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NHL 10
Release Date: September 2009
Available On: Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3
Developer: EA Canada
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Genre: Sports (Hockey)
ESRB Rating: Rating Pending
After all of the teasers, after all of the agony of waiting, I got to sit down and try out NHL 10 for the first time. While I only got to play for a couple of hours, I made sure to take time to play through each and every one of the new game settings. As I stated in my First Look article, I am extremely happy with what I’ve gotten to play so far.
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Use the boards to your advantage when defending the puck, or dumping it in.</center>
Use the boards to your advantage when defending the puck, or dumping it in.</center>
Why am I happy? I’m happy because I got to play first-hand one of the largest yearly improvements in the whole NHL series. Now, I must remind you that what I’ve played was a very early version of the game, so you shouldn’t expect any negatives so far; I’ll save that for the finished copy. Instead, I’ll focus entirely on what is different, and why it’s different.
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Vancouver crowds bust out the towels whenever a big hit or goal is made in the playoffs.</center>
Vancouver crowds bust out the towels whenever a big hit or goal is made in the playoffs.</center>
For instance, this game is brutal. Playing a dirty hit will leave another player on the ice for a long time, pulling in the attention of that player’s entire team. You might even convince an otherwise docile team like the Detroit Redwings to throw down the gloves in an attempt to pull the momentum back their way after you’ve put Zetterberg to the boards a couple dozen times. It can also get particularly bad after a referee whistles a play down, marking the beginning of a scrum that’ll last for a whole minute if the other team is persistently trying to pick a fight with you after repeated face-washings. Of course, if you happen to be playing as resident softie Sidney Crosby, accepting that challenge against even Chelios might be the fast track to the beating of your life. Taken into consideration the fact that fights are now done in first person mode, and you’ll understand why I still have nightmares about that moment. I felt like a three year-old stepchild who just broke the television. I never had a chance against the veteran defensemen even if I was the one landing most of the big punches. I never expected to actually be forced to make strategic decisions when watching the scrums begin.
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Control your passes using the analog to create the perfect assists.</center>
Control your passes using the analog to create the perfect assists.</center>
Another painful learning curve was found in the new goalie animations. No longer was I able to simply deke my way to victory, since it was almost impossible to pull the goalie out of the crease, or to lure him into making the long jumps. Instead I had to leave it up to chance, taking a page out of the Bobby Ryan or Alex Burrows book of goalie rushing insanity. I simply threw the puck at the net and left it up to rebounds. I’m sure that even this will be made more difficult as they tweak the difficulty even further, but it was definitely a change of pace.
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It pays to be a goon. Intimidate the other team's players and watch them squirm.</center>
It pays to be a goon. Intimidate the other team's players and watch them squirm.</center>
Speaking of pacing, NHL 10 plays out much slower should you be crazy enough to play on the Hardcore mode. Without the ability to laser guide your passes, you’ll find your team caught up in center ice much more. Heck, it took me a half dozen hours just to get used to controlling my own passes as I’ve been spoiled with the auto-assist from NHL 09. As a result, I was forced to make more dump ins for the sake of using the game’s new board-play to my advantage. All in all, I actually opted to increase the time of each period merely to allow myself more time to control the momentum. I find that controlling the momentum forces the opposition to make simple mistakes like bad passes, or even losing the puck to a hook due to shaky possession, (which apparently is caused from taking one too many big hits.)
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Goalies are tough to beat now, but a good shot will beat even the best goalies.</center>
Goalies are tough to beat now, but a good shot will beat even the best goalies.</center>
Frankly, I’m amazed at how different this game is. Everything seems to mesh well together to create momentum from intensity. This time around you will actually be given the impression that hitting the other team’s best players actually matters. It’ll also serve as a reminder that having a fast team filled to the brim with playmakers and snipers won’t be a guaranteed cup-victory either. This time around you might want to enlist an enforcer or two. Having a guy like Stortini on your side will certainly serve you well should you happen to be playing against a team like the Flyers. Personally I feel that NHL 10 is a step in the right direction. I look forward to playing it online for the first time in the future.
~Dairuka Sutain