NHL 12

Wow

Pidgeo had once again hooked me up with this latest EA offering. NHL 11 made me happy, this game has made me delirious!

The most obvious changes are the ability to smash the rink glass, hit the goalie and move the net. While these adjustments sound minor you can't describe how awesome it is to crash in to a keeper and send him flying while charging for a rebound. Or putting a dude in to his own bench just after he passes a puck. I'm yet to break the glass but when I do I'm petty sure it'll have it's own blog post.

They've refined the Be A Pro mode as well. You can choose to do the traditional mode and go straight to the NHL or you can go via the CHL. And the most awesome addition is the ability to "Be A Legend" where you can relive the career of a past great on a modern squad. I've chosen the CHL option at the moment. Created a 17 year old two way forward. I'm currently first line for the Portland Winterhawks.

I can't explain how much fun this game is. From having a CHL player crap himself and throw the puck back in to his own defensive end, to having a goalie rip himself a new arsehole with a desperation save (throwing a leg so far back it's nearly in a different time zone) to playing against players who've been dropped down from their NHL squads this game has it all.

You can even play the winter classic, playing on an outdoor rink in the open air the way hockey should be played. It even snows during the game, makes you slow down a bit. Tests your skills. Awesome!

I can't rave enough about this game, if you love hockey you'll love this game. If you don't love hockey you'll love this game. The only complaint that I have currently is the automatic save feature. It doesn't actually save your game, it generates an autosave file that isn't identified as linked to your game. It's not evident unless you load the file and doesn't really save after each game. I've solved that by not being lazy and actually saving my games myself. You MUST get your hands on this game!