I’m the first to admit I don’t have a sporting bone in my body. Sure, I did PE at school, and I never excelled at anything mainly because I have two left feet and throw like a girl. Truth be known I’d rather have been reading or playing video games.

Having said this, I love sports games. I love sports games precisely because I’m not great at sports. There’s a twisted sense of triumphant justice knowing that even if you are the worlds most uncoordinated fool on the field, you can take your team to the top in a video game. One of my favourite games to play is (Ice) Hockey, mainly because it’s quite an enigma to me, being from Australia where the concept of ice-skating is a novelty, not a major pass time nor sport.

But a game has to be easy to pick up and play, and that is where NHL Rivals shines. Someone with little or no knowledge of the world of Hockey can pick this game up and play. Part of this could be that Microsoft has adopted the controls standard to other Hockey games, which are also quite common to sports games in general. When in control of the puck, the left joystick moves the player, shoot is the X and pass is the A button respectively. B does a deke (aka fake) move, and Y flips the puck into the air. When not in control of the puck, A switches player, B does a body check (a tackle), X does a stick check (a tackle using the stick) and Y does a dive or a block. In either mode the right trigger is a speed boost whilst the left is pivot. In a nice touch, the right Joystick is used to pass the puck in the direction chosen when in control of the puck.

Another nice addition to this game is the use of Roles. Various players have a little symbol next to their name, and this designates whether they are Enforcers, Agitators, Snipers or Balanced players. Each role has a different special move for when in control and not in control of the puck that’s accessed by holding the B button. Enforcers are the “big men” of the league, and preform the “Bump and Go” move which knocks opponents out the way whilst keeping control of the puck, on the “Can Opener” which pounds the opposition player. The Agitator are those who get in the face of the other team, with moves such as the “Protect the Puck” when in control, and “Face Wash” which lands their glove into the face of the opponent player. Snipers shoot for goals, and do a “Spin Around” move that disorientates the keeper, and “Stick Clip” which is used to whack the shots out of the opposing team out the way. Balanced players are simply all-rounders and use the move “protect the puck”.

The way face-offs are represented is quite novel. In hockey, whenever there’s a stop in play there’s a face-off, a chance for your team to gain possession. In other games, timing has represented this, but NHL Rivals presents a rock, paper, scissors type play where you press the X, B or A button to win the puck. The move the other player is often represented, so you can sometimes out-guess them. Whilst this adds an element of luck rather than skill, it seems totally fair compared to other games.

Another addition to the gameplay is the all-important fighting. Fighting is an integral part of hockey, and the old adage “I went to a fight the other night and a hockey game broke out” is beautifully represented in this game. Although the fighting engine is not exactly up to par with “Rocky” – it’s just two guys standing punching each other and reminiscent of old boxing games – it is rather fun. There’s not much to it, just hit the face buttons and use the triggers to block and stick to weave.

Along with these basic player controls, you have the D-pad that is used for On-the-Fly coaching. This allows you to alter the teams’ aggression, set up team plays, and allows the changing your lines. The AI can also control these coaching moves and it does a decent job at it, but it’s nice to have that extra degree of control at your fingertips. For the total control freak, Team Plays can be managed by through pausing the game, and selecting Team Options. This allows better control over the action, such as setting a 2 on 2 penalty kill. This lifts the action into simulation just a little, but not too much to make the game over complicated.

Although it seems like a lot to remember, it really flows together nicely. You’ll find yourself utilising most of the features second-naturedly, and become quite involved in the game quite easily. However, one disappointment in the game is the AI of your teammates is rather haphazard. When not in control they seem fine, checking opposition players and generally protecting the puck and goal. However, when in control and on a break, they tend to be a little less aggressive on the puck. I’ve had a player pass to an AI with an open shot at goal, and instead of simply shooting he’s held onto the puck until I’ve taken control of him, thus losing the advantage. If the AI is one-on-one with the keeper, it seems natural that it should take a shot. Having said that, the AI of the keepers, both of the player team and the opposing team, is excellent, and even with a team that far outmatches another scoring is difficult but not impossible.

The game modes are the standard fare; Open Ice allows you to practice against a goalie of another team. Single game and Instant Rivalry play once off games, the difference being Instant Rivalry pits two rival teams together and ensures an explosive game. There are also Season, Play Off and Tournament modes, where you can trade players and play through a year of hockey with one or more teams. Whilst the trading and making teams and players is OK, it’s not too in depth and may make the hardcore hockey fans a little disappointed, but it is fine for the average player who just wants to play a game of hockey. The addition of Live! makes this game truly come alive, and in the few games I’ve played I’ve had no lag and the gameplay is exactly the same as the single player experience. As far as sports titles go, I would say this is one of the best I’ve had the pleasure of playing online, and it is certainly the better of the hockey games available. The use of XSN with seasons and tournaments gives it a greater edge over the other titles in creating a community of players.

Graphically this game looks fantastic. Player’s reflections can be seen in the ice and in the windows surrounding the stadiums, which are themselves beautifully rendered. Some of the angles in replays look like you’ve just switched to a game on TV they’re that realistic, although replays from within the net are a little pointless as you rarely see the 80mile-an-hour shots. The close ups on the players during fights are a little less than impressive, but it’s not that distracting. Crowd noise and music during the game recreates the ambience of a real match, and the commentary is very good, being humorous and rarely becoming repetitive.

Custom playlists can be played over the menu sections of the game, which replaces the hard rock score, but you’re seldom in the menus for more than a few minutes, so it’s really a much of a muchness. It would be nice if snippets of your playlist played during the game though, but again, this is no major gripe.

Conclusion:
Whilst this is Microsoft’s first venture onto the ice, it does quite a respectable job at recreating the action, speed and excitement of the game of hockey. It’s hard not to compare it to the other two NHL games, both of which have a few years of development over NHL Rivals, but for a first effort Microsoft have done themselves proud. It’s not a sim style game, and doesn’t have as much depth as the other Hockey offerings, but if you want to jump right in and play, especially online, then this is for you.

Pros
+ Great graphics, especially the players reflections in the ice
+ Xbox Live games are just like playing the computer.
+ Fairly intuitive with a reasonable level of difficulty and skill.
+ You can initiate and participate in fights

Cons
– Player animations sometimes a little off during fights.
– Team AI is lacking in some respects.
– Not great for those fully into Simulation type games

84/100