"EA Sports' NHL series is back on the ice, and what a game it is!"

User Rating: 9.5 | NHL 11 X360
By killanick1020 | Review Date:
Gameplay: NHL 11 should seem no different to the hardcore hockey fans, but yet it also gives you a few friendly twists, turns, new interactive tutorials, new broken sticks, a new faceoff system, and my favorite, the new fighting system! The same modes return from last year's iteration with the exception of a couple brand new additions, but this is actually a good thing because what NHL 11 does best is what it excels at! There is a "Play Now" mode where you pick your team from the vast majority of teams, including ones from the NHL, CHL, and other minor leagues, pick your jerseys, and jump into a match. There is a"Battle for the Cup" mode where you can skip over the entire season and jump right into the playoffs. There are also the basic Career modes, GM modes, and Be a Pro mode from NHL 10. However, the best game mode by far that you will spend the most of your time on is the new "Hockey Ultimate Team" mode! If you have purchased Madden NFL 11, then you'll have a pretty good idea of what this one is like! Basically, as I said, it's like "Madden Ultimate Team" from Madden NFL 11, but with a hockey-style twist! When you first boot up the game, you will be asked to complete the new tutorial mode, which is really short. If you complete this, then the game will award you with trading cards that you can either boost up later, trade with friends or others over Xbox Live through weekly, daily, and monthly auctions, or buy more packs with microsoft points. Of course, the ones that you will be given have almost little to no value whatsoever! So, your job is to keep playing the "Hockey Ultimate Team" mode so that you can earn more valuable cards! And that's basically the main idea. The gameplay in this year's NHL game is simply stunning!

Presentation: This is where NHL 11 shines! You know how last year when you were viewing a replay and the frame rate dropped? Well, don't worry, because this year, that's not a problem at all! The sound of sticks breaking is superb, the new third-person fighting modes are perfectly designed, the fights up against the boards are also very well done! This is NHL at its finest! Everything is absolutely gorgeous! From the rink-specific team chants, to the goal horns buzzing, to the less than cluttered menus, to the numerous number of faceoffs, to the excellent soundtrack that includes the likes of Airbourne, and Panthera, to the huge roster of teams to select from. The commentating team of Gary Thorne and Bill Clement return from NHL 10 and they do a terrific job in the booth. Their commentating is accurate, however they do lack a bit of excitement. Hearing Gary Thorne say "And he scores!" is bland, but straightforward. Bill Clement on the other hand nails every single last one of his lines. They are accurate, well thought out, and a bit abstruse, but you won't notice that anyway because your attention will be geared towards the beautiful ice rinks and wonderfully designed player models.

The Verdict: In the end, NHL 11 is the best hockey game in the history of hockey games! It will suit everyone's needs because of the easy to learn tutorials and the abstruse controls in the manual itself. There are no glitches, bugs, or slow down! The game is fast paced, but not too much so to make it an arcade style one, it is definitvely a sim! Oh, and more thing, if you look on the back of the box, the slogan this year is, "Any monent can be a wow moment." That's a huge turn on. If you didn't pick up NHL 10, or you are new to the series, this is a must to own! It's a good starting point because it simply is fantabulastic (yes, I made up that word!)

Other Helpful Reviews for NHL 11

Load Comments (0)