NHL 2K11 Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here

[adayinthelife]

Sooo... 2 people on OS got the game?

[quantumtarantino]

If youre counting me in that 2, i rented it.

[onlybygrace]

Quote: Originally Posted by adayinthelife

Sooo... 2 people on OS got the game?

Yup, 2 of the 3 that actually have a Wii.

Not bad, I suppose.

[lunch pale gang]

I wrote the initial review, over on 2k's forums, that was quoted in the first post. Thank you to whoever copied and pasted it over here.

A few more notes:

The bad:

(1) Player freezing is still in the game. Ugh!!!! Why wasn't this addressed. I was hoping this was simply a 360/ps3 thing and it wouldn't happen on the Wii, but sure enough I've seen skaters freezing more than few times.

(2) The game shipped with last year's schedule for season, franchise and playoff modes. This has since been rectified through the latest roster update, but what about people who don't have access to the internet for their Wii? How do you ship a game with last year's schedules when you are billing yourself as "The Real NHL Experience?"

(2.1) This relates directly to the schedule foul up. 2k never updated the waiver wire order. Even with the new update the waiver wire order is from '08 - '09. Not a huge deal I guess seeing as no one on the NHL level in 2k's hockey game ever seems to be placed on waivers (unless a user does so)

(3) 2k server issues (what a shock!). I've been 100% successful in completing online games when playing a friend (where one of us invites the other to play) over 7 games; 50% successful in quick ranked matches (2 out of 4); 75% successful in pick-up team-up games (3 out of 4); and 50% successful in created team team-up (2 out of 4).

The good:

(1) Online leagues. For a Wii game, or any hockey game on any platform for that matter, is really where 2k shines. I don't think anyone can dispute the claim that 2k's online league website is by far the best. The amount of stats that site throws at you is unbelievable.

(2) Sliders. The sliders seem very responsive. I've finally settled in a good set of realistic sliders that I can enjoy playing with at 7 or 8 minute periods. I've posted them on 2k share under "Maul's Sim." In a nutshell they slow down the game slightly, tighten up the defense and goalkeeping, and decrease scoring.

(3) Pro classic control is very sweet. It took me a little while to get used to it because I was so accustomed to the 360 controller, but now that I have the hang of it, I have to say it is pretty nice. Skaters respond to your input with little to no delay.

I will try to post more as I play more.

Overall, so far, I'd give 2k11 an 8.0 out of 10.

[ezio]

Quote: Originally Posted by lunch pale gang

I wrote the initial review, over on 2k's forums, that was quoted in the first post. Thank you to whoever copied and pasted it over here. A few more notes: The bad: (1) Player freezing is still in the game. Ugh!!!! Why wasn't this addressed. I was hoping this was simply a 360/ps3 thing and it wouldn't happen on the Wii, but sure enough I've seen skaters freezing more than few times. The good: (2) Sliders. The sliders seem very responsive. I've finally settled in a good set of realistic sliders that I can enjoy playing with at 7 or 8 minute periods. I've posted them on 2k share under "Maul's Sim." In a nutshell they slow down the game slightly, tighten up the defense and goalkeeping, and decrease scoring. Overall, so far, I'd give 2k11 an 8.0 out of 10.

I noticed the freezing the other day too. they just kind of stop for a minute.

I will try your sliders. thanks. I hope I can score using them

[Scottdau]

Thanks for the impression bro! It looks like it is a good game.

[aloncho11]

^Yep. I played over at my friend's house and overall it's a good fun game.

[Money99]

Finally got around to renting 2K11 this weekend.
First, I really need to get the HD cables because the game looks really bad on my 52" LCD in 480i.
I played this game during one of the RV stops and it looked great on a smaller screen. I was shocked with how good it looked.
I guess I should have taken more time to figure out what settings I could change in order for it to look better, but I wasn't all that concerned with the graphics.

Like others have said, the gameplay is basically the same as 2K10 but with cleaner, smoother, skating and better animations.

With the right slider tweaks I got the game playing pretty good. The AI is still very dangerous if you don't cover it well and the puck is as realistic as ever.

Basically it felt like 2K10 ver2 (post patch). If this game were in Next-Gen form I wouldn't have any problems laying down $60 for it.
I still love the franchise blogs, the realistic sim engine and the organic gameplay.

I might try to find some cheap component cables to clean up the image and then grab a copy.

The game definitely doesn't deserve the weak scores it's been given.
If I had to rate it, as a Wii sports game, 8.5 would be appropriate I feel. The gameplay is solid and there's enough options to keep a hockey fan occupied all season long.

P.S. I was using the classic controller.