Monday, September 6, 2010

An in-depth review of NHL 11

Today is one of the most anticipated days on the hockey calendar, as it marks the annual release of the new version of EA Sports' enormously popular NHL video game series.

I was lucky enough to get my hands on an advanced copy, and I can report that this year's version, NHL 11, includes plenty of new and upgraded features. Unfortunately, it includes a few bugs as well.

Here are some of my first impressions after several days with the new game:
  • One heavily promoted new feature sees the introduction of broken sticks, which will crack or even shatter completely at the slightest contact several times each game. In an additional attempt at realism, the same technology was also applied to each of Rick DiPietro's body parts.

  • The game features revolutionary puck physics that are hyper-realistic. When a shot is deflected you can see the puck fly into the stands. When a pass is deflected you can see the puck roll into the corner. And when the Flyers lose a game in the finals you can see the puck get tossed into an abandoned dumpster behind a convenience store near Chris Pronger's house.

  • Unfortunately there are several bugs, including a strange offseason roster glitch I ran into in franchise mode. After finally winning my first Stanley Cup after decades of trying, I went to my roster screen and noticed that half my team was suddenly listed as playing for Atlanta.

  • The game includes an improved breakaway and shootout system that promises to completely revolutionize the way you randomly swing your stick back and forth before skating into the goalie without even getting a shot off.

  • Fans of "Swingers", rejoice: You can finally make a player's head bleed again, although in a slightly different manner than previous versions. This year, instead of throwing a body check or winning a fight, you now cause blood to pour out of an opponent's ears by forcing him to listen to the Leafs' pre-game theme song "Free To Be".

  • Negotiating long-term deals with free agents is so realistic that the game kept interrupting me with empty threats about voiding contracts I signed while playing NHL 10.

  • The game includes an elaborate new "Ultimate Team" mode that allows you to build a dream team by mixing and matching trading cards, a feature that will no doubt prove extremely popular with gamers who accidentally buy NHL 11 because the game store was all out of Pokemon.

  • There seems to have been some sort of audio mix-up with EA's FIFA soccer game. When I played a game in Montreal, the crowd just kept doing old soccer chants from the 1980s.

  • The game features a fully customizable sound system with a slider for each element of background noise. For example, you can slide the music from "high" to "low", the crowd noise from "loud" to "silent", and Pierre McGuire from "excruciatingly loud" to "oh good lord even when I turn off the game I can still hear him in my nightmares".

  • Oops…. Typo alert! For the 19th version in a row, the year listed in the game's title doesn't match the year in which the game is actually released.

  • The game features an in-depth sneak preview of the 2012-13 version. To access it, follow these steps: Put down your controller; turn off your game system; and watch poker reruns on TV while drinking scotch and crying.

  • Gone are the days of nondescript pixelated fans in the background; crowd detail is spectacular this year. For example, if you zoom in on the fans in the first few rows of the ACC crowd during overtime of a Leafs game, you can actually tell which stock prices they're absentmindedly looking up on their Blackberries.

  • Unfortunately, it looks like the game's graphic design team got a little lazy when it came to player models. I was playing a game against the Canucks, and two-thirds of their top line looked exactly the same.

  • Finally, here's a neat bonus offer: Look for a proof of purchase coupon inside the box. Collect ten, mail them to the NHL head office along with a self-addressed stamped envelope, and you'll receive a personally signed letter back from Gary Bettman congratulating you on becoming the new owner of the Phoenix Coyotes.

(Previous game reviews: NHL 10 | NHL 09)




20 comments:

  1. For the third year in a row your NHL game review kills it.

    Amazing work DGB.

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  2. i'm personally a fan of the new on-line feature where you can link your favourite hockey blog to the "local paper" covering your team in the game. it's the most realistic feature yet.

