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15th May 2009 - Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) have announced that EA SPORTS™ has innovated a new, physical brand of hockey that includes first-person fighting in NHL® 10 to match the toughness and emotional intensity real-world NHL players endure in pursuit of a Stanley Cup™ Championship.

The franchise that has won 19 sports game of the year awards over the past two years begins a new era with gameplay innovations that deliver a new standard of toughness, the emotion of playoff hockey on the ice and in the arena, and over 200 gameplay refinements that replicate the skill and finesse that every fan sees throughout the NHL playoffs.

A new first-person fighting engine enables players to trade punches with an NHL tough guy. Feel what it’s like to be on the ice in the skates of an NHL player to throw and dodge punches. Grab and tug an opponent’s jersey to land a punch that ignites the fans and sparks your team to victory. Challenge a skill player and an opposing team tough guy will step in to settle the score.

On ice toughness and intimidation is taken to a new level in NHL 10 where winning one-on-one battles for possession of the puck along the boards becomes a test of will and skill. Utilizing an all-new board physics engine, players can use their body to shield the puck on the boards and then kick-pass it to teammates. Bigger, stronger players pin opponents to the boards while fanatical fans bang on the glass, just like real life. Fore-check defenders, pressure the puck and finish checks to intimidate your opponent into mistakes. Players fatigue, bobble passes, and avoid collisions under threat of constant physical pressure. Inspire teammates, ignite the fans and change the momentum of a game by instigating scrums, drawing penalties, and mixing it up — all after the referee blows the whistle!

“This is the most authentic simulation of hockey we have ever created,” said Producer David Littman, a former NHL and minor league goaltender now in his eighth year working on the NHL franchise. “The Stanley Cup is the most difficult trophy in all of sports to win and NHL 10 replicates the emotion, intensity and toughness players require to win the Cup.”

NHL 10 features more than 200 gameplay refinements that replicate the skill and finesse of hockey and deliver the most responsive and authentic action ever for the series. Players can one-time loose pucks, score from their knees, knock pucks out of the air and lift a leg to fake a shot on goal. A new 360° precision passing mechanic delivers control over the speed and direction of passes so players can bank passes off the boards or play the puck into space for teammates to skate on to it. Plus, all-new interactive crowds bring the emotion of playoff hockey to life with towel-waving fans, glass bangers and crowds that react to the action on the ice.

Prove you are tough enough to quiet the crowd, silence the opposition and survive a playoff run to lift the Stanley Cup in NHL 10.

Screenshots of the NHL 10 are available at http://info.ea.com.

NHL 10 will be available in stores this September for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system. It is developed under the EA SPORTS brand by EA Canada in Burnaby, B.C. The game has not been rated.

EA SPORTS™ is the leading interactive sports software brand in the world, with top-selling titles and franchises including Madden NFL football, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, NCAA® Football, and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR®.

*Based on total sales in 2008 according to the NPD.

NHL, the NHL Shield and the image of the Stanley Cup are registered trademarks and the word mark Stanley Cup is a trademark of the National Hockey League. All Rights Reserved.

NHL 10 is an Officially Licensed Product of the NHLPA. NHLPA, National Hockey League Players' Association and the NHLPA logo are trademarks of the NHLPA. © NHLPA.

gamegrep article

_{I must say guys, this sounds incredible. I think 2010 is going to be more tough then 09 and that's saying something. I can't wait for this title now. Being incredible challenging, add achievements and trophies, you're going to feel relieved when you gain them.}

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"Another cool thing we added this year is line matching at the opening faceoff. So for the first time, you can put out your fourth line to start a game to go against the first line of the away team in order to try and intimidate them right away. We're even giving a little bit of an advantage to the home team by enabling them to pick a line after the away team picks theirs.

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"On the other hand, if you have tough guys on the ice, to protect Sidney Crosby, a tough guy will jump in and fight for Crosby. That's a really cool feature and something that I've never seen in a hockey [video] game before. And it plays into our whole Team Toughness feature because you need to have tough guys on your team to protect your superstars. These guys with the puck all the time, those are the players everyone wants to hit, so you need these tough guys on the ice to step up and protect your superstars. The AI actually drives the CPU player to come in for the fight. I picked a fight with Ovechkin the other day and Brashear came in and checked me down and started a fight with me, so I learned not to go after Ovechkin after that.

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"We're trying to be as authentic as possible to what you're watching in the playoffs right now. Look at the crowd and everyone in Washington is in red, everyone in Pittsburgh is in white, and we're going to have that in the game where people in the stands are going to be wearing the jerseys of the home teams. Again, being authentic and drawing people in to what makes a hockey game so different than any other sport. And the most important thing to remember about the interactive arena is that you're controlling it. If you get into a fight, you get the crowd going. If you're lackluster and boring, they're going to boo you. If you score goals and make a bunch of saves, you're going to get your home crowd going. And another thing is, when you're in an opposing building and you have a star like Pronger or somebody who has been a thorn in your side, your home crowd will boo every time that player touches the puck.

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Also, for when their is an official NHL 10 Forum; I'm thinking 360/PS3 should be combined?