NHL 13

16 cert, EA, Xbox (Also PS3) ***

Get yourself some ice hockey action with the latest version of EA’s NHL franchise. NHL 13, like other games in the EA Sports stable, brings a new level of realism to the game. The main culprits for that are the new skating engine, also known as True Performance Skating, and improved AI thanks to EA Sports Hockey IQ. The former makes the skating more realistic, taking into account how fast players can accelerate, their top end speed and how that affects shooting and passing, and momentum. For example, if your player is belting along at top speed, don’t expect to be able to pull off any fancy moves or recover from any missteps. It takes a while to get to grips with the changes to the gameplay, especially if you’ve been a fan of previous NHL games. That’s not the only new addition. The GM Connected mode allows you to play with friends in your own fantasy NHL league, and you can also replay some iconic NHL moments. Not quite a simulator, but an enjoyable game nonetheless, EA knows what its fans want and NHL 13 certainly delivers.