NHL 2K6
Posted February 6, 2006
Building on the success of the NHL 2K series, Kush Games & Visual Concepts attempt a slap shot at scoring a hit on the Xbox 360. Unfortunately, marginal graphical upgrades, poor menu layout, and simplistic achievements hamper an otherwise feature packed title. The presentation is plain and almost stagnant. Besides loading up a sample game after an unresponsive period of time, the game does not hype or even introduce the game of hockey to the player. The game basically opens into the menu system which is utilitarian and frankly quite ugly.
In addition, the menu system is not laid out well which can be confusing the first few times playing the game. Finding and using the save system is a bit of a chore, not to mention pointless. The absence of an auto-save system for items as simple as your profile makes the title overly complicated. Finding a challenge in the online menu is also exasperating. While the game does create a rumble in the controller as an indication that a challenge has been issued, finding the challenge is confounding without any on-screen instructions. In order to find the challenge, I randomly hit buttons on the controller until I happened to click the right thumbstick which dropped a hidden window. The overall poor menu design feels like it was thrown together at the last minute by a programmer rather than by a designer. As you wander aimlessly through the menu system, the features will present themselves.
Gameplay:
The number of modes within NHL 2K6 are typical of most sports titles. The first mode in the menu is the exhibition mode. You have the ability to select two teams, choose jerseys, set game options, and pick an arena. The options within the game are incredibly varied and immersive. The first page of options can change basic things such as game difficulty and length. The following two pages allow for adjusting the minute details of both team's offense and defense via sliders such as team fatigue and goalie strengths. Continual adjustment of the sliders to the level of difficulty you are most comfortable with is a welcome necessity.
The extensive depth of the franchise mode is almost overwhelming. The number of team building actions that can be performed is quite staggering. Contract renegotiation, team chemistry adjustments, staff interaction, and the scrimmage mode are a few of the items to play with in the off-season. In many respects, going though a season has become much more immersive due to trade actions and roster juggling. It's much more of a challenge to continue to make the playoffs each year without proper team management, much less set a legacy in place through multiple seasons.
The final main mode is scarce with the features, but it's all about the bragging rights. The online mode allows for exhibition style games for up to 4 players on each side. Using Xbox Live, you can hook up with other gamers through a lobby system or just use an invite from a friend. Over the several games I played, the lag was mostly minimal. I did see quite a bit of lag from an opponent that had three players on the opposite end, so it's possible their upload limit was being reached. My connection would pause momentarily, but the game would pick back up almost immediately after.
There is also a mini-game party mode that can be fun, but it's more of a novelty than anything. The twelve mini-games are more geared for multiplayer fun but they aren't available online. While playing the offline modes, you can rack up points to unlock many items such as popular teams of the past or different jerseys. These items can be found in the skybox, a place to browse through stats, past awards, or play mini-games such as trivia or air hockey. The points to unlock the extras can be attained by completing single player tasks such as scoring a certain amount of goals in a game or getting a hat trick in a certain amount of time. Beyond the extras, the points have no other value nor can they be compared against others over Xbox Live.
For those already familiar with the NHL 2K series, there are a couple new additions to the game play for this version. The first is being able to call plays on the ice. You can change formations and perform maneuvers such as crashing the net or setting up a nice one-timer. A quick call to shift to defense can also save your team from an embarrassing goal. These plays can be called by using the directional pad and it's tough to get used to when the game is flying by. Another cool feature is the crease goalie control option. Turning on the crease control will create a colored cone of view that determines your goalie's ability to stop pucks. It's also important to note that you have to quickly adapt to the camera switching into a view behind the net for the manual goalie control. If you can harness the power of crease control, the cheap goals in the online goal are nearly eliminated.
The A.I. in the single player game is fairly competent depending on which mode you play on. All-Star with maximum goalie sliders is my preferred level of difficulty. I recommend turning up the goalie sliders otherwise exploitation of the scoring system is far too easy. Ending the ability to garner cheap fake out goals makes setting up a successful one-timer much more satisfying and intensifies the outcome of the game. Also, turning up the opponent's offense sliders can make for some seriously exciting save attempts at your net. Watching your team's A.I. diving in front of a slap shot can be entertaining as well. Of course, only beating the A.I. is part of the battle when you want to unlock the achievements.
The achievements within NHL 2K6 are without structure and few in number. Sadly, the developer neglected to tie each of the five achievements to a set number of rules. Earning every achievement can be acquired through exploitation which cheapens the experience. For instance, scoring within the first minute of a game on All-Star is easy to do when you modify the CPU's goalie sliders down to zero and change the time clock to real-time. Another horribly designed achievement is scoring a penalty shot in All-Star. While it's a worthwhile achievement in single player since the computer A.I. rarely gives you the opportunity, it can also be snatched up in two player mode without any skill involved. Honestly, I hope the developers put actual effort into next year's achievements because this year's attempt is just plain sad. They should have used the points/rewards system mentioned earlier as the foundation for the achievements.
