Sport73 wrote:Only the PS2 version gets the bonus game? It might sway me to try NHL 2006 if there is a version of NHL 94 that I can re-live without emulators etc. but I only own an XBox.
Yup. PS2 only. Xbox gets "better graphics". OK then....
Allright...just got back from playing both games at EBgames..xbox version of both. I played two games of 2K6 and 1 game of 06. 2K6 is pretty much the exact same as 2K5. One thing that stood out was better goalie animations. Players still appear to be stiff and hunched over when skating. The commentary was better than i thought it would be and nice highlites in between periods. I was playing on pro level or medium level and the game finished as a 2-2 tie. Still the game reminds of 2K5 too much and I was looking for a different feel. As far NHL 06 I liked the skating and the fluidness of the players quite a bit more. I didn't have any problems checking as i was able to lay out some nice hits. I didn't play NHL 2005 at all but this version feels good to me and one thing I like quite a bit better is that the camera angles seem to be better. Graphic wise I can't pick one game better than the other although i will say that 2K6 didn't appear to have taken a step back graphic wise like some have suggested. I got the feeling that the AI was still going to have trouble scoring on 2K6 on the higher difficulty settings and the game while having new rules still seemed to play like the old style NHL. EA's game is definitely slower out of the box at least on default settings but yet I liked the flow of the game much better and it felt like a new NHL with new rules...it felt open and free. To be quite honest...neither game totally "wow'd" me but considering i was longing for something different I decided to purchase NHL 06 for the time being.
Edit
Also another deciding factor was both goals the cpu scored on me in 2K6 were wraparounds and there has been a lot of discussion about this already.
tjung0831 wrote: something different I decided to purchase NHL 06 for the time being.
Edit
Also another deciding factor was both goals the cpu scored on me in 2K6 were wraparounds and there has been a lot of discussion about this already.
Tim.....I have been playing te NHL2006 demo and my biggest concern is that it seemed too easy to just skate into a good scoring position and fire away at the goalie. The defensive AI seems to give you lots of room and won't check you when they have a good chance to do so. You can skate right past a defenseman right along the boards and he wont ever attempt to squeeze you into the boards. Did you notice this overall lack of agreesiveness on the "D"? This seems to be the biggest comment I have heard concerning NHL 2006's possibilitites. Everyone seems to think this can be adjusted with sliders, but I'm not so sure. The game is fun for sure, but I need a bit of a challenge also.
I played nhl06 EA on a kiosk for about 15 minutes and didnt think it was all that bad. I was use to 2k5 last year but the skating in ea 06 felt more smoother than what I remembered from 2k5. It was only a 15min impression so take that for what it's worth.
But first impressions of nhl06 were not like last years game which blew off the bat.
tjung0831 wrote: something different I decided to purchase NHL 06 for the time being.
Edit
Also another deciding factor was both goals the cpu scored on me in 2K6 were wraparounds and there has been a lot of discussion about this already.
Tim.....I have been playing te NHL2006 demo and my biggest concern is that it seemed too easy to just skate into a good scoring position and fire away at the goalie. The defensive AI seems to give you lots of room and won't check you when they have a good chance to do so. You can skate right past a defenseman right along the boards and he wont ever attempt to squeeze you into the boards. Did you notice this overall lack of agreesiveness on the "D"? This seems to be the biggest comment I have heard concerning NHL 2006's possibilitites. Everyone seems to think this can be adjusted with sliders, but I'm not so sure. The game is fun for sure, but I need a bit of a challenge also.
Can't tell you for sure because I wasn't looking for that during my "tjungin it" time. I know that I got beat(i was the Islanders) in my game of NHL06 5-2 by the Penguins while I tied in 2K6 playing the same two teams on the same difficulty levels. It's going to come down to personal taste. I'm not looking for the ultimate sim game any more but looking for what i feel will be the most fun and i walked away thinking that NHL06 would be the most fun. Like I said you can't go wrong with 2K6...it's just too much of the same thing for me and I wanted a change and I also don't want to beat the cpu 2-0, 3-0, after I get better at the game. I know the cpu is going to score in NHL06.
tjung0831 wrote: something different I decided to purchase NHL 06 for the time being.
Edit
Also another deciding factor was both goals the cpu scored on me in 2K6 were wraparounds and there has been a lot of discussion about this already.
Tim.....I have been playing te NHL2006 demo and my biggest concern is that it seemed too easy to just skate into a good scoring position and fire away at the goalie. The defensive AI seems to give you lots of room and won't check you when they have a good chance to do so. You can skate right past a defenseman right along the boards and he wont ever attempt to squeeze you into the boards. Did you notice this overall lack of agreesiveness on the "D"? This seems to be the biggest comment I have heard concerning NHL 2006's possibilitites. Everyone seems to think this can be adjusted with sliders, but I'm not so sure. The game is fun for sure, but I need a bit of a challenge also.
