a few weekends ago, i purchased NHL09 for the xbox 360. my love of hockey games (as well as my love of real hockey) has been kindled anew in the last few years, and EA's 2009 version of "the fastest game on ice" reinforces this passion. i had been playing the 2k series of hockey games in the last few years, but i have recently read some overwhelmingly positive reviews of '09. with thoughts of the caps' late season heroics, narrowly squeaking into the playoffs last year, and the promise of future glory in general, i went and picked it up. it is awesome. there are a lot of things i like about this game that set it apart from the 2k games of yore(last year), and a few gripes ( i guess).
the right stick
when controlling the puck, you use the right stick to do everything except pass. it is a little awkward at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's really nice. there is something to be said about bringing the puck up the ice on the rush, making a few dekes by going left to right on the R stick, and then pushing forward to shoot. it flows. it feels right after a while. shooting is especially sweet with the "aim" setting on "manual". many times i've shanked a wrister off the crossbar , getting a little over-zealous with the left stick, but sticking it over the goalie's catcher on a wraparound, with seconds remaining in the 3rd makes it all worth it.
hitting is done with the right stick as well (unless you choose NHL 94 control settings, chris, you pussy) . it definitely feels odd at first. but soft! taking control of shaone morrison as jonathan cheechoo tries to rush in on the wing and then DECIMATING him with a hip check into the boards becomes very satisfying, once mastered.
another note on the checking tip-injuries in this game seem to like, make sense, as opposed to the 2K games. in those, the injuries seemed arbitray, as if the designers were like "ok, there are injuries in this game, alex ovechkin will break his arm........now! (april)". no, in this game if someone who can hit absolutely destroys someone coming in with is head down, then chances are, that person will be injured. let me re-phrase that. someone will only be injured if it is deserved. this is good, because since i really enjoy the hitting aspect, i will have the confidence that my many attempts to injure opposing star players may actually be rewarded with their subsequent injuries.
'be a pro' mode
this is a cool new feature where you can take control over the career of an existing player in the nhl, or you can create your own future-star and dictate his career-path. in the latter, you start off in the system of your favorite nhl team. this mode is particularly cool. you design your own player and play as him on a farm team. the idea is that you gain XPs which enable you to boost your skill ratings, and you get advice from the coach as to what you're doing wrong/right. if your on-ice performance makes the coaches happy, then you make it to the show( i haven't). what i really like about this is how it makes you feel like an individual player on a team. when your fatigue level gets to a certain point, you sit on the bench and watch. you have no other choice but to sit and root for your team until your energy is charged back up to 'green' and you're ready to call for a change-the feeling of camaraderie ensues.
the one nitpick i would have is the lack of character customization this game offers. you have but a few faces to choose from when creating a player (two white guys, two asian guys, two black guys*, etc.). i wish 09 afforded the customization offered in the EA Fight Night games. it would give me great satisfaction to see one of the freakshows i could create in FN skatin around in a caps jersey. and the hairstyles...seriously? it's 2008, motherfuckers! i want to see a plethora of hairstyles in my create-player module.
anyway, besides that, this game is awesome. what really makes it good is the AI. the defense adapts to your offense, so unlike the 2k games, you can't just take the puck up off the breakout and have a breakaway every time. you have to think about your plays. puck movement is necessary to open up the D and have a scoring lane emerge. this adds depth and makes the game more fun in the long-run. i also like how dion phaneuf is on the cover.