Graphics:
After careful scrutiny, this title only appears slightly better than the version for the original Xbox. The reflection effect off the ice is the most noticeably improved and the player models are a bit more lifelike as well as the faces of the some of the more popular athletes. Matched with a smooth framerate, the animations are mostly fluid and similar to an actual hockey game. Sadly, this is where the improvements stop and mediocrity takes over.
All the graphical power of the Xbox 360 is underutilized in NHL 2K6 probably due to launch date time constraints. Even in high definition, the players, rink, and audience look slightly blurry and out of focus. The soft nature of the game's aesthetic feel is a sharp contrast to the beautiful, crisp images seen in games like Call of Duty 2 or Madden 2006. The player and fan models look clunky and similar to Frankenstein-esqe creatures. The hands on these people look like crab claws and their motion sequences are laughable. Overall, NHL 2K6 is a horrible example what the Xbox 360 is capable of graphically, but still a decent starting point for next year.
Audio:
The sound effects are appropriate to the ambiance of a hockey arena. The crowd chants, the musical highlights, and the on-ice movement are a few of the auditory delights that comprise the sound effects. There is no memorable background music in the game menus, which is detrimental to the presentation. Fortunately, this is but a minor flaw that doesn't matter too much, especially with custom soundtracks these days.
The commentary is fairly good, but occasionally inaccurate. The two gentlemen in the announcer's box are Robert Cole and Harry Neale of Hockey Night in Canada fame. While their banter isn't exceptional, they perform a decent job of describing the game as it ensues. Due to the fast pace of hockey, the commentary can lag behind the last play. Many times, they will still be talking about the last goal several seconds after the following face-off. It's a programming flaw more than a fault of the commentary, but it's still annoying.
Conclusion:
The vast depth of the single player game, the countless adjustable options, and the appeal of online multiplayer gives NHL 2K6 a step above the library of current sports titles for the Xbox 360. The downside to the time spent integrating the impressive gameplay options is a lack of attention to the graphics and other auxiliary features such as menu navigation and gamerscore achievements. While I'm the first to herald gameplay over graphics, I can't ignore the developer's neglect to the processing power of the Xbox 360 or even basic menu design.
Outrageously, the price for this rendition of NHL 2K6 is $40 more than its counterparts on the Xbox and the PS2. In terms of features added, there is almost no reason for the difference in price except to piggyback on the high prices of actual next generation games. Ultimately, the game is worth playing but not at full price. For hockey fans everywhere, wait for this title to hit the $30 range before picking it up for your shiny new Xbox 360.
In addition, the menu system is not laid out well which can be confusing the first few times playing the game. Finding and using the save system is a bit of a chore, not to mention pointless. The absence of an auto-save system for items as simple as your profile makes the title overly complicated. Finding a challenge in the online menu is also exasperating. While the game does create a rumble in the controller as an indication that a challenge has been issued, finding the challenge is confounding without any on-screen instructions. In order to find the challenge, I randomly hit buttons on the controller until I happened to click the right thumbstick which dropped a hidden window. The overall poor menu design feels like it was thrown together at the last minute by a programmer rather than by a designer. As you wander aimlessly through the menu system, the features will present themselves.
Gameplay:
The number of modes within NHL 2K6 are typical of most sports titles. The first mode in the menu is the exhibition mode. You have the ability to select two teams, choose jerseys, set game options, and pick an arena. The options within the game are incredibly varied and immersive. The first page of options can change basic things such as game difficulty and length. The following two pages allow for adjusting the minute details of both team's offense and defense via sliders such as team fatigue and goalie strengths. Continual adjustment of the sliders to the level of difficulty you are most comfortable with is a welcome necessity.
The extensive depth of the franchise mode is almost overwhelming. The number of team building actions that can be performed is quite staggering. Contract renegotiation, team chemistry adjustments, staff interaction, and the scrimmage mode are a few of the items to play with in the off-season. In many respects, going though a season has become much more immersive due to trade actions and roster juggling. It's much more of a challenge to continue to make the playoffs each year without proper team management, much less set a legacy in place through multiple seasons.
The final main mode is scarce with the features, but it's all about the bragging rights. The online mode allows for exhibition style games for up to 4 players on each side. Using Xbox Live, you can hook up with other gamers through a lobby system or just use an invite from a friend. Over the several games I played, the lag was mostly minimal. I did see quite a bit of lag from an opponent that had three players on the opposite end, so it's possible their upload limit was being reached. My connection would pause momentarily, but the game would pick back up almost immediately after.
