EA Sports NHL 12 Review
Developer: EA Canada
Publisher: EA Sports
Format: PS3 (reviewed), 360
Release Date: Out Now
September always sees the release of the season’s new sports titles, and in recent years EA has been at the forefront of pretty much all of the various sports games. The different game modes and trademark menus are shared around all of EA’s titles and this year they really come to life on NHL 12. As well as the standard exhibition game and manager mode, NHL also features EA’s “Be a Pro” mode and the newly added “Be a Legend” mode.
I started off with a few exhibition games to get back into the swing of things. One massive difference since I last played a game in the series is the radical control changes. No longer is there a single button mapped for shooting or passing, but you now use the right analogue to control the player’s hockey stick. While this seemed like it would complicate things at first, it realistically gives you a lot more control over the player especially when it comes to deking and shooting; a quick flick forward with the analogue lets the player perform a fast slapshot. Pulling back the analogue makes the player gather power for a wrist shot – flicking the analogue forward lets the puck fly.
Deking is essential when a player is one-on-one with a goalkeeper (again, made easy with the stick control), as the AI controlled keeper can be quite tricky to beat even on the lower difficulty settings. After a bit of time with the game you learn to notice that certain tactics can be exploited to easily confuse and beat an AI goalkeeper, making scoring a lot easier than it should be. Without that knowledge, the keeper will get at nearly every shot you make. This is easily overcome when you have the ability to control your whole team and set up intricate plays, but on “Be a Pro” mode you don’t have that pleasure. Scoring can becomes a chore, as your computer controlled team-mates won’t automatically fall into the plays you work to set up. That’s part of being a team, I guess.
After creating your own pro upon entering the “Be a Pro” side of NHL 12, you get to pick what team you’re going to play for and customise your player. Once you start your first game you’re thrown right onto the ice. Due to the nature of the game, the squad is constantly rotated meaning your player is on and off the pitch every minute or two. Between your chances out on the ice, your coach issues you orders and comments on your play letting you know where to improve your game. Being only a casual NHL fan, I did have trouble understanding some of the acronyms and terms that were issued to me; nothing a quick google didn’t help. Following the coaches orders properly will earn your player extra experience. After each game you can then spend the experience you’ve earned to improve your players various stats, allowing you to mould your player to suit your play style. The games “Be a Legend” mode plays out just like the Pro mode, except you get to play through the career of a real life hockey legend. Unfortunately, “Be a Legend” seems like one of the games afterthoughts as it is really lacking. There is no opportunity to play out games or scenarios that actually made the player famous, instead you just play through a normal season. A little bit of thought could have really improved this aspect of the game, for example something to track your popularity among the fans in a bid to become a fan favourite.
To me, NHL was always a “pick up and play” sports game; the type of competitive game you can be decent at playing without investing a lot of time in, quite like the FIFA series. After a little hands on time however, the reality is quite the opposite. Setting up plays and creating scoring opportunities is a lot more difficult than it looks and timing your tackles takes a while to get used to. Apart from scoring, there is no more satisfying feeling in-game then when you hit such a sweet tackle that your opponent’s helmet flies off.
NHL is a great game and while it might take some time to get used to the mechanics of the game, it’s definitely well worth the investment. The crisp graphics, smooth flow of the game and quick load times all contribute to making NHL 12 one of the better sports games this season.
Score: 8/10
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