Another year, another sports game. This year's NHL title from EA Sports is graphically beautiful from many perspectives, but nothing has drastically changed from last year's effort. NHL 10's player models once again look outstanding on the ice. The uniforms and animations within play well together and look good from any angle or distance from the camera. I would say that the player faces, although represented fairly well, could have been a bit more detailed. However, when you consider that they are covered by helmets and shields most of the time, they are certainly livable. The ice itself also looks great and weathers as each period goes on, with skate marks taking full force until the Zamboni returns during the intermissions.

From an audio standpoint, there are certain sound fx that really sound great, including when the bench players tap their sticks after a teammate levels an opponent in a fist fight. Speaking of, NHL 10 contains an all-new first person fisticuffs session that looks pretty cool, including the visual fx when you get pummeled. The commentators like to point out when the teams are getting restless too, giving an audio cue when players are about to rumble. While the commentators certainly do have very good voiceovers, and generally plenty to go around so that the action isn't boring, I did feel that they often were watching another game because of a few off comments here and there.

Last year's hockey title was, quite frankly, one of the greatest improvements to the NHL franchise in a very long time, making this year's effort a bit of a disappointment (in comparison). For sure, NHL 10 is still a great game overall, but if you already own 09, you probably won't miss a whole lot as most of the changes this year are cosmetic and it's very difficult to one-up one of the best sports sims of all time.

The first addition has been mentioned above in the form of first person fighting. It certainly adds some flavor to the game and gives a unique perspective, but the controls feel a bit on the clunky side. What's interesting about picking fights is that as long as players are bumping for a while during a dead puck, you'll have ample opportunity to drop your gloves. Just be wary of the five minutes it will cost you in the penalty box.

Another big feature in terms of gameplay to NHL 10 is that of the advanced board play. The ability to freeze the puck against the boards on offense is great, and on defense, it makes stealing the puck all that much more fun after you drive someone's face into the Plexiglas. When all's said and done, you can poke check the puck away or kick it with your skate to pass to a teammate.

As far as straight gameplay goes, I do have to say that I'm disappointed in how difficult it is to score... at least for me. I realize that I am no hockey master by any means -- in fact, I pretty much stink -- but I do feel like NHL 10's ability to put one past the goalie has gotten increasingly difficult. Last year, I felt like I at least had a fighting chance. I also found that the camera just wasn't friendly, and I ultimately decided that the only way I could see enough of the ice at any given time was to choose the Overhead Camera, but doing so made it very difficult to follow the puck being that it was so small.

Once again, my favorite mode of play in NHL 10 is the Be A Pro season. Here you'll take on one player (your created player, for example) and follow him through the season. When off the ice, either through line changes or through penalties, you'll be watching from the sidelines. The thing I like most about this mode is that for people like me who aren't that great at controlling all of the action, Be A Pro allows you to focus on playing a single position, making the controls slightly less complicated as you can call for passes at any time.

Other gameplay modes include another favorite, Online Team Play, including Online Leagues, Shootout (online or off), Tournament, Playoff, and Season Modes, as well as the new Battle For The Cup Now Mode and the Be A Gm Mode. Playing online is a blast, especially considering that you can play a full 6-on-6 match. Something that didn't sit well with me, online or off, is that Penalty Shootouts felt way too slow and methodical instead of quick and enjoyable. When you're done playing, you'll also be kicked to the Main Menu instead of, say, the Online Menu, which is highly annoying when you want to keep playing Quick Matches. Throughout the game, you'll also be able to unlock different equipment/items that can be used on your Created Player.

I suck at hockey. Burn those words into your head as you read this, because I am probably a bit biased when it comes to the Difficulty section. Ever since the days of NHL 94, I have been getting whooped up on by either "the special move" or just the greatness of other gamers in general. While last year's NHL 09 allowed me to smell what it felt like to be able to control my own destiny, NHL 10 put me back in my place by getting a high stick to the face of reality. In fact, I found my inability to score extremely frustrating, and I can see that newcomers will likely feel just as uncomfortable taking shots on goal.

I honestly can't put my finger on it, but I feel like the goalies may just be too good, especially at the lower difficulty levels. There are four to choose from: Superstar, All-Star, Pro, and Rookie, with the default being Pro. After playing the default for a while and completely getting my butt kicked every time, I tried out the Rookie mode and still couldn't score on my own very often, even though the computer's A.I. was significantly inferior (apparently the goalie was still a genius). My only consolation was that in the Be A Pro gameplay mode I only had to focus on controlling one player, and as such, was able to get quite a few assists and even a few goals for myself just by being in the right place at the right time (some were open net, though).

Adding to the difficulty was the poor camera. I'm sure that everyone has their own opinion on this matter, but I like to see more of the ice so that I can lead my passes without magically getting intercepted by the off-screen defender who I didn't know was there. (Note: This is probably amplified by playing on an older, non-widescreen television.) As such, I had to opt for the Overhead Camera, which makes following the puck much more difficult, especially while playing online when the camera (no matter which one) doesn't follow the action the same exact way that it does in single player campaigns.

Adding to the difficulty, in my opinion, was that the controls feel a bit more difficult than they need to be. I felt like switching over to the two-button NHL 94 pass/shoot controls, but I resisted. I often ended up shooting the puck accidentally as I tried to deke it side to side with the Right Analog Stick. I also really struggled with the face-offs for some reason, and couldn't get the timing down at all.

While on my soapbox, I have to reiterate how annoying it is to be kicked all of the way back to the Main Menu, especially after online matches, only to have to navigate back again. Another bothersome mosquito in my ear was that every time while booting the game, one has to sign in or continue without saving... have we not made it past this yet? Can you not auto-sign in like most other games, including other EA Sports titles?

Okay, now that that's over, I can still recommend NHL 10 to anyone who loves hockey as it's a solid title that has some great features in it, especially when it comes to online play. With that said, I do have to again state that if you already own NHL 09, you may want to rent this year's foray as a trial because there hasn't really been any significant gameplay enhancements overall. Despite the difficulty I have in playing hockey games, many people will probably be alright with a little practice. Happy skating!