Seeing that the
PSP is still relatively new, the handheld hasn’t seen much hockey love but at
least Gretzky NHL had us hockey fans covered with a decent portable
hockey game featuring The Great One. This year, though 989 Sports brings us a
new addition with Gretzky NHL 06. Once again it’s great to have a hockey
game you can carry around with you and with some new additions this is a game
you’ll want to take with you on long trips or whenever you need some hockey in
your life.
The first time
around I wasn’t blown away by Gretzky NHL and while it wasn’t a bad game
at all (far from it, really) I felt its flaws were too noticeable to make this
one a perfect game of hockey. Yet as a fan of the sport I couldn’t help but buy
it and hoped that the franchise would return with improvements. Gretzky NHL
06 has improved but not to the extent to make a hockey fanatic or nitpicky
sports gamer think this is the great hockey game that comes close to rivaling
what EA Sports and 2K Sports are bringing to the consoles. It is, however, a
solid hockey game and one you won’t mind owning if only for the richer Season
mode as well as 3 on 3 Countdown and the new Wayne vs. Wayne mode.
The Season mode
is pretty deep this year and it succeeds in bringing gamers the usual assortment
of goodies that come with it. You can draft players thanks to the Fantasy Draft
feature, choose to play all 82 games or 29 but also keep track of your team,
player and line chemistry. Your team’s morale and overall chemistry changes
within a season. Some players will feel the poor plays of their teammates are
dragging the team down and will abandon you when its draft season. In short,
it’s a nice improvement from the first game.
There’s also 3
on 3 Countdown, which is a great 3-on-3 game of hockey with no time limit and no
offside so it’s a raw game of hockey that is fun to play when you don’t want to
bother with the NHL rules. New to the series is Wayne vs. Wayne, a game mode
that incorporates Wayne Gretzky himself in the game (it’s great to see him back
on the ice even if it’s in a video game). The game is played using the usual
five-on-five player hockey with an icon on the screen called “99 Time.” Anytime
you crosscheck a player or attempt to score a goal, points add to the 99 Time
but it can also be subtracted. When your 99 Time reaches the magic number of 99
(the number has a significance since 99 was Gretzky’s jersey number), the Great
One himself becomes a player on your team so you’ll be able to play him for a
short time. The downside is that the opposing team also accumulates 99 Time and
they too can have Gretzky on their team.
Control-wise the
game doesn’t feel much different from the first game and the Shot Aim is back,
allowing for a manual aim (positioning the shot target before shooting) or auto
aim (shots are auto-targeted). Passing is still as good as ever and you can up
the aggression level. The problem, though, is that there are still some slowdown
issues that haven’t been worked out and the default controls are a pain. The
analog stick on the PSP just doesn’t cut it in this game. Fortunately you can
change the controller layout to use the D-pad to skate and the analog stick for
strategy. The AI is also occasionally inconsistent during some games. One minute
your computer-controlled teammates are making good power plays and the next they
seem to be giving the puck away with boneheaded plays. This would have been a
huge problem but it doesn’t happen often enough to make the game unbearable.
Once again
there’s online play and it’s pretty good, although I hadn’t encountered many
players as of the writing of this review. Yet like the first Gretzky NHL I can
come to expect many more and, of course, the game can be played wirelessly with
other PSP owners. Multiplayer is a great way to remedy the AI problems.
As for the
game’s graphics, the players look nicely detailed and are sharper than the last
Gretzky PSP game. The players move wonderfully on the ice and you’ll spot
favorites right away. While the crowds look like badly rendered 2D blotches, the
arenas don’t look so nice but at least the game has that great televised feel
that makes each game pretty unique.
Last year’s game
lacked color and play-by-play commentary and you couldn’t help but miss it.
Thankfully that’s not the case here and it’s handled well enough despite some
really repetitive comments. The on-ice sounds are good, although you won’t hear
the puck smack the wall or hit the post like in most games. That’s Ok, though,
seeing as the game has a great telecast feel thanks to national anthems and
crowds cheering.
Gretzky NHL
06 has its
share of problems but once you get past them you’ll find that this is a
more-than-decent portable hockey game worth owning if you’re a fan. It’s
improvements over last year’s game makes up for a few of the things it lacked
but thanks to this year’s offering this is one hockey franchise we’ll definitely
keep our eyes on.
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Gameplay: 7.0
Despite the
occasionally erratic opponent AI and the small framerate stutters here and
there, this is still a solid game of hockey. The game modes are decent enough
with 3 on 3 Countdown being one of the most enjoyable. You’ll want to change the
default controls, though, because the analog stick is better off used to
activate a strategy.
Graphics: 8.0
This is
actually a pretty great looking game with wonderfully detailed characters, a
great view of the action and decent animations. All the neat little details are
there like players shaving the ice and coaches shaking their heads when a
penalty is called. The crowds still look like cardboard cutouts, though.
Sound: 7.8
The two-man
commentary team does a good job of calling the plays, although much of what
you’ll hear can be a bit repetitive but for my money they’re still an excellent
choice. There are arena sounds aplenty here, although I do miss the sounds of
the puck smacking the post.
Difficulty:
Medium
Even in the
easiest setting your opponent will crush your offense and skate circles around
your defense and that’s great for seasoned hockey gamers but kind of frustrating
for those just looking for some arcade-style hockey action.
Concept: 7.5
There are
loads of unlockable goodies such as alternate uniforms, players (such as
different versions of Gretzky or the neat RoboEnforcer) as well as gameplay
features such as no skater fatigue. Gretzky Challenge adds some interesting
challenges to complete and there’s online play. Wayne vs. Wayne is my new
favorite mode this year.
Multiplayer:
8.0
While I wasn’t
able to test out the wireless multiplayer, I got a chance to play the game
online with a small handful of other players (although I had to wait a long
while for them to show up). The result is a smooth game that beats the
single-player game in almost every way.
Overall: 7.2
I like
Gretzky NHL 06 for a lot of reasons that supersede its most glaring glitches
and inconsistencies. It isn’t a perfect hockey game but it is a better one than
last year’s game and there’s enough here to keep any hockey fan satisfied.
