Difficulty:

Very Hard

Time Spent:

20 to 40 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Broken"

I bought this thinking I would get a better version of NHL11. It is not that. I can't even begin to describe how frustrated I am with every aspect of this game.
My main play mode is the Hockey Ultimate Player card game, which seems great until it broke about 5 games in and I couldn't earn the in game currency to make my team better. I gave up on that.
Then I tried the Be a Player mode. That was fun for about 3 games until I realized that even as a 1st liner you have about a 3% input on the game and it is largely a comp simulation.
I realize that sounds like I am terrible at the game, but ask yourself: Do you play games so that you can have the same difficult and trying experience that 99% of pro players have, or do you want to have the charmed existence that #1 draft pick players like Ovechkin and Crosby have? Personally I prefer the later.
I know this sounds like sour grapes for those of you that have a spare 80 hours a week to devote to your created player, but I can't imagine spending the amount of time required to make this game fun. It should be fun straight out of the box, in every mode. Even in pickup games, the AI is horrendous and gets two-degree angle goals that I could spend weeks focusing on that would never go in.

Broken AI, Broken career/HUT modes = 1/10.

I created an account just for this. I am so angry that I paid for this. I wish I had just bought NHL 11 used instead. I loved that game.