NHL 10 (Playstation 3, 2009)

The core gameplay and game modes have remained largely unchanged, which is a good thing as anyone who played last year's game knows. When you first step onto the ice in an exhibition game you'll swear you're playing NHL 09, but that will quickly change as you spend more time with it. For starters, you have the new ability of board play (i.e. sandwiching another player into the board and grappling for the puck) that helps bring the look of the on-screen action closer to reality. There were times when I felt as though my player was being sucked into the board play and it wasn't happening all that naturally, while other instances made total sense and flowed well with the rest of the game. As I got better at the game I was able to steer clear of unnecessary board play by angling my skating away from the outer edges of the rink, so that helped lessen the feeling of being sucked in by the mechanic.

Fighting has also been revamped into a first-person melee with another skater. Since I first saw this mechanic back at E3 I haven't been much of a fan. Fighting from a first-person vantage point in a hockey game simply feels unnatural and the experience, though improved from what I originally saw, is still too forced. Punches don't have much of an impact and the fact that there's no bruising and bloodying (knocking helmets off is as close as you'll come) because of NHL restrictions is a real bummer.

Other changes on the ice are more finite but not all are for the betterment of the gameplay. This year players have the ability to hit pucks out of the air for highlight-reel goals. They're tough to score, but when you do it'll be a video you'll want to save and upload to EA Sports World. Post-whistle play allows for players to jaw and check each other for a few seconds after the whistle blows (this is how most of your fights will start). The AI (artificial intelligence) does a good job of sticking up for their teammates, but if you skate around and ruffle feathers for just a few seconds everything on the screen degrades to a free-for-all. What you get isn't so much aggressive hockey as it is a street brawl on ice. Occasionally there will be roughing penalties handed out, but more often than not the refs turn a blind eye to your shenanigans.

One of the Best Sports Games out There

Disclaimers:
This is the first Hockey game I have played in a long long time.
I am a huge video game sports fan

NHL 10 is one of the best sports games I have ever played. I love Madden and FIFA (although I haven't played FIFA 10) and NHL 10 is one of the best.

Modes:
When I play the Gm Mode (NHL's version of Franchise where you take over a team and run everything from coaching decisions to trading, scouting and drafting players) I find myself saying wow, this is what Madden should be. To keep this quick, I will also quickly say that the be a pro mode is also (in my opinion) better than the madden version and is on par with the FIFA.

Gameplay:
Great gameplay. I'm not the biggest hockey fan but I know enough to know that every aspect of the game is included and accurate in the gameplay. Dekeing is effective but not overpower, there is not turbo button so you can't just use speed to blow by defenders. Like wise hits can be punishing, but if you miss, and if you're not careful you will, you'll be the one holding your head. Even the new board system seems fluid and accurate.

All in all I suggest this game to any gamer who enjoys sports games and likes getting lost in taking over and running an organization and trying to bring it to the top. Highly recommend.

Don't buy NHL '10!

Everything about the game, other than the fighting is SUBPAR compared to what was offered in NHL '09. Slapshots seem, and look slower...wrist shots take forever to get to the net, and the online gameplay is set to super-slow I think, and cannot be changed. Awful awful, and I guarantee it will NOT win as many awards (9 total) that NHL '09 did. They need to keep the speed in NHL '09, combined with the only 2 good things that NHL '10 offered (The way you fight in the game, and each team having their own song when coming onto the ice, that was really cool, but everything else stunk) when they make NHL '11. I was very dissapointed...

NHL 10 VS NHL2K10

This Is My NHL Review

There seems to be a lot of talk about which game is better NHL 2K10 OR NHL10. After playing both games I can now make an informed decision.
Nhl 2k10 is a very user friendly game. The game play isn’t too complicated for non-hockey fans, and for hockey fans it can deliver very exciting game play. What I liked most about 2k10 was that is very fun to play and very simple. Also another thing to enjoy about 2k10 is the 3rd person fighting scene’s there are very fun. It’s as if for a second you can pause the hockey game, and picked up a fighting adventure game.
Nhl10 at first was a little more difficult to play. I’m sure this is the more extreme game. For instance, when shooting there are a lot more controls to press just to make an accurate shot, when compared to 2k10 you only need one. Also on nhl10 the graphics where a lot better, the transitions were amazing and very authentic. One of the coolest features of the game was the first person fighting; it made the game more life like, because most fights are in first person.

Ratings

NHL2K10 8/10- I GAVE IT A 8 OUT OF TEN PARTIALLY FOR THE POOR GRAPHICS. It’s 2010 and if you’re going to be making Play station 3 games, then you better invest into some cutting edge graphics, but as far as overall game play, I give this game an 8, because it is a very fun game.

NHL10 8.5/10- It deserved a higher score, because of the first person fighting and amazing graphics. The only problem I had with the game that it was at first difficult to play, but after a few rounds you’ll gate the hang of it.

Best HOckey Game ever!!!

This game is such a good game it's hard to tell u about all the good things it has in it. It's THE best christmas gift for any hockey fan. This year's version has so many improvements from last year's. Like...

Be a GM mode, in this mode you can control an NHL team for up to 25 seasons. You control the day to day opperations, trades, lines, captins, and you can also play any of the team's games.

1st person fighting, this puts u into the helmet of the fighter. You can feel each punch, you can change the momentum in an instanat!

Bottom line this game is THE best sports game of the year.