PlayStation 2

NHL 06

Just like the real-life NHL, EA's popular hockey series is heading back onto the ice.

It wasn't easy living without hockey. Game developers didn't cancel their projects (I'm sure they're thrilled about that now), but it seemed like the rest of the world forgot the sport existed. It was sad seeing professional players sign up with the minors, even if they were doing it stay to in shape and not out of desperation.

EA Sports published their hockey game last year, but the real NHL never even bothered with a season. Now that labor peace has finally been reached, the league is without its ESPN national TV contract, but is attempting to rebuild enthusiasm back into its fan base, having been nearly replaced in the meantime by NASCAR fans. But that’s the real world. In the videogame world, EA Sports’ NHL 2006 hasn’t missed a season – or a beat. Released just a bit early to be sure of where all the players ended up, you’ll want to download a roster update just as soon as one is available, which ought to be soon. That aside, EA Sports never went on a hockey strike but have been hard at work creating a game that is a marked improvement over last year’s offering.

The game improved a great deal between the preview build we had and the final version. The computer AI was tuned and balanced so that you didn't feel like you had no chance to win even on the medium difficulty levels. You have to know how to play Hockey as a team, then you will not do well in NHL 06. If you're one of those guys that even if you have the puck and you're a defender, but you skate all the way across the ice and not try to pass the puck to a teammate, you're not going to have much fun with this game. And that's as it should be. I just wanted to put that out there, because I was impressed with the way the flow of the game went, and how if you play Team Hockey, you have a chance to win every game.

Hockey fans have had a rough ride over the past year. The lockout persisted despite the complaints of fans and analysts even suggested that it would torpedo the popularity of the sport outside of the devoted Canadian masses. The masses rejoiced this summer when the owners and the players' union finally ended the dispute and guaranteed action on the ice in 2005-2006.

If you haven't bought a hockey game in a couple of years, NHL 06 is worth a purchase. That said, if you own NHL 2K5 and you're not a hardcore hockey fan, you're better off sticking with that this time around. 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.

It's best to think of NHL 06 as a polished version of 05, with better presentation values, improved gameplay and just enough new features to keep things fresh. Those looking for a completely revamped entry into the series might want to look elsewhere, but for everyone else, NHL 06 offers plenty of solid entertainment and some enjoyable online play to keep you going until next season. Let's only hope we can say the same about the real NHL season.

Call me crazy, but I love hockey. There's a sheer beauty in watching a fantastic series of passes result in an amazing goal, or watching a good, old-fashioned fight break out after two sworn enemies have just had enough of one another. Even the loss of a season last year, which has arguably punished the league and players a lot more than it did the fans (who learned to enjoy WHL while waiting for an NHL season), isn't enough to dampen my love of the game, so I love getting to review hockey titles for DailyGame.

In this year's battle for hockey superiority, in the return of the much-missed NHL itself, it seems there's lots of competitors out there. I've already taken a look at one, NHL 2K6, and while I enjoyed it, it just seemed to be lacking in overall freshness, especially in comparison with last year's champion. Now the shoe's on the other foot, and it's great to see EA Sports mount a big comeback with their NHL product, NHL 06. 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.

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?"

All in all, the main game of NHL 06 is fine, but this so-called "bonus" left a very bad taste in my mouth.

Hockey may be back, but I guess it's like they say "Its gonna get worse before it gets better."

I better conclude this review before I break something. This is a complete turnaround from last season, and a direction that I hope EA steers clear in the future. The user should always have control over the most basic of gameplay functions.

The longest-running NHL videogame franchise has been showing its age recently, being routinely spanked by 2K Games' sublime NHL 2K series year in and year out. And while NHL 2K6 still wins this year's on-ice matchup, EA's NHL 06 hasn't grown fat and lazy in the prolonged off-season, making this one of the closest contests in recent NHL videogame history.