NHL 12
Review
Best a hockey fan could wish for in 2011
by Quinn Levandoski
reviewed on PS3
Familiar visuals (cont.)
The only point in the visual department that really was a disappointment is that the game still doesn’t feature authentic goalie helmet art. In real life, each goalie in the league has a personalized helmet which usually features things like landmarks from their city or a stylized mascot. These are done by professional artists and are normally nothing short of beautiful. Unfortunately the NHL franchise doesn’t have this art, instead just putting the team logo on the goalie’s helmet. In an online interview a representative from EA said that this was because normally the artists held the rights to the artwork, not the NHL, so they would have to go to each artist for approval. I understand this means more work, but when you’re trying to make the most authentic experience possible, it seems like a no-brainer that the extra effort would be well worth it.
Aurally the game didn’t set a new bar for me either, but I did find it much more satisfying than EA’s other recent releases Madden 12 and NCAA Football 12. On-ice sounds are fairly vanilla, but announcers Thorne and Clemente do a good job. While their lines get recycled eventually after playing a number of games, they at least had a small semblance of chemistry. This may not seem like a big compliment, but compared to the broken and isolated lines coming from Johnson and Collinsworth in Madden, it’s a huge step in the right direction.
Game modes aplenty
Luckily, rock-solid gameplay is backed up by a plethora of game modes. 'Franchise' mode lets you pick a team and try to bring them the cup. 'Be a Pro' mode has you create a player and play through his career controlling only him all the way from the Canadian Juniors to the Pros. 'Be a GM' mode lets you control just about everything short of playing. 'Ultimate Team' returns as well, using a trading card system to have players build up the best team they can. There are also two new modes which arrive with varying degrees of success. 'The Winter Classic' (a game help on New Years' Day every year in an outdoor venue) finally makes an appearance after being left out of the series since it’s real-life introduction in 2008. I think the presentation is actually pretty cool even if it really only amounts to a fancy exhibition game.
The one feature that failed to impress me, much to my own surprise, is the brand new 'Be A Legend' mode. When it was first announced that legendary players such as Yzerman and Roy would be included in the game, I was hoping for something along the lines of what the NBA 2k series has done with Jordan and is going to do with others later this year. I was hoping for a fleshed-out mode where I could pick my superstar of choice and play through some of the best games of years past. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. Instead, 'Be a Legend' mode is pretty much a carbon copy of 'Be a Pro', only with you taking the control of one of a handful of superstars and throwing him on a modern-day team. Worse yet, you can’t pick the superstar that you want right off the bat. The game forces you to start as Roenick and work your way up through the ladder of former players. This turns the mode into a grind to reach the player that you really want, which it absolutely shouldn’t be. There aren’t any re-created games, there isn’t any alternate presentation, and to put it simply there just isn’t any real excitement. Perhaps in future iterations this mode will be made into something special, but in a world where other games have done the “take control of a legend” thing much, much better, this mode is forgettable at best.
A lot to love
Overall, NHL 12 gives players a whole lot to love. The actual game modes may not be much different than they have been in years past, but that doesn’t make them any less in-depth or enjoyable. The game looks good, and sounds better than most sports titles. And, best of all, the core gameplay is fantastic, providing an incredibly tight and refined experience. Hockey may not enjoy the popularity of sports such as basketball or football here in the U.S., but its digital counterpart is one that is worthy of your time and money for both die-hard fans and those of you who don’t know a power-play from a wrap-around. There are still some potentially awesome looking sports titles coming out later this year, but as of now I have no problem saying that NHL 12 is the best sports title of 2011.
9.0
fun score
Pros
The best gameplay the series has ever seen, New additions like fighting for position and improved puck physics are extremely welcome additions, Enough Depth to keep you busy for months
Cons
Most game modes are pretty much the same, Be a legend mode is very underwhelming
