Wrapping up our sports coverage for 2011, we bring you today our full review on NHL ’12. As the resident NHL fanatic here at Gameseyeview, I anxiously await the arrival of this one on my desk every year (Matt has lost some of his passion for the game since the tragic move of his beloved Whaler’s from Hartford, but living in the desert doesn’t help either.) As the annual standard bearer for what a sports franchise should be, we were also anxious to see how this year’s iteration kept up that momentum and reputation.
In many of our interviews with the development teams at EA, we’ve routinely heard that one of the challenges that faces teams is the annual improvements necessary to justify a yearly release. It’s my opinion that no other franchise handles these yearly improvements better than the NHL team as other franchises have shown a longer development cycle to ‘get it right.’ This year is no exception to that as NHL 12 is better than ever. While that game isn’t without it’s flaws, the overall product is a must have. But I’m getting ahead of myself just a bit. Let’s discuss what’s new, what works, what doesn’t and some general information before we make our final opinion, shall we?
This year, the franchise features an all new physics engine which allows for more life like player movement, more realistic puck movement, as well as nets that come off of their moorings, goalies who can be interfered with (and subsequently knocked down – though penalties will ensue) and glass shattering checks. Yep, thats right, this time around players throwing their weight around can actually put their opponents through the glass. These aren’t the only improvements though, as visually the game features a vast array of new features such as players who can now make one-timers off of one knee, or helmets popping off after a big hit. With a high, consistent framerate, the graphics feature an insanely high amount of polish and operate silky smooth. Our favorite touch of detail is the raising of championship banners, mentions of specific accomplishments and things like that.
Sending players into the bench is just one more thing you can do.
From a control standpoint, the game wasn’t broken so there isn’t much here that’s been fixed. Smoother animations certainly help out, and players are much more responsive. Passing has been improved again, but this will likely always be a slight issue due to amount of players on screen and the close proximity and speed of the game. Shooting has been improved and some of the slight glitches in goal scoring have been shored up from seasons past.
Gameplay is smooth, fast paced and entertaining. Players can treat the game as as much of a sim as they’d like or have a truly arcade experience. With advanced strategies incorportated, players again can make their own preset plays to execute on the ice or just wing it. The choice really is yours. We did feel as though throughout our many different experiences, an exorbitant amount of players were injured though so we’d like to see that fixed up a bit. Injuries are certainly part of the game, but players aren’t breaking bones every third game either. This type of thing can happen with any game though as players will frequently see some of the new features occurring more than what is considered typical.
Pardon this out of date image. Some roster changes take longer to than others.
Speaking of gameplay, no release of the NHL franchise is complete without a slew of new game modes and this year is no exception. Returning are the typical GM mode where players run a team as the GM and make all day to day decisions on top of playing the games. The bulk of our time was spent here and this year is phenomenal again with all the details there, down to player rights in junior hockey. Be a Pro makes a return, with players now capable of playing an entire CHL career as a player in either the OHL, WHL or QMJHL. We loved this touch as we took our player through the ranks of the WHL as a center for the Kamloops Blazers. If players can win their respective league they will vie for the Memorial Cup and potentially become a high draft pick. We wound up being taken in the first round by the Maple Leafs (ugh.) Tying in with the Be a Pro mode is the new Be a Legend mode. Players must unlock new legends, but are allowed to start off with Jeremy Roenick. Players can play the entirety of a legends career with any team they choose, with legends such as Gretzky, Yzerman or Orr playing for teams like the Stars, Sharks or Canucks. It’s an interesting spin and one that we certainly enjoyed. The lasting effect honestly wasn’t there for us with this but we’re more purists in the sense we don’t want to start off as a legend, we’d rather work our way there.
There’s also a new Winter Classic mode which offers an arcade style one off game played at Heinz Field. We really enjoyed this mode but it’s lack of any real bearing on the game makes it more of a novelty to show off to friends than anything else. Still, the execution and style of placing a game outdoors was well done and deserves mentioning. Lastly, players can return with either EASHL, an online league where players can use themselves on teams of their own design and the HUT (Hockey Ultimate Team.) EASHL is a ton of fun again, and while it rewards those who play religiously, is accessable enough for anyone to enjoy. HUT is a lot of fun again but not much has been changed with the exception of EA running promo’s more frequently for packs of cards. I feel the same way that Matt does about microtransactions so I didn’t spend a ton of time or money here but for those interested it’s a lot of fun. This is a mode that is a niche market but it is well supported and is worth the time.
Another year worth celebrating hockey fans!
What separates NHL 12 from the rest of the EA universe is that somehow the servers don’t have issues. Online play is a dream and rarely causes any problems. With continual support, frequent updates and patches, NHL 12 seems to be immune from some of the problems that plague online play in other EA titles.
Like we said, the game isn’t without it’s issues but these are all minutia. The EA Trax again is about an intrusive a game’s soundtrack can be. While we tried to set our audio to just not play the music, the settings don’t seem to save and every time we fire up the game we’re treated to a dreadful Dropkick Murphy’s song or some other dreck. Commentary is surprisngly fresh this year though, so that’s a good thing as sports commentary usually goes stale after a few games. The menu system is as cumbersome as ever, and our hope is that some year EA might understand how to make an easy to navigate menu.
Overall, NHL 12 is a game that gets everything that matters right. The only real issues here are all miniscule and don’t effect gameplay at all. We have to say we can’t think of a way to make a better sports game. Once again, the NHL franchise has set the bar higher for the competition. If you’re looking for one sports title this year, make it NHL 12. It’s a must have.
Overall Rating: 10/10
