The Wii isn’t an HD console, so it wouldn’t really be fair to compare the graphics of this game on the Wii to the graphics of NHL 2009 on the 360; but after playing NHL 2009 on the 360, 2K10 on the Wii is just painful to look at. (I was expecting it to be worse, but I was shocked by how bad they were.)

While I was expecting inferior graphics, I was also expecting the Wiimote-based controls make up for it. Unfortunately, they haven’t. (Even with the Wii MotionPlus adapter.) Maybe it just takes more than a few games to get used to, but even something as simple as passing the puck can be an infuriating process. (The act of passing isn’t difficult, but the act of passing to the player you want to pass to is quite a feat!)

Shooting — an essential part of the game, mind you — is also frustrating. You really do have to take a full swing to get decent power on a slapshot. That’s great, in theory, but with the nunchuck tethered to the Wiimote, it’s tough to get a full swing without getting tangled in the wire. (Maybe someone with a lesser arm-span doesn’t have that problem, but at 6’2″, I’ve found myself running into that problem frequently.) This could probably be corrected with a wireless nunchuck, but I don’t really want to fork over more money for more accessories — especially accessories that duplicate the features of accessories I already have — just to play one game.

The motion-based controls DO make the game more fun, when they work the way you expect them to. Unfortunately, it takes a lot of getting used to; and even when you feel comfortable, you’ll still find yourself wondering what just happened on several occasions per period.

You could play with a classic controller, but at that point, you may as well be playing on a graphically-superior console.
Rating: 2 / 5