EA and 2K's friendly competition generated a huge amount of quality, craftsmanship and creativity in the sports gaming genre, which no other evidence presents itself more than the virtual hockey rink. This year, each company holds a different approach integrated with their video games - EA added first-person fighting and board play feature while 2K integrated stumble shots and regular season online integration. It is clear that the development team behind EA's NHL10 love hockey, as seen in their previous products year after year.

If you're still hesitant about picking NHL10, let me tell you a few things about what to expect from this game. NHL10 has extra goalie animations and improved passing system, not to mention the first-person fighting feature and the board play feature. You can even go straight to the Stanley Cup playoffs, but the general reasons for buying NHL10 lie on the board play feature.

In an actual match, a defender may attempt to stop an offensive rush from a dropped puck by pinning the offensive player against the boards. The game's board play adds that sensation to the flow of the game; giving players a nice change of pace from the regular 60 minutes back and forth across the rink. The board play feature was something players never felt was missing until EA added it to NHL10. The board play gives the defensive players a chance to stop an offensive attack in the zone as well as giving the offensive side more options to play the puck behind the net.

Another new gameplay addition is called the Game Styles, which makes its debut this year and this should not be confused with the game's difficulty options. The options CASUAL, DEFAULT, NORMAL and HARDCORE provide a different feel and speed to the game, much like messing with the gravity setting of the ice. Players are slower and pucks are harder on the HARDCORE settings while the CASUAL settings feel like an arcade game where the pucks are like magnetized to the stick and passes are easier to do.

Be a Pro or Be a General Manager, along with the 6 on 6 online play are just some of the returning features for NHL10. Though EA could have done a little bit on the presentation department, NHL10's team introductions and the play-by-play are left seemingly unchanged at all.

If NHL fans thought NHL09 was a blast, they will love NHL10. NHL10 gives both hardcore hockey fan and the uninitiated newbie hockey near the ultimate authentic hockey experience to the ice. This is a game worth picking up for your Xbox360.

Looking for another game to try in your game console? Via Best Xbox 360 Sports Games we encourage you to get NHL 10.