NHL 2K6 E3 2005 Hands-On Impressions

No hockey season? No problem! While the lack of a current collective bargaining agreement and only slim hope of future NHL seasons on the horizon would certainly seem like a hindrance, 2K Sports will frontier forward with a new installment of its critically acclaimed NHL 2K franchise, titled NHL 2K6. Of course, the game will once again be on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. However, the exciting news is that the game will also be on Microsoft's new platform, the Xbox 360. As far as features go, it sounds like you can expect roughly the same concepts across the board. But in terms of visuals, you can expect a pretty hefty upgrade with the Xbox 360 version.

Let's not beat around the bush, shall we? Yes, NHL 2K6 on the Xbox 360 looks really, really good. The character models are obviously more detailed than ever before, but significantly more effort has gone into the periphery, namely the crowds and stadiums. You would probably expect that the 3D crowds would look a whole lot better this time around, and lo and behold, 2K Sports has thrown a ton more detail into the animations and features of each and every crowd member. The first game we played started off with a cutscene of fans moving through the arena, getting concessions and whatnot. While this was obviously a cutscene, it was rendered in-engine, and after getting an up-close and personal look at the crowds, we saw that they looked exactly the same. The power of the Xbox 360 hardware is also allowing the developers to do a whole lot more on the ice. You'll see all kinds of detailed scratches in the ice, and some pretty awesome lighting and reflections. The ice, predictably, reflects really nicely, but some of the best reflections come off the boards. When you slam into one of the boards, you'll see the reflection wobble right along with the glass in a highly realistic manner. Very nice stuff.

With that said, the Xbox 360 version of the game is effectively the same as the current- generation versions, so apart from the more detailed visuals and some smoother player animations, you're going to find the same gameplay features in all of them. One of these new features is an on-the-fly coaching system, which will let you set up new coaching strategies instantaneously to fit the current situation. Did the puck bounce off the goalie, and now do you need your forwards to crash the net and try to get the rebound? You'll be able to command them to do so. This coaching model will translate into the game's franchise mode, where you'll be able to set up specific types of practices to work on multiple types of tactics. Your coach will even bark angrily at you if you screw up during practice. Another new feature is a team chemistry system. Essentially, players that work together more will develop a better rapport and will work better on a line together. It sounds similar to the chemistry system found in NHL 2005, but it's a bit more dynamic here. Online play, complete with stat tracking and league play, is also due for all three consoles. Though how, if at all, the Xbox 360 version will differentiate in terms of online features was not revealed.

NHL 2K6 is currently scheduled for a Q4 release on the Xbox and PlayStation 2, and the Xbox 360 version is due for release this holiday season. It is currently undecided if it will make the system's launch, but it shouldn't hit too far after that. We'll bring you more on all versions of NHL 2K6 as it becomes available.

[UPDATE] We got a chance to check out the PS2 and Xbox versions of NHL 2K6 to check out some of the game's new features. The most obvious enhancement is tied directly to your strategy on the ice, namely the on-the-fly coach mode which maps play strategies to the directional pad. You'll have four plays to choose from on both offense and defnese, and your position of your controlled player on the ice will determine which kind of plays you control. For instance, you'll only be able to call offensive plays when you cross your opponent's blue line. Similarly you can only change your defensive plays when in your own defensive zone.

Another new facet of this on-the-fly coaching is the point-counterpoint system it involves. If you notice your opponent calling a pinch, you can send your forward for release and hope to catch a breakaway; or clear the net to make room for your goalie when your opponent calls a screen.

In terms of gameplay, lots of new animations make for some interesting happenings on the ice. We noticed plenty of punishing contact between players, even ones we weren't directly controlling and stuffing a guy's head into the boards felt really nice, even moreso than last year. Better yet, the game was running extremely smooth, and at a tempo that perfectly suitable to the real game of puck. The difficulty level must have been extremely low in the demo, because we lit the lamp on way too many backhand shots to the goalie's glove side. Still, this being a 2K NHL game, we suspect the difficulty level will be ramped up once the game hits release.

We understand that NHL 2K6's franchise mode will include the ability to schedule and take part in player practices, and you'll be able to set individual player training schedules ala NFL 2K5. Here's hoping the menu system that controls this mechanic is improved from the NFL version, which seemed to us to be extremely confusing. A new chemistry system and upgraded fatigue settings will complicate matters in franchise mode too; the more your team plays together the higher the team's chemistry, but roll out our stars too often and fatigue will lead to injuries, and send your team down the standings.

In a world without the real NHL, 2K Sports' puck title frankly can't get here fast enough. There's a legion of hockey fans out there for whom this may be their only taste of the fastest game on ice. We'll have more details on this game in the near future.