Thanks Ryan….a great review of NHL 10….now if I can only stop playing…..
Overall Game-play: 9.5/10
– The new goalie animations are a nice addition. The goalies look real in net, now making acrobatic saves. They now sprawl out of their crease to cover a loose puck… unlike the last couple years where they’d be a statue watching the puck.
– I’ve noticed that there are much less cross-crease one-timers. In fact, I have not scored any goals this way in the day and a half that I’ve owned the game. This is a plus and a minus. Last year, you could score on one-timers at will. This year, they’ve basically taken them out of the game.
– One of the reasons why one-timers are less effective is because the passing aspect is not arcade-like anymore. Passes don’t automatically don’t go tape to tape like they use to.
– The puck is more sensitive now. More shots are blocked by the opposition, and more goals are scored via deflections. I really like this, even though every shot from the point seems to get blocked.
– Post-whistle scrums have been added this year… and I love it! If you mess with the goalie after the whistle, the defensemen will facewash you and/or hit you. You can even get penalties. This authenticates the game even more IMO!
Overall Presentation: 8/10
– Let’s start with the good. The crowd is MUCH more realistic and involved. Instead of everyone jumping up and down the whole game like the old days, fans sit in their seats and stand up and cheer when a goal is scored. In playoff games, they wave towels and are louder than exhibition games. Playoff games finally feel different!
– The main menu when you put in the game looks awesome. Something minor… but it looks good.
– Now to the bad. The scoreboard when you’re playing the game is hard to read, especially the time and period. The clock is kind of faded, and it’s small. There is some color to it, though.
– The commentary is same-ol’ same ol’. Gary Thorne and Bill Clement are good in the game, but I wish they would change it to have a new and fresh voice announcing the games.
– There are some minor details that the EA team missed. For instance, the Capitals wear blue helmets on the road (should wear white), and some left-handed players are right-handed. Just minor things, but it will be kind of annoying to play the Caps at home. EA Sports has always been good about these kind of details, and someone missed something this time around.
– Another minor thing is that they left out the KHL. NHL09 had the ‘Superliga’ included on the game last year, and it was convenient to move players from one league to the other. Those players (Jagr, Fedorov, etc.) are now either excluded from the game or with their countries. The KHL itself may have had something to do with this… but I don’t like it either way.
New Features: 10/10
– The ‘Battle for the Cup Mode’ is awesome. You can pick two teams to make a mock Stanley Cup Final, and play for the Cup. They also added a ‘Playoff Mode’ where you can play out a whole postseason. Great features for playing out tournaments with friends.
– The new board play further authenticates the game. You can pin opposing players to the boards and steal the puck, and vice versa.
– Fighting has always been a struggle in hockey games. This is as close to realistic as possible.
– They added the ‘Be a GM Mode’ as well. I haven’t played around with this feature enough to get the full effect, but the concept is awesome. You basically fill the shoes of a GM, and have tasks to complete with trades and free agents. You can also play out the trade deadline as it happens. I love this new mode, and will probably play it the most.
– I’m glad they added a fantasy draft to the GM modes. Something I’ve also liked in video games.
Re-play ability: 11/10
I have played this non-stop since purchasing it yesterday. I could honestly play it all the way to next year’s game. There are so many new additions to the game that you can be active in many different modes at once.
Overall: 9.5/10
NHL10 is as close to being perfect as you can get. All of the new features and modes are fantastic at first glimpse. I thought they would be kind of over-the-top, but they’re not. I am literally blown away and stunned by this game. If you’re a video-gamer, and choose to play NHL 2K10… shame on you! NHL10 has everything you want as they put an emphasis on pleasing their buyers this year. If you haven’t already, go get it and experience it yourself!
