Slapshot for the Wii

Today I have decided to do a game review instead of being pissed off, after all it's not healthy to be angry all the time :).

I was out last night and decided to stop in at Best Buy and see what was new in the electronics world. To give you a bit of background I have been playing EA Sports NHL Hockey since it first came out for the computer and then ported it over to the PS/2. I have never made it to the point of getting an XBOX or PS3 though as I now have two kids and I don't have a lot of time to play games anymore so we have a Wii instead.

I came across EA Sports Slapshot and read a couple reviews on it to decide if I really wanted to get it. I was not impressed with NHL2K10 for the Wii so I didn't want to spend 70 dollars on a game that would just sit on the shelf. After reading the review I bought it and came home. After trying to get the stick together for about 10 minutes from the one picture they have of it and the written instructions in the manual I had it more or less together so I put the game in and turned it on. The first thing that comes up is an instructional video on how to put the stick together, D'oh.

I then went through the start up which goes through several training screens and lets you learn to check, play defense, shoot and hit targets.I did pretty good at this so I figured must be time to start the season. I went in and downloaded the latest rosters from EA (turns out they haven't updated them yet) and then selected the Habs as my team to start the season. I played two games, scoring a total of three goals and losing both games before I realized that perhaps I needed a little more practice before playing a full season.

EA has done a decent job with graphics, they aren't as good as what you find on the XBOX or PS3 but they are good for the Wii. The stick control is a little hard to get used to as you have to use the nunchuck stick to skate, which is at the top of your hockey stick, and then you move the stick around to shoot, poke check and body check. I have found it very hard to poke check which means I am body checking a lot, this isn't to bad but has shown a flaw in the game play. When Cammalleri and Gomez can take out Phaneuf and Komisarek with a body check something maybe a little off. I have also found it doesn't matter if you are Crosby or Laraque, you can do the exact same offensive moves and have the same chance of scoring.

All in all it's a good game, maybe not for the hardcore NHL fans that have an XBOX or PS3 but if you are looking for some fun and something a little unique I would recommend playing this game, but perhaps start with what I am doing now by going and starting in the peewee and build a character so you can get used to aiming and controlling the play before you jump into an NHL season. It gives you the practice you will need and you get to build yourself up to play in the NHL.