Games

Best of 2009 | 08 |07 | 06 | 05
Advanced Search

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed games.

NHL 10

EMAIL PRINT ps3

8.9 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 35 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 20 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game >

Game Info

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: EA Canada

Genre(s): Sports, Hockey

Players: 12

ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older)

Release Date: September 15, 2009

Summary

The NHL franchise that has won 19 sports game of the year awards over the past two years begins a new era with gameplay innovations that promise to deliver a new standard of toughness, the emotion of playoff hockey on the ice and in the arena, and over 200 gameplay refinements that replicate the skill and finesse that every fan sees throughout the NHL playoffs. A new first-person fighting engine enables players to trade punches with an NHL tough guy. Feel what its like to be on the ice in the skates of an NHL player to throw and dodge punches. Grab and tug an opponent's jersey to land a punch that ignites the fans and sparks your team to victory. Challenge a skill player and an opposing team tough guy will step in to settle the score. On ice toughness and intimidation is taken to a new level in NHL 10 where winning one-on-one battles for possession of the puck along the boards becomes a test of will and skill. Utilizing an all-new board physics engine, players can use their body to shield the puck on the boards and then kick-pass it to teammates. Bigger, stronger players pin opponents to the boards while fanatical fans bang on the glass, just like real life. Fore-check defenders, pressure the puck and finish checks to intimidate your opponent into mistakes. Players fatigue, bobble passes, and avoid collisions under threat of constant physical pressure. Inspire teammates, ignite the fans and change the momentum of a game by instigating scrums, drawing penalties, and mixing it up - all after the referee blows the whistle! [Electronic Arts]

Also On Metacritic

GAMES: NHL 07 NHL 08 NHL 09

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

GamePro

It's now been four years of exceptional releases since the introduction of the skill-stick and every year has been made steadily better, adding more and more features and refining them to such a degree that it should come as no surprise that NHL 10 is by far the best hockey game put out, a clear cut game of the year contender, and possibly the best sports game ever released.

Read Full Review >

100

Gamervision

A nearly flawless title; only the most cynical and jaded gamers will take issue with any of the game’s extremely minor problems.

Read Full Review >

Destructoid

NHL 10 is EA Sports’ best hockey title yet, offering considerably improved gameplay and another hour-eating mode in Be A GM.

Read Full Review >

GameTrailers

Not all of the additions make the game more fun or fair, but they're steps in the right direction towards making an already excellent sports game peerless.

Read Full Review >

Game Informer

While the franchise mode has its faults, it’s still vastly improved over last year’s offering. Coupled with the other outstanding modes and the most polished gameplay in the sports genre, NHL 10 is still more than worth the price of admission.

Read Full Review >

PGNx Media

NHL 10 is an excellent hockey game. It’s probably the best one yet.

Read Full Review >

GameFocus

NHL 10 continues to keep the long-running franchise a success and a delight to play. The additions to this year are certainly not as drastic as NHL 09 were, but the fine tuning does enough to make the overall product an enjoyable one.

Read Full Review >

Cheat Code Central

NHL 10 is one hell of a good hockey game. It nails playability, presentation, gameplay variety, online options, and realism. It also is one of the best local multiplayer sporting experiences available.

Read Full Review >

1UP

It's been great to put NHL 10 through its paces and I would love to go on and on about it, but to put it succinctly, if you thought NHL 09 was great, you'll love '10. And for the uninitiated hockey fan looking for a near-authentic experience on the ice, you can do little wrong by picking this up.

Read Full Review >

GameZone

Visually enticing and richly entertaining, this may be one of the best sports games of the year.

Read Full Review >

ZTGameDomain

NHL 10 is the epitome of hockey games. Granted the changes are not as revolutionary as last year's game. What is here is the best experience a fan of the sport could ask for.

Read Full Review >

Playstation: The Official Magazine (US)

The "Be a Pro" career mode is incredibly enticing. [Nov 2009, p.80]

Worth Playing

Obviously, this title is highly recommended for anyone buying a hockey game this autumn, but if you've never played a hockey simulation, or it's been years and years since you've bothered, I can't think of a better place to start or return than NHL 10.