Can't tell you for sure because I wasn't looking for that during my "tjungin it" time. I know that I got beat(i was the Islanders) in my game of NHL06 5-2 by the Penguins while I tied in 2K6 playing the same two teams on the same difficulty levels. It's going to come down to personal taste. I'm not looking for the ultimate sim game any more but looking for what i feel will be the most fun and i walked away thinking that NHL06 would be the most fun. Like I said you can't go wrong with 2K6...it's just too much of the same thing for me and I wanted a change and I also don't want to beat the cpu 2-0, 3-0, after I get better at the game. I know the cpu is going to score in NHL06.
Ya it felt like it had a more casual feel to it. I am sure 2k6 will be more hardcore.
Yes, I thought that the wraparound happened too often on Amateur level but I scored also a few on Pro, and so did the CPU. Graphics wise, this year the players and rink seem to be more on the shiny side, even glossy.
I always liked how the game skated on 2K and this year is no exception.
One thing it needs improving is the hitting on the ice, not to the extreme like EA last year where it was almost unplayable, but when you hit a player, the CPU hardly moves, unless you time it perfectly.
tjung0831 wrote: something different I decided to purchase NHL 06 for the time being.
Edit
Also another deciding factor was both goals the cpu scored on me in 2K6 were wraparounds and there has been a lot of discussion about this already.
Tim.....I have been playing te NHL2006 demo and my biggest concern is that it seemed too easy to just skate into a good scoring position and fire away at the goalie. The defensive AI seems to give you lots of room and won't check you when they have a good chance to do so. You can skate right past a defenseman right along the boards and he wont ever attempt to squeeze you into the boards. Did you notice this overall lack of agreesiveness on the "D"? This seems to be the biggest comment I have heard concerning NHL 2006's possibilitites. Everyone seems to think this can be adjusted with sliders, but I'm not so sure. The game is fun for sure, but I need a bit of a challenge also.
Can't tell you for sure because I wasn't looking for that during my "tjungin it" time. I know that I got beat(i was the Islanders) in my game of NHL06 5-2 by the Penguins while I tied in 2K6 playing the same two teams on the same difficulty levels. It's going to come down to personal taste. I'm not looking for the ultimate sim game any more but looking for what i feel will be the most fun and i walked away thinking that NHL06 would be the most fun. Like I said you can't go wrong with 2K6...it's just too much of the same thing for me and I wanted a change and I also don't want to beat the cpu 2-0, 3-0, after I get better at the game. I know the cpu is going to score in NHL06.
thats funny ....i thought most games hate when they change too much an ruin a game. I do know what your saying, other then last year i always peferred EA NHL. i thought it was a beter feel of skating, thats what bothered me in 2k5 was you could skate these crazy circles and figure 8's way to easy.
I'm holding out hope that the final versions of NHL 06 are as close to 2004 as they seem and don't have any glaring flaws or bugs or issues that can't be corrected with sliders (or patches for the PC version). I've kind of grown tired of the 2K series, and the fact that it sounds like it is extremely similar to the 2K5 version doesn't have me too excited.
I'm going to wait on some more reviews and maybe try and score a copy of NHL 06 cheap off ebay.
10spro wrote:One thing it needs improving is the hitting on the ice, not to the extreme like EA last year where it was almost unplayable, but when you hit a player, the CPU hardly moves, unless you time it perfectly.
I don't think that's unrealistic at all. How many times per real NHL game do you really see a guy get laid out, a la Scott Stevens on Eric Lindros a few years ago? Not many.
Most hits simply slow a guy's progress or pin him to the boards, not flatten him like a safety crushing a wide receiver reaching for an overthrown pass.
Take care,
PK
"You know why I love boxers? I love them because they face fear. And they face it alone." - Nick Charles
"First on the throttle, last on the brakes." - @MotoGP Twitter signature
If 2k6 is similar to 2k5, then I am leaning towards getting nhl06 because its different. For right now, with football beginning and other games out on the market I would like to play, a casual hockey game like NHL06 is enough for me.
Probably later into the season when I want something more hardcore and challanging, I'll pick up 2k6.
I just picked up 2k6 but won't get a chance to play it until tonight and maybe not even then. I'm hoping Fry's has EA's game on sale this Friday because the demo took me back to NHL 2004 without all the hits. It's a really fun demo with the settings editor and if the full release is the same than people will be surprised by 2006.
I am a patient boy.
I wait, I wait, I wait, I wait.
My time is water down a drain.
pk500 wrote:Sh*t, all this talk about a return to NHL 2004 has me second-guessing. NHL 2004 was an excellent game.
