NHL 2006 (Electronic Arts) EA Sports

By Lee Clontz, Special to SI.com

For sports gamers of a certain age (read: older than 30), you'll find few who don't remember EA's NHL 94 with a passion bordering on obsession. That game, voted "best sports game ever" by the readers of Boston.com, was a masterpiece of fast action, tight controls and unforgettable one-on-one battles with friends.

Hockey video games since haven't had the same magic. Sure, they look better, with mathematically perfect reflective ice, accurate, expressive player faces and sweeping camera angles out of a Michael Bay movie. But the games became more flash and less fun.

When gamers talk about sports franchises today, they're more likely to focus on Madden or NASCAR than the NHL. Fortunately, someone at EA and 2k Sports is paying attention because both NHL 06 and NHL 2K6 are significant improvements over recent offerings. Both games put up a solid game of hockey at a bargain price, but if you've only got the coin for one, which one should you choose?

Presentation

Both games look about as much like a real hockey game as one could want with ice that deforms as you play, detailed uniforms and a wide variety of skating and checking animations. Before you get into the game, though, it's a whole other matter.

2K6, now lacking the ESPN license, suffers greatly from the loss, with menus that look like they're from a bargain bin DVD and some seriously cheesy music. It's a different story once you're playing, as EA's commentary is boring and repetitive, while 2K6's announcers actually keep up with the game and are occasionally even insightful. 2K6's crowds seem more realistically responsive to the game as well.

Edge: NHL 06 -- Despite NHL 2K6's superior in-game sound, the rest of NHL 06 shows more polish. Use the "Classic" camera and you can party like it's 1994.

Gameplay

NHL 2k6 (2k Sports) 2K Sports

Put it this way: the manual for NHL 06 lists fewer than a page and a half of controls. By comparison, the NHL 2K6 manual lists 13 pages of controls in three different configurations.

NHL 06 keeps it simpler and, in some ways, more fun, though if you want to choose whether your goalie goes for the save with a back sprawl, a stacked pads stance or a poke check, you might be happier with 2K6.

I'd trade all that in for NHL 06's brilliant ability to aim your shot with a small user-controlled reticule that appears in the goal right before the shot leaves the stick. It's a small feature, but it gives a real sense of control over where you're aiming. Almost as cool is 2K6's long-overdue icon passing mode which lets you choose exactly to which player you want to pass.

NHL 06 just feels better than NHL 2K6 where it counts. Skating feels like skating should and the puck has a realistic sense of momentum. The 2K6 engine seems a little glitchy, with one observed instance of a goal being scored from under the back of the net. Strange-looking puck movement isn't an unusual occurrence in 2K6.

Edge: NHL 06 -- EA's game is great, arcade-style fun, though some players will enjoy the outrageous amount of control that 2K6 gives you.

Online

Here's where the 2K6 developers really get a chance to show off their multi-year Xbox Live experience. The online game -- when it's not glitchy -- is fast and tight and feels just like you're playing someone on the couch next to you. The EA game feels laggier, with a very minor, but persistent, delay throughout online games. It's still playable, but doesn't have the snappiness of 2K6's online mode.

Getting into a game is a different story, as 2K6's interface hurts it yet again. Joining a game is confusing and awkward, and on one occasion I had two of three games I was playing spontaneously abort partway through. When it works, though, it's a blast to play. EA's interface has polish to spare; it's just unfortunate that the game doesn't play as smoothly online as its competitor.

Edge: NHL 2K6 -- Presuming that you can get a glitch-free game going, you'll have a better time with 2K's game, which betters EA's soupy controls.

Intangibles

Both games feature deep dynasty/franchise modes and a wide variety of game types to keep players coming back. Like most of its recent games, EA lets you create a team -- or just a single player -- from scratch, play short tournaments or party-style minigames.

2K6 features four-player party games and has some silly, but fun, features like Momentum, which lets you take an ability away from your opponent, goalie dekes for example, if you play well enough.

From a music point of view, you'll be begging for custom soundtracks. As bad as the EA Trax are this time, the 2K6 music selection is just as horrid.

Edge: Push -- Neither game has a killer feature the other doesn't counter.

Overall

Either game should please a hockey fan looking for a good time on the virtual ice, but EA's NHL 06 has the slight edge due to its higher fun factor. Hockey purists will probably want to rent or buy both games, though, since 2K6 really goes the extra mile with its intricate and deep control scheme.