I'm a big hockey fan, but not a fan of EA NHL franchise, since 2000, when I bought NHL from 2K SPORTS, It was a better game in all aspects, untill last year. I was largely dissapointed eith their attempt to create a hockez game, too manz bugs, easy goals,...So I decided to try the EA NHL again after a bunch of years.
Game presentation is good, nothing special, the menus are a little bit hard to navigate, but after a while you will get used to.
The music is very good...a mix of alternative and hard rock. The In-game sound is TOP-NOTCH, crowd and players shouting and hits sounds like real. If you have a 5.1 DD you will feel yourself, like beeing there...on the ice.
The graphics are very good too, plaer models look great from their jerseys to faces as the stadiums and crowd. The lighting effects are great. The motion capture is fantastic, the hits look really hard, you can almost feel them. Players will loose their helmets and sticks and reach for them...
It all looks very realistic.
The gameplay is where this game really excels. EA made a hockey game...they didn't manage to do so for many years...From the action packed "pinball on the ice" they created a real hockey game. The difficulty is accurate, still after playng around 80 matches (most of them on superstar mode) I didn't find the secure way to score a goal, every goalie has his own weekpoints so it is very hard to find the 100% way to score as it was in previous games. The puck behaves like a real puck, not like a ball covered with a glue. You have to be very careful not to lose it. The defense is pretty tought. It is very difficult to finish a one-timer, it is a very satisfying feeling to score a one-timer goal. The best inovation is the "stick featurette", it changes the way of playng sport games. You have the feeling of complete control over your player, you can do whatever you want...The shooting system is great. All is provided by the right analog stick, imagine it like your own hands...It works fantastic...At the begining it is difficult but after a couple of matches you get used to it and will forget the old control system.
The online possibilities aren't as good as 2Ks (no leagues or cups), but it's still fun.
This is the best hockey game I've played in a long time. A must have for hockey fans.
Create an Account
Member Login
