NHL 2K11

Once you get a hang of the new controls, there's a ton of content here, though most of it is taken directly from the franchise's previous installments.

All in all, NHL 2K11 is a cute ice hockey game, especially for the Nintendo Wii. However, in the next version of the game the controls need some updates.

There's a boatload of game modes to keep you busy for months, whether you're an online guy or prefer keeping to yourself. Have no doubt, though, that it's very similar to its predecessor in most ways.

NHL 2K11 had a lot of potential, a notion that's accentuated once you feel the one-to-one dekeing for the first time. Sadly once you spend some time with the title you'll realize that the shooting mechanics and AI could've really used some fine tuning to avoid some of the needless frustrations.

There used to be a time when I liked the 2K hockey series over EA's franchise, and that was because I liked the way the skating felt. It was tight and responsive, even if the games themselves were more arcade-like. How I long for those days after playing NHL 2K11.

NHL2K11 gets props for taking advantage of the Wii's bigger bullet points, like Wii Speak and MotionPlus, and for giving the series some focus by being exclusive to one console. However, there are some control issues and laggy online play that truly prevent the game from achieving hockey greatness.

Clunky shooting and passing.

NHL 2K11 is a big letdown compared to last year's great arcade hockey game.

It's baffling that the MotionPlus accessory can pick up the nuances of a manual deke but can't reliably detect when you're trying to make a shot, and the overall sluggish nature of player control was certainly frustrating. Combine that with a spotty online mode, and all the control options and modes in the world can't make up for the fact that the game just wasn't very fun to play

Quotation forthcoming.