The funny
thing about sports gamers is that we want it all when it comes to our favorite
sports titles. We want a robust single-player game but we also want extra
everything for the multiplayer game as well. We want a game that looks like
you’re watching a televised match but we also want a game that plays just as
good as it look, too. Whether you’re a fan of EA Sports’ NHL game or 2K Sports’
NHL game, it all comes down to what each game has to offer and NHL 2K10
for the Xbox 360 simply doesn’t deliver this year.
“Dude, I am
not going to kiss you for good luck!”
The good
news is that NHL 2K10, interestingly enough, is playing up the online
features to make this game more of a social sports title rather than simply
adding more to the solo game modes. It’s a great thing, indeed, especially for
those who much rather spend their time playing against or with other hockey
fans. Imagine being invited to joining a friend’s league or a team composed of
real players. One minute you’re playing against the Capitals alone in your couch
in Los Angeles and the next minute you’re playing with a team with players from
New York City, Boston and Michigan.
Oh, but the
bad news is that the framerate becomes an issue when you’re playing on a team
composed of real players. This is the exact opposite of what you get when you
play on your own because as a single-player game the framerate is as smooth as
ice. At least the online game comes with a number of extras such as creating
your own reel with the 2K Reelmaker as well as share your roster, sliders and
draft picks with other players via the 2K Share feature.
Sadly, with
so many cool online options, the single-player game suffers from a game with not
a lot of game modes to sink your teeth into and savor. Sure, the Mini-Rink, Pond
Hockey and Shootout modes are back again but they’re not enough seeing as NHL
10 has some juicy modes. At least Franchise is also back but there’s nothing
really amazing that will have you cheering. While the new contract/free agent
system is a tad more tolerable than last year, the real changes come in the
business side … an aspect of the game that doesn’t really thrill. I do like the
idea of publishing my franchise stats on the 2KSports.com blog but that’s just
me. You can even man the Zamboni machine again during intermissions.
“Man, this
is brutal game! This is nothing like the ‘Mighty Ducks’ Disney movie.”
Season is
also back and you can tweak the specifics or simply just jump into the Playoffs
via the Playoffs game mode. These two modes don’t really add anything new to the
game and it’s still rather upsetting the winning the Playoffs are handled with
very little fanfare. What I do like is that the season is filled with all the
usual drama that the Franchise mode comes with including injuries and a sports
highlight reel at the end of each match you can turn to at any time during the
season.
Unfortunately, the gameplay suffers from a number of problems and other
frustrating additions such as checks that will spin a player around like a top
or drop them to the ground. Fighting is still awkward and hardly worth accepting
when the option pops up. More times than often the puck will get caught on the
top of the net … an event that had me quitting the game and restarting all over
again. There are some collision glitches as well but they don’t really get in
the way of the action … it just takes away from the realism of the presentation
when a player is trying to skate through the referee during a penalty.
Still, the
computer-controlled rival team still manages to give you a run for your money
depending on how they’re ranked and it doesn’t even matter what difficulty
setting you’re using. This is actually a good thing seeing as the more casual
gamer will find that they can move from the lower ranked teams to the bigger
fish on the leaderboard. The controls also make it easy for new players to pick
up and just start playing.
Coach: “I
knew I shouldn’t have recruited Disney on Ice skaters.”
The overall
visual presentation has really improved over the years and this game actually
looks fantastic. The player models look amazingly true to your favorite team’s
players, although the expressions are still blank … and creepy. Still, there
isn’t much to complain about seeing as the arenas look accurate and the overall
presentation has that televised visual feel that also includes
picture-in-picture displays of penalized players ready to jump back into the
game. Even the fans look good in this game
The sound is
also handled beautifully in the game with the broadcast presentation that does
justice to the visuals. You’ll hear the fans’ approval when your team manages to
outshine rivals and the music that plays to pump them up. The commentary team of
Randy Hahn and Drew Remenda is great and very on-the-spot with their commentary
even though much of what they say is repeated often. I think I lost count how
many times Remenda says “he must have a four-leaf clover on him!” The soundtrack
is good with music by the likes of Joe Satriani, 20 Pound Shovel or The Faunts.
As a fan of
the franchise, NHL 2K10 for the Xbox 360 is a disappointment but it’s
hardly what you would call a horrible game. Looking past the game’s problems and
the lack of game modes to keep you interested, the gameplay is still solid
enough to show you a good time on the ice. Sorry, 2K Sports, but it’s clear the
EA Sports has the better NHL game this year.
Gameplay: 6.5
The loss of a few
game modes is definitely felt in this year’s game and this gives us very little
to do and enjoy. On top of that, there are a few gameplay issues that will not
fail to annoy despite the fact that the framerate in the single-player game is
rock steady. There are also a number of cool features for online multiplayer
fans.
Graphics: 8.5
One of the more
visually pleasing NHL 2K games in this franchise, the year’s game looks
spectacular in nearly every way. Sure, there are a few glitches here and there
but it doesn’t take away from the great player models and arenas that look
really good even without an HD screen.
Sound:
8.5
The music is
actually really good even if you never heard of most of the artists on the play
list. The game does a great job of bringing all the sounds of an actual game
including the disappointment the fans express when their team is losing. This is
one game you will want to play with the volume up. It’s just too bad that the
commentary is way too repetitive.
Difficulty: Medium/Hard
The difficulty
setting can be tweaked to fit your playing style but you will still go up
against some intelligent AI when you’re playing against the more formidable
teams. You’ll still be watching out for the likes of Nicklas Lidstrom or cover
athlete Alex Ovechkin.
Concept: 6.5
The overall
presentation and cool new menu design is awesome but the lack of new game modes
will be considerably disappointing. The emphasis on online features is a nice
touch indeed but not at the cost of the single-player game modes. At least there
are some interesting features (Reelmaker, baby).
Multiplayer: 7.5
The idea to form
a team with a dozen players is simply amazing but it also means that the game
will suffer from excessive slowdowns and framerate stutter that just isn’t
pretty. Still, the online options are pleasantly plentiful and we would love for
them to make a comeback in next year’s game.
Overall: 6.5
Unfortunately,
NHL 2K10 isn’t the strongest entry in the 2K Sports NHL franchise
and, while it’s not a horrible hockey game, it just doesn’t come close to being
as good as past entries. That said, there are some good ideas in this one as far
as the online portion is concerned but it’s back to the drawing board for the
single-player game.
