Decent Launch Title, Discount Price

By now, this early entry in the Xbox 360 library can be found at a very low price. I personally found it for $25, so it is miles below the average 360 title in terms of price.

This entry in the NHL series by 2K sports is a solid game all around, and fans of hockey games will most definitely enjoy it. The pure number of settings that are adjustable is staggering. Things like goalie awareness allow you to customize the game to be exactly as difficult, realistic, or arcadey as you want.

Be warned, until you get the difficulty settings just right for you, you may find yourself in games with scores like 11 - 9, very unrealistic for hockey.

There are a variety of different game modes to play from. There is a "quickgame" mode, which I have found to be pretty easy. There is also a Franchise mode, which is pretty well done for a hockey game. The first step of Franchise mode, besides choosing which team you would like to play, is hiring various coaches within the confines of your team's budget.

With franchise mode, you can trade, play as your farm teams, recruit new people, send your scouting coach to track players on other teams, and choose to either play or simulate games. The ultimate goal is to, of course, win the Stanley Cup, but along the way there are other trophies to win. There are even players of the week positions to win, up to five each week. The Franchise mode has many settings and options to finesse until the game is exactly as difficult as you want as well.

In terms of managing the team, you can hire/fire coaches in between games, schedule practices (and even play the practice scrimidges), and build teamwork. I mean that literally, each line has a new rating that tracks player compatibility. Each player has a specific play-type, such as enforcer, and each type gets along better with different types. When a lines "Chemistry" rating improves, the line will perform better together overall. Time together is a factor, so changing lines repeatedly is not recommended, and practicing together also helps increase chemistry. There is also a farm team from which you can recruit new skaters, and an email system that allows your coaches to update you on players conditions, awards, injuries, and more. You can really train your team from the ground up, with specialized practices to focus on their weaknesses.

On a small personal aside, I can say with some accuracy that the rosters in this game are very up to date as of 2006. One of my friends cousins joined the NHL recently on the LA Kings, I believe, and he shows up on the roster complete with his photo and everything. I have not yet experimented with character creation mode.

Local multiplayer is a little difficult if the players are on the same team, since it can be a bit confusing who is controlling who. The different players are separated by different colors, but sometimes in the heat of the moment, with each person switching players to control the most relevant character at the time, the colors can start to run together. When players are on opposing teams, of course it is easier to tell who is who, and gameplay is very fun.

Online multiplayer is in the game, but requires an Xbox Live Gold account to play, I believe. I have only Silver access and cannot play online.

Other multiplayer modes are featured in the "clubhouse mode". In this mode, the game takes you into the owner's clubhouse and has on display trophies you've won, a record book you can check (with accurate stats as of 2006), and silly party games. One party game is air hockey, which is difficult to control as the sticks are overly sensitive with no obvious way to change sensitivity levels.

Other party modes include pond hockey, which is very arcade-like with no penalties, offsides, etc. Very quick action for instant gratification. In one party game, four players have to get a puck randomly placed on the ice and score, which is interesting. Instead of 2 teams of 5, there are 4 teams of 1, with only one goal to score in. Very fun with 4 players. Another game involves checking as many objects placed on the ice as possible.

Graphically, the game is very nice. Small touches, such as being able to see the reflection of the scoreboard on the ice, or actually seeing lines in the ice where the players' skates slice through really add to the immersiveness. The players themselves look alright, and their motion is pretty fluid, in line with the "on ice" feel of movement in most hockey games.

Checking is especially realistic. Instead of every hit laying people flat on their backs, many simply knock the player off balance for a few. Players sometimes take a knee, either in response to a hit or to block a puck. They also automatically grab pucks out of the air if they are in reach (and they attempt to sometimes when they can't reach).

Controls are very intuitive. Standard hockey controls are carried over from other games, with A - pass, X - shoot, B - check, etc. There is a new layer to the control system, though. Now there is the ability to change the control difficulty, unlocking more advanced moves such as custom dekes, "pro-control," and more. Pro-control is a fast-paced way of passing from person to person and ending with a shot on goal using button combinations.

Another new feature is Enforces/Intimidation. Characters that are Enforcers now are marked on the ice with an E, and hit harder and get away with more. If one player hits another too many times in a given period of time, they become "intimidated", resulting in a short-term loss of stats.

Goalie control is another interesting new feature. With a click of the right-stick, you can now take control of the goalie, and let the players do most of the work. Whenever an opponent is getting ready to shoot, time slows down and gives you time to react. Any other way, and it would be nearly impossible.

In terms of sound, at first the commentary is delightful and interesting, but it quickly gets old and you may find yourself turning it down, or off. The music is forgettable.

There are a few glitches in the game, but nothing game-breaking. You might find the announcer saying that there's a 2-goal lead, when really there is a 4-goal lead. Things of that nature, really, nothing to worry about.