by: John Olin

November 18, 2005

NHL 2K6 is actually one of the first Xbox 360 titles I got hands-on with the full version. It is also the first Xbox 360 game I can say I am not completely impressed with at all. The game itself is not bad at all; it is basically the exact same thing you will find on the Xbox, but for an extra ten dollars. The game includes everything from the Xbox versio—multiplayer complete with Live support, Franchise Mode, Tournaments, Dream Team, and so on.

There are some new additions to the Xbox 360 version though; the first of which I am sure you are wondering about is visuals. The visuals are better, but you won’t really notice the differences without looking very hard at the screen. The audience, and people that aren’t off the ice still look like box people, and even the players themselves move bit rigidity. You will see some new effects thrown on top, like reflections on the ice, better looking ice, reflections on helmets, and sharper overall visuals. The game looks a little bit better in 720P, but nothing noticeably happens in the mode. The jerseys, decals, and faces are also noticeably better looking but you really only see these details very close up. The players themselves also have this strange glow, which is to sort of give you some feeling of immersion, but sometimes it comes off as looking goofy. In the audio department, the game is much louder than it’s Xbox counterpart giving you a better feel of being at a hockey game, with the crackling roars of announcers and horns blowing in the background. The sound is of course in Dolby Pro Logic II, and so that helps, but other than that the sound is identical.

There is also a new mode thrown in which gives you more control over the goalie, and make saves by certain buttons. You get a scope to look at the other team’s player with the puck, and when they shoot it at you, you are prompted to line a cursor up to grab it. Still, the way it is implemented can be annoying sometimes, but it is something that I am sure they will work on to make better in the future, as they do with any sports title. The game has plenty of modes though that will give hockey fans something to do. The Dynasty Mode is particularly interesting, letting you set up your teams, manage them, and scout for more players. The A.I. in the game is alarmingly bad sometimes though, and you can score against A.I. opponents like a hot knife cutting through butter, or is that ice? Besides that, there are a few other quirks, like how fluid the players in the game work, but it doesn’t hinder the gameplay to bad.

Share this:

6 7 7 7 6 6.9

If you are a huge hockey fan, haven’t bought any hockey game for Xbox in the past year, and you want a hockey game for Xbox 360, this is your only option so I suggest you check it out. If you think you can wait to see truly next-gen hockey, then wait until end of 2006, when developers have had more time to work with the Xbox 360, to deliver a much richer experience. There are a few new additions, but the somewhat bad A.I. and the extra $10 for the game doesn’t really warrant a purchase, but rather a rent.

Discuss this in the forums!