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IGN Review of NHL 2K10
There's no doubt that there are better hockey titles currently on the market than what you'll find in NHL 2K10 on PlayStation 2. As with every single one of these last-gen efforts, developers are much more focused on their Xbox 360 and PS3 SKUs and this latest PS2 incarnation is no different. Thankfully that doesn't mean that there isn't a bit of fun to be found underneath the game's slightly dilapidated surface.
All the usual suspects are here in terms of game modes. You'll find Season, Tournament, Franchise, a Party Mode that houses a surprisingly fun assortment of mini-games, there's Pond Hockey as well as Mini-rink and there's even an online mode which is rare among PS2 releases these days. Nothing has been added to the core modes that have been in hockey games for years now, but that's not necessarily a bad thing if you like the way things are. The mini-games that are included make for a good time if you have three friends over. The list is impressively long and does a good job of changing the gameplay from one mini-game to the next.
The gameplay in NHL 2K10 sticks to the more arcade-like experience that the series is known for. Scoring goals is commonplace with one-timers still ruling the world of putting the puck in the net. Random slap shots and wristers will hit the back of the net every now and again, but your best bet is usually working the puck around for an opening. Sometimes the scoring can be laughably unrealistic with AI that could have used some more fine tuning before hitting the ice, but other times this version of NHL 2K10 resembles its current-gen counterparts fairly well.
Where the PS2 version takes its biggest hit isn't in its gameplay (though there are some comical moments), instead it's in its presentation. Penalties are called without any indication of who's being sent to the box or why, fights are one of the most comedic events I've seen in a videogame, and the new aerial camera perspective doesn't do much to reveal the finer points of the hockey or accentuate the visual fidelity of the players. Even despite the lacking level of detail, the game still manages to have a sluggish framerate that needlessly hampers things. There's also a very strange greenish hue that emanates from the ice every now and again. It happened on multiple TVs and didn't make a lick of sense.
The animations perform nicely on PS2. You'll see some bone crunching checks that send players hurdling into the opposition's (or your) bench, players skate along fluidly and interact realistically with each other for the most part. Occasionally you'll see a shot where the puck never makes contact with the stick, but that kind of inaccuracy isn't prevalent.
A big disappointment for me – besides the gameplay inaccuracies and presentation failings – was the artificial intelligence. The back of the game's box lists AI enhancements as one of the few new pieces of content. It touts players that actually act like their real life counterparts. Sadly that's not exactly the case. Don't believe me? Just skate up to your opponent's goalie and check him. Any self-respecting hockey player would throw down their gloves and turn your face into something resembling egg salad. In NHL 2K10 they sit there and watch as their goalie squirms around trying to regain his balance.
©2009-12-15, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved
All the usual suspects are here in terms of game modes. You'll find Season, Tournament, Franchise, a Party Mode that houses a surprisingly fun assortment of mini-games, there's Pond Hockey as well as Mini-rink and there's even an online mode which is rare among PS2 releases these days. Nothing has been added to the core modes that have been in hockey games for years now, but that's not necessarily a bad thing if you like the way things are. The mini-games that are included make for a good time if you have three friends over. The list is impressively long and does a good job of changing the gameplay from one mini-game to the next.
The gameplay in NHL 2K10 sticks to the more arcade-like experience that the series is known for. Scoring goals is commonplace with one-timers still ruling the world of putting the puck in the net. Random slap shots and wristers will hit the back of the net every now and again, but your best bet is usually working the puck around for an opening. Sometimes the scoring can be laughably unrealistic with AI that could have used some more fine tuning before hitting the ice, but other times this version of NHL 2K10 resembles its current-gen counterparts fairly well.
Where the PS2 version takes its biggest hit isn't in its gameplay (though there are some comical moments), instead it's in its presentation. Penalties are called without any indication of who's being sent to the box or why, fights are one of the most comedic events I've seen in a videogame, and the new aerial camera perspective doesn't do much to reveal the finer points of the hockey or accentuate the visual fidelity of the players. Even despite the lacking level of detail, the game still manages to have a sluggish framerate that needlessly hampers things. There's also a very strange greenish hue that emanates from the ice every now and again. It happened on multiple TVs and didn't make a lick of sense.
The animations perform nicely on PS2. You'll see some bone crunching checks that send players hurdling into the opposition's (or your) bench, players skate along fluidly and interact realistically with each other for the most part. Occasionally you'll see a shot where the puck never makes contact with the stick, but that kind of inaccuracy isn't prevalent.
A big disappointment for me – besides the gameplay inaccuracies and presentation failings – was the artificial intelligence. The back of the game's box lists AI enhancements as one of the few new pieces of content. It touts players that actually act like their real life counterparts. Sadly that's not exactly the case. Don't believe me? Just skate up to your opponent's goalie and check him. Any self-respecting hockey player would throw down their gloves and turn your face into something resembling egg salad. In NHL 2K10 they sit there and watch as their goalie squirms around trying to regain his balance.
©2009-12-15, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved