VERDICT: Kevin felt as though NHL 2K10 was enjoyable when playing with friends, and from everything we knew about this game building up to its release, it looks like it succeeded in becoming a party game. That said, Kevin felt that without any semblance of evolution in the single player modes, NHL 2K10 just can't compare to its competition.
-Scott Pytlik
A great video game series is like an amazing wine, it seems to get better every year, and once you've tasted it, it's all you can talk about. Unfortunately, NHL 2K10 is like a bottle of Boone's Farm wine. It's the one with more food coloring than wine in it, and may or may not cause blindness in certain quantities, but hey, at least it gets you drunk.
Is Party Time?
While the comparison to Boone's Farm may be a little harsh, when NHL 2K10 is compared to the polish and finesse of NHL 10, the difference in quality is easy to see. Checking in 2K10 is a terribly lazy effort, in that you simply tap a button and lay guys out all over the ice. But what's confusing is that for a game like hockey, that's simple, there are approximately 1,493,000 different buttons you need to know for the BASIC control scheme. Why do I need a speed burst button? My players should be going all out, all game, like a true hockey player does.
Much like the control scheme, the single player game modes don't offer much of anything new or exciting. The pedestrian franchise mode returns, and with it comes, well, not much else. In this mode you take on the role of president of hockey operations for your favorite team and attempt to build your team up from the ashes and put them into the Stanley Cup Finals. While it's hardly a bad thing, it also feels very dated by the advancements that "other" franchise has been making.
Is Party Time!
Where this game does manage to find its groove is in it's multiplayer, which is really pretty deep whether looking at the online or offline mode. You can hop into tourneys, create a team or play in a league over the internets.
Offline, it's your standard fare, playoff modes, multiplayer season or franchise modes and other quick time sinks that can keep you and your friends passing the controller up and down the couch for a while.
Overall, the game is a fine hockey game, nothing more and nothing less. I must stress the word "game" as it can often feel like you're controlling dome hockey skaters with the way they'll move around for the puck. With that said, when there is a far superior hockey sim option on the market, with better single player modes and a far more riveting Online EASHL league, I can't find a single reason to recommend this game against its competition.
Pros: Amazing pre-game intros, many multiplayer options
Cons: Too many buttons for too fast paced a game, lousy menus, stiff skaters, lazy goals & poor sentence structure on back of the box. (Even by my laughable standards, "Is Party Time" is always the first thing anybody who sees the box says to me)
-
- NHL 2K10
- Score: 2.50/5.0
-
Add Us On