A while back, albeit not too long ago, I was feeling down for no particular reason (at least, none that I remember), so I made use of a recent purchase: NHL 2002 for PS2, which I picked up for a mere $1.80 from Rockzone Records in Tempe (University & 101). Like most video games nowadays, it has the actual, full-length NHLPA roster, as well as a Create-A-Player option, i.e. "add yourself to the game." I went ahead and worked through the options to make Edward Motley a rookie goalie for the Montreal Canadiens.
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| Habs fan since the '93 play-offs. |
I didn't think much of it until, unexpectedly, the announcers started calling me by name (or at least, "Ed" which is not my first preference of how to be addressed, but many people still do) and they were praising my big saves! Mind you, I did absolutely nothing to make the save beyond putting myself in the net, but compared to my sour mindset at that moment, I found it extremely cool. And sadly, it raised me out of my funk.
Admittedly, adding myself to a game's roster is nothing new to me since I've been doing it since 1998 with the purchase of WWF War Zone (N64), which instantly made my roommate and I believe that the game was superior to WCW/nWo Revenge (nowadays, I don't think it ever was). The feature spread to every wrestling game released, commonly referred to as CAW for "Create A Wrestler," and by the release of WWF No Mercy, CAW's were so enjoyable that I never felt the need to upgrade my console system to a PS2 until October 2004. I remember my mother's first comment upon seeing my name listed as "WINNER" was that it was a fantastic way to keep your self-esteem elevated. I didn't really agree with her until my recent activity on NHL 2002. I guess I had never needed a virtual ego boost before then.
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| I understand I made a few big saves. |
Honestly, I never used CAW's in wrestling games after I upgraded to PS2 until the purchase of last year's WWE Smackdown versus RAW 2010 (PS2), which not only featured Create-A-Wrestler, but it also had a thorough Create-A-Storyline feature. For the PS2, you could include several CAW's in an unlimited number of segments. In other words, you could create an entire storyline using your own CAW's. Sadly, this option was limited to the actual roster on the other gaming systems. When I bought SVR 2010, I was told that it would be the last game for the PS2, which made sense. Surprisingly though, I have learned that this year's SVR 2011 will be released on PS2 as well, so I can put off my upgrade at least for another year.
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| Taking the net for the Habs and staring into the virtual spotlight. Who needs reality? |
Not that I haven't been considering the idea of a PS3 or Xbox 360. Come to think of it though, I am visiting my sister's kids next month, so maybe they will sell me on a Nintendo Wii.
