“NHL 10” For Xbox 360 and PS3

EA Sports has decided not to develop NHL 10, which was released today, for the Nintendo Wii but if you want the game and you own either an Xbox 360 or a PlayStation 3, you’re in luck.  If you love hockey games but only have a Wii, you might want to consider NHL 2K10 which also became available today (I’ll be writing about it later this week).

Okay, so before I get started on all the new features, can I just say that these graphics look great!  I’m super excited to pick up a copy and I hope I don’t have the same “unreadable disc” problem I had with NHL 09 (I wrote about the solution, if you ever have the problem).

I am loving what I’ve read about the new “Battle for the Cup” mode which allows you to go through the whole NHL playoffs experience which, of course, is the best part of the season.  Players will have the option of skating through injuries, intimidating rivals and the storylines will carry through the entire series so it’s pretty realistic.

The new GM mode puts you in charge of trading, hiring staff and scouting for rookies.  I think that could be pretty interesting since it really gives a glimpse into what the general managers actually do.

You’ll also get to experience on-ice scraps through a whole new perspective with the new first-person fighting feature.  You’ll be able to pull on your foe’s jersey but I don’t know if the game goes as far as to let you punch out some teeth.  It would be cool if it did, though.

This gameplay trailer will give you a better idea of what to expect from the game: