It's been long over due (and I am understating this quite a bit mind you), but finally the AppStore's first great 3D hockey game has arrived. NHL 2K11 from 2K Sports and 2K China is a slam dunk sports game. It combines great graphics, a complete hockey experience, and a chilly, yet inviting, atmosphere. This is not to say there haven't been a few contenders for best hockey game on the AppStore what with Distinctive Developements' Hockey Nations 2010 [AppStore] and Nineth Dimension Studios' The Hockey Experiment [AppStore], but none have successfully captured the full hockey sim ambiance we have desperately been needing.

PIttsburgh Penguins is just one of the many teams you can choose from!

NHL 2K11 is quite a bit like the console version, minus a few features, and it does a great job of bringing the fun and excitement from the console version to the iDevices. Upon first playing this I immediately threw myself into the action via the "Quick Game" option. You start off choosing your team (in the lite version there are only two teams available for play. The Philadelphia Flyers and the Chicago Blackhawks). Then you're taken to a settings menu where you can adjust the skill level, the period length, penalties, and other attributes. Once all your settings are to your liking the game loads and you can start kicking some butt! The game plays just like the console version except there is no deking, which I miss terribly, no commentary, and the crowd is not as enthusiastic. Not a major issue, but adding in commentary will help players feel more connected to the game.

Over Head Camera Angle

There are other game modes available as well, simply return to the main menu and tap the "Hit The Ice" button. This will take you to a menu that has 3 other game modes. Season, Free Skate, and Shootout. The Season mode allows you to setup a season containg either 41 or 82 games. You can also edit the series length and the OT options. After you choose the settings you can edit the players on your team by choosing "Front Office" and then any of these options; Scratched, Waive to Cut, Waive to Minors, Captain Status. You can also trade players, sign free agents, edit lines, and view the players injury statuses in this menu. Other modes available in the Season are Play/Schedule (where you can view upcoming games, and either play them or simulate them), Practice, Front Office (discussed above), Stats (view team standings, team stats, player leaders, rookie leaders, player stats), Awards, and another options menu (Game Style, Camera settings, Sound settings, Save/Load, and Season Options).

Change lines during game!

Now for the small, but still annoying issues. The framerate is very jumpy, and what I mean by this is that it does not stay constant throughout the whole game. Every so often I would experience a slight drop in the frame rate and as the game progressed the frame rate drops happened more consistantly. I have also experienced a few crashes, simply because the game uses to much memory, a simple update could fix both the frame rate drops, as well as the memory usage. Other than that the game runs very well on my iPod 2nd Gen. However 2K has stated that the game is not compatible with the original iPhone, iPhone 3G and the original iPod Touch, so If you have one of those devices make sure you understand that the game may not work on your device.