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If
there's an
unheralded sports
franchise it's
always been the NHL
series. It's gotten
accolades and awards
but it hasn't gotten
the public attention
like
Madden,
NCAA
Football,
or the
Tiger
Woods
series. That's
because hockey isn't
a wildly popular
sport in the U.S.
like golf and
football. For hockey
nuts though,
NHL
12
sets itself apart
from competitors as
the best hockey game
on the market and it
also sets itself
apart from other
sports games with
unprecedented depth
and options.
The
game’s perks from
the last edition of
the game are pretty
obvious. It's the
realism of gameplay
and the update
that's been provided
here. That includes
checks onto the
benches, checks with
players losing
helmets and sticks
and all-around
updated graphics.
The gameplay with
NHL
12
is as spectacular as
it is as
challenging. With
the Pro/default
level you'll lose
just as many games
as you'll win and
that’s what you want
with a standard mode
in a sports title.
The gameplay also
features some great
AI that forces you
to change up between
focusing in on
getting your offense
to the slot to
create scoring
chances and going
wide to create some
angles for scoring
chances there. With
some solid gameplay
matched with great
television
presentation that
includes some good
commentary work that
makes the in-game
hockey experience
complete. When you
dive into a season
or a GM mode you'll
care about playing
the games more than
anything else. And
that's because the
gameplay is fast and
furious and great to
play through. You
even get to play the
winter classic in
Pittsburgh.
Where
NHL
12
sets
itself apart from
hockey game
competitors and
sports game
competitors is it’s
diverse range of
game modes complete
with tons of options
inside of those game
modes. Become-a-Pro
lets you create a
player and turn him
into a superstar.
Become-a-Legend lets
you take an existing
NHL player and turn
him into a Legend
with focused in on
gameplay. Season
mode is pretty
self-explanatory
after twenty years
and GM mode is back
with
NHL
12
and just as rich of
an experience as
ever. If only the
NHL salary cap was
more
understandable... it
might be more fun.
NHL
12's
lacking points are
simple. There's not
enough to build on.
If you take
NHL
12
and
NHL
11
and put them side by
side they're more
similar than any
other EA sports
titles have been in
consecutive years.
There needs to be
some kind of change
up and some kind of
expansion, but what
can the team really
do that they haven't
done before? They've
created a rich
simulation
experience that's
open enough for a
novice to play and
realistic enough for
hockey fans to
appreciate.
It'll
be interesting to
see what happens
with
NHL
12
and how EA expands
and develops the
series after nearly
perfecting it with
this edition. That's
what happened with
NHL
11
so I'm sure they'll
find a way. If
you've ever liked
hockey games or if
you're in to the
sport and looking
for some time to
kill when you can't
hit the ice this
winter, check this
one out.
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