Well, now that both games are released, what have you picked up? Reviews seem pretty close. Some favor 06, while others favor 2K6. I think I might just get 2K6 because it's $20 ($15 w/BB coupon). Plus, next-gen is coming out soon, so my XBOX buying is limited.

I never was a fan of the 2K series, they just feel "off" to me somehow.

I have every ea NHL game ever made and, while 2005 was abysmal, I continue to get them. I've played only 1 game in 2006 but it is much improved over last year's game and I'm enjoying it so far.

I picked up 2K6. For $15 I couldn't resist. If EA was $20, I might have jumped also...$30 is not bad though.

I'll give it a spin when I get home. I liked last years, but it seemed a bit buggy to me, so I traded it away recently.

I used to be a big EA buyer, but then Sega Sports surpassed EA in so many ways during their ESPN era. But the reviews I've been reading say 2K6 took some big steps backward.

Yeah, I've read a couple reviews and it seemed mixed:
EGM - 2 of the 3 reviews gave the nod to EA
OXM - EA won
IGN - 2K6 won, but it was like 8.7 to 8.5

I guess they said EA was more arcadey, while 2K6 is mroe true to life. Lots of rebounds and scrambles in front of the net. I'm curious..hopefull my choice was good. This is basically until 360 games come out. I wonder what 2K6 will be like for that...I think it's a release title.

I bought both, and I have to say 2K6 is 100 times better than EA. EA is fun enough for an arcadey type game, but the skating just feels sluggish and hard to maneuver. The goals in EA also feel very random while in 2K6 they feel earned.

There is also a huge schedule glitch in EA's franchise mode.

Within weeks, people will look back and wonder what hallucinogenics the 'professional' reviewers (particularly those at OXM) were on.

Gamespot gave the edge to 2K6 with an 8.5 over a 7.6.

Picked up NHL 06 for PC today at Future Shop here in Canada for $29.99,i liked the demo so hopefully the full version will be good.

The PS2 version of NHL 06 has NHL 94 included with it. This my all time favorite sports game. That is the reason I bought NHL 06. Now if my wife would quit playin' Burnout 3, I might get to play it sometime today.

Which is?

2K6 certainly isn't sluggish but feels too, I don't know, slippery or something (And I do know that ice is slippery). It just doesn't feel right to me. I haven't played 2006 enough to make a final judgement, but maneuverability is a concern for me right now.

Basically your schedule is exactly the same every year of Dynasty. Same teams, same days. Also your playoff opponents are the same 90% of the time.

Three hours later and she is still playin' that dang game! I want to play NHL 06 now dammit!

I picked up both for the xbox, and have played about 4 games in each... NHL '06 has problems. I don't think the AI is up to snuff. I didn't like '05, and haven't kept (I bought all) any of the EA NHL games since 2001, and that's because there wasn't a Sega one then.

NHL 2k6, on the other hand, feels like a tweaked version on 2K5, which is good. It plays solid, the physics and AI are sharp, but the graphics feel a little...I dunno, bland? They're almost identical to the 2k5 ones, but seem a little "unsharp" (photoshop users will know what I mean). EA definitely has the better graphics. The EA online play blows, and the 2K6 online play is uh, adequate, and that's about as best I can describe it. 2k6 simply plays better, and provides more of what the hockey experience should be.

NHL 94 ROCKS. I may keep the EA one JUST to play NHL 94 in widescreen glory on the xbox, but that's the sole reason I'd keep NHL '06. Once again, the 2K series will provide my hockey fix for the year.

Now, if I could just find a copy of Eastside Hockey Manager from Sega for my PC, I'd be fine...

I'm editing this to add that the friggin XBOX version of '06 doesn't have NHL 94 included...so I'm stuck playing that at a friends house, or just bust out the Genesis and the cart (I've got it...) or on an emulator. So fuck it. NHL '06 is heading to EBAY...

I decided to buy NHL 06, yesterday. I have always been a fan of EA's hockey games (except for '95 and 2005. I never played much of 2003, though.) Last year I went with NHL 2K5, and liked it, but was never really able to get into it like I was with EA's games. So, this year, after hearing that NHL 06 was a greatly improved from NHL 2005, I decided to buy it. So far, I'm happy with my purchase.

I played the EA games from the beginning; NHLPA 93 anyone? In all honesty, their latest hockey titles in recent years have turned to unrealistic arcade-fests, at least in comparison to NHL 2K6 and it's series. Sure, the menus suck, but the gameplay, custom soundtracks, and total control passing are amazing. Stick with the 2K series.

The 1st EA game on Genesis was just called NHL Hockey and it had the player numbers but not the names which was added in NHLPA 93 the following year.I played the hell outta those games

I never understood why 93 was so different on the SNES vs Genesis side. I preferred the Genesis version because you could actually juke out the goalie. It seemed the only way to score in the SNES version was slapshots rarely and wraparounds.

I picked up 2K6 and finally played a few games. The gamplay is decent. I still suck it at for some reason, but I'm winning games like 2-0. I only have it at PRO level, so I may crank it up after I figure offense out a bit.

Also, the rosters were HORRIBLE on it. Nothing was updated at all. McCarty still on Red Wings....just pretty bad on this. I know there will be D/L rosters eventually, but it sucks for people who want to play franchise NOW.
I did find some decent rosters on operationsports.com, but they were still not great...but they at least had rookies added.

I think I'll go with 2K6. The last few EA titles I've played have been subpar. Plus, the $20 price tag helps.