EA Sports NHL 09 / 2K Sports NHL 2K9

[archibalduk]

Does anyone know the actual release date for us Brits for NHL 09?

According to game.co.uk - 12 September.

[getzlaf15]

Does anyone know the actual release date for us Brits for NHL 09?

According to game.co.uk - 12 September.

I sure do hope so.

[archibalduk]

Has anyone in North America bought NHL 2k9 for the Wii. According to IGN, it's out now. Actually, there's a review on IGN and it got a bit of a slating: LINK

As I think we expected (at least, to an extent), its first attempt is full of great ideas but poorly executed. Here's the reviewer's closing comments:

As a hockey fan, I'm psyched to see the Wii getting a bit of NHL love. Unfortunately, it's going to take a whole lot more from either 2K or EA, should the company throw its hat in the ring as well, to deliver something that I'd truly recommend as a unique, Wii-specific take on the sport. 2K has the right idea here, including motion shooting, IR passing, and motion-based goaltending, but the core game is just too much of a rushed effort, and the final product is a visually unpleasant, choppy, incomplete package. There's no online, the computer AI feels dumbed down, frame issues hurt the IR passing and break up the overall flow of the game; that's not the NHL 2K I know from other consoles.

That's not to say I didn't have fun playing the game - I did - but it's as if the sport has gone through a time warp in its conversion to Nintendo's console. I'm not talking from 2K9 to 2K7, but rather sub-2K3, especially on the visual front. In fact, even then the series was never as thrown together or unreliable as it is here. It's still a fast, generally pleasant game of puck, but in no way does NHL 2K9 prove that the company has the passion or follow-through to make a serious impact on Wii. We want to see this game thrive. As it stands right now, it's a big rough, still fun, but a token rookie year as far as sports games go. 2K, it's time to give this one an overhaul for 2K10.

There's also some video clips too: http://uk.media.wii.ign.com/media/142/1 ... ids_1.html

[bruins72]

That's a bit troubling to read. I was really looking forward to this. Watching the video though... it doesn't seem bad at all. Then again, I haven't played a hockey game on a console since 2004 probably. I haven't really had the time to touch my Wii in quite a while, so I'll probably wait and read some more reviews of it before making any kind of decision.

[Calv]

NHL 09 has been delayed on PS3 until 26th september now

There's only so many times I can play 1 period of Red Wings v Penguins - despite Sidney Crosby being awesome on the Be a Pro...

[mtsouth]

NHL 09 has been delayed on PS3 until 26th september now

There's only so many times I can play 1 period of Red Wings v Penguins - despite Sidney Crosby being awesome on the Be a Pro...

I'm in the States so I'll grab at least a rental of NHL 09 soon, but I've been playing the heck out of the demo. Still can't score worth a darn, but I'm getting better. As Crosby, I had a deflection for a goal in one game and then a one timer from the slot for a goal in another game. My best game was playing in player lock as Lidstrom and scoring two goals (one was an empty netter).

The great thing is that if you mess up in Be A Pro, you feel like you let the team down. Turn the puck over or get out of position and the other team scores, you feel bad. Then again, if you force a turnover that leads to a goal, you feel pretty good, even if you don't get the assist.

[getzlaf15]

Just bought my copy of NHL 09, bit dissapointed by EA's inability to update players pictures. There are hardly no new mugshots in the game. And don't get me started on the Attributes wise. Bouwmeesters stats are worse than Jack and Erik Johnson, Forsberg = 95! Cogliano is much better than Gagner according to EA.

I know it's only a matter of opinion. But statistics wise and common sense-wise... Just don't get it.

The gameplay is good as 08 and the Be a Pro mode has potential which i will have to explore in greater depths. When i get my XBOX fixed again!

What are peoples reviews?

[archibalduk]

IGN seemed to really like the XBox 360 version of NHL 09, giving it a 9/10:

NHL 09 isn’t just a great hockey game, it’s one of the best sports games to be released in the last decade. It takes the right analog stick controls first pioneered in last year’s game and pushes them forward ever so slightly while pouring on features that everyone from newbies to diehards will appreciate. The only question remaining is how they’ll follow this sports game of the year contender once next season rolls around.

The review is here: http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/articles/908/908072p1.html

I get the impression EA has now clearly jumped ahead of 2K when it comes to the best hockey game as they only gave 2K9 8/10 and a fairly negative review:

NHL 2K9 does some good things. The controls have been fixed, it's fun, and there are some nice touches to the presentation. But the AI is very suspect and the emphasis on fun hurts the authenticity, which was once 2K's biggest selling point. Certainly there are merits to purchasing NHL 2K9, but there's no question it is inferior to its rival this year. If you prefer your hockey more streamlined and don't want to be forced to play a slower but truer form of the sport, then this is certainly worth picking up.

