NHL 2K10

2K Shoots, 2K Scores

Posted 2 years ago By - Zach R.

Maybe it’s because I’m somehow honour bound as a Canadian gamer that I feel the need to play every game of hockey that hits consoles. Perhaps it’s the fast-paced, white knuckle action that’s rare to find in other sports titles out there, or the back and forth scoring that can have you on the edge of your seat. Whatever the reason, since the Genesis era, I’ve tried out every iteration of hockey that’s come my way, and believe me, there have been a lot of them. That said, it took nearly two years before I’d see a proper game of stick attempted on the only console I was truly curious about seeing the game on, the Nintendo’s Wii.

Last season, 2K, to the surprise of almost everyone, were the first company to attempt the sport on Nintendo’s console. While it wasn’t an overwhelming success, the core mechanics were definitely there and despite its flaws, the game was a relatively enjoyable representation of the sport. Back again, 2K stand strangely uncontested for another season. Has the lack of competition allowed them to be complacent enough to just update last year’s content, or are they pushing the envelope and addressing the issues with last year’s game?

Gameplay

The first thing you should know about 2K10 on the Wii, is that it’s the exact same game feature-wise, as you’re getting on the other consoles, but with a few Wii bonuses. Franchise, Pond Hockey, online...it’s all here. So when it comes to choosing which game of stick you should pick up, the difference is merely a cosmetic one. I’ll get to that later, though. For now, let’s talk controls.

Someone’s about to be part of a Ranger Sandwich.
 

2K had a solid control build last year, but met with the obvious limitations of the Wii remote. This year, with the Motion Plus being made available, NHL 2K10 is much closer to emulating the game of hockey. Everything here has been elevated to a higher level, from the ability to poke check, to winding up a slapper and sending it screaming toward the goal.

On offense, the basics are handled mainly with flicks of the wrist. Don’t mistake this for a waggle-fest, however, as the Motion Plus emulates moving your controller like a hockey stick much more refined. Passing is handled by holding A and flicking your wrist in the direction of the nearest player. Going up against a goaltender or defensemen can be handled with the Wii remote, or by shaking the nunchuk to perform a one on one, or Ovi deke. These all work incredibly well, and are satisfying to pull off, but it’s the shooting, by far that’s the star of the show. Just winding up a wrister or launching a slapper is so much fun, it’s almost tempting to shoot as soon as you get the puck, just to see how accurate your shot truly is. Doing either is just so simple, as you flick your wrist for the aptly named wrist shot, or wind back your arm for a powerful, and surprisingly accurate slapshot. Until you try it yourself, you won’t truly know just how satisfying it is, but it’s definitely one of the most surprising and fun elements I’ve come across in a sports based game on the Wii.

Defensively, the game is much more in-depth than the previous version. Sweeping the ice with your stick, poke-checking and lifting your opponents stick are all much improved over the previous year. Body checks are handled by thrusting both the Wii remote and nunchuk forward, and it’s here that some may have a problem. Hockey novices will definitely need a bit of time to learn how and when to use each defensive tool in the game. Lining up hits with the motion controls is a lot more difficult than the simple button presses found in the Xbox 360/PS3 versions. Learning that timing is going to require a lot of trial and error. Thankfully, there’s a solid tutorial and practice mode to help you, and if you don’t want to get trampled by the AI, it’s definitely recommended.

If you don’t have a MotionPlus, you can still enjoy the game as the previous control options from last year are still here. Even if you want a more traditional feel, the game allows use of the classic controller. That said, this is a game that was designed for the MotionPlus, and won’t really impress unless you’ve tried it with it. You can even adjust the controls to suit your style, making it easy for anyone to jump in and play the game the way they want.

In all, there’s a refreshing realistic feel to the game. While on other consoles you can check the competition until you’re the last man standing, or skate circles around your opponents, there’s something more organic here. You’re not going to see defenders turn on a dime and automatically nail their targets. You’re going to have to work to line up a hit, and to do that, you’ll have to anticipate their moves pretty well.

As I said earlier, mode-wise, you’re getting everything here you could ever want, and it works pretty much as it should. What really works well here is the online. By far, the best feature is the ability to check who’s online from your friends list, and invite them into your game. While you still have to contend with friend codes, that’s an issue with Nintendo’s setup, and not the game itself. 

There are some instances in which the controls seemed to stutter online, delaying your actions just enough for you to miss a pass or shoot too late. While the lag wasn’t a persistent problem, there were about 3 games out of the six I played with issues, and the more human players involved, the worse the problem was. Still, overall, the experience is one of the best on the Wii.

Graphics & Sound

For those of you who played last year, you’ll notice the visuals have been improved here. Character models for better known players look relatively decent, though decidedly not as sharp as they could be. The action is well animated, though there are issues with frame rate drops from time to time. It’s not overly erratic throughout the games, but there are times when the frame jumps and you’ll miss a pass or two, similar to the lag found in some online matches. In all, it’s high time the series received a makeover on the Wii. Instead of going for more of a realistic visual style, maybe going for something different would be less taxing on the systems limited GPU.

The audio is similar to last year’s version. The commentary is still a bit repetitive, but the music is varied, and the arena sounds are pretty slick. Overall, if you liked what you heard last year, you’ll like what you’re hearing here, and for those who haven’t played the game before, you’ll find it a perfectly acceptable representation of a network broadcast.

Value

Whether you’re purchasing this with or without the Wii MotionPlus, this is an incredible package. Franchise mode alone is worth the price of admission, but the additional modes are just the icing on the cake. They’ve even added in a Mii Superstar mode, which is essentially a bunch of hockey mini-games, but not bad ones, at all.

Conclusion

NHL 2K10 is the most complete sports package on the Wii. While it may take some time to get the nuances of the controls down, this is the most satisfying version of the game on offer. Forget HD, this is all about gameplay, and it delivers.