NHL 10 Demo Arrives

After several EA Sports releases with demos that either did not do a good job of displaying improvements or being tied into preorders in some manner comes a reversal of sorts with NHL 10. The demo is available to everyone (no preorder requirements) and is now up for the 360 and will be out for the PS3 next Thursday. Not only does the demo offer extended stretches of play but it also has unique scenarios and two different modes of play. Skill level, game style, and camera angles are adjustable. Somehow it comes in at only 765.36 MB despite all the content it offers.

To begin with there is a quick player creation followed by an interactive tutorial. You can get a feel for new features such as the fighting and board play along with basic shooting, skating, and defensive skills.

One portion of the demo allows you to jump into the 3rd period of Game 7 of the Finals in “Battle for the Cup” mode. What happens the first time is you are dropped into it with the Penguins up 2-0 over the Red Wings. Sidney Crosby has been injured and you have to decide whether to play him (at decreased capacity) or sit him. What really makes this unique is that after this first occasion, every time you play the demo it supersims to Game 7 so the injuries, stats, and scores are different providing a new experience each time.

You can also try out the beginnings of “Be a Pro” mode in the 3rd period of the Prospects Game. You can be any player type and try to perform well enough to be drafted by an NHL team.

Hopefully this is a sign of what EA can do with demos going forward rather than providing the abbreviated quarters method that has become so stale and frustrating. This is a really impressive sampling of what the game has to offer and shows supreme confidence in the quality of NHL 10.