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EA Sports NHL 2004 PC Version Still Popular 13 Years Later

By Ryan Ritchie

Oct 14, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; A general view of the NHL logo on a net prior to the game of the Ottawa Senators against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 14, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; A general view of the NHL logo on a net prior to the game of the Ottawa Senators against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /
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EA Sports NHL 2004 PC Version Continues to Survive 13 Years After its Original Release

Electronic Arts never would have imagined its EA Sports NHL 2004 PC version to still have an active community 13 years later, but that’s exactly what has happened.

After abandoning their PC versions of the game back in 2009 for Playstation/X-Box, NHL fans were left without means to play on their computers. PC Releases of the game after 2004 (2005-2009) are described as “broken” with lousy AI (artificial intelligence) settings.

At first, a small community of dedicated gamer’s decided to take it upon themselves to update the EA Sports NHL 2004 PC version.

That community has now grown over an estimated 200 people volunteering their time and effort to keep the game up-to-date.

The graphics in the game are obviously outdated when you consider how quickly technology changes/advances. As Digital Trends says, the modification (mods) are surprisingly modern though.

Among the many features that exist based on collective hard work:

– Updated NHL teams: No more Atlanta Thrashers, instead the Winnipeg Jets exist at the MTS Center with modern ice/board ads. 
– Alternative Teams: Fans in Russia made a KHL version of the game with fully updated Kontinental Hockey League rosters. Others have made CHL versions (Ontario Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and Western Hockey League), while an updated AHL version also exists. Fans can even replay vintage years from almost any season during the 1990s.
– Fully Updated NHL rosters; game announcer Jim Hughson can reportedly even say the names of the vast majority of new players.

via Digital Trends,

These days, seven people do the bulk of the ongoing work.

The game offers not just updated rosters, but a completely new user interface, dubbed “ESPN.” This offers entirely new features, particularly in season mode.

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Players can read computer-generated preview articles for upcoming games and see a play-by-play breakdown for all simulated games in season mode.

Justin Pot of Digital Trends spoke with a contributor named “Vod” who told him that he’s been working the past two years to completely reverse engineer the game.

By doing this, Vod hopes to add even more features.

For those interested in joining the growing community, take note the setup process is deemed less than user-friendly.

It takes a somewhat tech savvy person to figure out how to install an outdated game on a modern computer, not to mention the gigabyte worth of downloads that need to be unzipped and dragged to proper folders.

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It’s estimated that 10,000 to 15,000 people still play the EA Sports NHL 2004 PC Version, and oddly that number seems to keep growing.

For the full story and interviews, check out Justin Pot’s piece on Digital Trends released on Wednesday, it’s an interesting read.

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