Gretzky won’t be the only classic player, though, as NHL 12 will feature eight other former players, including Ray Bourque and Chris Chelios. the first revealed.
As with NBA 2K11 and 2K12, NHL 12 will allow players to recreate the career of the eight players in the Be a Legend mode. Players will also be able to add the game’s greatest players to their roster in Be a GM, Hockey Ultimate Team, and Battle for the Cup modes or try them out in exhibition and online games.
NHL 12 will also be improved in others ways, as EA Sports has announced an update of the “Full Contact” physics engine, resulting in such fine touches like goalies that can be interfered with more realistically, as well as net battles in front of and behind the net. NHL 12 will also include new events like the 2011 NHL Winter Classic, in which hockey players play in the chilly outdoors - in 2011, the Winter Classic will be at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.
EA Sports has also announced that a playable demo will be available for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 owners on August 23, while the game itself will be on shelves September 9 in Europe and September 13 in North America.