GAME STUDIO DESCRIPTION: Score like a superstar with NHL® 06. Express your shooting style with the all-new EA SPORTS™ Skill Stick and light the lamp with highlight reel moves such as spinoramas, toe drags, bat-ins, and between-the-legs shots. Classic deke control adds to your arsenal by letting you manoeuvre around defensemen and make goalies dizzy before snapping off dangerous shots that can ripple the twine and knock the water bottle off the net. Own the ice like in the glory days of the EA SPORTS™ classic NHL ’94!
Key Features
* All-New EA SPORTS™ Skill Stick: Deke, shoot, and score like never before with NHL® 06. With a tap of the right analog stick, pick your spot and execute brilliant signature shots while controlling the location of each shot with the new in-net targets. Unleash an arsenal of moves as you take complete control of every scoring opportunity.
* EA SPORTS™ R.P.M. Physics: New Realistic Puck Momentum (R.P.M.) means the puck is dangerous-hard shots can injure defensemen, shake up goalies in the crease, ripple the twine, or knock water bottles off the net add insult injury.
* Classic Deking Control: Movement on the ice is more intuitive than ever as you skate and deke using the left analog stick move past opponents and make goalies bite and perform all-new incredible desperation saves.
* All-New Momentum Skating: Feel what it’s like skate on an icy surface. Player speed and size now has an effect on momentum and turning radius. During speed burst players push the puck ahead of the break
* past opponents, while stopping and turning creates real-time ice trails.
* Creation Zone: Create-A-Player allows you get in the game with the new analog facial sculpting controls. Add black eyes and scars put fear in the eyes of your opponents. Create an NHL team in your hometown and build a dynasty, or edit any player in the league with an all-new player editor.
* EA SPORTS™ Online*: Take your game online and challenge opponents anywhere in the world via a PC, PlayStation®2 or Xbox® Live. Meet, greet and chat via the new and improved EA Messenger and then set up a tournament or play NHL® 06 head-to-head using EA SPORTS intuitive matchmaking system. Battle your way tthe top of the world at the ultimate online sports gaming destination.
PLAY: My favorite addition is the Deking control. A flick of the left analog stick to the left or right fakes out the defense and goalie. Don’t always count on this move but if you can get one score off it a game you’ll learn to love it.
Another fantastic addition is the ability to lineup your slap shot. You’re given a target while you hold down a button. No longer are you guessing where the puck will go. Like the pros you can line it up and let it fly.
One of the great changes from last year’s version is the lack of checks. Finally you don’t have to worry about skating free and having a defensive guy knock you off your feet and interrupting your play. Sure they go after the puck but you aren’t decked. This year’s version is much more realistic.
Like all EA sports releases you have a handful of playing options. The deepest is Dynasty Mode. You can be the GM and manage your roster and all of the financing—it’s not unlike the Madden additions.
GRAPHICS: NHL 06 looks great. The players are modeled well. The game has definitely been tweaked since last year’s version. The ice looks great and even wears the skate grooves and shoots up the chopped ice when you slide to a stop.
SOUND: Unfortunately the commentary is lacking. As usual the soundtrack is exceptional—depending of course upon your tastes. The sound of the game is mostly the crowd but you can hear your players pounding the ice and slapping their sticks and whacking the puck.
FRANKLY: NHL 2005 was a decent game but this is a huge improvement over that version. Sometimes tweaking is better than doing a major overhaul and NHL 06 is a perfect example of that.
+ Richie Wright
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.