NHL 06

The father of hockey sims goes back to its roots to bring the frenzied masses what they desire most: solid, on-ice gameplay.

Hockey. Have you heard of it? After a long year without the coolest game on Earth, it's coming back. And like the sport itself, EA is making a comeback with one of the most solid playing sims to ever grace the virtual frozen pond. And like the end of the labor dispute, all we can say is it's about time.

House of A 1,000 Goals
It's been awhile since the last real solid hockey game. In fact, you'd have to go back to the glory days of the Genesis to find a true gem. Sure, the next gen systems have enabled developers to make a prettier game, but that never really translated into a great playing game. With NHL 06, EA Sports is revisiting its roots to create a feature-stable game with both style and substance, and it all starts with the controls.

Quite simply, they are the most responsive ever. Unlike in past years, players react accordingly to the slightest little twitch of the analog stick, and the speed boost has been tuned so that the skaters gradually pick up momentum instead of haphazardly shooting forward. EA also added nice touches like skaters automatically slipping the puck between their feet when switching directions as well as performing wrap-around shot attempts near the goal. The players also react more intuitively this year and play more smartly than in the past, which is a testament to EA's attention to detail. There are still times when something completely off kilter will happen, but egregious mistakes aren't a common occurrence. The look of the game is certainly on par with its feel, but beauty has never been a sticking point in the franchise, aside from occasional frame rate issues. And while NHL 06 isn't completely free of this malady, it certainly isn't anything that diminishes the experience.

The only things missing are a more complete set of ancillary features such as the ones found in Madden. Having said that, NHL 06 attempts to pander to diehard fans in Dynasty mode by enabling players to decide their team's practice schedule. In doing so it's possible to increase certain individual and team attributes to mold your squad into a more cohesive machine.

The Legend of the Games
While the season is still very early, it's clear that NHL 06 is the game to beat. The gameplay harkens back to the good ol' days when such things were the cornerstones of a great game, and the overall presentation just adds polish to this Stanley Cup dandy. And no matter what system you prefer, there's simply no denying itthis hockey stud is a bona fide winner.

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