Here's the 2K9 review: http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/articles/908/908890p1.html

If anyone subscribes to IGN Insider then there's a review comparing NHL 09 to 2K9: http://uk.insider.ign.com/teasers/909/909734.html I'm not a subscriber and so couldn't tell you what it says.

[getzlaf15]

As far as i've heard 2k9 is awful. I love 09 but im just unhappy with the stats. But with a few tweaks i can make them right again.

[dave1927p]

That is definatly something that you should ask Wolverine Studios because it is such an important thing.

[mtsouth]

OK....my NHL 09 Review so far...Rented it yesterday

Jumped right into Be A Pro (BAP) mode. Started as offensive defensemen for the River Rats. Did ok my first game, but I spend too much time chasing the puck on D. Decided to change to a power forward and play C. Did better and had a few assists. Keep in mind that I can't shoot worth a darn. After dinner, changed to a sniper (keep in mind that each time I'm basically restarting my career as this is offline mode) RW. Had a 6 points after 3 games with 3 goals (one EN, one wrister cutting across the slot, one slapper from above the faceoff circle). I did make the mistake of getting into a fight and got to watch my team play for 5 minutes with me in the penalty box. Stinks, but that's life. Maybe a sniper shouldn't provoke a defensemen???

The game is fun. I've got it set to 7 minutes so it take about 25 minutes to play an entire game and most of that is spent on the ice. You can see your stamina bar and once it gets about half full, it's time to start looking for a chance to switch lines. Switching is as easy as heading towards your bench and hopping over the boards. To go back out, wait until your energy is full and then call for a line change. When playing, you can call for a pass or tell your team to shoot. I think I'm going to either go back to offensive defenseman or power forward since I'm pretty good at checking and not so good at scoring.

Let me know if you have any questions. I've also picked up Rock Band 2 which is great and will be picking up The Force Unleased today for the Wii.

[laskey 16]

Just bought my copy of NHL 09, bit dissapointed by EA's inability to update players pictures. There are hardly no new mugshots in the game. And don't get me started on the Attributes wise. Bouwmeesters stats are worse than Jack and Erik Johnson, Forsberg = 95! Cogliano is much better than Gagner according to EA.

I know it's only a matter of opinion. But statistics wise and common sense-wise... Just don't get it.

The gameplay is good as 08 and the Be a Pro mode has potential which i will have to explore in greater depths. When i get my XBOX fixed again!

What are peoples reviews?

The ratings are terrible and the rosters are in places well out of date. On the Xbox 360 the edit player mode doesn't even work - if you try and change the potential of any player it will not stay at what you put it. A bit of a disappointment.

[archibalduk]

The ratings are terrible and the rosters are in places well out of date. On the Xbox 360 the edit player mode doesn't even work - if you try and change the potential of any player it will not stay at what you put it. A bit of a disappointment.

I've always found the player ratings and the rosters to be way out in both the EA and the 2K series. I know they have tight deadlines but it wouldn't take much to at least keep the rosters up-to-date. I've always thought that research has been an afterthought with these games. If they involved the community a bit more (like SI do) then they could get some of their fans to research the ratings for them free of charge.

Played some more and the luster is starting to wear off with Force Unleashed. On the easiest level, I die 2 to 3 times facing the bosses... May trade it in next week for Lego Batman if I can find time to beat it.

Oh dear so the novelty is wearing off? That's why I'm holding off buying any more Wii games until I've heard a few reviews of them. It seems if you jump the gun and get in there early, you realise that the game isn't as great as it sounds. I don't know whether the Lego Batman will keep you entertained. I've played Lego Star Wars and found it to be fairly easy and somewhat repetitive. It's not possible to die and restart the level as such - you just carry on playing.

I've heard lots of great things about Spore but I've also heard about one major problem with the DRM (digital rights management) where in an effort to curb piracy they've limited the number of times you can install from your disc. So if you change computers or have install issues (requiring reinstalls), you could be in rough shape. I guess all the gamers are in an uproar about it. People rallied to give it a 1 star rating at Amazon to make a point to the publisher. Other than that, I've heard it's got some bugs and some short-comings but it's a great game.

I heard about the DRM issues too. It's a tough balance - on the one hand you want to prevent piracy but on the other you don't want to make it hard to install or play the game. I don't think an ideal medium has been found yet. Perhaps it's best to err on the side of caution because we all know how piracy can affect the life of a game (e.g. EHM).

