NHL Slapshot is a total slam dunk!! Wait, does that even make sense?

User Rating: 10 | NHL Slapshot WII
NHL Slapshot is EA Sports' first hockey venture on the Nintendo Wii, and boy was it worth the wait! Not only is this the first hockey title from EA on the Wii, but it's the first hockey game from any company that comes with it's own hockey stick controller attachment, making you feel like you're right in on the action. And with Wayne Gretzky not only being the cover athlete but showing up in the game as a playable character, this is truly a hockey fan's hockey game.

From the main menu of NHL Slapshot you have four options, the first of which is called "Play Now". This is where you go when you want to get in to a game as quickly as possible, a one off game that has no ramifications on your overall progress through NHL Slapshot. Upon entering this mode you must first choose which league you want to play in, the choices are Pee Wee, Bantam (in these two leagues you play with no stoppages on an outdoor rink, with Wayne Gretzky the puck dropper and overseer of all the action), CHL (all Canadian Junior Hockey Leagues including the OHL, WHL and QMJHL), and Pro (both the AHL and NHL professional leagues). Once you've selected your league you then choose whether you want to play as the home or away team, and then you move on to select the actual teams that will be competing. Next you determine which control scheme you'll be using (with the stick attachment or not, and if yes to the stick attachment, which way you'll be shooting). And finally, before you confirm everything and head to the game, you'll first have the chance to review and alter any applicable game settings/options.

The second option on the main menu is "Game Modes" and consists of four sub-options. The first sub-option is the most substantial mode of the game, called "Pee Wee to Pro", and is personally my favourite part of this game. In this mode you control one specific player (you can't switch to the player closest to the puck in this mode) and guide him through an entire career, all the way from playing as a kid on the outdoor rink in Pee Wee, to finally getting drafted and playing with the big boys in the NHL. When you start out on this mode you first select which league you want your career to start off in (you don't have to start at the beginning all the way from Pee Wee, although I don't know why you wouldn't). You then create your own player or choose any existing player in the game, assigning him as the player you will guide through a career, then you assign him to a team. The final step before getting to the action is to adjust any applicable game settings/options, and then it's time to begin!

The main hub for this mode is a calendar screen showing your closest upcoming games. From here you have a number of options, besides going and playing the next game on your schedule. The first is "My Journey", upon entering this option you will see an image of the current Superstar Card you're working on (you unlock higher levels of Superstar Cards by performing tasks such as simply playing in a certain number of games, getting a certain amount of shots, etc.). There are a number of things you can view in this My Journey option, including Career Tracker (view details on the progress of your various Superstar Cards, your overall position score, and a sampling of your overall stats), Season Goals (the coach lays out some goals for you at the start of each season, here is where you go to view them again), Boosts and Sticks (you unlock Boosts and Sticks as you achieve certain milestones in your career, Sticks are just cosmetic but a Boost can be applied in each of the Offense, Defense and Athletic categories, giving your player slightly amplified abilities in certain areas), and Player Growth (after each game you earn attribute points that you can apply to your player's various abilities, under the offense, defense and athletic categories, here is where you go to view the status of these various abilities).

Another option at the calendar screen is "Stats". Here you get a quick overview of the current scoring and goaltending leaders in your league, but you can also view the League Standings (current detailed league standings which can be sorted in many ways), Player Stats (personal statistics broken down on a player by player basis), Team Stats (statistics broken down on a team by team basis), and My Career Stats (a sampling of your career stats broken down by each league you've played in).

"Awards" is the next option from the calendar screen and is where you can view any of the trophies and awards you've won throughout your career. The award categories are broken down in to Youth, CHL, and AHL/NHL. Finally we have the "Settings" option, where you can view and adjust any applicable game settings/options. And this is basically the extent of the largest, most exciting mode in the game! Do you have what it takes to persevere through a grueling hockey career and eventually take a shot at bringing home Lord Stanley's mug?

The second sub-option under the Game Modes option is "Season", which in the past has typically been the most in depth mode in these types of sports games, but not anymore, at least not in NHL Slapshot. Anyways, once you select this mode you must first determine all of your applicable game settings/options. Then you select the team you would like to control. Afterwards you are taken to the Season mode game hub, which just like in Pee Wee to Pro is a calendar screen. Besides opting to play the next game on your schedule you do have a few options to choose from on this screen. You can select "Manage" (manage rosters, edit lines, set strategies and view league news), "Stats" (view current league standings, player stats and team stats) and "Settings" (view and adjust any applicable game settings/options). Your task is then to guide your team (in whichever league you specified) through a complete regular season, make the playoffs, and hopefully win the ultimate prize!

