I just don't get EA, their hockey games were just so-so for awhile, then really terrible 2002/3 but 2004 was actually a good game. I played NHL 2004 and NHL 2K4 an equal amount of time, really liking aspects of both. Then last year EA made a game that was pretty much UNplayable, at least if you wanted to play it like real hockey and not like a mutant league sports game. Hockey is my favorite sport, always has been, it is the only one that I usually buy both versions of the game for. I nearly skipped EA's game this year after the disaster that was 2005 but I read some positive previews so I gave it a shot. The first thing I looked for was roster updates since I was shocked to find out 2K6 seemed to think it was not necessary this year. Yep, Forsberg is with my Flyers, that is a big positive. The controls seem to have been simplified which is NOT a positive, the stupid spin deke is back and looks as ridiculous as ever too. What is really disapointing control-wise is that they have removed most of the control that you had of your stick using the right stick. You can poke check by pressing a button of course but why the hell would they remove what was an excellent feature? It IS playable this year though which is a big improvement, the franchise features are about the same as last year's, there are still some things missing from it that I really liked in the 2004 version though, again WHY? The players will still DO most of the things that you could do in earlier versions but too much is automated. I don't like the simplification of the controls at all and I don't think any hockey fan will. Another BIG omission (that once again was IN the game in 2004) is any tutorials on the new features or offensive/defensive schemes. Maybe they are there and I just can't find them but they were easy to find in last years game so again I think this is another unfathomable choice EA made. Someone explain WHY do they remove good things from the game? Scoring is too easy on default settings, unless this is your first time with a hockey game you will want to make adjustments but this happens every year. All-in-all this years NHL game from EA is a big improvement over the fiasco of 2005 but which isn't saying much since you couldn't even set-up a powerplay last year without being sent 20 feet through the air, even if Martin St.Louis was the guy that hit you. It's a decent game, still not the best hockey game on the market BUT Forsberg IS A FLYER so I give EA extra points for not being too lazy to update the rosters.
I love NHL 05...i mean 06. so little has changed since last year that i thought i was playing 05 alot of the time, which to me is not a bad thing. Though its gameplay is not as good as 2k6s is, it is still enjoyable. Th... Read Full Review
Gameplay: 7 Why: NHL games have been around for a long time. Having said that, you'd think by now companies could come out with a game that is true to hockey, in realism and design. Unfortunately, since the gaming compa... Read Full Review
