Last year's hockey title was, quite frankly, one of the greatest improvements to the
NHL franchise in a very long time, making this year's effort a bit of a disappointment (in comparison). For sure,
NHL 10 is still a great game overall, but if you already own
09, you probably won't miss a whole lot as most of the changes this year are cosmetic and it's very difficult to one-up one of the best sports sims of all time.
The first addition has been mentioned above in the form of first person fighting. It certainly adds some flavor to the game and gives a unique perspective, but the controls feel a bit on the clunky side. What's interesting about picking fights is that as long as players are bumping for a while during a dead puck, you'll have ample opportunity to drop your gloves. Just be wary of the five minutes it will cost you in the penalty box.
Another big feature in terms of gameplay to NHL 10 is that of the advanced board play. The ability to freeze the puck against the boards on offense is great, and on defense, it makes stealing the puck all that much more fun after you drive someone's face into the Plexiglas. When all's said and done, you can poke check the puck away or kick it with your skate to pass to a teammate.
As far as straight gameplay goes, I do have to say that I'm disappointed in how difficult it is to score... at least for me. I realize that I am no hockey master by any means -- in fact, I pretty much stink -- but I do feel like NHL 10's ability to put one past the goalie has gotten increasingly difficult. Last year, I felt like I at least had a fighting chance. I also found that the camera just wasn't friendly, and I ultimately decided that the only way I could see enough of the ice at any given time was to choose the Overhead Camera, but doing so made it very difficult to follow the puck being that it was so small.
Once again, my favorite mode of play in NHL 10 is the Be A Pro season. Here you'll take on one player (your created player, for example) and follow him through the season. When off the ice, either through line changes or through penalties, you'll be watching from the sidelines. The thing I like most about this mode is that for people like me who aren't that great at controlling all of the action, Be A Pro allows you to focus on playing a single position, making the controls slightly less complicated as you can call for passes at any time.
Other gameplay modes include another favorite, Online Team Play, including Online Leagues, Shootout (online or off), Tournament, Playoff, and Season Modes, as well as the new Battle For The Cup Now Mode and the Be A Gm Mode. Playing online is a blast, especially considering that you can play a full 6-on-6 match. Something that didn't sit well with me, online or off, is that Penalty Shootouts felt way too slow and methodical instead of quick and enjoyable. When you're done playing, you'll also be kicked to the Main Menu instead of, say, the Online Menu, which is highly annoying when you want to keep playing Quick Matches. Throughout the game, you'll also be able to unlock different equipment/items that can be used on your Created Player.
