Now those who know me know that out of the four major sports (Baseball,Football,Basketball, and Hockey) hockey is my favorite. So naturally you would think there is a bias here. But rest assured that when I write it is done so objectively. And I approach a game test/review the same way. Now, that being said, and with having played every hockey game ever made, I can honestly say that EA Sports Canada has outdone themselves here with this one. This years offering, NHL 11 is by far the best Hockey game out at the moment. But NHL is also the best sports game available. Yes, even better then everyone's precious Madden 11 and the long running franchise of FIFA with FIFA 11.
We will start with the obvious first. There is a large portion of this game that seems it is just a carryover from last years version. Some of the commentary, animations, graphics, etc.. but as we all know - if it ain't broke, don't fix it! Last years NHL game was a very good one. So much so that normally yours truly would moan about a game just using a previous years game with a couple additions as the current years product. But there was so much done right in NHL 10 that I agree with what EA chose to bring forward from last years game. Not to mention the additions! The things that EA added to NHL 11 truly pull it away from the rest of the pack and make this years game unique when compared amongst its peers.
Borrowing from something Madden has tried to do (I would say unsuccessfully) this year you can create and truly control your very own team with Ultimate Hockey League. Now I don't mean like you could in previous years where you could take a team and totally revamp its roster and play as the GM. Or even Be A Pro mode where like in Madden you could take a player and follow/play his career from his draft to the big leagues all the way to retirement. No, this is different.
With Ultimate Hockey League (UHL) you are first given a team of no body's really. A random mix of players from the minors. And not just the AHL but from every junior, semi-pro, and pro league out there both from this continent and from across the Atlantic. You are also given a handful of player cards, training cards and other various attribute boosting cards. You see, these cards is how you manage your players. Each player has their own set of attributes that define their style, skill and other traits. And each player has both a contracted amount of games available to them to play as well as the games they are allowed to play in their career. All of these items are controllable by you. So as you take this team into games (both offline and online) and tournaments you earn EA Pucks which are used as currency to buy new cards. The way you earn pucks is all based on your in game performance. Your goals, time on attack, penalties, etc.. all will either add pucks to your total or take away from your stash. Now here is where this game mode gets interesting. You can now go to the store and use your pucks to buy a pack of cards that range from small general packs all the way to large (and expensive) advanced packs of cards. Each pack will contain a good mix of new players as well as cards that you can use to boost a players attributes or his playing time.
This new mode really adds a certain amount of a role playing aspect to the game. This mode more than any other Superstar or Be a Pro type modes is really what separates NHL 11 from its predecessors and competition. You can even purchase cards via online actions or trades. The server maintains a 24/7 cache of cards that other players around the world have either put up for trade or auction. Giving you the chance to purchase specific cards as you need them or to make some pucks selling off cards you may not need. I am glad to see that EA added this feature as an online one simply because of the added depth it gives you when looking to build up your team. Then when you take this team to either play in an online tourney or a single online game, you truly feel like this is your baby. And you will do anything you can to keep your team healthy, up to date, and gaining skills and points throughout.
Other great additions to this years game are a whole new set of check animations. EA boasts in its opening intro to the game that "Every hit is different". While this is not 100% correct, you really do get the feeling at least that the hits your making on the ice are unique graphically and the level of immersion into the game because of this is amazing. You can now do a manual hip-check, which if you know anything about hockey, is one way to really put a hurtin' on someone from the opposing team. The physics of each hit are done right this year as well. When you check someone from behind, their body falls in a motion away from the direction the hit came in. In other words if you hit someone from behind they fall forward. If you hit someone from the side, they fall to the opposite side. And when you add to this the fact that the new hit/check animations are done very well, it makes for some hard hitting action that looks realistic. I have yet to see a check put on in the game where I found myself saying, "that was really cheesy looking." Or "that check did not look right at all-I hit the guy from the side but he is falling backwards as if I hit him head-on!" EA did a masterful job at creating a realistic looking hockey game from all angles!
The faceoff has also been re-done. You now have full control over the centerman taking the faceoff. You can now control whether he goes backhand or forehand. If he will tie up the opposing centerman or if he will just try and squeeze the puck between his legs and get around him right off the puck drop. It has brought the fun back into the faceoff which used to be one of the most bland areas of the game and allows you to use some strategy in the faceoff. Which can be a really important way to change the momentum of the game from the start. Alot of features did remain untouched, but as I said earlier, if its not broke.... for example fighting. Largely untouched from last years game. As with most of the menus and your musical options. Yous till have the option to use your own music for the game which is a huge plus. Especially in a game like hockey where there is music played from start to finish. In between faceoffs, when a goal is scored and in every menu. You have full control over what music is played in every aspect of the game.
Lets see, cons to the game.... this is a hard thing to ponder. I mean, there are a couple things that I would say are some of the ugly parts of NHL 11 - but to be perfectly truthful most of what is bad in NHL 11 is still far and above what other games have offered. So these are only relative. But I think the biggest complaint anyone would have is with the online portion of the game. Traditionally NHL has been plagued with lag issues from the start. And so far I have yet to see this improve over the last couple weeks since the games release. The other is people online trying to con their way into a winning record. Quitting on you, or leaving their controller on the coffee table while you play against them online. Even though all these are major annoyances online, it is not EA's fault but rather the immaturity of players online. It would be nice to see EA find a way to regulate this. Maybe some sort of rating system like the latest release of MLB the show. Regardless of what it is the fact remains that something needs to be done otherwise people will not want to play online because of it. And when a game loses its online value, the game is pushed aside for other games that do not have to deal with such a problem.
So after all this what are we left with. Actually alot. The NHL series has always been a front runner for online and offline playability. The graphics are sharp and realistic. And the ability to build your own team and take that team against other players worldwide is a huge win for EA. Once the lag is addressed there will be nothing stopping NHL 11 from going down in video game history as one if not THE best sports game ever made. It has already beat out NHL 2K for the last few years leaving only Madden and FIFA as a competitor. An while most will say you cannot compare NHL to a football or soccer game I disagree. Because of the monopoly that EA has created by purchasing exclusive licensing for football this has forced other companies to focus their attention and energy towards other sports titles. Therefore I lump them all together since there is really no sport to sport competition.
NHL 11 is a sure buy! Something that you must have in your library. And if your not a hockey fan, you should become one fast. Because if you miss out on playing this game, your missing out on what could be the future of all sports games with the innovations showcased by NHL 11. Go and buy this now! And if you already have and want some good clean competition, hit me up on PSN for a game. My PSN id is: ssjtiamat. I would be happy to put you in your place, lol. Enjoy!
Scores:
Graphics: 10 / 10
Audio/Effects: 7 / 10
Gameplay: 7.5 / 10
Replay Value: 9.5 / 10
Online: 7 / 10
Overall: 8.2 / 10
