|
|
New NHL 06 Hands-On |
|
New NHL 06 Hands-On |
Yesterday was the second time I was afforded the opportunity to play EA's NHL 06. Just in case reading an entire article is too taxing, I'll preface things by saying the game is still looking great. The development team has reached back to the roots of the series and made the gameplay feel a little more like an arcade experience and less technically daunting. Don't worry, players still have the ability to perform all of the deeks, pokes, and jabs that hockey enthusiasts live for, but the moves come naturally and are much easier to perform.
Hockey fans everywhere were given a reason to live this past week as progress was made between the player's union and the owners effectively ending the lockout. The development team was appropriately excited over the news even though the plan was to make a game that would excite the fans regardless of an actual season. We all know that sports gaming is more exciting when it's tethered to a real world equivalent. Why else would licensing be so important?
For a closer look at specific controls you can read my original hands-on impressions here. Overall, the game feels intuitive and quick without getting hung up on complicated controls. First off, deeking is handled through the left analog stick, so fancy maneuvers are a lot easier to pull off. If this sounds familiar, it's because it was modeled on NHL 94, a classic and much-loved version of the franchise. Not only does this result in some visually exciting confrontations at the goal, but deeking is necessary to throw goalies off their skates and open up the net. Simple deeking presents an offensive advantage that must be used to capitalize on the breakaway.
A selected player is outlined by a small circle at their base, however each team also has standout athletes who are highlighted by a star. These players can perform special moves by flicking the right analog stick in one of four directions. Using just my thumbs I was able to manually deek out a goalie, perform a dizzying Spin-o-rama, and flip the puck toward the back of the net. My dazed opponent had plenty of time to ponder their lack of skill while the replay touted every second of my glory.
In reality, I spent more time on defense than offense and the game has new features separate from taking shots on goal. Puck handling looks more realistic than ever with players actually pushing the puck down the ice in front of them. When using a boost, a player's control of the puck decreases significantly as it floats slightly ahead of them. Besides making the boost meter more of a dangerous option, the handling looks more realistic and doesn't have the "magnetic puck" qualities of previous titles.
We've mentioned this feature before but for anyone who still hasn't heard the news, the PlayStation 2 version of NHL 06 includes NHL 94 which is accessible from the menu screen. The Xbox version receives upgraded graphics with bump mapping and a smoother, shinier arena. We'll have more information on this game as it becomes available. In the meantime take a look at our new direct feed videos and judge the action for yourself. Source: www.ign.com
| |
|
|
|
Related Stories |
|
|
Most Popular |
|
|
|
Rate this Article |
|
| | |
| Xbox Download Stats | | | Site Statistics
| |
HQ Online Statistics Members: 1 | Guests: 1,347 | Xbox Live Tags: 4,376
| | | |
Forums Active Users: 735
| Your Account Active Users: 237
| News Active Users: 110
| Private Messages Active Users: 50
| Xbox Games Active Users: 44
| Downloads Active Users: 35
| Profile Active Users: 33
| Home Active Users: 32
| Xbox Homebrew Active Users: 19
| Xbox Tutorials Active Users: 13
|
| View More Detailed Statistics |
| Popular Xbox Games | |
Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance Page Views: 302,000 The Year 106AD the Roman Empire is in terrible decline. After the untimely death of the much-liked Emperor Trajan, the despotic Emperor Arruntius has bled the once powerful Rome to its knees. Badly fo.. | | More Xbox Games | | HQ Network Affiliates | |
| Xbox-Hq.Com - Archived News | |
| Tuesday, April 16 | | Sleight of Hand launches Day One on Xbox Game published by: BigJ | Page Views: 36 | Comments: 0 |
Monday, April 15 | | Dune: Awakening Shows Off Stunning Unreal Eng published by: BigJ | Page Views: 81 | Comments: 0 |
