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This thread has been linked to the game 'NHL 11'.
The NHL gaming franchise began way back in 1991, with ‘NHL Hockey’ on the Sega Mega Drive. Now already, I feel disrespectful trying to review the latest release in a franchise that is older than me. Nevertheless, I will offer my view on NHL 11.
This is the second hockey game I’ve owned, the first being NHL 10 from last year. I was impressed with NHL 10, it being far more physical and engaging than the FIFA games I was used to. My first glimpse of its bigger brother, NHL 11, was the demo. Being a Pittsburgh Penguins supporter, I was obviously disappointed that this year’s ‘chosen franchise’ that would cover the game, and would be placed at the centre of the game, was the Chicago Blackhawks. For those confused by that last sentence, it’s similar to the way that FIFA has used Wayne Rooney as
an 'advertisement player' for the past few FIFA releases, bar FIFA 11, in which they used Kaka. NHL games usually choose the team who has won the Stanley Cup (equivalent to a combination of the FA Cup, European Cup and the World Cup – let’s just say it’s the most important cup in hockey).
Moving on from the sports lesson, NHL 11 has seemingly managed to do the impossible, by upstaging its predecessor. NHL 10 was a fantastic game overall, the only quibbles being minor bugs. NHL 11 appears to be a updated, smooth edged version of NHL 10, with far more realism chucked in for good measure. One of my gripes with NHL 10 was the passing system, which appeared to be far too fast to be considered challenging. In NHL 11, interceptions are actually possible now, with the puck moving far slower. For those arcade game lovers, fear not, the game has not become too bogged down; the shot system in the game has been speeded up, so that pucks fly into the net far faster, and more like real life. Full marks thus far.
Sadly, I’m going to have to taint the fantastic image I’ve just created. One feature which hockey fans across the world have been dreading is the broken stick. True, in real-life, sticks do break. Sadly, EA have gotten carried away with showing this off, and sticks break constantly on the ice. It can become really frustrating, as there have been occasions were I’ve gone through 2 or 3 sticks in a game, on one occasion, even 4. Great idea. Bad implementation. Alongside broken sticks are dropped sticks, which is self explanatory. The one good thing these two features have brought to the game is a new dimension to gameplay. Despite not holding a stick, a player will still be able to defend, blocking passes and shots, until they can get a new stick from the bench when the time is right.
In terms of game modes, there have been no new additions, perhaps slightly updated, but not notable enough to dissect. You have Be a GM (equivalent to be a manager in FIFA), Be a Pro, in which you can become a brand new drafted player and work your way up into a team’s lines, or take control of an existing player on a team, and also Playoff mode, where you can battle for the Stanley Cup. Online play is not much to shout about, again the same modes from NHL 10 following through to this game. You can expect the same EA servers as well, which in my experience are awful on NHL games.
Music. It’s usually in the background of the menus, and you don’t take much note of it, unless it’s awful or incredibly catchy. Sadly, NHL has taken a turn for the worse in terms of music, straying from the path of heavy metal and rock that reflects the brutality of hockey, and including dance tunes. Thankfully, some wise boffin included the custom music feature. Oh, and just to warn you, NHL has managed to find an equally annoying track to the Wegue Wegue tune from FIFA 10. It’s called Ole Ole. Come on, they’re both 2 words, those 2 words are the same word, and the words aren’t even real words. I get a feeling EA hunt out these tunes, because they certainly aren’t listened to by normal people.
So to wrap this up, NHL 11 has definitely taken the hockey franchise up a step. It’s slightly better than NHL 10, with the game feeling more smoother and physical. Oddly, it has the exact same problems as NHL 10 had. It’s the small things in the game, the extra features to really give the game a realistic edge that are missing, or are in the game already, but are just terrible. I’d like to say it’s the best sports game out at the moment, but it’s sadly not. It’s certainly a fantastic game, and if you want to get involved in hockey, well this is the closest you’re going to get without getting battered and bruised.
Game Rating: 8/10
This is the second hockey game I’ve owned, the first being NHL 10 from last year. I was impressed with NHL 10, it being far more physical and engaging than the FIFA games I was used to. My first glimpse of its bigger brother, NHL 11, was the demo. Being a Pittsburgh Penguins supporter, I was obviously disappointed that this year’s ‘chosen franchise’ that would cover the game, and would be placed at the centre of the game, was the Chicago Blackhawks. For those confused by that last sentence, it’s similar to the way that FIFA has used Wayne Rooney as
an 'advertisement player' for the past few FIFA releases, bar FIFA 11, in which they used Kaka. NHL games usually choose the team who has won the Stanley Cup (equivalent to a combination of the FA Cup, European Cup and the World Cup – let’s just say it’s the most important cup in hockey).
Moving on from the sports lesson, NHL 11 has seemingly managed to do the impossible, by upstaging its predecessor. NHL 10 was a fantastic game overall, the only quibbles being minor bugs. NHL 11 appears to be a updated, smooth edged version of NHL 10, with far more realism chucked in for good measure. One of my gripes with NHL 10 was the passing system, which appeared to be far too fast to be considered challenging. In NHL 11, interceptions are actually possible now, with the puck moving far slower. For those arcade game lovers, fear not, the game has not become too bogged down; the shot system in the game has been speeded up, so that pucks fly into the net far faster, and more like real life. Full marks thus far.