Third we have the "Stanley Cup Final" sub-option. In this mode you can skip the career, skip the regular season, and skip most of the playoffs. This mode lets you get straight to that fateful final series and pits you right off the bat into a fight for the Stanley Cup. When you start out on this mode you first choose the two teams that will be involved, then you determine all applicable game settings/options. Next you move on to select which team you are going to control, as well as the control scheme you'll be using. After determining all of these factors you are off to the action. The hub for this mode again is a calendar screen, the options you can select from this screen are the exact same as in Season mode.

The fourth and final sub-option under Game Modes is "Mini-Games"! There are four Mini-Games you can partake in, the first of which is called "Goalie Versus Shooter". When you pull this Mini-Game up you first choose whether you want to control the shooter or the goalie. Next you select which player you want to use, as well as your control scheme, before being taken to the action. In this Mini-Game you must either score goals or prevent them, depending on who you chose to control. Every time you do your job you earn points, but when the other player beats you he earns points. Whoever has the most points after 10 shots have been taken is the winner (shots are taken from just inside the blueline).

The second Mini-Game is "Classic Shootout" and here you can only control the shooter. To get going on this mode you first select your player, then your control scheme. Once taken to the action you are given three shootout attempts on the goalie, you need to convert at least one of them in order to win.

"2 vs. 2" is the third Mini-Game and it takes you to the outdoor rink for some 2 on 2 shinny action, with goalies. The first step in getting this Mini-Game going is to select the two teams that will be competing, then you select your control scheme. Once settling these details you are taken straight to the action (this mode features all players as youngsters with the regular Pee Wee/Bantam rules applied).

The final Mini-Game is titled "Free For All". To get going on this mode you first pick your player, then your control scheme. When you are taken to the action afterwards you go 1 on 1 against the goalie and are allowed to perform any move or shot you want. The Mini-Game ends after you've finally buried three attempts in the back of the net.

Finally getting back to NHL Slapshot's main menu, the third option we come to is "Training". When you open this option up you are faced with five sub-options, the first of which is again simply titled "Training". Upon choosing this sub-option you are prompted to choose whether you want to play as a shooter or a goalie. Once this decision is made you will be in control of Wayne Gretzky (if you chose shooter) or Roberto Luongo (if you chose goalie), and you will then be coached through a number of drills that get you used to the basic functions and aspects of playing the game.

The second sub-option is "Controller Help". When you select it there will be pages of information at your disposal that you can scroll through, breaking down all of the game controls applicable to the three various schemes (stick, remote and nunchuk, or remote only). Third is the "Stick Assembly" sub-option, which is just a video of one of EA Sports' NHL Slapshot game developers guiding you through how to set up your hockey stick controller attachment. The final two sub-options are called "Basic Moves" and "Advanced Moves" respectively. These sub-options entail videos from the same game developer, giving you instruction on both the basic and more advanced aspects of controlling your player in NHL Slapshot.

Heading back to the game's main menu the fourth and final option you will see is "Options". It consists of seven sub-options, the first of which is "Create Player". When you select this sub-option you first choose whether you want to create a skater or a goalie (you can also choose to edit or delete previously made players at this point). You then input all of your player's information such as name, number, handedness, as well as determine all of his attributes using the available points at your disposal. After confirming these details your player is then created, your last task is to assign him to the free agent list so you can then sign him to the team of your choosing.

The second sub-option is "Rosters". Here you can view any CHL, AHL or NHL team roster and choose to edit lines or set strategies on any of them. Third is the "Online Update" sub-option, where you can use the internet to update your game's team rosters to the most current incarnation. "File Manage" is the fourth sub-option, from here you can view all of the game save files you have created for NHL Slapshot, and delete them if need be.

Fifth we come to the "Settings" sub-option, where you can alter all aspects of your gameplay experience on NHL Slapshot. For example you can adjust options such as skill level (rookie, pro, all-star or superstar), period length, penalty occurrence, icing rules, offside rules, tiebreaker rules, toggle the auto-save on/off, camera angle, auto zoom, camera perspective, toggle player indicator on/off, toggle score clock overlay on/off, and adjust the commentary/music/sfx volumes.

"Music Playlist" is the sixth sub-option, here you can view a list of all songs in the game and check or uncheck them, based on whether you want them to enter the game's playlist or not. And the seventh and final sub-option under the Options option is . . . "Credits" . . . where you can have a look at the people who designed this game for us.

The game screen for NHL Slapshot is clean and simple, very much the same as most other hockey video games out there. In the top left corner of the screen is the game clock and a display of the game score . . . and that is all. As for the pause menu, it gives you nine options, which are: Instant Replay (view a replay in full or slow motion, of a play that just unfolded in your game), Team Stats (view team stats applicable to the game you're currently playing), Player Stats (view player stats applicable to the game you're currently playing), Rosters (where you can edit lines and set strategies), Choose Sides (switch which team you're controlling . . . for whatever reason!), Controller Assign (change your control scheme), Settings (adjust many of the same settings I listed in the Settings option from the main menu), Resume (get back to the action) and Quit (quit your game, all progress goes unsaved). It is important to note that the game screen and pause menu I just mentioned are applicable to those modes where you are actually playing a game of hockey. These may change slightly in alternate game modes, such as the Mini-Games, when the nature of the action differs a fair amount.

