NHL 06
Score: 79% ESRB: Everyone 10+ Publisher: EA Sports Developer: EA Canada Media: DVD/1 Players: 1 - 8 Genre: Sports (Hockey)
Graphics & Sound: NHL 06 may not look leaps and bounds better than the previous iteration of the game, but it still looks pretty damn good... at least for the most part. The animations are fluid and checks look brutal. There are some minor flaws when checking players into the boards, but these only crop up on the replays. The main problem with the graphics is in variety. Most of the star players are easily discernable from one another, but the rest of the league looks like a bunch of clones. It’s easier to tell players apart from their size rather than anything else. The musical score is comprised of a bunch of licensed rock songs. Thankfully, you can pick the ones you want to hear or turn them off altogether. The music for NHL ‘94 is far superior to this collection of trash. The effects, thankfully, are much better, and you can hear them clearly when on the ice. The commentary, however, needs some work. While it helps to fill the gap between game and sports sim, most of the comments made sound like they should be on ESPN for a post game recap rather than play by play. It easily becomes background noise when you are immersed in the gameplay.
Gameplay: EA Sports didn’t do much to improve their series with NHL 06. NHL 2005 was the reason for the loss of momentum for the series, so it’s fair to say that NHL 06 didn’t have a full tank of gas coming onto the market. While it is a good hockey game, it doesn’t have the power to give the series the shot in the arm that it needs. NHL 06 brings with it the new league rule changes as well as all the standard modes of play in a hockey video game, the only exception being that there is no quick way to get into a penalty shoot-out or any way to practice your fighting. Minor infractions some would say, but these are not only part of the sport of hockey, they are exciting and turn into great mini-games that would have helped this struggling franchise. The Season mode offers short, medium and regular length versions of an actual team’s NHL season, including the playoff games. There is also the Dynasty mode from last year, where you pick a team and try to reach their individual goals based on the mentality of the coaches and GMs. Both are a little bland, and neither have improved from last year. The system is unrealistic in several ways, as the best free agents can be easily gotten, and since there is no salary cap, you can sign whoever you want. Thrown in for good measure is the usual list of international teams, as well as three elite leagues from Eastern Europe. All can be used in seasons and tournaments, and this gives players a bit of a breather when they’ve had enough of the boring old North American hockey. Unfortunately though, the rink sizes for these international teams don’t seem to be any bigger than the North American ones, as European rinks tend to be much larger than American rinks. Bonus features are also included, but remain largely untouched from last year’s version of the game. The extensive Create-A-Player and Create-A-Team modes are still just as extensive as before, and the Free-for-All mode is also included. Free-for-All lets you use your Multitap to get up to four people playing against each other, each as a different hockey player facing off against a single goalie. Sadly though, no online support is offered for this fun little mini-game. As icing on the cake, NHL ‘94 has been included in almost all of its glory. The game is almost exactly the same as it was on the old consoles. It is arguable that this game is almost as good as NHL 06 simply because of its execution. It doesn’t merit buying the game solely for this purpose, but it is a fun little aside.
Difficulty: NHL 06 is more of a fast-paced game than it is a strict hockey sim. Because of this, once the few basic elements of gameplay are mastered, defeating the computer becomes incredibly easier. Playing different teams will always offer varying degrees of difficulty, and the game is not so easy that scores will be in double digits, but it definitely does not offer the tough challenge that hockey fanatics will be looking for.
Game Mechanics: The new features in this year’s game are the dekes and fancy shots. With the left analog stick, you can control players’ movements on the rink and at the same time perform dekes to fake out the opposition. With quick back and forth movements, you will move the puck around, and the player’s skill will determine how the defender or goalie acts, possibly leaving a hole through which you can move or shoot the puck. The fancy shots can only be performed by star players whose designation is that of a star around them as opposed to the regular circle. When a star player is near the opponent’s goal, you can make them perform a fancy shot by tapping the right analog stick either up, down, left, or right. While these shots may look nice, their use is mostly limited to satisfying the game’s sense of style. More practical attempts at goal scoring will yield better results. The rest of the game’s controls contribute to create an experience that is less like a sim and more like an arcade game. The pace is incredibly fast, and most goals are scored after a hectic ordeal of bodies being thrown around in front of the net rather than by pure finesse. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the game is not fun, it just won’t appeal to hockey fans who have come to appreciate a great hockey sim from EA. These issues with NHL 06 bring up a dilemma. Should you continue to buy into the series at this point? If you have NHL 2005, you won’t be missing out on anything by skipping this year’s game. If you already have a hockey game you are satisfied with, there is really nothing that NHL 06 can offer. If you want the latest version of a franchise that plays fast and can offer quick, cheap thrills, NHL 06 can deliver. However, there are other, far better hockey games out there to choose from, but there are also worse games that you could come across as well. NHL 06 is an ode to the average hockey game; as long as you don’t have great expectations of it, you won’t be disappointed with it.
-Snow Chainz, GameVortex Communications AKA Andrew Horwitz
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