Ever since I have been young, NHL sports video games have held a certain appeal to me. In a way, this is somewhat strange, because I have never bothered to follow NHL as a sport. Therefore, it must have been an accident that caused me to encounter my first NHL game.
This was back many years ago on the PC, so naturally, I was eager to see how such games had moved on for the Wii. Recently, I had the pleasure of renting NHL 2K11 which is an NHL game produced in 2010. A game that has, probably, been superseded by another edition by now.
However, this is something I cannot comment on, because I have not played them. But NHL 2K11 does have a certain appeal. The Wii control method is not fully utilized throughout the game. Unless I am missing something, it's generally only used for shot making and fight scenes.
The fighting part of gameplay is something that isn't often seen in these types of sports video games. But in the game, there are multiple opportunities to initiate a bit of combat. This is really a bit of fun, and doesn't aid you in winning games.
The play during the matches is often fast and furious, and in my experience the opposition finds in quite easy to score. However, nearly every shot I hit is saved. But the game is still good fun with a number of different game modes to explore.
Personally, I prefer the one-off exhibition games to have a bit of fun with. The biggest issue with some of the other game modes is the amount of time it would take to play.
When playing any Wii game, I often look at what kind of physical workout it offers. Now, I have to admit that NHL 2K11 doesn't stack up well in this regard. You will only get to swing the Wii Remote when shooting, unless you are in the habit of getting into many fights. So, in summary, the game is fun to play, but doesn't offer any major physical benefits.
But some people may see this as a positive, because it can be used in conjunction with other games than offer greater physical benefits.
James Kent has been a sports fan for a number of years and also a keen player of sports video games; he is currently enjoying using his Wii, follow him on Twitter and via Facebook.
