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Sony and Page 44 Studios team up for another shot at Gretzky. For last year’s Gretzky NHL 2005, the staff of PGNx Media concluded that “Gretzky NHL 2005 is a solid, even good, hockey game. The game’s online support is excellent with no lag or visual problems (like the PS2 version of NHL 2005), but the actual gameplay could be more responsive, and the production values need to moved up a notch or two.” The same can be said about this year’s version.
Gretzky NHL 06 is fully licensed by the NHL and AHL. You’ll find all the NHL teams, all the AHL teams, and every NHL coach. All of the arenas have been licensed and replicated in the game as well. If this isn’t enough for you though you can always create a player or create a team. The Eye Toy camera is supported to map your own face onto a character.
Gretzky NHL 06 features number of gameplay modes. The game’s Franchise mode is fully featured, with everything that you can expect from a simulation title. In the mode, you’ll need to manage the team, make sure they win, make sure the team is profitable and assure that the team members like each other thanks to the new team chemistry feature. It’s pretty involved as Gretzky NHL’s franchise modes have always been. The game’s Wayne v. Wayne mode is pretty fun, forcing players to get enough points to achieve “99 Time” and gain the ability to call Wayne Gretzky to play. If you achieve “99 Time” five times in a game, all five players will be replaced by Gretzky. As expected, Gretzky NHL 06 features a fully fledged online mode. The game supports online tournaments, the USB headset, and downloadable roster upgrades. In the Gretzky Challenge, you earn points by breaking NHL records. You can use these points to unlock teams, jerseys and younger versions of Gretzky. Other modes include Exhibition, Practice, and Tournament, all of which are pretty self explanatory.
The actual gameplay isn’t quite as simulation heavy. The game is very responsive, something required due to the new arcade nature. The shooting has been simplified as well since you now see a reticule that lets you know where you’re aiming the puck. The passing is also pretty intuitive though sometimes you’ll pass to someone you didn’t mean to. Thankfully, these two people are usually nearby, meaning that it isn’t a total disaster. The arcadey feel is undoubtedly intensified by the CPU who doesn’t waste a second to pass and can make some insane goals.
The game’s visuals are respectable. The player models are decent with fairly detailed player faces. The players animate well, though they are quite sporadic at times. You’ll notice the players moving around with great speed and hectic movements. The game aims for an arcadey feel, though it doesn’t capture it quite as well as Midway’s of old. The crowd looks good thanks to it being largely polygonal, though the ice lacks reflections and proper shadows. The game’s presentation is actually good with plenty replay angles bringing the game to life.
The audio is equally adequate. The music could be better but doesn’t really distract from the game at large. The sound effects definitely help the audio package since they are in tact and quite forceful.
Gretzky NHL 06 walks along a fine line. It includes a number of management tasks, but the actual gameplay is anything but a simulation. As an arcade version of hockey, it doesn’t really succeed in going all out. Nonetheless, despite a longing for more responsive gameplay, I enjoyed Gretzky NHL 06. If you’ve been a Gretzky NHL fan in the past, this version is the one to get. It’s a good game but in light of its competition it’s hard to recommend Gretzky NHL as a sole hockey purchase. -- Jake Wilson, PGNx Media
---- Sep 28, 2005
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