Sadly, I’m going to have to taint the fantastic image I’ve just created. One feature which hockey fans across the world have been dreading is the broken stick. True, in real-life, sticks do break. Sadly, EA have gotten carried away with showing this off, and sticks break constantly on the ice. It can become really frustrating, as there have been occasions were I’ve gone through 2 or 3 sticks in a game, on one occasion, even 4. Great idea. Bad implementation. Alongside broken sticks are dropped sticks, which is self explanatory. The one good thing these two features have brought to the game is a new dimension to gameplay. Despite not holding a stick, a player will still be able to defend, blocking passes and shots, until they can get a new stick from the bench when the time is right.
In terms of game modes, there have been no new additions, perhaps slightly updated, but not notable enough to dissect. You have Be a GM (equivalent to be a manager in FIFA), Be a Pro, in which you can become a brand new drafted player and work your way up into a team’s lines, or take control of an existing player on a team, and also Playoff mode, where you can battle for the Stanley Cup. Online play is not much to shout about, again the same modes from NHL 10 following through to this game. You can expect the same EA servers as well, which in my experience are awful on NHL games.
Music. It’s usually in the background of the menus, and you don’t take much note of it, unless it’s awful or incredibly catchy. Sadly, NHL has taken a turn for the worse in terms of music, straying from the path of heavy metal and rock that reflects the brutality of hockey, and including dance tunes. Thankfully, some wise boffin included the custom music feature. Oh, and just to warn you, NHL has managed to find an equally annoying track to the Wegue Wegue tune from FIFA 10. It’s called Ole Ole. Come on, they’re both 2 words, those 2 words are the same word, and the words aren’t even real words. I get a feeling EA hunt out these tunes, because they certainly aren’t listened to by normal people.
So to wrap this up, NHL 11 has definitely taken the hockey franchise up a step. It’s slightly better than NHL 10, with the game feeling more smoother and physical. Oddly, it has the exact same problems as NHL 10 had. It’s the small things in the game, the extra features to really give the game a realistic edge that are missing, or are in the game already, but are just terrible. I’d like to say it’s the best sports game out at the moment, but it’s sadly not. It’s certainly a fantastic game, and if you want to get involved in hockey, well this is the closest you’re going to get without getting battered and bruised.
Game Rating: 8/10
Don't ask me how to fix that one line that just says 'as'. I've copied this across from MS Word, and can't seem to adjust it properly.
The NHL gaming franchise began way back in 1991, with ‘NHL Hockey’ on the Sega Mega Drive. Now already, I feel disrespectful trying to review the latest release in a franchise that is older than me. Nevertheless, I will offer my view on NHL 11.
This is the second hockey game I’ve owned, the first being NHL 10 from last year. I was impressed with NHL 10, it being far more physical and engaging than the FIFA games I was used to. My first glimpse of its bigger brother, NHL 11, was the demo. Being a Pittsburgh Penguins supporter, I was obviously disappointed that this year’s ‘chosen franchise’ that would cover the game, and would be placed at the centre of the game, was the Chicago Blackhawks. For those confused by that last sentence, it’s similar to the way that FIFA has used Wayne Rooney as
an 'advertisement player' for the past few FIFA releases, bar FIFA 11, in which they used Kaka. NHL games usually choose the team who has won the Stanley Cup (equivalent to a combination of the FA Cup, European Cup and the World Cup – let’s just say it’s the most important cup in hockey).
Moving on from the sports lesson, NHL 11 has seemingly managed to do the impossible, by upstaging its predecessor. NHL 10 was a fantastic game overall, the only quibbles being minor bugs. NHL 11 appears to be a updated, smooth edged version of NHL 10, with far more realism chucked in for good measure. One of my gripes with NHL 10 was the passing system, which appeared to be far too fast to be considered challenging. In NHL 11, interceptions are actually possible now, with the puck moving far slower. For those arcade game lovers, fear not, the game has not become too bogged down; the shot system in the game has been speeded up, so that pucks fly into the net far faster, and more like real life. Full marks thus far.
Sadly, I’m going to have to taint the fantastic image I’ve just created. One feature which hockey fans across the world have been dreading is the broken stick. True, in real-life, sticks do break. Sadly, EA have gotten carried away with showing this off, and sticks break constantly on the ice. It can become really frustrating, as there have been occasions were I’ve gone through 2 or 3 sticks in a game, on one occasion, even 4. Great idea. Bad implementation. Alongside broken sticks are dropped sticks, which is self explanatory. The one good thing these two features have brought to the game is a new dimension to gameplay. Despite not holding a stick, a player will still be able to defend, blocking passes and shots, until they can get a new stick from the bench when the time is right.
