 Review By: Nick Arvites |
Developer: | Visual Concepts |
| Publisher: | 2K Sports | |
| Genre: | Sports | |
| ESRB: | Everyone 10+ | |
| # Of Players: | 1-4 (2 online) | |
| Online Play: | Yes | |
| Accessories: | Custom Soundtracks, In-game Dolby Digital, HDTV 480p | |
| Buy Now: |   |
There are a few other problems that seem like they don't belong in a game franchise that has been around this long. Faceoffs would randomly happen away from the faceoff points in the rink, although it would only be shifted towards center ice. Another faceoff problem has the ref dropping the puck before one of the centers is in position for the faceoff. Perhaps even more annoying are the penalties in the game. The virtual zebras make and miss calls on par with their real life counterparts, and the problem really doesn't fall into the referee's lap. No, the biggest penalty problem is the decision to not include major penalties as well as ejections. There are no four minute, five minute, or ten minute penalties in NHL 2K6, not to mention no suspensions in the franchise mode. My initial reaction was to shrug this off as not noticeable. However, after playing both the CPU and real people, I found myself wishing repeat offenders would get ejected from the game. Without the thread of getting a four-minute major or a possible ejection, there is no deterrant towards playing extremely aggressive and hard-hitting defense. Sure, this is fun, but there are never any ramifications for these actions. It gets even worse when it concerns fighting. Everybody loves a hockey fight, its part of the game. However, after the third or fourth fight instigated by the same guy, you'll be wondering why he isn't ejected and possibly suspended. To not include these penalties is not only inexcusable, but also detracts from the simulation aspect of NHL 2K6.
As far as other modes offered by NHL 2K6, gamers will see a few party modes, the NHL skill challenge, and the franchise mode. The franchise mode was, to be blunt, unimpressive at best. It almost feels like it tries to do too much at once, and I often felt overwhelmed with little to no direction as to what to do. Editing lines was an annoying challenge that was time consuming. If the CPU auto-filled lines, they would often have glaring errors like star players on the bench or on every possible line. To make it worse, the minors-majors system was horrendous and I saw several minor-leaguers I promoted still playing in minor league games while they were with the big league club. As previously mentioned, the lack of suspensions is annoying, especially since the NHL does and is cracking down on fighting. However, the biggest problem with the franchise is the salary. As part of the labor negotiations, the NHL now has a salary cap and floor. However, this is not present in the franchise mode and it essentially gives you a little more money than your team's total salary. Again, this can be attributed to how long the negotiations took and how early the game came out, but this is more aggravating than the two-line AI problems.
On a side note, this game is not really worth it unless you have access to Xbox Live or PS2 online. Without the online setup for the respective games, the game rosters are accurate as of the end of the last NHL season. In order to get various rookies in addition to the numerous roster moves and changes, you need to download roster updates. Once again, 2K Sports fails to take out retired players and instead places them in free agency. While this isn't a problem if you're playing online or against another person, it becomes a problem when you're in a franchise mode and the CPU picks up Mark Messier and Brett Hull. Also, it isn't apparently clear as to how much longer 2K will update the player rosters. There hasn't been an update in several months, and there has been no indication that there will be another one.
As far as the online features go, they seem wonderful. Mainstays like ranked play, leaderboards, tournaments, and leagues are all in the game. However, I use the term "seems wonderful" for a reason. After playing this game extensively for several weeks, I never found more than 10 people online on Xbox Live at any given point. While this is hardly the fault of the game, it should serve as a warning that it may be hard to find a game over Xbox Live.
As any late-generation title should, NHL 2K6 looks great. There are no slowdowns, and the arenas and player models are excellent. There are great scenes of the locker rooms, fans, and other forms of ambience that 2K Sports is known for. However, the biggest deal-killer for NHL 2K6 and 2K Sports in general is the loss of the ESPN license. Without ESPN, NHL 2K6 loses out on a uniform menu system, all sorts of presentation gimmicks and styles, a National Hockey Night highlight show, or any other ESPN feature. Granted, ESPN also did not pick up NHL rights this season, so in actuality 2K may not have lost much. However, the announcing crew is terrible. The Canadian hockey broadcast team of Bob Cole and Harry Neale provide the commentary during the game. While they aren't horrible and at least take it seriously, they take getting used to and the commentary often sounds either flat or stiff.
While I normally do not bring in pricing points as a consideration, 2K Sports have forced me to make an exception. As one of the last 2K games at the $19.99 price level, NHL 2K6 automatically sets itself over its competition by offering a vastly superior product for less. The price level for NHL 2K6, at least in my case, pushed it from a rental game to an at-the-moment purchase. The ultimate value of this title exceeds what the purchase price indicates.
Bottom Line:
Overall, NHL 2K6 is still the king of video game hockey. It provides an excellent hockey simulation and manages to capture most of the NHL rule changes. The true strength in this game comes from playing a real person (online or offline) in exhibition games. The franchise mode needs more polish and work to be truely effective. The minor annoyances can pile up, but this is still one of the best hockey simulations ever produced.
| Pros: | Cons: | Final Score: |
|---|---|---|
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| 7.8 |
Posted: 2006-03-03 20:47:03 PST