[dave1927p]

the gameplay in NHL 09 (360) is awsome. The goaltending and checking needs improvement but im happy with how they are improving it. I can't believe how bad dynasty mode is though, and Be a Pro mode for that matter. They lack depth and the stats are way off....when was the last time 35 players got 100plus points. If they lowered the ratings then perhaps the goals per game would be improved, which would improve the overall player points production

It does feel though that this may be the last year EA's NHL game comes to the PC. For NHL 08 people were very unhappy with the lack of info before and after release and again this year there was even less, and the game itself isn't up to par with peoples expectations. I for one would be surprised if NHL 2010 came out on the pc.

[archibalduk]

Did anybody buy NHL 2K9 for the Wii? I might consider getting it some time after Xmas when I have more money to spare. I'm not expecting a top notch hockey game, though. I'm only interested in it just for my hockey fix.

I played NHL 09 on my bro's PS3 the other day. The gameplay was by far the best I'd ever seen with a hockey game. The controls were quite complex but I know that once you've mastered them, you've got an absolutely awesome hockey game!

[archibalduk]

Hi FifaFan - nice to hear from you. It's been a very long time since we've seen you round here. Hope you find some time to keep popping in once in a while

Having written this post, I've realised there's three different topics in this thread so I've given each one a title. Trust me to make a mess of posting

XBox
I sold my old XBox (plus accessories and games) the other day on eBay. It was a brilliant console but I never really had that much time to play on it and so everything was still in mint condition. It was great at uni, though, when we used to have Pro Evolution Soccer 2005 tournaments.

NHL 2K6 was a good game, too; although I didn't like how the main way to score was from one-timers. I found that by increasing the one-timer difficulty to maximum, it would make it very difficult to score any goals whatsoever.

Toca Race Driver 2 is brilliant. A very realistic game with a plethora of different race types. I just wish there had been one of those indicators that shows whether you're going too fast or slow (I find it helps me get the hang of driving a new type of car) - like on Forza which shows the correct racing line and it goes red or green to show whether you're going to fast or slow. Forza was a good game but I found it quite flat - there wasn't anything to make one race feel different from the other.

Anyway, the XBox 360 is really going down in price. I think I'd go for one of them over the original XBox if you can afford that little bit extra.

NHL 2k9 - Wii
On a different note, I've read on IGN (link) that NHL 2k9 for the Wii is a bit of a dud - it's been given a rating of 68% (compared to 80% on XBox and PS3). In a nutshell, it's fun to play but the AI is poor (unless you play at the highest difficulty), the graphics are very poor and the passing is hampered by a poor framerate. I haven't decided yet whether to buy this or wait another year where hopefully the game will be much more polished. There's also a possibility of EA releasing a version which would help generate a bit of competition. Here is IGN's sumamry of the game:

As a hockey fan, I'm psyched to see the Wii getting a bit of NHL love. Unfortunately, it's going to take a whole lot more from either 2K or EA, should the company throw its hat in the ring as well, to deliver something that I'd truly recommend as a unique, Wii-specific take on the sport. 2K has the right idea here, including motion shooting, IR passing, and motion-based goaltending, but the core game is just too much of a rushed effort, and the final product is a visually unpleasant, choppy, incomplete package. There's no online, the computer AI feels dumbed down, frame issues hurt the IR passing and break up the overall flow of the game; that's not the NHL 2K I know from other consoles.

That's not to say I didn't have fun playing the game - I did - but it's as if the sport has gone through a time warp in its conversion to Nintendo's console. I'm not talking from 2K9 to 2K7, but rather sub-2K3, especially on the visual front. In fact, even then the series was never as thrown together or unreliable as it is here. It's still a fast, generally pleasant game of puck, but in no way does NHL 2K9 prove that the company has the passion or follow-through to make a serious impact on Wii. We want to see this game thrive. As it stands right now, it's a big rough, still fun, but a token rookie year as far as sports games go. 2K, it's time to give this one an overhaul for 2K10.

Left 4 Dead (PC / X360)
I'm not normally one for shoot 'em ups but this one looks very cool. It's essentially a frantic co-op zombie shooting game. Take a look at the trailer on the official website: http://www.l4d.com/

There's supposed to be a demo for it but I can't for the life of me find it. It looks like it was hosted on the steam.com website but I can't find it anymore. If anybody manages to find a demo, let me know because I really want to see if this will run on my laptop.

