Q: Can you actually get it set up so the computer dumps the puck in, or do they still just skate right in and get nailed and turn it over like in the previous games, and the WWTC videos?
Absolutely. There is a “CPU Dump Frequency” slider AND “Dump & Chase (very low, low, medium, high, very high)” strategy settings for each team.
Q: Can we still select any game from any side’s schedule in franchise/season mode and play it as a cpu v cpu game?
Yes, even with teams you don’t control, you can select their game from the NHL.com franchise page and play or watch it.
Q: If you can put on a cpu v cpu game are there any penalties and fights? (might need to tweak sliders).
Yes. I noticed a lot of hooking penalties in CPU vs CPU, so that slider will need to come down (and other penalty sliders possibly up; you can set the frequency of each individual penalty). There are definitely fights too.
Q: Have you encountered any pinning yet and how does it feel? 2k9 pinning was actually pretty good, just didn’t happen often.
Pinning feels pretty good; it just doesn’t happen quite as often as I’d like.
Q: are you able to make passing to yourself off the boards easily and can you determine pass speed while making a pass?
Yes, with Pass Aim Assist turned down, your passes are completely user directed with no CPU assistance. So if you aim off the boards to make a pass, that’s where it will go. I’m not positive, but I don’t think you can determine individual pass speeds.
Q: Is there anything similar to Be a Pro either offline or online where my individual stats are tracked and I gain the ability to improve my player?
No, that mode is not available this year.
Q: Could you simulate 10-20 seasons and report on . . . problems?
Sorry, I did not have time to simulate 10-20 years, but I did do a couple quick seasons. Without the time to dig in-depth, I did not notice anything unusual. There were no freezes, I saw a healthy amount of trades and injuries, and nothing looked completely crazy or unrealistic (e.g. no Crosby on waivers or Lidstrom traded to Carolina). Given, this was only a brief two-season sample size, but it was good to see.
The CPU also seems to make much more realistic and interesting trade offers. Instead of always arbitrarily offering some 73-rated player for your 74-rated player, you get offers for multiple players and draft picks. For example, the Wings offered me a 76-rated defenseman and 71-rated RW (Justin Williams) in exchange for 81-rated Koivu. I declined. A couple weeks later, they offered me Williams again, this time along with a 2010 first-round draft pick. It’s cool to see more considerable initiative by the CPU teams.
And in a nice touch, between seasons the NHL.com franchise page is updated with headlines such as who won the Conn Smythe (which links to the awards page), who the top draft pick was (linking to the drafted players), big free agent signings, and start-of-the-season “ready for a fresh run at the Cup” sorts of things, which link to the team info cards. Just another minor detail where the interface really helps make it feel like things are going on in your franchise… sure they’re simple headlines, but they’re well-done and turn plain data & stats into “stories-at-a-glance” to keep you updated of what’s happening with your team and around the league.
Q: Dedicated pass button or contextual player switch / pass / loose puck pass button?
Right trigger is pass + change players.
Q: Stick down move clicking in on the right thumbstick… does the defender a) lay down his shaft in accordance to the way you’re pointing the right stick prior to clicking, or b) automatically choose the direction the shaft is pointing?
A) you lay down your stick in the direction you’re pointing when you click R3.
Q: Are the off/def On-The-Fly-Coaching options still there? ( ie D-PAD -> Screen Goalie, Clear Net etc.) ?
No, OTF Coaching has given way to the new strategy system on the D-pad. Left and right adjust your offensive and defensive strategies, pressure, etc. According to one of the developers, “[OTF Coaching was] indeed removed for 2k10. It had to be done. They caused issues with the AI that most people probably never realized, but it is old stuff from 2k6 I think. We did a lot of work to the strategies this year, including getting rid of a ton of old bugs. OTF Coaching was nice to have, but you will find they aren’t nearly as important to have with the improved strategies.”
