EA has once again trumped 2k and made a superior game with wonderful graphics and addictive gameplay. Best one yet!
The addition of Be a Pro is probably the biggest reason to update from your old copy. You can now enter the game as yourself and play an entire season as though you were just you in the grand scheme of things. You even have the option of a camera angle that follows only you around the ice. If you get a penalty, you watch the game from the box, if your line is on the bench, you watch the game from the bench. It can be a frustrating angle at times, but it really does immerse you in the feeling of being only one player on a team, rather than being the whole team.
To make this feature even better, they have created a league online for you to take your created player into. You can join a team and play in a league with other friends online and actually have your progress tracked. This is an incredible step forward for the franchise. If you don't have enough friends playing the game, no worries, you can join a random team and make new friends. Be good though, cause you can be traded by your teams manager if he so chooses. (not an ingame option but it can be done outside of the game, so beware)
The sights and sounds of this game are top notch. The replayability is as you would expect from a sports title. It will keep you playing as long as you want. When the season is over and the other sports seasons are starting up, it still might keep you involved with its many great features.
Graphically its top notch. Sounds are top notch. Game play is top notch. If you are a fan of hockey, you absolutely need to treat yourself to this game. Its gonna be fun to see how they top this wonderful addition to the series. I gotta admit, I was 2K faithful for years. They always came out with the more realistic puck action. Now however, they have been pushed into the back and have not responded well. They now have a more arcade oriented game that may still retain some of its realistic aspects and they do have a great franchise mode, but for actually playing the game, you gotta go with EA. They have really outdone themselves this time.