For hockey fans, 2005 has been a rollercoaster of emotions. Seeming like the collective bargaining dis-agreement would never get resolved, things looked bleak when the Times Square ball rang in the new year. Cooler heads prevailed, and a flurry of changes to the sport has eased the financial burden to small market teams, while the new rules have created a free wheeling, fan friendly product on the ice.
Just like the NHL ushered in a new era for its sport, the Xbox 360 is prepared to user in a new era in video games. In a little more than a week, gamers will be flocking to retailers to pick up the latest and greatest console, and will be lookin’ for those killer launch titles as well. One of those titles, especially if you’re a hockey fan, will be the next-gen version of NHL 2K6.
The current-gen iteration of NHL 2K6 already gets plenty-o-playtime amongst TXB editors, primarily due to its uncanny depth, coupled with the fact that we can have online leagues on Xbox Live. Well, the Xbox 360 version has all that and much more, thanks to power of Microsoft’s latest console.
If you’ve ever watched a hockey game on an HDTV, then you know what an amazing difference there is over standard resolutions. The same holds true for NHL 2K6 and its high-definition visuals, except this time YOU control the outcome of the hockey game. The player models are sporting gads of detail, the arenas are meticulously recreated (with 3D modeled crowds no less), and you can see every Tuuk carve in the ice. Beautiful!
Aside from the new ProControl and On-the-Fly Coaching features that we saw on the Xbox, Kush Games has incorporated an all new aspect exclusive to the Xbox 360 version of the game – Crease Control. Designed by Dallas Star’s goaltender, Marty Turco, this puts you between the pipes, trying to take the angles away from the best that the NHL has to offer.
All these features sound good, but seeing them in action is where it’s at, right? Today we bring you a number of exclusive screenshots showcasing the true HD beauty that NHL 2K6 has to offer. In addition, check out our video outlining the Xbox 360-exlcusive Crease Control feature. Think you have what it takes to stop a 100+ mph slap shot?
NOTE: This video is in high-def resolution (240 MB), so we highly recommend you download it by right clicking and saving to your own computer. The performance will be much better than attempting to stream.
