NHL Rivals 2004

For the fan who knows all the words to the Canadian national anthem and loves to chuck full beers at the visiting team, there’s no substitute for the live hockey experience. For the rest of us, playing this game online courtesy of Xbox Live (where stats, scores, and standings are tracked) satisfies our inner hoser. Rivals (Microsoft’s first hockey attempt) impresses with smooth, realistic game play and rib-cage-crushing intensity. But why do we really love this game? Because they’ve slapped some skates on Maxim’s own spokesmodel Hiroki and included him in the game as a free agent. He doesn’t know a goalie’s stick from a chopstick, but he’s willing to lose a few incisors for the team.