. There's no one to witness your glory and no one to taunt in defeat. Well, that's all in the past as SEGA Sports has managed to bring that home-ice advantage right into your living room with NHL 2K3.

NHL.com's Impact! Magazine and SEGA Sports have teamed up to show you some of the behind-the-scenes secrets video game companies use to create an experience so real that people have to check the TV twice to make sure they're not watching a live broadcast. Impact! offers you an insider's look and front-row seat so you can see how video games become life-like and what it takes to transform your sofa to a seat on the bench in South Philly.

The Players

SEGA Sports starts the game development process by watching hundreds of hours of actual NHL action. They closely observe each player's moves so they can emulate them in the video game. The result? Players move naturally on the ice with the same mannerisms as their real-life counterparts.

Arguably the most important player in any hockey game is the goalie. But these aren't ordinary goalies -- the netminders in "SEGA Sports NHL 2K3" aren't the stiff stick-like figures you see in other games. A feature known as "Reactive Goalie Positioning" allows them to move from a dive to another save motion like an NHL netminder without ever having to return to a center or idle position. As for the rest of the team, you can rotate the Flyers

[insanity_gallops]

You know, I've always been an EA Sports kid for NHL games, but all these talk about the Sega games... I'll have to at least give the newest one a rental trial at some point.

[DRafalski]

Well... "ESPN Hockey" (NHL2k4 for those keeping track) is coming out on September the 9th.... but this game, if you can find it, is spectacular as well if you're on a budget.

[shrubbery]

I hope this comes out for PC. The EA's NHL 2003 was just horrible. I can't imagine how they make a game as good as FIFA 2003 and make NHL 2003 so bad.

[devilsrule33]

EA SPORTS I believe went back to be basics this year. After making their past few games so fancy trying to put all this cool stuff like breakaway cams they have improved the playing making it more realistic plus this game has this awesome franchise mode.

[sheeps]

September 9th = out $90.

Family Guy comes out then, too.

Will be such sweet pickups though, I have read a lot about all the new NHL games and ESPN seems to be the best by far.

[devilsrule33]

I can't wait for Family guy season three. I really hope they put more extra features then they did in Season 1 and 2 in DVD. My favourite one was the behind the scene look at the show and that was only 8 minutes or so.