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That’s right, hockey season is back and in full swing. And while I wish the Flyers were playing better, I still love this time of year. With the start of the hockey season, so too comes EA’s latest chapter in its NHL series.
EA has spent a lot of the last year trying to give you the most realistic hockey experience, just short of strapping on a set of skates yourself. With the new “board” play, you can pin an opponent against the boards and kick out the puck to your teammates. While a slap shot goal from the blue line looks impressive, hockey games are often won on the boards, and now you can experience that first-hand.
Fighting has also been given a major upgrade. You now fight with a first-person perspective. You grab a hold of your opponent and have a great time trying to pound him into the ice. Instead of just throwing punches until someone falls, there is much more strategy in fighting now, with blocking, dodging and tugging, which makes the fights much more fun. If you find your star player in a fight, do yourself a favor and “turtle.” The last thing you need is for your star player to be out for the season for trying to be tough. This is true unless you’re playing as the Penguins. In that case, it is my opinion to let Crosby fight as much as you can, because watching him get hit in the face is always fun.
The single-player game has been given a shot in the arm with the “General Manager mode.” That’s right, you will be dropped into the role of GM, and you not only have to try and put together a winning team, but you have to keep the owners happy as well.
You will be given tasks that you must complete, from winning games to getting a certain player in a trade. When you accomplish goals, you earn points that you can use to upgrade your team’s infrastructure. Better medical, scouting and facilities are all things that you have control over. While hockey nuts will love this, it might be a little too much for the casual fan. Also, the owners can be a little wacky in their requests. I really shouldn’t have to trade away players to free up money when I am already $7 million under the cap with a winning team, but I got the request anyway. You also have to watch how you do things. While you can make outrageous offers and low-ball player contracts, your club will get a bad reputation, making your life harder in the long run.
Trading players has been made much easier in NHL 10. The interface makes a huge difference, as you can now set up your trade preferences so you only receive offers on players you could be interested in. You can set ages and what positions you are looking for. Your in-game phone will receive e-mails with offers all the way up to the real trade deadline. While this is awesome, some more time should have been spent on free agency. You can’t edit your lines in the off-season, and this means other teams’ skill players and draft choices are left unsigned, and you can’t do anything to fix holes in your team until the start of the season.
Don’t want to be a GM? “Pro” mode is for you. Create your character and bring him up through the ranks. While this isn’t a new feature to EA’s NHL, the sports shop is. Like the Tiger Woods game, you can now buy new gear that will increase your player’s abilities. Your stick, helmet, gloves and skates can all be upgraded. Equipment is also tailored to your player’s position. You will want to upgrade your defense man’s slap shot ability while the same upgrade would be useless to a goalie, so choose your equipment wisely.
While there are a lot of good additions in this game, there are some problems. The artificial intellegence (AI) isn’t as responsive as it was in previous additions. The AI tends to skate in straight lines in the neutral zone, making it easier to pick off the puck.
Also breakaways fall apart quickly. For the love of hockey, take a pass in stride! Every time I had to pass, the AI would dive for the puck. Sure, it looked good, but it slowed him down, too, making it easier for the defense to set up.
While not perfect by any stretch, there is still more than enough to keep hockey fans happy. While this isn’t a must-have for everyone, any real hockey fan should pick this game up.
James Treacy is a lifelong gamer, across all platforms of the gaming community. His opinion is in no way the opinion of this paper, and is instead offered to give its readers more information on games and trends available in today’s market. To contact him with any questions about the gaming world, e-mail jtreacy@phillynews.com.
EA has spent a lot of the last year trying to give you the most realistic hockey experience, just short of strapping on a set of skates yourself. With the new “board” play, you can pin an opponent against the boards and kick out the puck to your teammates. While a slap shot goal from the blue line looks impressive, hockey games are often won on the boards, and now you can experience that first-hand.
Fighting has also been given a major upgrade. You now fight with a first-person perspective. You grab a hold of your opponent and have a great time trying to pound him into the ice. Instead of just throwing punches until someone falls, there is much more strategy in fighting now, with blocking, dodging and tugging, which makes the fights much more fun. If you find your star player in a fight, do yourself a favor and “turtle.” The last thing you need is for your star player to be out for the season for trying to be tough. This is true unless you’re playing as the Penguins. In that case, it is my opinion to let Crosby fight as much as you can, because watching him get hit in the face is always fun.
The single-player game has been given a shot in the arm with the “General Manager mode.” That’s right, you will be dropped into the role of GM, and you not only have to try and put together a winning team, but you have to keep the owners happy as well.
You will be given tasks that you must complete, from winning games to getting a certain player in a trade. When you accomplish goals, you earn points that you can use to upgrade your team’s infrastructure. Better medical, scouting and facilities are all things that you have control over. While hockey nuts will love this, it might be a little too much for the casual fan. Also, the owners can be a little wacky in their requests. I really shouldn’t have to trade away players to free up money when I am already $7 million under the cap with a winning team, but I got the request anyway. You also have to watch how you do things. While you can make outrageous offers and low-ball player contracts, your club will get a bad reputation, making your life harder in the long run.
Trading players has been made much easier in NHL 10. The interface makes a huge difference, as you can now set up your trade preferences so you only receive offers on players you could be interested in. You can set ages and what positions you are looking for. Your in-game phone will receive e-mails with offers all the way up to the real trade deadline. While this is awesome, some more time should have been spent on free agency. You can’t edit your lines in the off-season, and this means other teams’ skill players and draft choices are left unsigned, and you can’t do anything to fix holes in your team until the start of the season.
Don’t want to be a GM? “Pro” mode is for you. Create your character and bring him up through the ranks. While this isn’t a new feature to EA’s NHL, the sports shop is. Like the Tiger Woods game, you can now buy new gear that will increase your player’s abilities. Your stick, helmet, gloves and skates can all be upgraded. Equipment is also tailored to your player’s position. You will want to upgrade your defense man’s slap shot ability while the same upgrade would be useless to a goalie, so choose your equipment wisely.
While there are a lot of good additions in this game, there are some problems. The artificial intellegence (AI) isn’t as responsive as it was in previous additions. The AI tends to skate in straight lines in the neutral zone, making it easier to pick off the puck.
Also breakaways fall apart quickly. For the love of hockey, take a pass in stride! Every time I had to pass, the AI would dive for the puck. Sure, it looked good, but it slowed him down, too, making it easier for the defense to set up.
While not perfect by any stretch, there is still more than enough to keep hockey fans happy. While this isn’t a must-have for everyone, any real hockey fan should pick this game up.
James Treacy is a lifelong gamer, across all platforms of the gaming community. His opinion is in no way the opinion of this paper, and is instead offered to give its readers more information on games and trends available in today’s market. To contact him with any questions about the gaming world, e-mail jtreacy@phillynews.com.
