This product is like new. At NexWave Games, like new means:
Additionally, all discs at NexWave Games are carefully inspected and assessed for quality. When discs arrive, we do not accept any that are so badly damaged that they are unlikely to work. We only accept discs with light scratches at most. Discs with scratches are then treated in our professional disc repair machine. By warming the disc and polishing it with soft brushes, these machines can remove a very thin layer from the disc. This removes the layer containing surface scratches and improves the disc’s readability. This ensures the disc works properly, even on consoles with ageing lasers that have difficulty reading games! Great news for the player.
NHL 06 for PlayStation 2
NHL 06 for PlayStation 2 lets you play ice hockey with quick passes, physical contests and carefully aimed shots. You use the left analog stick to skate and move the puck around a defender. The right stick performs special shots and moves, such as a spin or a between-the-legs attempt. Those moves need space, though: sometimes a simple pass to an unmarked teammate achieves more than trying to beat a defender yourself.
In Dynasty you make the decisions of general manager, coach and player over up to ten seasons. You trade players, assess young prospects, arrange lines and watch the finances. Your squad's morale and composition also matter. You can simulate a game and take over yourself later. The assistant coach can handle some of the work on lines, letting you decide how much attention to devote to that arrangement.
Alongside Dynasty there are exhibition games, seasons and a World Tournament where you bring teams together yourself. Free for All revolves around scoring in one goal, giving the sport a different match format. Up to eight participants can play simultaneously locally. Everyone needs a separate controller; more than two participants require PS2 Multitaps, and eight require two Multitaps. Two players need only two controllers. Controlling a team together calls for agreements about passing, applying pressure and protecting the space in front of your own goal.
Region and language
Our PlayStation 2 games are PAL editions and come with a Dutch or English box, unless stated otherwise. By default, you receive the version for the European market. We note it in the product details if the region is different or the box is in another language. In almost all cases, the game is playable at least in English, and often in the other five common European languages too.
Manual
NHL 06 for PlayStation 2 includes the manual unless the product title states otherwise. If the booklet is missing, the title says “No Manual”. This lets you see before ordering whether the game comes with a manual.
The manuals included with our games usually contain at least English and often around six European languages. The exact languages vary by edition, so Dutch is not always included. The booklet explains the controls and the main rules. You can use it to check how to control the game, which actions are available and how its different features work.
The history of NHL 06
Electronic Arts released NHL 06 for PlayStation 2 in 2005. The year in its name therefore looked ahead to the coming hockey season. EA Canada in Vancouver developed the game within the annual EA Sports series. At its announcement, EA presented it as the fourteenth season of its NHL franchise. Vincent Lecavalier, then a Tampa Bay Lightning player, became the international face of the release. The series once again connected its annual player data with a recognisable name from the sport.
This time the emphasis was firmly on actions with the puck. The Skill Stick gave the right analog stick a role in distinctive shots, while classic dekes returned through the left stick. That created two different kinds of attacking action: finding space through skating and choosing a special finish once the opening appeared. The ordinary pass and shoot buttons remained as well. That combination characterises the controls of this generation, when analog sticks increasingly acquired specific sporting actions of their own.
Club management was developed further too. The assistant coach and Sim Intervention linked season planning with the possibility of playing games yourself. A simulation therefore did not have to end as nothing more than a score: you could take control while it was under way. Dynasty retained the longer thread of contracts, squad building and club income. NHL 06 thus belongs to a period when annual sports games expanded both the immediate match and the decisions between successive fixtures.
Similar games for PlayStation 2
NHL 07 for PS2 shares direct hockey play and Dynasty's ten seasons with NHL 06. The right stick has a different function, though: NHL 06 uses it for special finishes, while NHL 07 lets you direct passes with it. The sequel also includes European leagues within Dynasty. That changes both your actions during an attack and the choice of team with which to begin a longer club campaign.
NHL 2003 for PS2 also revolves around passes, dekes and guiding a club across several seasons. Dynamic Deke and a GameBreaker meter that fills up give individual moves extra weight; a full meter can temporarily slow the game. NHL 06 finds its own attacking emphasis in the Skill Stick and special shots. Both concern breaking through a defence, but the rewards and controls follow different approaches.
NHL 2001 for PS2 already offers seasons, playoffs, tournaments and a separate shootout. It is an earlier interpretation of the same idea: alternating full hockey games with shorter objectives. NHL 06 gives the right stick a more prominent role in special shots and links Dynasty to broader club management. The older edition keeps the season structure simpler, while the later game brings together more decisions about staff, finances and the team's long-term development.
ESPN NHL 2K5 for PS2 shares full games and club development with NHL 06. The 2K game uses Intense Contact Control for physical contests and also offers a collection of party challenges. NHL 06 instead emphasises special shots with the right stick and the combination of skating and deking. Both add to the regular competition, but find variety through different actions and challenges.
NHL 2K7 for PS2, like NHL 06, offers directly controlled hockey games in which passing and positioning remain important. The 2K edition combines ProControl with Pressure Control to let you direct defending more precisely too. NHL 06 puts a recognisable emphasis on the right stick for spectacular finishes and classic dekes while skating. Playing the same sport with a different balance between attack and defence therefore gives you different tools for comparable situations on the ice.
