First things first – the fighting is wayyy better than it was on NHL 09.  It’s awesome because you are fighting from a real perspective instead of looking down on it from a camera angle.  You can pull on the other guy’s jersey and I also like the fact that flicking the control pads to control movements feels a lot more natural than pressing buttons.

Of course, all you need to do is look at the screenshots below to see that the graphics and effects are crisper (the faces have really improved too) and I find it moves more fluidly than the last game.  I will complain, however, about the fact that it seems to take a long time between when play stops to the face-off but maybe that’s just me (?).

I also like the fact that you don’t have to go through a whole season – you can go straight to the playoffs from the menu screen and access the Battle for the Cup mode.  I didn’t make it all the way through it but I can say that I am loving the fact that, if something happens in a game, the storyline carries over through the rest of the games.  For example, if you dish out some nasty hit in Game 1, expect animosity towards you to increase in the games that follow.

The boarding moves were pretty sweet since it really is a lot more like real hockey.  You can push and pin your opponent against the boards while you try to free the puck.

The goaltenders have more moves at their disposal so you can replicate some of the cooler things like being able to make a crazy-ass save by flipping over to the other side of the net.

The “extras” in the game are also decent.  I like the shop where you can use experience points to pick out new gear like pads and skates which is similar to what you see in games like Guitar Hero (do well at gigs, make money, buy more songs/guitars).  Speaking of which, I thought the music was great because there was a mixture of some of the 80s hits that I love along with modern tracks.

Final verdict – the changes are mostly subtle but it really does improve the overall product by enough that I’ve got to say that I like this game way more than I liked NHL 09.

Post from: Hockey Beat

There are a lot of cool new features that have been added since NHL 09 so I’m looking forward to seeing how it changes the feel of the game.  I know that I’m definitely going to enjoy the more physical play since fighting will now be from the first person perspective.  I also like the fact that we’ll have more control over the goalie since that frustrates me to no end.

I can’t help but make a small comment about Patrick Kane being on the cover.  This guy has had an incredible couple years with this past season really establishing him as an up-and-comer to watch so it’s pretty disappointing that he’s got this black eye on his reputation after his altercation with that cabbie.  I hope that it all gets resolved quickly so that he can focus on playing hockey but you know there are going to be fans (especially of opposing teams) who will always consider him a douche after all this.

Anyway, before I get too sidetracked, here’s the video for the Battle for the Cup demo.  What do you think?

Post from: Hockey Beat

The game will be released this fall for Wii, Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Playstation 2 and PC.  Aside from that, there aren’t many details about the game floating around although I can pretty much promise that it will be about hockey…

image: 2K Sports

Post from: Hockey Beat

Marek Zidlicky took a backhand shot from mid-ice and, incredibly, it bounced right back backup goalie, Brian Boucher.  Watch the goal:

Post from: Hockey Beat

Last night, the Spike channel announced their winners at the 2008 Video Game Awards.  While Grand Theft Auto IV won for “Game of the Year,” I was thrilled to see NHL 09 take home the prize for “Best Team Sports Game.” I thought the new features (like one-handed dekes) really improved gameplay so I’m glad the game EA Games was recognized.

image © 2008 SPIKE Digital Entertainment, Viacom International

Post from: Hockey Beat

Here’s a tip that I found on the IGN boards that worked for me (let’s hope it continues to work):

1. Check to see if your game disc works without the Hard Drive or any memory units plugged in.
2. If it works, then plug your hard drive back in and clear your cache:
   To do this, go to Console Settings, Memory, then press Y for Device Options and press – X,X,LB,RB,X,X – the xbox will ask you if you would like to perform a system maintenance and you say yes. This will erase all game updates you have downloaded but you can get them back. Don’t forget to erase your NHL 09 save data as well … and VOILA!

Don’t get me started on how dumb this problem is…

image credit: Amazon.com

Post from: Hockey Beat

NHL 2K9 is now available in stores but I haven’t picked up a copy yet.  I am really torn.  Not to be insulting but I consider this game lower quality than NHL 09 which is coming out on Friday.  There are two reasons why I haven’t decided yet if which one I’m going to get (and, no, it’s not an option to buy both). 

The first is that times change, technology changes and I feel like I should give this game a shot.  The second thing is that this game, unlike NHL 09, is available on the Nintendo Wii.  I think it would be a lot of fun to play a hockey video game with the Wii remote/joystick.  Here’s a commercial for the game on Wii:

Grrr… I can’t decide.  Maybe I’ll rent one and buy the other.  Of course, if my son had any say we’d get both but I think it’s a waste.  Watch, I’m going to end up writing a post this week comparing the two, lol.

Post from: Hockey Beat

Post from: Hockey Beat

Post from: Hockey Beat

Post from: Hockey Beat