| INDIE Live Expo Reveals First 2024 Showcase, published by: BigJ | Page Views: 50 | Comments: 0 |
Friday, April 12 | | Build Your Empire: 'Rise of Industry 2' Comin published by: BigJ | Page Views: 57 | Comments: 0 |
Thursday, April 11 | | Perennial Order is set to bloom on Xbox Serie published by: BigJ | Page Views: 50 | Comments: 0 |
| Metro Simulator 2 is coming soon for Xbox and published by: BigJ | Page Views: 54 | Comments: 0 |
Wednesday, April 10 | | Terminator: Survivors announced for Xbox Seri published by: BigJ | Page Views: 74 | Comments: 0 |
Tuesday, April 09 | | TMNT: Wrath of the Mutants Hits XBOX, PlaySta published by: BigJ | Page Views: 58 | Comments: 0 |
| devcom announces new venue, call for speakers published by: BigJ | Page Views: 69 | Comments: 0 |
Monday, April 08 | | Space Invaders Deck Commander - The Board Gam published by: BigJ | Page Views: 63 | Comments: 0 |
| Demolish & Build 3 is coming to Xbox, PlaySta published by: BigJ | Page Views: 75 | Comments: 0 |
Tuesday, March 26 | | Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland coming soon f published by: BigJ | Page Views: 85 | Comments: 0 |
Monday, March 25 | | Sci-fi adventure 'Sky of Tides' announced for published by: BigJ | Page Views: 94 | Comments: 0 |
Friday, March 22 | | Planet Zoo: Console Edition arrives on March published by: BigJ | Page Views: 115 | Comments: 0 |
Thursday, March 21 | | Taxi Life: A City Driving Simulator Out Now o published by: BigJ | Page Views: 85 | Comments: 0 |
| Terra Memoria is set to launch on Xbox Series published by: BigJ | Page Views: 104 | Comments: 0 |
Wednesday, March 20 | | MLB The Show 24 launches on Xbox Game Pass published by: BigJ | Page Views: 113 | Comments: 0 |
Tuesday, March 19 | | Discover the Sound of Life in The Lullaby of published by: BigJ | Page Views: 120 | Comments: 0 |
Monday, March 18 | | FLIPGO: A portable dual monitor that you can published by: BigJ | Page Views: 151 | Comments: 0 |
Thursday, March 14 | | Highwater launches this week on Xbox X|S, XB1 published by: BigJ | Page Views: 122 | Comments: 0 |
| JSAUX’S Black MODCASE for the ROG Ally Is Ava published by: BigJ | Page Views: 140 | Comments: 0 |
Wednesday, March 13 | | Paper Ghost Stories: Third Eye Open coming to published by: BigJ | Page Views: 119 | Comments: 0 |
Tuesday, March 12 | | Night Slashers: Remake confirmed for XBOX, Pl published by: BigJ | Page Views: 137 | Comments: 0 |
| RuneScape developer Jagex joins CVC Capital P published by: BigJ | Page Views: 131 | Comments: 0 |
Monday, March 11 | | Dark JRPG Graphic Adventure 'Neon Blood' debu published by: BigJ | Page Views: 126 | Comments: 0 |
Friday, March 08 | | WWII-based strategy epic Classified: France ' published by: BigJ | Page Views: 163 | Comments: 0 |
| Sonic X Shadow Generations hits Xbox One, Xbo published by: BigJ | Page Views: 156 | Comments: 0 |
Thursday, March 07 | | Explore the World of Ink Painting in Realm of published by: BigJ | Page Views: 113 | Comments: 0 |
Wednesday, March 06 | | Barton Lynch Pro Surfing Update v1.07 is LIVE published by: BigJ | Page Views: 111 | Comments: 0 |
| FALLEN LEAF Teams Up with STUDIOS EXTRAORDINA published by: BigJ | Page Views: 138 | Comments: 0 |
Tuesday, March 05 | | Goons: Legends & Mayhem: Meet the Cat Goon an published by: BigJ | Page Views: 117 | Comments: 0 |
Monday, March 04 | | Hauntii hits Xbox Game Pass for console and P published by: BigJ | Page Views: 155 | Comments: 0 |
| REVEIL launches this week on Xbox Series, PS5 published by: BigJ | Page Views: 126 | Comments: 0 |
Friday, March 01 | | Dark Atlas: Infernum launching on Xbox, PlayS published by: BigJ | Page Views: 158 | Comments: 0 |
| Towerful Defense: A Rogue TD confirmed for XB published by: BigJ | Page Views: 126 | Comments: 0 |
Thursday, February 29 | | The House of Tesla announced for Consoles, iO published by: BigJ | Page Views: 102 | Comments: 0 |
Wednesday, February 28 | | Martha Is Dead: The Terrifying Game That's Ge published by: BigJ | Page Views: 127 | Comments: 0 |
Tuesday, February 27 | | WWE 2K24 launches in March for Xbox X|S, Xbox published by: BigJ | Page Views: 165 | Comments: 0 |
| Hex Gambit: Respawned hits Xbox X|S, XB1, PS4 published by: BigJ | Page Views: 126 | Comments: 0 |
| Manic Mechanics lands in March on Xbox One, X published by: BigJ | Page Views: 186 | Comments: 0 |
News Archive
| |
|
|