Take care,
PK
The skating style feels like 2004 and i think that's why the game felt good playing it. The skating and fluidness of NHL 06 played a huge part in my decision on the purchase today. 2K6 will be a good game for sure, i just needed a change.
One other thing. I felt like the stick control with the puck was better in NHL06.
Last edited by tjung0831 on Wed Sep 07, 2005 4:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
One other thing...while i played on the default settings other than difficulty with both versions 2K6 still played alot like what the old NHL was. When i played an Edmonton and Vancouer game...it felt like a Minnesota vs New Jersey game. I'm sure there are ways to open this up with slider settings. NHL06 didn't feel that way...it felt as if the game was just like the new NHL intends for it to be..opened up with more skating and skill but not in a total arcade sense. I can't really describe it but I could definitely feel it.
Well, I think the idea that the "new" NHL all of the sudden is going to be a 9-7 shootout like the early 80s is far-fetched.
I just watched a few of WAZ's videos showing at 2khockey.net showing the ineffectiveness of wraparounds and how the defenseman automatically spins in reverse to keep the puck in his offensive zone near the blue line in NHL 2K6, and I REALLY like those touches.
Sully also reported at OS that he has played two games, and every one of the CPU goals came on something OTHER than a one-timer. Again, very encouraging.
Now I think I'll stick with my gut and get 2K6. The 2K series never has let me down before.
But I do hope the local EB has a kiosk so I can "tjung" NHL 06. If it blows me away, I'll have to make a "game time" decision at the register.
Take care,
PK
"You know why I love boxers? I love them because they face fear. And they face it alone." - Nick Charles
"First on the throttle, last on the brakes." - @MotoGP Twitter signature
Just got back with 2k6...going against my feeling this morning that I was going to pick up both. I've got '06 on the way from Gamerang so if it's THAT good, I'll just buy it from them.
10spro wrote:One thing it needs improving is the hitting on the ice, not to the extreme like EA last year where it was almost unplayable, but when you hit a player, the CPU hardly moves, unless you time it perfectly.
I don't think that's unrealistic at all. How many times per real NHL game do you really see a guy get laid out, a la Scott Stevens on Eric Lindros a few years ago? Not many.
Most hits simply slow a guy's progress or pin him to the boards, not flatten him like a safety crushing a wide receiver reaching for an overthrown pass.
Take care,
PK
One new feature this year that isn't perhaps as well-put-together as it could have been, is the enforcer system. I mentioned hitting earlier but what I meant is this new idea that 2K came up with. You won't miss it as it has an E icon. The E is there to intimidate the other team's players through rough play, hits and occasional brawls, right?
If your enforcer does his job especially well while he's on the ice, then opposing players may become intimidated, which is noted by a big I icon for such player. It's kind of odd that a player frightened by the presence of an enforcer would suddenly slow down--if anything, you'd think he'd want to speed up to stay the heck out of the enforcer's way.
So far I miss more than hit when I am set out to intimmidate someone and when I do connect, the strange thing, is that there's never any action. We are not talking about flattening people here but using the specific E feature that the game is meant for. The enforcer from the team with the intimidated player never comes out and tries to start a fight. In real life if G. Laroque takes a hit on say a star player like M. Sundin, I am sure T. Domi would reciprocate.
You guys are making it really difficult to hold off on purchasing a hockey game. With NCAA '06 and MotoGP 3, I really thought these would be the last games I purchased for the Xbox before the 360 debuts.
While I very much enjoyed 2k5 last year, the one thing that I never could get past was the randomness of goals. Yes, I realize there is a certain randomness to scoring in video game hockey, but 2K5 more than any game felt as though I had little or no control over this feature.
As mentioned, EA has always been a couple notches above the competition in terms of closely resembling the physics of skating. The 2k series always felt a bit too pin point.
It's my understanding that NHL '06 is not coming to the 360, but 2K6 is. Because of this, I'll hold off on 2K6 and rent it on the 360. Now, I just have to decide whether or not it's worth purchasing NHL '06 and playing it for a couple months........
I don't know what to do. I have 2k6 but haven't cracked the plastic yet but after reading some posts here maybe NHL06 might be the better choice. Went to Blockbuster Video but the one friggin copy they have of both games are checked out. With the no late fee charge thing it may be 2 or 3 weeks before I get lucky enough to rent either one. Waiting intently on more impressions of both games.
After playing two more games of NHL 06 i'm sold. I believe it's EA's finest effort ever for a hockey game. I just played as Vancouver at home against Edmonton and was shutout 4-0 and every single goal that the Oilers scored was because of my mistakes...didn't feel cheated on one damn goal. Very weird to see Pronger back there patroling the Blue line for the Oil. While I know that 2K6 will be fine game i'm extremely happy with my decision. NHL06 is everything I expected and more and I think it majorly helps that I haven't played an EA hockey game since NHL 2004.
