Gretzky NHL

Written by Adam Woolcott  on June 20, 2005

Review: Gotta love Sony's make-believe sports...wait, hockey is real?

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With the NHL lockout ripping away at hockey's loyal fanbase (though finally it seems we're going to see an end to it), hockey video games are the only source of NHL action, and if you're a PSP owner, Sony has made sure there's a video game to tide you over until the real game returns, in the form of Gretzky NHL. Like the PS2 version Gretzky was developed by Page 44 Studios, and like that PS2 game, Gretzky on PSP is mediocre at best. Occasionally jerky framerate, slippery controls, and an overall lack of ambition are Gretzky's killing flaws, and though it's still better than the sluggish PS2 version, it would have been squashed in competition by EA and 2K Sports had they released versions of their games at launch (that will have to wait for fall). It has online play, which seems to be a breaking point for many regardless of the quality of the title, but everything else is lackluster at best making for a thoroughly uninteresting game of hockey. You might just as well wait a few more months until EA releases the next entry of their NHL franchise, or in case 2K decides to work on the PSP, as this one just isn't worth the pair of Jacksons.

Like all the other PSP sports games from 989 Sports/Sony, Gretzky's feature set is stripped down to the basics. There's a full season using the 2003/2004 schedule, with pretty decent stat tracking, along with basic exhibition games, a playoff mode, and some minigames that aren't all that thrilling compared to the ones in NBA. Wireless options include a game versus a friend in Ad-hoc mode, and also features full online play through a wireless connection. Within, you and another player can experience the mediocre gameplay together! Once again a lack of a franchise mode makes Gretzky feel like its trapped in 1997, but I'm sure it will be in the forthcoming versions as they learn how to better manage the 1.8GB size of the UMD discs.

Pretty much every hockey game in existence borrows the same gameplay format that EA brought to the Genesis with the NHL series (most notably NHL '94, better known as The Greatest Hockey Game Ever Made), and Gretzky NHL continues that trend. The slightly overhead camera and familiar controls will please fans of the games since it can be leapt right into and enjoyed without learning any complex new controls though Gretzky does have some playcalling commands that use the d-pad while the analog stick functions as the movement for the players. As long as you can get a grip on the action Gretzky presents it shouldn't be too hard to adjust to.

But the action in the game is quite difficult to grasp. The game is fast and fluid most of the time...but it's almost too fast at times. Players zip and zag around the rink, sometimes so fast that you can't even get a loose puck because you keep flying by it. Seriously, it's going to be a frequent occasion to actually circle around the puck attempting to take control of it because the controls are so loose and touchy. The action goes by so quickly, and without the ability to actually slow it down, it can get incredibly frustrating to play the game well. It's good Page 44 fixed the sloppy, sluggish play of the PS2 version, but now they've tuned it too fast Ц hopefully forthcoming editions of the game will get it just right. As it is though, even though there's some things to like, such as a good bit of realism and the online setup, Gretzky NHL just isn't all that much fun due to the intense speed and the overly sensitive controls that make handling that speed agitating. The idea is to control the puck, not dance around it like you were serenading your co-star in a Broadway show. And that is, along with other things, the death knell of what could have been a solid hockey game.

Gretzky looks good enough, for an enhanced PS2 to PSP port. The frame rate can be very jumpy but mostly holds up to the speed on the ice. Player models are good though the faces of the players in closeups are freaky looking things. Mostly though, the quasi-overhead default (and best) camera angle keeps a fair distance away from the players so they all look pretty much the same and carry some decent animations. The ice gradually gets messed up during periods and between them you can see that a Zamboni came by and made it all nice and shiny again (and I miss real Zamboni's, bring back hockey now). The audio consists of generic rock during menus and during stoppages in play; it's licensed stuff but mostly of bands nobody gives a rats ass about. No commentary again, as only MLB managed to sneak that in, but the famous 989 Sports announcer who's been around since Gameday '96 on PlayStation shows his usual energy announcing penalties, goals, and whatnot.