The most outstanding new feature (and one which is quite absent in the screenshots but very present in the game) is the brand new ice graphics. It has got to be the shiniest and prettiest ice you have seen since you last saw the game for real. Hell it may look even better than at an actual game of ice-hockey. In fact, the publisher cares so much about the ice they have bought a new extra feature which involves driving an ice-scrubber to clean the ice, something surprising but well implemented and addictive to add to the game roster of features.

 

 

Likewise the crowds have a pleasing amount of animation, from people walking to and from seats, through to people cheering, booing and generally causing ice-rink chaos. There are realistic sounds to go with the crowd as well, so when a fight sequence occurs the crowd will react accordingly. The commenter also appears to be enjoying the game, being very enthusiastic throughout while the soundtrack is perfect, suiting the ice theme neatly.

 

But all this may be pointless if the game doesn’t deliver. The game boots Quick Match as soon as you start the disc spinning, but there is a career mode hidden in the menu system. Inside career mode, you can create your team and players, simulate certain events, and join in others. One thing which should be brought up is that the game is quite hard. Like the real sport, the goalie is the size of the goal itself so getting your puck into it is very challenging. It’s certainly not impossible to win, but it can take some time. There are a few tutorials to play, but these are very well hidden is Practice menus. If you prefer to play without all the screaming fans and ample players, you can choose to play 2vs2 and 4vs4 options, also available in the games menus.

 

Your characters are detailed enough, with facial expressions to match, but they are quite square, something which should not be a factor in this modern generation of gaming. Also, you flick between your characters on the pitch requires you to press the Back button twice, and the amount of times I hit the Xbox Guide button is amazing. There is no lag in the game, however if you want to skip cut scenes, think again. These are simply just fronts for background loading.

 

Thankfully on the ice your players move very fluently based on weight, agility and other skills affecting their performance. It’s all coded very well, and makes the game flow nicely. You have much greater control over the puck this time too, rather than having the 8 point turning seen in many games, you have a full 360 turning angle. You can even bash other opponents out of the way to keep control of your puck.

 

 

Once you tire of single player, which takes a long time with the multiple game modes available to play, you can head online for some real ice-hockey mayhem. The game is sustainable enough online, but there is no skill matchmaking so chances are you will be stuck with either someone really skilled with years of experience, or someone who cannot play the game, allowing you to win every time. As you may have guessed, I kept getting the first!

 

It should be said that if you have no interest in the sport, or cannot handle the busy menus, this is anything but your dream game. It is challenging, it requires a lot of patience, and the game relies too many times on you actually knowing how to play it with very little pointers. But if you are a huge fan of the sport, and want to be given over 25 different game modes, this is your game of the year!