Read Full Review >

Multiplayer.it

If you never bought NHL 09, this is indeed the best hockey simulation your money can buy. If you already bought last year's episode, you should consider if buying it or not, since differences between these two versions are just a few.

Read Full Review >

DarkZero

While the new additions to the game vary in usefulness and value, NHL 10 achieves what some expected it couldn’t, and improves on NHL 09. However, it’s with lots of small touches, rather than revolutionary new features and modes.

Read Full Review >

Armchair Empire

All in all, NHL 10 is a lot of fun, as I can attest to the 50+ and rising hours that I've put into the game so far. People who purchased the previous year's version may want to hold off for another season for more additions to propagate in the franchise before re-upping.

Read Full Review >

PSFocus

Every year a great game and this new game is a little bit better than the one from last year. It got a few new modes, better graphics, outstanding audio and very strong gameplay.

Read Full Review >

XGN

NHL 10 is a very good game, but it misses big innovations. For the people who don’t own a ice-hockey game, this game is definitely worth buying. But for the people that already own NHL 09, this is only a small upgrade and not really worth the money.

Read Full Review >

IGN

NHL 10 is a great hockey game, don’t get me wrong. Nothing is a bad or poor choice that even comes close to ruining the experience, but there could have been more done to expand the core gameplay and offering of modes.

Read Full Review >

GamingXP

Even if there aren’t enough things that have been changed, EA did a great job and NHL10 definitely deserves this good rating!

Read Full Review >

MEGamers

EA Sports is making a habit out of creating fantastic NHL titles. NHL 10 might not contain a ton of new features, but is still worth a run for sports fans.

Read Full Review >

Gaming Target

NHL 10, like its predecessors, puts the emphasis on realism instead of trying to grow its base and provides a couple of physical improvements for existing fans. That said, while the series hasn’t advanced in the last 12 months as much as it did 24 months ago, that’s only because NHL 09 was that revolutionary.

Read Full Review >

Extreme Gamer

Our expectations for NHL 10 might have been a little high given the success of NHL 09. This unfortunately sets up NHL 10 to be a minor let down even before it has left the bench. Well, NHL 10 isn’t a let down by any means, but its also not going to be placed in the same regard as last years skater.

Read Full Review >

SpazioGames

NHL 10 is a great game. It's greatest problem is that NHL 09 is a great game too, and the two chapter are too similar to bring someone buying the new game. But if you can't live without a new hockey game, NHL 10 is the title you are searching for.

Read Full Review >

NZGamer

NHL 10 is a great game, hampered only by a lack of anything new.

Read Full Review >

GamerNode

NHL 10 is fantastic hockey videogame that fans of the sport would do well to check out. But its biggest problem is that it really doesn't make any major changes to from last year's tried-and-true formula.

Read Full Review >

Play UK

It's a bit light on the additions and isn't recommended to those who bought 09. On the other hand, it's a solid, fun and well-presented title for fans and non-fans of the sport. [Issue#184, p.79]

GameSpot

The bottom line with NHL 10 is that if you have NHL 09, you don't absolutely, positively need it. But there are enough new features and little adjustments and fixes both online and off that any self-respecting hockey fan should probably still go for it. EA Sports has once again done an absolutely tremendous job of simulating shinny.

Read Full Review >

PSX Extreme

NHL 10 is just about everything we expected, plus a little bit more.

Read Full Review >

GameShark

All told it’s a compelling package that makes NHL 10 an outstanding upgrade over NHL 09 and it’s hard to ask for much more than that from a yearly sports release.

Read Full Review >

GamesNation

Perhaps NHL 10 won’t deserve to be remembered as a revolutionary step in this series history, but it should definitely be considered as a self-proclaimed sovereignty over the icy hockey fields. The graphics, the gameplay, the AI, the online mode, everything has been slightly but significantly improved, resulting in the best NHL simulation out there.

Read Full Review >

Playstation Official Magazine UK

A sports game that will leave you constantly thrilled and fulfilled. [Nov 2009, p.122]

PS3bloggen.se

This is the best part of the series so far. EA has found a winning formula for making ice hockey games. The new additions of board playing and fighting after the referees whistle makes it even more realistic.

