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Platform: PSP
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Publisher: Page 44 Studios
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Developer: SCEA
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Medium: UMD
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Players: 1 - 2
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Online: Yes
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Also on: (n/a)
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Maybe next year.
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With the PSP being as it is, it's at long last possible for portable sports games to live up to their console brethren. Previously, portable sports games had been limited not only due to hardware, but also cartridge size and memory constraints, meaning the inclusion of customizable rosters and created players would require extra memory on that cartridge, a costly venture for publishers. But with the PSP's Memory Stick, the potential for customization is huge, with some PSP games even allowing users to supply music for use in-game. Unfortunately, that potential is a bit squandered with Gretzky NHL 06.
Disappointingly, after two Gretzky PSP titles in less than a year, I still can't input my own players or download a new set of rosters. Yes, it's possible to trade players and customize lines, but you can't change names or stats, nor can you create your own character, which is a bit of a downer, especially for the buffs who try to keep their rosters up to date. Worse, though the game supports online play, there's no option for downloadable rosters, which seems all that more odd when you consider launch title WipeOut Pure not only features downloadable content, but has kept a steady stream of new content available to owners since May.
Thankfully, save for the occasionally framerate stutter, the gameplay is pretty solid. Gretzky NHL 06 offers up three modes of gameplay: your regular game of hockey, 3 on 3 Countdown, and Wayne vs. Wayne. Per standard, the regular game of hockey comes in both single game and season mode varieties. Meanwhile, 3 on 3 Countdown is rather self-explanatory, limiting each team to three players. Removing the time clock and period, 3 on 3 Countdown simply challenges the player to score a set number of goals before their opponent. Lastly, Wayne vs. Wayne puts each team in a competition to earn "99 Time" through good performance, which then allows Gretzky himself to join the team on the ice for a limited amount of time. During that time, your team becomes super-sized, literally, which temporarily boosts their stats. Wayne vs. Wayne can be played in single-game increments, and also offers a NHL Showdown mode which challenges players to defeat all 29 NHL teams and 2 All Star teams.
Across each of these modes, players earn Gretzky Points, which can be used to unlock uniforms, cheats and players, by completing Gretzky Challenges, such as "Win a Face-off," "Win in Overtime” and "446 Goals in a Season." These challenges are a nice touch, allowing players to not only choose what they unlock, but also providing incentive for continuous play.
However, if you've never played a hockey game before, you won't find much help here. Neither the bare-bones manual nor the game itself provide much advice or insight for those lacking virtual hockey experience. The lack of a tutorial is disappointing, and while I'm sure everyone knows the basic concept of "skate towards the goal and try to shoot the puck in there," a mode or video teaching basic gameplay, controls and strategy would have been appreciated.
It's great that in the seven months since Gretzky NHL PSP first hit, developer Page 44 has ironed out most of the framerate issues, fixed up the graphics and still managed to have the only two hockey titles on the PSP. And though this half-year's iteration is a bit more fleshed out, it's still missing out on some of the potential that will hopefully be realized as a result of a full development cycle. As it stands, Gretzky NHL 06 still has some problems that prevent it from being the definitive portable hockey game - rock-solid framerate, create-a-player and downloadable rosters are still MIA – but it’s still a decent game for hockey fanatics, not to mention the only PSP hockey game this season. If, however, you're waiting for a great portable hockey game, assuming next year's version continues this trend of improvement, that'll be the one to look out for.
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