NHL 2006 Description:

NHL 2006 review:
2 stars (Prepare to be underwhelmed and more than a little frustrated) - I'm a big fan of the series, starting with NHL99. Personally, I thought NHL2007 was nearly perfect. NHL2006 is, to me, a huge step backward.



First off, the graphics are definitely not improved. The in game graphics are identical to my eye, and I have all graphics on full detail on a Radeon 9800PRO. I expected to see something more than two years ago. Some graphics are worse: a hat trick is greeted by one little cap coming down in unrealistic slo-mo in the background.



Second, usability has taken a nosedive. The game menus are cheesy looking, and it's very difficult to get around. When editing lines, for example, it's very difficult to get from the 1st line to the 3rd line. Before, you'd just click an arrow, but now you have to follow a roving "next box" button. Bizarre. You have to be something of a genius to figure out how to put in your backup goalie during a game, and good luck trying to return a goalie to a game.



Third, the music is terrible. Whatever you think of EA games, they tend to have some really inspiring music. (I wouldn't buy the albums, but the music really enhances the Need for Speed series, and all the NHL games.) The music here is unlistenably bad. It's not even catchy.



Fourth, as usual EA sports seems unable to provide rosters that are close to accurate. Yes, Forsberg is in Flyers uniform, but also playing for the Flyers are Sean Burke, Claude Lapointe, Marcus Ragnarsson, and others. Worst of all, don't even think of having the rookies to play with. Carter and Richards, winners of the AHL championship and Flyers starters this season, are both missing from the game entirely. I played against Pittsburg for a game and didn't hear Crosby's name once, but I have to double check that. People who buy the game every year are usually the same people who know the young stars and look forward to having them on the roster. EA again disappoints.



Fifth, I'm not crazy about the AI. Players on your team who are not highlighted as user controlled tend to be really stupid, never checking or poking or intercepting passes. Also, in order for a check to disrupt another player, you have to turn way up the option for checking force.



Finally, considering that vibrating game controllers are now about three dollars more than plain game controllers, it would be nice if after all of these years, EA could put in a vibration effect. How about when monster checking someone or getting monster checked? Throw us a bone, please.



Are there any good points to the game? Yes, new rule changes can be enforced, and now you can use the right controller stick to do some stick moves: a definite improvement. Also, your forwards finally, after all these years, go to the net looking for rebounds.



Overall, a disappointing entry for the franchise.
1 stars (A lifelong fan of the NHL series finally says "enough") - I literally grew up playing nhl 93 as a little kid and bought or heavily played all of the games up til 2007. 2007 had a lot of problems in its own right, passing was too hard etc, but it is apparently as good as its going to get. NHL 2007 was a total debacle, just awful and while 06 does make some good improvements like better graphics and commentary, the game play is just AWFUL, I repeat, AWFUL. On difficult level the cpu goalies are on crack, the only goals they will ever allow are one timers in the slot and this factor makes the game horribly repetitive. Also, passing is now too good, puck control is too good, and defense is often simply a novel thought. Checking the puck away you ask? Only if you turn the checking settings all the way up! Also, perhaps the worst part of all in this game is that your goalie will give up mind numbing goals, such as flopping out of position for a rebound from a horribly hard angle and then the other team can just tap it in or diving down across the crease on a one timer that would have literally hit them in the leg. The only good thing about this game is Dynasty Mode, but the NHL2K series easily outdoes EA's flagship hockey game I am going to reinstall nhl 04, which trumps this game anyday.
1 stars (quite possibly the worst sports game of all time!) - this POS is completely infested with bugs!



I wish I could give you more information, but I was barely able to get the game running for even a minute!



just buy NHL 2007 for about 10 bucks at your local K-Mart, Wal-Mart, etc......