The battle of the hockey games is starting to heat up as Electronic Arts sends us another volley of NHL10 screenshots. While they don’t reveal much in the way of on-ice gameplay, these latest screens do hint at a few new features found in the game, most notably of which is a Fantasy Draft option and a new Be a GM Mode.
According to EA, the Fantasy Draft option will be available for Season Mode and the aforementioned Be a GM Mode, allowing players to create the teams of their dreams. However, our representative at Electronic Arts assures us that this ain’t your daddy’s Fantasy Draft, as it includes a complex AI logic for computer-controlled teams. Rather than just picking next best available player to add to their team, the computer will now take five key elements into account before drafting each player: their overall skill, their age, their potential, the size of their contract, and who the team has already drafted thus far. The old-school method of picking the next best available player can be used instead, but this new logic system is guaranteed to create a more balanced league.
The Be a GM Mode found in NHL10 was inspired by the idea of becoming a legendary player in Be a Pro and associated it with becoming a legendary General Manager, the likes of Glen Sather (Edmonton Oilers Dynasty) or Ken Holland (Detroit Red Wings). To become a legendary GM, players will need to complete GM Tasks. There are over 140 tasks to complete, and they are wide-ranging in nature. Some will be as easy as completing a trade, and some as difficult as winning five Stanley Cups in eight seasons. Completing each task will earn you points that you can spend on building a reputation and improving your staff and facilities, each of which will be necessary on the road to building a dynasty.
As an aside, I’m glad to see in the screenshots that even the virtual Toronto Maple Leafs are unwilling to part with Luke Schenn. I wonder if they would trade Anton Stralman to Calgary for Wayne Primeau and a second round pick? I doubt it. The new management AI seems smarter than that.
Richard Mitchell is a video game addict living in Toronto. He has been gaming for more than two decades, and despite multiple interventions, continues to game today. He has an Xbox 360, a PS3, a Wii, a Nintendo DS, a gaming PC, and a life, and does his best to juggle them all. 