In terms of game modes, there have been no new additions, perhaps slightly updated, but not notable enough to dissect. You have Be a GM (equivalent to be a manager in FIFA), Be a Pro, in which you can become a brand new drafted player and work your way up into a team’s lines, or take control of an existing player on a team, and also Playoff mode, where you can battle for the Stanley Cup. Online play is not much to shout about, again the same modes from NHL 10 following through to this game. You can expect the same EA servers as well, which in my experience are awful on NHL games.
Music. It’s usually in the background of the menus, and you don’t take much note of it, unless it’s awful or incredibly catchy. Sadly, NHL has taken a turn for the worse in terms of music, straying from the path of heavy metal and rock that reflects the brutality of hockey, and including dance tunes. Thankfully, some wise boffin included the custom music feature. Oh, and just to warn you, NHL has managed to find an equally annoying track to the Wegue Wegue tune from FIFA 10. It’s called Ole Ole. Come on, they’re both 2 words, those 2 words are the same word, and the words aren’t even real words. I get a feeling EA hunt out these tunes, because they certainly aren’t listened to by normal people.
So to wrap this up, NHL 11 has definitely taken the hockey franchise up a step. It’s slightly better than NHL 10, with the game feeling more smoother and physical. Oddly, it has the exact same problems as NHL 10 had. It’s the small things in the game, the extra features to really give the game a realistic edge that are missing, or are in the game already, but are just terrible. I’d like to say it’s the best sports game out at the moment, but it’s sadly not. It’s certainly a fantastic game, and if you want to get involved in hockey, well this is the closest you’re going to get without getting battered and bruised.
Game Rating: 8/10
This is the second hockey game I’ve owned, the first being NHL 10 from last year. I was impressed with NHL 10, it being far more physical and engaging than the FIFA games I was used to. My first glimpse of its bigger brother, NHL 11, was the demo. Being a Pittsburgh Penguins supporter, I was obviously disappointed that this year’s ‘chosen franchise’ that would cover the game, and would be placed at the centre of the game, was the Chicago Blackhawks. For those confused by that last sentence, it’s similar to the way that FIFA has used Wayne Rooney as
an 'advertisement player' for the past few FIFA releases, bar FIFA 11, in which they used Kaka. NHL games usually choose the team who has won the Stanley Cup (equivalent to a combination of the FA Cup, European Cup and the World Cup – let’s just say it’s the most important cup in hockey).
Moving on from the sports lesson, NHL 11 has seemingly managed to do the impossible, by upstaging its predecessor. NHL 10 was a fantastic game overall, the only quibbles being minor bugs. NHL 11 appears to be a updated, smooth edged version of NHL 10, with far more realism chucked in for good measure. One of my gripes with NHL 10 was the passing system, which appeared to be far too fast to be considered challenging. In NHL 11, interceptions are actually possible now, with the puck moving far slower. For those arcade game lovers, fear not, the game has not become too bogged down; the shot system in the game has been speeded up, so that pucks fly into the net far faster, and more like real life. Full marks thus far.
Sadly, I’m going to have to taint the fantastic image I’ve just created. One feature which hockey fans across the world have been dreading is the broken stick. True, in real-life, sticks do break. Sadly, EA have gotten carried away with showing this off, and sticks break constantly on the ice. It can become really frustrating, as there have been occasions were I’ve gone through 2 or 3 sticks in a game, on one occasion, even 4. Great idea. Bad implementation. Alongside broken sticks are dropped sticks, which is self explanatory. The one good thing these two features have brought to the game is a new dimension to gameplay. Despite not holding a stick, a player will still be able to defend, blocking passes and shots, until they can get a new stick from the bench when the time is right.
In terms of game modes, there have been no new additions, perhaps slightly updated, but not notable enough to dissect. You have Be a GM (equivalent to be a manager in FIFA), Be a Pro, in which you can become a brand new drafted player and work your way up into a team’s lines, or take control of an existing player on a team, and also Playoff mode, where you can battle for the Stanley Cup. Online play is not much to shout about, again the same modes from NHL 10 following through to this game. You can expect the same EA servers as well, which in my experience are awful on NHL games.
Music. It’s usually in the background of the menus, and you don’t take much note of it, unless it’s awful or incredibly catchy. Sadly, NHL has taken a turn for the worse in terms of music, straying from the path of heavy metal and rock that reflects the brutality of hockey, and including dance tunes. Thankfully, some wise boffin included the custom music feature. Oh, and just to warn you, NHL has managed to find an equally annoying track to the Wegue Wegue tune from FIFA 10. It’s called Ole Ole. Come on, they’re both 2 words, those 2 words are the same word, and the words aren’t even real words. I get a feeling EA hunt out these tunes, because they certainly aren’t listened to by normal people.
So to wrap this up, NHL 11 has definitely taken the hockey franchise up a step. It’s slightly better than NHL 10, with the game feeling more smoother and physical. Oddly, it has the exact same problems as NHL 10 had. It’s the small things in the game, the extra features to really give the game a realistic edge that are missing, or are in the game already, but are just terrible. I’d like to say it’s the best sports game out at the moment, but it’s sadly not. It’s certainly a fantastic game, and if you want to get involved in hockey, well this is the closest you’re going to get without getting battered and bruised.
Game Rating: 8/10