“NHL 10″ Video Game Review

NHL 10 was released yesterday and I really enjoyed trying out all of the new features.  I haven’t gotten a copy of 2K10 yet but I’ll probably rent it since I’m not sure how I’m going to feel about a hockey game on the Nintendo Wii and I don’t want to regret buying it.  Since NHL 10 isn’t available on the Wii, I’ve got to at least see what 2K10 has that this game doesn’t.

First things first – the fighting is wayyy better than it was on NHL 09.  It’s awesome because you are fighting from a real perspective instead of looking down on it from a camera angle.  You can pull on the other guy’s jersey and I also like the fact that flicking the control pads to control movements feels a lot more natural than pressing buttons.

Of course, all you need to do is look at the screenshots below to see that the graphics and effects are crisper (the faces have really improved too) and I find it moves more fluidly than the last game.  I will complain, however, about the fact that it seems to take a long time between when play stops to the face-off but maybe that’s just me (?).

I also like the fact that you don’t have to go through a whole season – you can go straight to the playoffs from the menu screen and access the Battle for the Cup mode.  I didn’t make it all the way through it but I can say that I am loving the fact that, if something happens in a game, the storyline carries over through the rest of the games.  For example, if you dish out some nasty hit in Game 1, expect animosity towards you to increase in the games that follow.

The boarding moves were pretty sweet since it really is a lot more like real hockey.  You can push and pin your opponent against the boards while you try to free the puck.

The goaltenders have more moves at their disposal so you can replicate some of the cooler things like being able to make a crazy-ass save by flipping over to the other side of the net.

The “extras” in the game are also decent.  I like the shop where you can use experience points to pick out new gear like pads and skates which is similar to what you see in games like Guitar Hero (do well at gigs, make money, buy more songs/guitars).  Speaking of which, I thought the music was great because there was a mixture of some of the 80s hits that I love along with modern tracks.

Final verdict – the changes are mostly subtle but it really does improve the overall product by enough that I’ve got to say that I like this game way more than I liked NHL 09.