The constant progression of annual sport titles has another advantage besides the games getting more and more realistic every year. It creates moments where the players go nuts—suddenly, our ordinary game turns itself into Dragon Ball Z or Super Smash TV. We selected below a few of these from the last few years' FIFA, …

It's a curious tradition in video game sports, but the NHL doesn't allow games to use all the third and alternate sweaters until they've been used in real life. Now they have, and EA Sports released the code unlocking them.

A friend visiting me recently is a lifelong NHL fan with season tickets to the San Jose Sharks. He doesn't play video games, but he was intrigued when he saw NHL 11 on my desk, a couple days before release.

NHL 11's developers revealed today that the game's demo will be released on Aug. 17 in North America and Aug. 18 in Europe. With it, you'll also get to play a demo version of the new Hockey Ultimate Team.

Sharp-eyed DLC watchers today spotted the month-early upload of more than 90 player attribute enhancements for NHL 11, offering three tiers of created-player boosts ranging from 80 to 160 Microsoft points. Update: There are now 156 boosts on Xbox Live.

Another five shots of NHL 11 show off more than the game's good looks; they spotlight some of the new wrinkles put into this year's game, due out Sept. 7.

EA Sports promised a list of "classic arena anthems" for its NHL offerings and one in particular makes it mission freaking accomplished on that score: The Final Countdown, by Europe, part of both NHL 11 and NHL Slapshot's soundtracks.

There's plenty you can do on a faceoff other than spam the controls and look like a fool. NHL 11 wants to give you more options this year, as shown in new screenshots released today.

Jesus, didn't we just get done with the NHL? I did a little bit of checking and, yep, of the major team simulations, it has the shortest span between crowning its champion and the release of its next video game.

Chicago's Jonathan Toews is the global cover athlete for NHL 11 but EA Sports shows some love for other nations, putting Henrik and Daniel Sedin on the cover for the game sold in Sweden, and Mark Streit for Switzerland's version.

As suspected, It's Jonathan Toews, captain of the newly crowned Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks, and showcased here in a highlight roll that indicates some puck-juggling and -kicking enhancements for NHl 11.

Catching up on some E3 news, last week EA Sports put up - then removed - a page depicting Chicago Blackhawk Jonathan Toews in a definite cover art pose. Operation Sports snagged that screengrab before it was taken down.

The Toronto Sun reported today that EA Sports' upcoming NHL game for the Wii will be called NHL Slapshot, and it will be completely different from the main game. It will also ship with a mini-hockey stick peripheral.

The director of the NCAA's hockey marketing operation told a Canadian radio station that his organization has been in talks with EA Sports about bringing collegiate teams to EA's NHL title.

A statement late this afternoon confirmed rumors of the past several weeks that the Canadian Hockey League, the top tier of Canada's developmental junior hockey leagues, will have all of its teams - and players - represented in NHL 11.

EA Sports put up the first screenshot of NHL 11 on the game's official Facebook page, intending to drop hints about what it'll deliver. From the details of the frame, it looks like a new physics engine and broken sticks.

Last week EA Sports declined comment on a rumor that NHL 11 would include all top-flight juniors teams from the Canadian Hockey League. The Canadian Broadcasting Company is now reporting the inclusion as fact.

Sports radio in Calgary and a team's marketing employee are saying EA Sports' NHL 11 will feature teams from the Canadian Hockey League, the top tier of junior hockey in that country.