Game Reviews

EA's NHL series has established itself as one of the best sports franchises on the market, but it's been conspicuously absent on Wii. Their maiden effort on the console, NHL Slapshot, follows in the footsteps of the Madden Wii games, eschewing traditional sim elements in favor of a fast and simple arcade approach that succeeds thanks to its excellent controls and fast pace. It's clear from the moment you open the box that Slapshot is meant to appeal to kids. The game comes packed with a plastic hockey stick peripheral, and it's the perfect size for children between the ages of 8 and 12. Inserting the Wii Remote and Nunchuk into the peripheral allows it to function like an actual hockey stick, and it works well thanks to the simple but effective motion controls.Both the stick and the Wii Remote/Nunchuk setup rely on broad gestures for puck handling and shooting. A flick of the Wii Remote or the stick results in a crushing check, while holding down the B button makes it possible to deke out the goalie. The MotionPlus peripheral isn't supported, but I was still pleased by how easy it was to rear back and hit a slapshot, or perform a little wrist shot while aiming with the Nunchuk's analog stick. Ultimately, while I opted to stick with the more traditional setup, the stick is a perfectly viable alternative.

Since the controls are incredibly easy to grasp, NHL Slapshot is ideal for parties or parents who want to play with their kids. Where it suffers a bit is in the defense, subtle moves such as stick lifts and blocks just feel inaccurate. Combined with some poor goalie A.I., it's annoyingly easy to get caught out of position and scored upon. Of course, even in the event that the A.I. does manage to score, it's not terribly hard to mount a comeback. In one game I played on the highest difficulty level, I was able to come all the way back from four goals down in the final period to tie the game and win in a shootout. Given how easy it is to score, 12-10 games are distressingly common.