Final Glimpse: Steroids in baseball? Now we’ve got cloning in hockey.
The National Hockey League is back and better than ever. Sidney Crosby is bound to become the superstar the league has been lacking, the legendary Wayne Gretzky has decided to coach the Phoenix Coyotes, and new rules have been instituted to make hockey more exciting. Unfortunately, besides myself and all of Canada, virtually no one cares. However, even when the NHL halted operation, Sony released Gretzky NHL for the PlayStation Portable as one of its’ launch titles. A few months later, SCEA is planning to release a follow-up, Gretzky NHL ’06.
Gretzky NHL ’06 will feature better-looking graphics, as player models have been enhanced and some animations have been added. The audio will also receive a huge boost, as the game will feature an all-new commentary. However, the largest changes include a slew of new modes, including the new “Wayne vs. Wayne” mode. This mode is very similar to a normal exhibition game, although a small twist keeps it from being a straight simulation.
As your players connect passes, land hits and score goals, their team earns more “99 Time”. Performing poorly on the ice will decrease this “99 Time”. When your total reaches 99, Wayne Gretzky will join your team for a limited amount of time, thus giving you an unfair 6-on-5 advantage. Not only is this an advantage in manpower, but Gretzky will bring his unparalleled skills to help you out. The developers even decided to make him stand out from the rest of the players by making his player model 15% larger than the other players on the screen. The computer controlled opponent will also be able to earn “99 Time”, so it’s possible that you will be facing off against Gretzky yourself. To make it even more interested, each time you obtain Gretzky, you get a letter. Once you spell W-A-Y-N-E after obtaining “The Great One” five times, five Gretzkys will replace your normal team, giving you quite an advantage.
Another new mode that will be included for those that prefer arcade hockey is the “3 on 3” mode. By having three skaters on each team instead of the customary 5, it opens up a whole lot of ice for faster, no rules hockey. Just set the goal limit, sit back and have some wide-open fun. Sony has also released some information about a new “NHL Showdown” mode, which appears to be an alternative to the traditional season mode. However, complete details have not been released yet. Ad-Hoc and Infrastructure online modes will be included once again for some online hockey against gamers from around the world, especially Canada.