[archibalduk]

I finally gave in and bought NHL 2k9 for the Wii this weekend. I couldn't resist any longer! I've only played two games and the training mode and have to say that this is far from a finished product. I'd recommend the game to hockey fans who only have a Wii because it's the only way you're going to get your hockey fix. However, if you have a Wii and another console, get a hockey game for your other console - be that for the PS3, X360, or even the old XBox or PS2.

I'll get the worst aspect out of the way first: The Graphics. I got my Wii on the basis that it would be a fun console that I could occasionally; rather than for serious gaming. I didn't buy the console for high-end HD graphics and was fully aware of its limited graphics power (compared with the X360 and PS3). However, the graphics for NHL 2k9 are plain awful. A lot of people have compared it to the graphics of NHL 2K3 (that's a game from five years ago) but I'd compare it to Fox Sports NHL Championship 2000 (a game from roughly eight years ago). Even when you're playing the game and it's zoomed out, it looks bad. But when I see the cut scenes between plays, it reminds me just how poor the graphics are. I don't think this has anything to do with the limitations of the Wii; it's just that the 2k Sports developers didn't make the effort. If you compare it to the graphics in Call of Duty World at War for the Wii (see this screenshot) then it really highlights how bad NHL 2k9 really is.

And it's not just the player models, faces, rink, etc that are poor in terms of graphics - it's also the layout of the main menu screen. Rather than having a large menu screen, they have a large picture of Rick Nash and then a small menu system in the bottom corner that resembles the Start Menu from Windows 98/XP/Vista. Thankfully it's not too difficult to navigate but it's just so small that it's hard to read. In fact all of the text throughout the game is far too small. I'm playing it on a 28 inch widescreen TV and I really struggle to read the text. Numbers are particularly hard to read - especially the numbers 3, 5 and 8. There are other little niggles with the general graphics (e.g. it looks like some elements in the scoreboard transition effect are missing and come up as plain grey) but I don't want to spend all day talking about them!

There's been a lot of criticism about the sound. To be honest, I play with the sound on low and so I don't notice this too much. The commentary isn't that great but that doesn't really bother me because I'll probably turn it off. It's a shame there aren't any team-specific chants but I can cope with the generic chants of the crowd - it's only a minor thing.

Despite the graphics and menu system spoiling the game, the gameplay is still quite fun. It's not too arcadey (i.e. too frantic with 40+ shots in each period) nor is it too realistic (i.e. you don't have to play 20 minute periods for a realistic score). I think it's got the balance just right and it plays well with 5 minute periods. Plus, if you find something is too easy or hard then you can alter the slider settings (in previous hockey games I've always found the slide settings too complex but they seem much more straightforward in this game).

The controls were very easy to pick up and play. If you want, you can get away with just the basic bodycheck/pokecheck, pass, shoot controls. Alternatively, there are a lot of advanced controls - in fact, they've done really well to include so many controls on something that only has a few buttons. Checking and shooting is taking a little while to get the hang of (you have to shake the controllers) but I think once I've gotten the hang of them, it will be a lot of fun. Passing is fantastic - you can really get some good plays going.

The only gripe I have in terms of controls is that the manual makes no mention of how to take faceoffs. By looking through the control settings in-game, I found the controls but I can't figure out how to win faceoffs. In two games, I have won one faceoff. There are no instructions/tips on how to win faceoffs either in the manual or in their awful tutorial mode. I guess it's case of experimentation.

Speaking of their tutorial mode, why they even included this I do not know. The explanations are very limited and do not really explain anything other than basic passing or shooting. It does provide animations to show how to control the goalie but without any accompanying text, I couldn't figure out exactly what I'm supposed to do. If I can figure it out then I think the goalie mode would be a lot of fun as it seems you move the nunchuck and wiimote to control the goalie's glove and stick. Plus, you can put the goalie into a butterfly position and then move the nunchuck/wiimote to move his legs and roll around on the ice - very cool!

Anyway, I could probably talk about this game all day. Despite a lot of major faults in this game, it's still fun and I can see myself playing it a lot more than my other games (even Mario Kart). If you're a hockey fan with no consoles other than a Wii then get it - if you're not a hockey nut (I don't think there's many users here that aren't hockey nuts!) or have another console, don't get this game. Hopefully they'll bring out a much more polished game next year, and maybe EA Sports will release an NHL Wii game (EA really have gotten their act together with their sports games over the past year or two).

[bruins72]

It sounds like I'm going to avoid NHL 2K9 for the Wii. I don't have any other gaming system but I'm not desperate enough to play video hockey that I'd deal with that game. I get plenty of a hockey fix playing EHM. I'm thinking that Call of Duty game will probably be the next thing I get for Wii.