The controls in this game are awesome! Here I will be describing the default controls behind the hockey stick attachment, which in my opinion is the only way to play this game. Anyways, you use the control stick to move your player around the ice. To perform a speed burst press and hold the Z button. To dive/block a shot, press and hold the C button. To make a pass press the A button (this button is also used to switch to the player closest to the action when you are not in possession of the puck). To perform a wrist shot just flick the stick attachment towards the screen in a shooting motion. But to perform a slapshot bring your arms up behind you in a backswing first, before shooting, just like you would with a real slapshot. To perform a one-timer just make your shooting motion once the puck has been passed to you, but before it has actually arrived. When passing and shooting you also use the control stick, in order to aim said pass or shot. To deke you have two options. For an auto deke just move the control stick side to side as you bear down on the goalie, then shoot. And to perform a manual deke press and hold the B button, then move the entire hockey stick attachment side to side, releasing the B button just before you make your shot. To perform a spin move just tap the B button once quickly. On defense there are a few moves you can try. For a poke check you can simply tap the B button, or you can press and hold the B button, then make a poking motion with your stick. For a stick lift press and hold the B button, then lift your stick up. And finally, for a body check, just raise your stick in the air like you are going to cross check somebody, whenever a guy gets near you.

As I mentioned earlier you can also play as the goalie in this game, but the goalie controls don't utilize the stick attachment. Put the nunchuk in your left hand and the remote in your right (this is default, for those who catch left and block right). You use the control stick to move your goalie around his crease. To make a glove save just stick your nunchuk hand out beside you, and to make a blocker save put your remote hand out beside you. To go down to the ice in a butterfly just lower both hands down towards the ground. And that's it! It sounds easier than it actually is . . .

The presentation behind NHL Slapshot is just breathtaking. We all know by now that EA is the best developer of hockey video games, and has always been ever since their release of NHL Hockey for Sega Genesis way back in the early 1990s. But with this release they have taken things to an even higher level. Normally the cutscenes that take place between whistles can be kind of unrealistic and cheesy . . . not so much anymore. The player animations in this game are just amazing, for both the skaters and the goalies. The action unfolds at a quick pace, and the way the players interact with each other and their environment is just so realistic. The graphics are top notch, one of the best looking hockey games I've ever seen. Great lines and great polish. And of course, as is usually the case with an EA Sports title, the soundtrack is awesome. I think there are about a dozen songs in the game, featuring the likes of The Ramones, The Black Keys, and Danko Jones, but to name a few. The control scheme is amazing too, with the specialized stick attachment. Surprisingly there aren't really any glitches with the controls, considering they introduced something of such a differing nature. So good!

The pros to this game are many . . . almost too many to even think of! First of all, like I just said, this game looks and sounds just awesome. NHL Slapshot is the benchmark for video game hockey in today's day and age, at least in my opinion. I also really like the stick attachment they designed specifically for this game. It really helps make the action feel even more realistic and lends the game a very unique vibe, helping to elevate it even further over the other hockey games out there. The plethora of game modes is another big plus. It has all of the regular modes you would expect, plus the Mini-Games, but my favourite aspect is the Pee Wee to Pro mode. This mode ensures that you are playing this game for much longer than you would any other comparable hockey video game, but at the same time the action remains fresh with all of the different league changes, evolving players, and unlockable content. A pro I really enjoyed and thought was very different, was the camera perspective setting. In hockey games these days the action usually flows up and down, not side to side. For some reason most people find it easier to play when they are heading up, towards the top of the screen, which means that when you switch ends between periods you have to play coming down towards the bottom of the screen. However, this camera perspective setting allows you to play the entire game going in the direction of your choice. You still switch ends between periods, the rink just rotates to suit your end of preference. Very cool! Now, as for cons, there was just one . . . no fighting. A hockey game with no fights, this is absurd!! Fortunately the game has so many other great points that I was able to overlook this omission . . .

For tips and tricks I don't really have many. Practice, practice, practice, and experiment with the controls. That's the only way you're going to learn. One thing I didn't realize at first when playing the Pee Wee to Pro mode (where you control just the one player on the ice at all times, no switching) is that you can call for a pass. When one of your teammates has the puck you can press the A button once you are open or in a good shooting position, and they will pass you the puck. At first I didn't realize you could do this so I was pissed that nobody was passing to me! Once I discovered it a whole new world opened up, awesome for one-timers. Silly me.

In summary, with the minor exception of the whole no fighting issue, this is hands down one of the best hockey video games ever created, for so many different reasons! It's no wonder The Great One put his name and number behind it, as NHL Slapshot is almost a virtually flawless representation of the real thing. Bravo!!