NHL 06

Diehards will love the reduced emphasis on checking, while more casual fans should enjoy the new skill stick moves and the ability to place your shot wherever you please. Best of all, every rule change has made it into the game.

NHL 06 has a lot going for it, but before the developers could design a multitude of great features, they first had to design a multitude of great control and gameplay mechanics. They had that covered, added the appropriate tweaks, and have taken the game to glory.

The addition of some gameplay moves, the fast-paced gameplay and stellar presentation assure that fans of the series won’t be disappointed.

Moreso than previous years, the graphics in NHL 06 are very tight. Still not Visual Concepts spectacular, but getting there.

Skating, controls, and even star players with star moves all make it very obvious that the inspiration for this year's hockey sim came from ["NHL 94"], the legendary dozen-year-old iteration of the series. [Sept 2005, p.81]

EA's NHL title has certainly been improved over last year's offering and may actually be their finest work since "NHL 94." However, it feels like there have been more fixes than any truly groundbreaking additions to the game.

A kick-ass game of hockey that stands to be the best EA has ever produced. [Oct 2005, p.70]

NHL 06 is as good as it gets in console hockey.

Not that much has happened since the last time. The AI players have great difficulties especially in defense and maintaining a controlled defensive line-up is next to impossible. Nice atmosphere, though. [Sept. 05]

With NHL 06, EA Sports is revisiting its roots to create a feature-stable game with both style and substance, and it all starts with the controls. Quite simply, they are the most responsive ever. [Oct 2005, p.102]

The gameplay is refined better than before, the presentation is mostly sharp, and there's lots for hockey fans to do. Here's the Stanley Cup contender right here.

Despite improvements across the board, the lackluster controls, disappointing team and player editor, and lack of new features make NHL 06 a good, but not great game.

Just don't go expecting the game to be leaps and bounds ahead of last year's edition.

As the greatest and most enjoyable recreation of the sport since the 16-bit era, NHL 06 deserves to sit alongside the likes of "Pro Evo" as a sporting highlight that any gamer can enjoy. [Nov 2005, p.111]

It's got all the new rule changes, as well as an almost entirely up-to-date roster, but considering how similar the game is overall to 2005's version, you have to ask yourself, "Is that really enough?"

If you can look past the minor problems in the animations, the Superman AI and the new rule missteps, you will find that EA has actually created a pretty good sim style game.

Somebody at EA needs to stick a post-it note on the producer's door that reads "Dynasty Mode." It's a mess. I recommend the developer focus most of their attention in the coming year to that aspect of the game because I can't recommend this franchise to hardcore hockey fans until they do.

I like that in 06's franchise mode each NHL team has its own objectives - be the Wings and anything short of Canada's Holy Grail is a disappointment. [Oct 2005, p.114]

A complete turnaround from last season, and a direction that I hope EA steers clear of in the future. The user should always have control over the most basic gameplay functions. [Sept 2005, p.96]

Because of the cheap AI, the single player game is a frustrating experience which is too bad, as the rest of the package is pretty good. Salvation comes in the form of the superb multiplayer modes, which are highly addictive and also feature well implemented online player leagues. If not for the cheap AI, NHL 06 might have been EA’s best NHL game in years, but at the end of the day, this years edition won’t convert the fans of “NHL 2K” –series. [Sept 2005, p 72]

Improvements in puck physics means that hard shots can bruise your opponents, while last year's overly aggressive defense has been scaled back to realistic levels.

So why EA decided to ruin things by putting new 'skill' moves (pirouettes, fakeouts, fancy through-the-leg shots and so on) onto the right analogue stick is beyond us. It sounds fine in principle, but the result is closer to "FIFA Street" on ice. [PSW]

Near identical gameplay to its 05 counterpart and a more intricate management aspect - if that floats your boat then hop on board. [Nov 2005, p.122]

The hyper-speed of this game makes it feel like more of an arcade experience than a real hockey simulator. It's still a huge step in the right direction, though.

It's nice to see EA's NHL franchise starting to turn a corner, but it still has a ways to go before besting 2K Sports' stellar efforts. [Sept 2005, p.90]