Gameplay: 9.0
There are a few load times, but they are not long and well worth the wait of launching into the game. NHL 10 has an inviting user interface and the control scheme is solid.
Graphics: 9.0
Sure there are a few very tiny clipping issues, but the game looks great when sprawled out across a 42-inch Sony Bravia screen and played from about 4 feet away. The character models are great, the crowds look decent, the game flow is first rate and the game’s ambience reeks of the NHL. This game is a real nice bit of eye candy.
Sound: 8.9
The musical score has some good tunes and there are some repetitive phrases put out there by the announcing tandem of Gary Thorne and Bill Clement. That said, though, Thorne and Clement are arguably the best announcing duo in any sports video-game.
Difficulty: Medium/Hard
The power to control and tailor the challenges this game has to offer rests in the hands of the player. And online should prove to have its own fun and challenges, as well.
Concept: 8.8
The game is fundamentally the same as NHL 09 but with some great new additions that up the ante in terms of entertainment value.
Multiplayer: N/A
Online was not available at the time of this review (which is when the game hits retail), but online experiences with NHL ’09 showed a game that was fast-pace, challenging and entertaining.
Overall: 9.0
EA Sports has done it again – they’ve taken a great sports title (NHL ’09) and made improvements that provide more fun, more challenge and a touch more realism to the game mix. Visually enticing and richly entertaining, this may be one of the best sports games of the year.
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