[archibalduk]

It sounds like I'm going to avoid NHL 2K9 for the Wii. I don't have any other gaming system but I'm not desperate enough to play video hockey that I'd deal with that game. I get plenty of a hockey fix playing EHM. I'm thinking that Call of Duty game will probably be the next thing I get for Wii.

I wouldn't write it off completely. I know it has a lot of flaws but I'm still thoroughly enjoying the gameplay. Yes, it does feel a bit rushed, but if you can get over the poor graphics (which aren't too noticeable other than during cutscenes) and the small menus then it's actually quite good fun.

[bruins72]

I think I'll find some place to rent it first. I play games so rarely these days. It's got to be really good to hold my interest.

[dave1927p]

I think I'll find some place to rent it first. I play games so rarely these days. It's got to be really good to hold my interest.

yeah. im the same way. It seems i'm outgrowing (most) video games, or maybe i just don't have the time anymore; however, i still enjoy playing NHL09 with my friends, not online, but the old fashion way.

I played Fallout 3 and it was good, but it was such a long game, i just lost interest. At one point it felt more like a chore, that i just had to finish to get my moneys worth....it really passed the time but i wasn't enjoying it.

Right now i seem to only like stat-based sports games. NHL09 is great but single player is very boring. (Be A Pro was clearly made for online and i was so dissapointed about that.)

Alpha Protocol looks like it might be a good game. I concept sounds great and i think it has potential. I've never heard of the company before thought....What do you guys think?

Have any of you guys been keeping an eye on wolverines faceoff hockey? I'm trying not to get my hopes up on this game, but i can't help it....they sound like they know what they are doing, and i think it has alot of potential.

[bobmcgoo]

Bruins, how do you plan to rent NHL2k9 for Wii? I didn't think you could rent Wii games? Not in England anyway.

[bruins72]

I honestly haven't looked into renting Wii games but I figured it wouldn't be an issue. I'll check Blockbuster and see if they rent them (I haven't been into one of their stores in ages, I do the online-mail rental service). If not I'm guessing GameFly does Wii games. Why would people rent games for X-Box360 and PS3 but not Wii?

[archibalduk]

Wow, Alpha Protocol looks awesome! I'm going to keep an eye for the system requirements for that game to see whether my laptop will be able to handle (hopefully there will be some sort of demo for me to test it with). There's an interesting article here about the reactive game world of Alpha Protocol. It sounds like is has great replayability - much like Left 4 Dead is supposed to. If only there were still a demo for Left 4 Dead (the demo was actually the full game but time limited) but they pulled it when the game was released. It's frustrating because the game looks great but I don't want to buy it without first testing its performance on my laptop.

I've been playing a bit more NHL 2k9 Wii today and now have a more informed opinion of the game. I really can't out and out recommend the game - not even for hockey nuts. What I can recommend is that you rent it and try a few games - then you can see for yourself what you think.

I've managed to figure out the controls for faceoffs, fighting and goaltending - no thanks to the naff manual. My overall impression is that the game really lacks polish. It's a rushed job. I can't say I don't enjoy the game but I don't think I particularly enjoy - I'm just playing it because I love hockey. The graphics and sounds plain suck - and, whilst this isn't the be all and end all, they're so bad that it does limit how much this game can be enjoyed.

In terms of gameplay, the game plays ok but it's nowhere near as good as NHL 09 (PS3/X360). It feels a bit to frantic and I spend too much time swinging the Wiimote and Nunchuk around like a lunatic. The AI is ok but not great. Having said this, I had a fantastic game as the Bruins, losing 4-7 to the Habs. Until they scored their sixth and seventh goals, it was a brilliant game of cat and mouse. I might have avoided conceding the final two goals if I hadn't had a beer or two!

Anyway, I had far more fun playing the likes of NHL 99, NHL 2001, NHL 2004, NHL 09 and NHL 2k6. It's a case of renting NHL 2k9 Wii and seeing if you can ignore its vast inadequacies. I'm just hoping that EA Sports release an NHL game for the Wii next season. Though I'm not sure whether the Wii is "next gen" enough for the EA NHL guys.

A question for British Wii owners - do you know if it's possible to rent Wii games? It's really strange that Blockbuster don't rent out Wii games. I wonder what the reason is...

[bruins72]

That Ghostbusters game could be good but I really wish they'd stop aiming everything on the Wii at children. Look at those sales figures. Those aren't just being made for kids. Women are playing the Wii and so are adult males that aren't part of the hardcore gaming audience that wants the latest graphical killing bonanza on the PS3 or XBox360.