Read Full Review >

Strategy Informer

More time was spent fiddling in the control settings menu than actually getting on with the on-ice action, which speaks volumes of a title that prides itself on such an innovative system.

Read Full Review >

PSM3 Magazine UK

The big shifts in the series have already come and gone. [Nov 2009, p.92]

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 8.9 (out of 10) based on 20 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Fred M gave it a10:
Amazing game. No more easy victories. Even if you lead 3 nothing after one you can't be sure you will win the game. The controls are hard to master at first but the game only keeps growing on me. I think this is the best sports game I have ever played. There is a real challenge and that's what it is all about.

David G gave it a9:
I've mostly played online as its so addicting. I haven't bought an NHL game since 2002 and this one just blew me away. There are things they could improve on but overall I'm impressed by this title. In the next title it would be nice if they could add a little more variety in cut scenes instead of the same 2 or 3 that are shown when you score a goal.

chris a gave it a4:
k let me start off by saying good graphics, button controls and ya its like a real game. its too bad the online play is riddled w glitches, maybe its my internet connection but all my other games r fine. ive played games where my players r unable to shoot, pass, and even barely skate! i mean ive played hockey my whole life and understand how momentum in a hockey game can be a factor, but an open net isan open net and jus because the other goalie jus made abig save doesnt mean the other team turns into a bunch of tards and cant shoot or pass anymore. guess what im saying is this game is very inconsistent and took the idea of low scoring games way too far! maybe someone hacked my system but the nhl10 i play f d! half the time i play im in control of my players and half the time im not really frustrating and ive quit games i was winning because it sucks soooo bad, seems like its geting progressively worse. whtvr

Ryan C gave it a9:
Like others I would rate this game as a 9.5, but since thats not possible I'll settle for giving it a 10. The game is definately an improvement over last year especially a passing system that's not so difficult as to ruin the game, but hard enough to prevent people from doing 20 behind the net one timers like last year. A few problems though. Diving poke checks need to be refined so that people get injured if they do it into the boards. Board play is a welcome addition but it needs more variety and on top of that needs to refine the vacuum effect. Also most importantly there needs to be more clean goals while avoiding goals that glitchers could potentially abuse. Part of me would like to see it be a little bit more realistic with more difficult puck handling and more difficulty in landing checks but I'm not sure how well a truly realistic hockey would translate into a video game. Overall though the game is great.

Jim K gave it an8:
Not so fast! The boardplay is a terrific addition. They have fixed the "glitch goals". However, there is real problem with CPU AI on advancing the puck into the offensive zone and overpassing. Also, your CPU teammates do not break out of the defensive zone properly and it is very difficult to create an odd-man rush. If you own NHL 09, not worth buying until these issues are fixed!

Bob A gave it a5:
This is an average title. It looks pretty good, some of the features work as advertised, but don't be fooled. Most of the 'New' features here are just repackaged (or not even that) old ones that were removed in the past; like Season mode. Not exactly strikingly new. There are SERIOUS bugs regarding online lag, game freezing, some gameplay bugs and one of the new modes has a serious problem where it has a large probability of freezing ingame. It gives the stench of unfinished, and that's just unacceptable. I'm not sure what game these 'critics' are reviewing, but it certainly isn't the one they're selling on the store shelves. If you just want to play a couple games in a 'play now' setting, it's pretty decent; the fighting is improved, and the after the whistle thing is interesting the first couple of times, but the rest of the modes have just too many inconsistencies, bugs, and general lack of polish to give this anything more than a 5.

Chris S gave it an8:
Decent hockey game, its got pretty good physics for many aspects of the game. The stick lifting and the goalie passing is a little weak. The game speed is set a little slow, but that was easliy fixed. The best addition is deffinatly how they finally allowed us to have our own music, except for the loading screens where theres no music at all. Over all though a good game. Good Job EA

Games

Sony

Microsoft

Nintendo

Other Platforms

Upcoming &Recent Releases

NHL 10

Game Info

Summary

Also On Metacritic

What The Critics Said

What Our Users Said

Upcoming &
Recent Releases