In recent years, EA Sports’ NHL franchise has gotten lost in its minutiae. Kick passes are nice but not when the controls become so complicated and scoring so difficult that Alex Ovechkin may as well be Jeff Schultz. “NHL 12” remedies that. While EA Sports hasn’t skimped on the details, it has made the game accessible again. You might not be able to deke the goalie as easily as you could when “NHL ’94” was the most popular game in dorm rooms nationwide, but you also aren’t going to be frustrated at your inability to score anymore.
The key addition to this year’s game is what EA Sports is calling the “biggest online dynasty ever made.” The mode, called EA Ultimate Hockey League, starts by giving you a digital pack of player cards — mostly players from junior hockey or the minors — through which you create your lineup. By playing games against opponents online, you can earn more cards, including current NHL players and legends like Wayne Gretzky. Each player on your team has a contract for a certain amount of games, so you can’t keep them forever, though you can get cards in your packs that allow you to extend their time.
| ‘NHL 12’ |
| » Systems: PS3, Xbox 360 |
| » Price: $59.95 |
| » Rating: 4 out of 5 stars |
Each month of real time equals a regular season online, and teams that do well enough can advance to a playoff bracket. It’s an intriguing twist to online play that makes “NHL 12” worth your time.
