NHL 10

DEVELOPER: ELECTRONIC ARTS
PLATFORMS: XBOX 360, PLAYSTATION 3 (REVIEWED):

Considering the success of NHL 9, there is a great deal of anticipation surrounding the 2010 edition of the NHL franchise.

For all intents and purposes, NHL 10 is a great hockey game, in the sense that it’s the most authentic and realistic looking release of its kind on the market.

The problem is the theme of the game itself and, if you have missed out on any of the previous editions of the NHL franchise, it’s unlikely you’re going to feel bad about missing out on this one.

The main problem with NHL 10 surrounds its mechanics and structure.

Controls are overly complicated and the introduction of “board play” – sandwiching another skater between the board in a grapple for the puck – is troublesome at best.

On top of this, the menu screens require a great deal of work to navigate. All of these problems are far too off-putting to make this game appealing to anyone other than a dedicated fan.

Thankfully, the fighting options have been positively revamped, with grappling with fellow skaters turning the gameplay into the style of a first-person melee.

It’s fun, for a while, however, unless you are a hard core fan of ice hockey, this is only going to keep your attention for so long.

The key to a good sports game is making it appealing to those who are not already existing fans of the sport.

Unfortunately, EA Games seems to have forgotten this fundamental principle, meaning there’s little motivation to get you strapping on your skates and rushing out onto the ice for this one.

MARKS: 6/10