NHL 2004

Pros:

Improved AI in the defensive department;
SIM manager mode is excellent; maintains much of the EA quality from previous years (but see 'cons') making it well paced and fun to play.

Cons:

Despite the AI being improved, it still lacks overall, with many many flaws. Predominant complaint is the over zealous defense, who take on the role of forward all to much, leaving the forwards at the point--this is especially frustrating when you defense is your weakest link on your team and your forwards are your only hope to score; the difficulty ranking is especially frustrating: as one ascends in difficulty, the AI does get better as expected, but the increase in difficulty really lies in the computer increasing its clutch and grab game and not being called for penalties on them--this is especially frustrating when you get a rebound on either end and you get blatantly and extendly hooked, and the end result is a lost scoring chance or a goal,depending on which end you reside. This latter flaw I find most annoying, especially since all it does is mimic what is exactly wrong with the real game today. The tougher the team, the more they clutch and grab.
I will agree with other reviewers that the momentum is somewhat exaggerated, leading to scoring in bushels for the opposition; this seems to always occur late in the 3rd when you are up a goal. The only remedy for this is a great goaltender, but if your are playing a Dynasty and wish to build from scratch, you are SOL for the first 2 seasons anyway. The interface is clunky with lots of back and forth clicking between menus. No ability to see attributes of players offered in trades. A final complaint is the poor QC on the game: I created a team and took several players to create it (mostly crappy ones with high potential) but when I started the Dynasty there were clones of my players. This seems like something that should have been worked out on the beta stage and shame on EA for not working this really stupid problem out. Honestly, they should realease versions biannually and just perfect and update via patches and I'll bet they'll have happier customers at the end of the day.

Like many sports games, NHL2004 is entertaining, and it's bad points make you want to kick your computer into high heaven at various times. But, this has been the story for several years now and any fan of the franchise knows that you wait a year or two before picking it up, so you only pay 10 bucks for it tops. Many oversights (such as the overzealous defense) detract from 100% enjoyment of this game, and make it more of a way to kill time than something more engaging. I still like the old SEGA version best.