Make like a toothless wonder and get the puck outta here
For:PS2, Xbox (review copy) Developer:Kush Games Rating:8 (out
of 10)  Branding: Cows don't like it, but corporations sure do.
Following the ignominious business-speak tradition of turning
nouns into verbs, marketers contrived the word to express the
advertising of image, above and beyond product. Branding sets
ESPN NHL Hockey apart from its highly rated predecessor, the
simply named NHL 2002. But not because ESPN stands to gain much
from this indecent exposure to gamers; what hockey fan isn't
familiar with ESPN, cable's best-known sports network? It's Sega
that benefits from the channel's imprimatur. Since sports vid-
games more closely replicate spectatorship than
sportsmanship—since, that is, your lazy ass plays them—having
Bill Clement and Gary Thorne narrate your (or one of your seven
friends') goals during instant replays adds to the title's
verisimilitudinal oompah. Were this high school hockey, wouldn't
you want a crazed player's dad punching ou