NHL 10 is the first time EA has left so much unchanged from the previous year, and will actually please fans because of it. NHL 09 won many sports game of the year awards for good reason. It was simply the greatest hockey game this side of NHL 94, trumping even the nostalgia of making little Wayne's head bleed. EA knows they struck gold with 09, and thankfully only tighten and enhance what made it such a fabulous game on NHL 10. Immediately following the slick title sequence, the game forces you to create your own player and thrusts you into a brief tutorial voiced by Gary Thorne. The tutorial does a fine job showing those who mistakenly skipped over the franchise last year the ropes of passing and shooting, while also showing off this year's enhancements. The board play arrives for the first time in the franchise's eighteen-year history, adding a new layer of realism to the already impressive gameplay. Holding the Y button when an opposing player is at the glass with the puck slams you into them in an attempt to wrestle the puck loose. The puck-handler must try to pass the puck out of the confrontation to a teammate, while the defender looks to knock the puck loose with a poke check.
It plays great in the game, even if you do not always remember to utilize it instead of an old-fashioned body check to free the puck from the player. The other major addition to the game this year is first-person fighting. It lacks the depth and satisfaction of the Fight Night series, but the ability to pull on the opposing player's jersey, dodge punches with your head, and duck into a turtle position when getting pummeled does a fine job of accurately recreating hockey-style fisticuffs. Fights actually come about far more frequently this year, thanks to the game's recognition of after-the-whistle shenanigans. Not even the computer will put up with your post-whistle cheap shots, or attempts to poke check the goalie after the play. Checking players after play has stopped, or messing with the goalie in any way, results in a swift visit from the opposition's enforcer, who immediately tries knocking you on your butt. Hit them back, and expect the fight indicator to pop up in the right-hand corner. The officials are also aware of the extracurricular action, dishing out the occasional penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.
The only slight drawback to the increased attention on post-whistle activity is that the game sometimes waits in anticipation of it even when both teams are as timid as choir boys, waiting as long as ten seconds for something to happen before setting back up for the face-off. It is a small price to pay for the more realistic experience. All the modes you expect out of a sports title are here, and then some. The fantastic new Be A GM mode actually renders the Season mode obsolete. Season mode is just a stripped-down version of the GM mode, though the game never forces the kind of micromanagement that would deem a Season mode necessary. Players can choose to start the GM mode either with last season's draft, or skip it in favor of the start of this year's regular season. The goal of the mode is to increase your reputation around the league as a quality GM. Nearly every action you take as a General Manager rewards task points, whether pulling off a trade or having the team win games. The points are then available to upgrade the four pieces of your staff - Amateur Scout, Pro Scout, Medical Staff, and Assistant Coaches.
