From Community Day To Release Day: My NHL 10 Review - Flyermania's Blog

Flyermania's Blog

From Community Day To Release Day: My NHL 10 Review

Posted on September 20, 2009 at 07:22 PM.

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I've been able to spend a lot of time over the past week and a half with NHL 10, so I thought it was time to give my mini-review. I was fortunate enough to represent Operation Sports at the Community Day event back in May, and it was easy to see back then the changes that were being made to make NHL 10 even better.

Presentation
EA's game gets some criticism in this area, and while the arenas aren't near as good as those in 2k's game, there is still a lot to enjoy. The inclusion of playoff-specific crowds, game-specific commentary, and FINALLY custom soundtracks for the PS3 has really added a lot to the game. To hear the boo birds come out on the road for a player after they injured someone from the home team is a nice touch....and hearing Thorne and Clement comment on it as well it also very immersive. I would like to see some overall improvements next year, as the graphic overlays and intermission info could use an overhaul.

Graphics
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. This is an area that EA has always shined in, and NHL 10 is no different. The new player and goalie animations are a great and welcome addition, although it would be great to see the goalies get more attention in NHL 11. Overall the game looks fantastic as always, but there is still room for improvement with the goalies and also adding or fixing some of the cybers in the game.

Sound
As I mentioned above, the inclusion of custom soundtracks adds a lot to the PS3 experience. The crowd is really into it this year, cheering and booing at the appropriate times of the game. The overall sounds (goal posts, checks, board-rattling hits) are all well done. Thorne and Clement continue to be a very solid commentating tandem and are one of the best duos in any sports game IMO. Although Thorne needs to practice some of those names!

Game Modes
It may not be "new" as much as finally added from last-gen, but the addition of playoff and season mode (with 30 team control) is a great addition. About time!

Online
A mixed bag for me personally this year...the overall online experience seems to be improved so far as far as lag, and I do like the monthly league trophies idea. But the "pay for points/gear" concept is something that does not appeal to me at all. I am not a huge online player, so this doesn't affect me as much as others.

Gameplay
Ah, the gameplay. When I first played the game back in May, I was amazed at how much it had improved. The addition of boardplay and separate human and CPU sliders has really added so much to the realism of the game --- simply put, I have not played a more realistic hockey game. Unlike NHL 2004, there isn't any suction to the board play and it feels very organic. Being able to pin people to the boards and run an effective dump and chase or heavy-cycle offense is a thing of beauty to see in a hockey video game. Puck physics also seem improved over NHL 09, although some of the "bat the puck out of the air" animations are a little overboard. On a good note, the passing is a LOT better and a LOT less tape-to-tape -- seeing CPU pass percentages in the 60-70% range is a welcome change from NHL 07/08/09.

The Bottom Line
Is NHL 10 perfect. Nope. The CPU trade logic is way out of whack. The post-whistle stuff (like I mentioned over the summer) needs some work and isn't what a lot of us hoped it would be. Shots on goal are lower and longer period lengths are needed for realistic shot totals.

My bottom line is that this is a great game and IMO offers the most realistic gameplay in any hockey title to date. While the changes may not be as apparent to the casual hockey fan, the additions that were made add a great deal to the gameplay and have definitely raised the bar once again. What continues to be refreshing is the dedication the development team has to the series. They have interacted with the various forums all development cycle, and even took feedback from the demo to improve it before release. We already have seen a new tuner set and two roster updates in a game that hasn't been out for even a week. Simply incredible.

It was a pleasure to represent OS at the Community Day, and it's great to see that a lot of our feedback was taken to heart and helped make the game better.

If you like hockey, there is a lot to like with NHL 10. If you are a hardcore sim-style hockey fan, there is little doubt that you will LOVE this game. EA continues to improve this series year after year, and for that this hockey fan is grateful.

Comments

# 1 Steve_OS @ Sep 20

Good stuff bro!

# 2 savoie2006 @ Sep 21

Good review Flyer and I agree. If EA steps up the Presentation aspect for 2011 and makes some more small tweaks(like more weight to the skating), they will have the best hockey game ever. As it is 2010 is easily the best EA offering yet. I hope they can tweak the trade logic in a future Tuner Version(which I think is a brilliant idea by the way).