NHL ’11 update: Introducing the ‘Hustle Button’ plus some gameplay videos

Whether you play them for the interactive competition, the feeling of controlling your favorite team or just as a diversion when the “real” games aren’t on, hockey video games are a favorite pastime for many puckheads. With all due respect to “NHL Slap Shot” and 2K Sports’ offerings, “NHL 11" is the marquee polygonal puck title. When information slips out about it, we’ll try to share it for you ... and occasionally over-think it a bit too.

Before I go through some videos that might be interesting for hockey game nerds such as myself, let me point to one unexpected “innovation” that the latest title will add. Operation Sports includes a blurb regarding a newly added “hustle button.” Here’s an explanation of the new feature from EA.

RedshirtEA:
Ok... first what it is NOT....
It is NOT sprint or speed burst like NHL06 (and earlier).

It is on L3, and it gives you an increase to acceleration and a small increase in speed.

The point of it is to create a range in speed so that players aren’t always going 100% speed. It lowers your fatigue more quickly than normal skating and you can’t turn as sharply.”

Let’s see: it can make your player go faster but also makes him tire more easily. That sounds like a speed burst increase to me, although I understand the argument of not “always going 100 percent.” Still, one of my favorite things about the “next-gen” EA hockey games was the lack of a speed burst button. It seemed more natural and realistic, whereas this hustle button makes me wonder if I’ll have to start watching my “turbo meter” again like in the days of NBA Jam.

So I’m a little reluctant to give the “thumbs up” to two big changes: 1) the hustle button and 2) sticks breaking during games. That being said, it’s unfair to criticize the alterations without first playing the game, so I’ll reserve my harshest judgments/breathless praise until the game releases in September.

After the jump: dorky analysis of a few gameplay-related videos.

Clip 1

EA claims that hits are going to be less robotic and predictable in the latest version and this clip shows that could be the case. On some level I’ll miss the weird lock-on hit effect, but it looks like a nice improvement.

Clip 2

Another thing that attention to detail types critique is that the puck seems to move a little too conveniently. Rarely are there the crazy bounces that happen so often in actual hockey games. From this clip, it looks like EA’s claims about improved physics might be justified.

Want to watch a few more clips of gameplay mechanics? Click here. Otherwise, we’ll keep you updated as video game news bits drop. While the real season starts in October, the digital version will be there in September.

(H/T to Sean Leahy)