Hockey fans have been asking to see their favorite sport on Wii for a long time and EA has taken its time to come up with an installment for the console. However, EA Vancouver’s producer for NHL Slapshot, Joe Nickolls, says that the wait was well worth it as its popularity is expected to soar among players of all ages. Indeed, he says, with a hockey stick designed to hold both the Wiimote and the nunchuck, the game is bound to be enjoyed by all age groups.

"Too often,” says Joe Nickolls, “what most studios do when they work on Wii versions of their games is to copy and paste what they did for the PS3 or Xbox 360. We wanted to take the time to do things the right way."

Developing NHL Slapshot for the Wii’s new platform brought a lot of challenges to EA’s NHL team. “We had to pay special attention to the interface.” says Joe Nickolls. “The question was: How can we make a game that uses the Wii’s controls and brings a real hockey experience to the player? We came up with many prototypes and ended up with some very good stuff.”

After about nine months of work and thanks to collaboration with the developers of NHL 11, Joe Nickolls’ small team of 16 succeeded in bringing us a complete game. “We were able to use NHL 11’s playability, characteristics, and artificial intelligence.” he says. “We had to review certain aspects, such as the controls and some animation, because our pee-wee level players behave differently.”

Skeptical at first, Joe Nickolls quickly became excited by his own game’s development. “When I think about it, the whole idea of playing Wii with a hockey stick sounded a bit fake.” he admits. “But once you actually hold the stick in your hands, you forget that it’s actually a toy and you really step into that hockey universe. Everyone who tried it thought that it was brilliant. The game’s sensation is pretty good and all those who have played hockey before will agree.”

Joe Nickolls even admits that it is hard for him to go back to the PS3 version after having held a hockey stick in his hands. “It’s a very immersive experience because it’s all about natural movements.” he says. “A single game is usually all it takes for the player to understand the game’s controls.”

The hockey stick for Wii’s NHL Slapshot wasn’t born overnight. It took 12 versions to come up with the right design. The first one consisted of a real hockey stick on which the designers had attached the Wii’s controls. The stick’s main purpose is to immerse the player into the world of hockey. It is designed to avoid wounds and favors very intuitive movements taken directly from hockey. “When you play, you’re almost sure to eventually hit someone with the stick.” says Joe Nickolls, senior producer at EA Vancouver. “That’s why the blade is made of foam.”

Because the game is targeted at a wide audience, NHL Slapshot underwent an array of tests involving users of all ages. “We did more focus groups with this game than with any other.” says Joe Nickolls. “We had groups of users aged from 8 to 59 years-old. This was the first time we ever had a focus group with 59 year-old users. I remember one group, a family with 58 and 59 year-old parents and their 30 year-old daughters. The game went into overtime and the mother scored. It was amazing to see people in their fifties jumping and shouting by playing a hockey match.”

The spokesman of the franchise for the Wii’s installment is Wayne Gretzky. The hockey legend was kind enough to associate his name with the franchise, but insisted all the same to test it before its release. “He played with his son and he wasn’t making any passes.” remembers Joe Nickolls. “So Wayne Gretzky explained the importance of team play to him by reminding him about what his grandfather always used to say. It was fun to see this hockey legend playing our game and teaching his son how to play it by quoting his own father.” [CP]

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