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  3. the demo was horrendous. im sticking with NHL 2k9 which i picked up for 5 bucks used and just updated the rosters myself over the summer.

    a) the ice looked like a piece of foam core board for some kids lame art project (or an inline hockey rink)

    b) player models looked very strange. moved OK but had a kind of generic feel compared to how much time they spend on their Madden franchise.

    c) controls are overly convoluted. triggers to pass, up and down sticks to shoot = lame. stick to singular buttons for that stuff.

    d) hearing Gary Thorne and Bill Clement in the demo = archaic raunch. i even heard lines from past NHL games from about 8 years ago after you "win the cup". terrible.

    overall) not impressed at all regardless of their lame gimmicks. i cant believe people pay 50-60 bucks for this stuff year after year.

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  4. Two-thirds of their top line creep the heck out of me.

    I think there should be a feature where when you win the Stanley Cup, Gary Bettman comes out and garbles and cackles non-sensically into a microphone while the crowd drowns him out with booing and cat calls and throwing garbage on the ice. That would be a realistic Cup presentaion.

    Great work as always.

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  5. DGB, what do you think of the player ratings for this game? Regher is listed as the 2nd best defensemen? Patrice Bergeron went down a point?

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  6. Re: ratings... I haven't paid attention to ratings in EA games since the mid-90s, when they started lumping everyone into the 70-90 range.

    Give me the old days of NHLPA 93, when guys like Ken Baumgartner had an overall rating of "2".

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  7. DGB, loved the scotch, poker and crying. I'm hoping it won't be "funny 'cause it's true". And apologies for the far-too-serious comment on the last post; I feel shame. I love your blog and it wasn't a criticism of you at all. No idea why I was worked up about Kovy. I guess I just don't like his inflated opinion of himself (or his cheesy, little mustache). :) PS You rock.

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  8. Awesome . Couldn't pay me to play the game (Tried it in 06 Just about set my computer on fire) but funny as hell. "oh good lord even when I turn off the game I can still hear him in my nightmares".
    LOL I can here him now :(

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  9. "I think there should be a feature where when you win the Stanley Cup, Gary Bettman comes out and garbles. ..."

    Then a cut scene to hockey hos blowing your top line in a limo while their friends take phone photos.

    EA never seems to strive for that level of realism.

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  10. 5 Stars, DGB! One of your best reviews. My favorite part was mailing in 10 proof of purchase coupons and becoming the new Phoenix Coyotes owner. :)

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  11. Loved the "Free to be" Joke!

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  12. With the crowds being more interactive, are 20 of the stadiums almost empty when playing?

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  13. I bumped my PS3 this morning and when I turned on my Kings franchise, Willie Mitchell was on the IR. Weird....

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  14. Nicely done, DGB! I'm glad I didn't have anything in my mouth when I read the second and third bullets!

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  16. But I don't want to be owner of the Coyotes! If Wellwood signs, the catering bills will be astronomical!

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  17. "The game includes an improved breakaway and shootout system that promises to completely revolutionize the way you randomly swing your stick back and forth before skating into the goalie without even getting a shot off."

    So true. I think I've scored one shootout/penalty shot goal since NHL 06.

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  18. Brilliant review, but a few questions about the game that their tech support couldn't help me with?

    -Where do I find "GM Press Conference Drinking Game" mode?

    -In the announcers option, can I make Pierre McGuire's head explode? I mean, after all these years it only seems fair.

    -How come Kyle Wellwood's avatar picture looks like a cake?

    -When playing as Phoenix there are a ton of annoying popups where Gary Bettman threatens to do a striptease on-screen if I don't buy the Coyotes. How do I make this stop?

    Thanks DGB...happy gaming.

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  19. I tried giving Derek Boogard a four year deal and it said, "No fucking way." This game iz borken.

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  20. "There seems to have been some sort of audio mix-up with EA's FIFA soccer game. When I played a game in Montreal, the crowd just kept doing old soccer chants from the 1980s."

    This is my biggest gripe about Habs fans. My soul bleeds every time I play now... I get "Ole"s while I'm in the Memorial Cup. I just want to make it stop :(

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