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4 /5

Midway's arcade hockey series makes its only appearance on the Game Boy Advance with NHL Hitz 20-03. Adhering to the arcade style, matches are three-on-three (plus goalies), there are hardly any penalties and fights happen regularly.

Game modes include exhibition games, a full season (of 29, 58 or 82 games) and playoffs (best of 1, 3, 5 or 7). Season progress is stored to battery-backed RAM. A multiplayer mode via link cable for up to four players is also available. Before a match, players select their lineup from the star players of the included NHL teams.

Gameplay is seen from an elevated horizontally scrolling view. Controls allow for stick and body checks and dekes. As is standard in Midway arcade sports games, each player has a turbo meter that allows the toggling of turbo, which enhances the other moves. Additionally, players can "catch on fire" after a hat trick or a sequence of successful checks, which increases their abilities for a short time.

The game features voice sample commentary from long-time Midway announcer Tim Kitzrow.