NHL 2K6 Review

By Matt Martin Published 20 March, 2006

Happy slapping.

Version tested: PlayStation 2

When last seen on these shores, the 2K hockey brand came complete with the ESPN name, so seeing 2K6 without the glamour and glitz of the ever-enthusiastic sports channel is a disappointment. It doesn't help that the presentation that's replaced it is straight-up ugly and a jarring reminder that EA does presentation like no other. Still, it may be regrettable that EA has bagged the ESPN name for itself, but the gameplay that makes the series stand out like polished black ice is still very much in effect. And with this year's tweaks and additions to play, NHL 2K6 is one of the best sports games on the current generation. You'll forget all about nasty menus and bland music as soon as you glide onto the ice.

The real highlight of 2K6 is that it throws in some well-designed new control methods and options that significantly evolve the gameplay. From the off there's a fluidity to play that we haven't felt before. By right-clicking the analogue stick, button icons appear over your team-mates, and a tap of the corresponding button passes the puck to the player. It's a simple and smart mechanic that allows for real control over your team as they string multiple passes together instead of relying on an awkward combination of luck and skill that we've become accustomed to in lesser hockey titles. This sport is fast, and it's needed this quick and easy solution for some time.

Slap shot

'NHL 2K6' Screenshot 1

How can you not love a sport where the players wear armour and carry big sodding sticks?

AI players work well, with the goalie in particular grafting hard for his tea. It's a fine line between being good and being unrealistic, but your team manages to perform well and still make human-like errors. Using the new On The Fly Coaching method during a match is another cracking feature of NHL 2K6, where the d-pad is used to increase or decrease aggression during play. When you can clearly notice the difference in the way your team changes their tactics on the ice, it's obvious the AI is working - just watch those boys crash the net like rabid Vikings.

Setting your style of play before a match is crucial, and one of the outstanding features of the 2K6 series. Set your team as aggressive and they'll check more in defence and crash the net more in offence, but the downside to that is they're more likely to pick up penalties, over-commit and risk cocking-up the defence. Set the Dump and Chase parameters and your buddies will either thwack the puck towards the goal to try to recover it or skate and pass across the ice. With many more options beside these, it can almost feel overwhelming, and anyone new to the sport could be easily put off. But then this isn't an entry-level game and when you can feel and see the difference your play styles are making during a match, it's worth spending the time and experimenting with your set-up for the best reward.

Breaking the ice

'NHL 2K6' Screenshot 2

The manual goalie controls aren't much cop. Keep it auto.

It's not just the game mechanics that are crowded with options, as a variety of different modes make NHL 2K6 swell to bursting point. The main Franchise mode is where you'll find a full season, which this year includes new additions in the fields of chemistry and practice. Chemistry divides your players into specialists in a field, such as skating or scoring, and the right combination improves your teams overall stats. Practice is self-explanatory and bags extra stats, but overwork your players and they'll under-perform on the ice due to fatigue. For those looking for something in addition to the main Franchise, Party Mode is a collection of mini-games that work well as a throwback to the times before we all went online for multiplayer action. Mainly frantic and occasionally daft, these mini-games can help the player refine some of the more complex actions, or just be an excuse to talk trash and doss about on the ice.

For a sports game, the motion capture is impressive and makes up for the fact that NHL 2K6 doesn't look as superior as it plays. The PlayStation 2 isn't going to croak just yet, so it's a shame to see it look barely better than last year's 2K5. Whatever you think of EA's relentless yearly sports updates, it's always set a standard in terms of graphics and overall presentation. NHL 2K6 drops the puck at this particular benchmark with menu systems that are nothing more than glorified spreadsheets. We never thought we'd mourn the day a game dropped logos and branding, but sometimes being a corporate whore is a good thing.

When scoring a goal is as satisfying as getting that last-bullet headshot in Resi Evil 4 or nailing a perfect insane stunt in GTA, you know you're playing a great videogame, not just a great sports game. The loss of the ESPN brand is a blow simply because the gameplay has managed to evolve where the visuals haven't. But despite this, NHL 2K6 is still the most complete, technically impressive and immediately thrilling hockey game on the current generation of consoles.

8 / 10

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Comments (12) Latest comment 6 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • caligari #1 6 years ago

    Well I just bought NHL 95 for the Megadrive. I bet it's not as good as THAT! ;)

  • gazareth #2 6 years ago

    Any idea how the Xbox 360 version compares? 6/10 from EG I assume? ;)

  • Stickman #3 6 years ago

    Got this on Friday, and it is much fun! Blackdog, it really doesn't look next gen. It looks bloody horrible to be honest, but the gameplay makes up for it.

  • megastar #4 6 years ago

    what about the fighting??

    does it enter a full 3d fighting arena mode??

  • ruckus #5 6 years ago

    I hope this time you can atleast play franchise mode on the XBox - both 2K4 and 2K5 always ended up in a corrupted save at some point during the season and so I had to endure the inferior (imo) EA Sports version. NHL 2K3 was good on the cube apart from the zombies in the crowd :-P
    So in short - please be a non-bugged version...

  • MieZ™ #6 6 years ago

    The NTSC-version is known for freezing after a while in franchise mode (check out the 2ksports forums).
    Bet they didn't fix it for us Europeans. So disappointing, 2k makes the best hockeygame out there but they just can't seem to get it through decent QA...
    Gonna give this a try tho' on 360. If it freezes I'll trade it in for something less buggy.

    @caligari: NHL95 on megadrive... CLASSIC!!! Those where the days EA knew how to make some decent games...
    Edited by 2 at 20/03/06 @ 16:57

  • smoison #7 6 years ago

    I bet this looks Next Gen on PC, but so did last years probably....

  • krudster #8 6 years ago

    ZOMG! Better than GRAW? LOOOOZERS!

  • Feanor #9 6 years ago

    NHL 95 was significantly better with an improved camera angle, a full season mode, and players that didn't unreastically keep their stick near the ice the whole time, but 94 usually gets more respect just cause of Swingers.

  • Lynchman #10 6 years ago

    Someone should pick up the CBC license it's just begging for it, would mean extra sales too cause I'm sure all of Canada would buy it because of it. Cheaper than ESPN too I'll bet....
    Edited by 1 at 20/03/06 @ 19:42

  • Triggerhappytel #11 6 years ago

    A triumph of gameplay over licences.

    I don't normally do sports games, but might just check this out.

  • reality_cheque #12 6 years ago

    Any idea how the Xbox 360 version compares?
    I too am curious about this. Not got around to playing the demo yet but then a demo doesn't really tell you what the game play is like in seasons etc.