Maybe it's just me, but when I think Xbox 360, I think stunning, flashy graphics. Yes, I realise this is a narrow minded point of view and I know graphics don't make the game but when a next-generation console is released, I want to see something truly next generation.

Let me say this bluntly. The graphics in 2K's NHL 2K6 are not truly next generation. Maybe it's my lack of HDTV, but after playing 2K's excellent NBA 2K6, the game just doesn't feel as polished graphically. Don't get me wrong, NHL 2K6 is a great game with exceptionally realistic game play, call me shallow, but its graphics are just not what I expected in a next-generation ice hockey game.

The NHL 2K series has always been renowned for its commitment to realism. This year's version is no different. All the customisable options are back, with adjustable sliders allowing you to change the game into an NHL Hitz style ‘goalfest' or a realistic strategic challenge - it all depends on how you want to play. However, while there are game play additions new to the 2006 edition, they are almost exactly the same as the standard Xbox version with one main difference - crease control.

Finally ice hockey gamers have a simple and effective system of controlling the goaltender to the point where it is balanced and it comes in the form of crease control. To activate the crease control system, you click the right thumb stick and a V shape extends from the goaltender. You position the V so that it covers the goal (indicated by it turning green) and once the opposition shoots, time slows down and you have to place a circle over the position where the puck will go. While not exactly contributing to the realism of the game, it certainly makes for a fun and interesting addition.

A feature present within both versions of NHL 2K6 is pro control. Pro control is activated by clicking the right thumb stick when in control of the puck. It allows you to precisely pass to who you wish to (they have a button assigned to them), in order to link up passing combinations to implement your own tactics and strategies.

Speaking of strategy, another feature new to the 2K6 version is on the fly play calling. Now, depending on which zone you are in, you can call a play simply by tapping the D-Pad - for example in the offensive zone you can call to crash the net by simply pressing the up button and when in the defensive zone, tapping down on the D-Pad will result in your players applying a defensive pinch.

Yet another feature new to the game (those 2K Sports guys have sure been hard at work this year on the features!) is the enforcer system. Now your checking line can have a real impact on the game. Players designated as enforcers generally have lowered abilities but can unleash brutal body checks onto players. This feature takes the focus off the light and agile scorers who traditionally overrun defensive lines. Now with a few well placed checks by an enforcer, the once near-invulnerable forwards' attributes can be lowered (mainly their speed) limiting their influence in the game (the players affected by enforcers are designated with a blue ‘I' signifying their ‘Intimidated' status.)

Combined with realism, the 2K6 series has always had a robust franchise mode. This year's game certainly doesn't disappoint. With such the traditional in-depth settings (such as choosing individual coaches and scouts) and combination of new features such as player chemistry (players are assigned categories such as scorer or skater and a combination of these categories leads to good chemistry), the game has loads of depth and definitely has enough new content to warrant a purchase over last year's version.

All the traditional multiplayer modes are offered, with four players being able to play on one console. Party mode also makes a return, however many of the irritating game modes from last year have also returned. I'm talking about the one where you need to skate over coloured dots to collect points. To me, that's just purely irritating and certainly not as fun as a game of tag that involves brutal body checking. With all the obvious work gone into the many new features, it's a shame that a few such as this made the cut as its omission would have been no loss.

I would have tried to give you some information on how Xbox Live works with the game, but unfortunately I couldn't find anyone to play with! Every time I signed on there were people playing in the advanced lobby but nobody in the beginners. This would have been fine, except you need 10+ games to access the advanced lobbies. Great. Though, while reading information about the intermittent freezing issue some owners are reporting, I did come across the fact that 2K sports have had some server issues regarding NHL 2K6, so hopefully they are resolved soon.

As I mentioned earlier, the graphics are nothing special. There are the subtle nuances that make the game feel somewhat optimised for the Xbox 360, such as on-ice reflections and greater detail on the player models. This was especially noticeable in the replays, which I found to be graphically, quite nice and great to watch. The replays have a depth-of-field blur which and makes the game look far better graphically. However, I still felt a little disappointed considering on my non-HDTV, the game looked closer to an original Xbox game, especially with the standard top down view of the ice. In the game's defence though, most next-gen sports titles, when viewed from their normal viewpoint, don't show off their graphics a great deal.

Unfortunately, this year's edition doesn't have the ESPN presentation and I have to say, the game ultimately suffers for it. The in-game overlays seem like they've been rushed, like someone's quickly applied an outline to a rectangle in Photoshop. The main menu seems lacklustre with only a few basic colours and the menu system overall seems to lack polish. For such a fun game to play, this can be overlooked, but the presentation simply falls over when compared to other Xbox 360 sports titles. Again, you may think that's a shallow viewpoint when the game has so much else going for it but I'm sure we're not the only ones that feel a bit let down by it.