Along with the probably the majority of the British public, I have no clue when it comes to ice hockey. But I haven’t played a NHL game in a while so when NHL 2K6 arrived I decided to take the plunge.
NHL 2K6 features all the usual modes that you can expect from sports titles. You have exhibition, season, tournaments and a franchise mode. 2K6 also feature a few other extra modes that I’ll talk about later. Firstly let’s see how the game plays. 2K6 offers enough controls to send anyone bonkers, but don’t let that put you off because I found it easy to just pick up and play without ever having played a previous NHL 2K game. You can pass, move the puck around the ice, shoot, body check and tackle with ease after a few minutes of play. Then if you’re feeling adventurous you can start to learn the more advanced controls.
One of the more advanced controls is the ‘Pro Control’ that is new for 2K6. With the click of the R3 button icons will appear under each player letting you know which button will pass to which player, this allows you to pass to specific players quickly. A lot more controls also become available when you hold down either L1 or R1. So it’s quick to get to grips with but will take you time to master. Some of the other features I wanted to talk about are the Skybox and Party Mode. The Skybox is a place where you can view all your trophies and unlockables as well as playing a game of air hockey, darts or shuffleboard. Party Mode is a great little gem I wasn’t expecting and really keeps the game interesting. It’s a 4 player mini game fest with 18 mini games to play. Mini games like scoring goals, checking other players to send them to prison and other fun games. NHL 2K6 also has Network play, which is always a welcome edition to any game.
Graphically the game looks decent enough. Facial animations are great along with the animation. All the player models look good but the crowd look awful up close. Reflections are always nice. The game’s sound is decent, commentary as with most sports games (other than Pro Evo Soccer) is good to a point; I liked the ‘fan questions’ that cover some of the basics of the game. Crowd noises are good too.
So overall then, am I a hockey fanatic after NHL2K6? - Nope, ‘fraid not, it’s a decent enough game in its own right but if you’re not a fan of ice hockey then there’s just not enough to keep me in for the long run. The mini games are a really cool addition. Hardcore Ice hockey fans will love this I’m sure.
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