There is also a mini-game party mode that can be fun, but it's more of a novelty than anything. The twelve mini-games are more geared for multiplayer fun but they aren't available online. While playing the offline modes, you can rack up points to unlock many items such as popular teams of the past or different jerseys. These items can be found in the skybox, a place to browse through stats, past awards, or play mini-games such as trivia or air hockey. The points to unlock the extras can be attained by completing single player tasks such as scoring a certain amount of goals in a game or getting a hat trick in a certain amount of time. Beyond the extras, the points have no other value nor can they be compared against others over Xbox Live.
For those already familiar with the NHL 2K series, there are a couple new additions to the game play for this version. The first is being able to call plays on the ice. You can change formations and perform maneuvers such as crashing the net or setting up a nice one-timer. A quick call to shift to defense can also save your team from an embarrassing goal. These plays can be called by using the directional pad and it's tough to get used to when the game is flying by. Another cool feature is the crease goalie control option. Turning on the crease control will create a colored cone of view that determines your goalie's ability to stop pucks. It's also important to note that you have to quickly adapt to the camera switching into a view behind the net for the manual goalie control. If you can harness the power of crease control, the cheap goals in the online goal are nearly eliminated.
The A.I. in the single player game is fairly competent depending on which mode you play on. All-Star with maximum goalie sliders is my preferred level of difficulty. I recommend turning up the goalie sliders otherwise exploitation of the scoring system is far too easy. Ending the ability to garner cheap fake out goals makes setting up a successful one-timer much more satisfying and intensifies the outcome of the game. Also, turning up the opponent's offense sliders can make for some seriously exciting save attempts at your net. Watching your team's A.I. diving in front of a slap shot can be entertaining as well. Of course, only beating the A.I. is part of the battle when you want to unlock the achievements.
The achievements within NHL 2K6 are without structure and few in number. Sadly, the developer neglected to tie each of the five achievements to a set number of rules. Earning every achievement can be acquired through exploitation which cheapens the experience. For instance, scoring within the first minute of a game on All-Star is easy to do when you modify the CPU's goalie sliders down to zero and change the time clock to real-time. Another horribly designed achievement is scoring a penalty shot in All-Star. While it's a worthwhile achievement in single player since the computer A.I. rarely gives you the opportunity, it can also be snatched up in two player mode without any skill involved. Honestly, I hope the developers put actual effort into next year's achievements because this year's attempt is just plain sad. They should have used the points/rewards system mentioned earlier as the foundation for the achievements.
Graphics:
After careful scrutiny, this title only appears slightly better than the version for the original Xbox. The reflection effect off the ice is the most noticeably improved and the player models are a bit more lifelike as well as the faces of the some of the more popular athletes. Matched with a smooth framerate, the animations are mostly fluid and similar to an actual hockey game. Sadly, this is where the improvements stop and mediocrity takes over.
All the graphical power of the Xbox 360 is underutilized in NHL 2K6 probably due to launch date time constraints. Even in high definition, the players, rink, and audience look slightly blurry and out of focus. The soft nature of the game's aesthetic feel is a sharp contrast to the beautiful, crisp images seen in games like Call of Duty 2 or Madden 2006. The player and fan models look clunky and similar to Frankenstein-esqe creatures. The hands on these people look like crab claws and their motion sequences are laughable. Overall, NHL 2K6 is a horrible example what the Xbox 360 is capable of graphically, but still a decent starting point for next year.
Audio:
The sound effects are appropriate to the ambiance of a hockey arena. The crowd chants, the musical highlights, and the on-ice movement are a few of the auditory delights that comprise the sound effects. There is no memorable background music in the game menus, which is detrimental to the presentation. Fortunately, this is but a minor flaw that doesn't matter too much, especially with custom soundtracks these days.
The commentary is fairly good, but occasionally inaccurate. The two gentlemen in the announcer's box are Robert Cole and Harry Neale of Hockey Night in Canada fame. While their banter isn't exceptional, they perform a decent job of describing the game as it ensues. Due to the fast pace of hockey, the commentary can lag behind the last play. Many times, they will still be talking about the last goal several seconds after the following face-off. It's a programming flaw more than a fault of the commentary, but it's still annoying.
Conclusion:
The vast depth of the single player game, the countless adjustable options, and the appeal of online multiplayer gives NHL 2K6 a step above the library of current sports titles for the Xbox 360. The downside to the time spent integrating the impressive gameplay options is a lack of attention to the graphics and other auxiliary features such as menu navigation and gamerscore achievements. While I'm the first to herald gameplay over graphics, I can't ignore the developer's neglect to the processing power of the Xbox 360 or even basic menu design.
Outrageously, the price for this rendition of NHL 2K6 is $40 more than its counterparts on the Xbox and the PS2. In terms of features added, there is almost no reason for the difference in price except to piggyback on the high prices of actual next generation games. Ultimately, the game is worth playing but not at full price. For hockey fans everywhere, wait for this title to hit the $30 range before picking it up for your shiny new Xbox 360.