NHL 09

Still room to improve, but with NHL ’08 EA Sports is heralding a new step forward for the franchise. This is not so much about competing with other NHL titles, but rather finding the right groove and delivering an experience in line with the sport itself. NHL ’08 does just that. This is not only a challenging game, but a whole lot of fun to play. – GameZone review of NHL 08

That was written almost a year ago (two days shy, actually). In the intervening year, the dev team has been working on the refinement of the title and with NHL 09, the game has taken the foundations of 08 and built upon them … boy, has it built upon them …

NHL 09, from EA is a new benchmark for a series that had already established itself as one of the premiere video-game sports franchises when it came to gameplay, graphics, game dynamics and sound. The ante has been upped with 09, which brings a more personal experience to the franchise. How?

The game starts off with players creating a profile, symbolized by a skater, which you can customize. You are then given a quick tutorial run-through of the basic commands, such as shooting, performing dekes and playing a little defense. All this results in the awarding of your first player card. These cards (and yes, you can get your own likeness on them) are progress reports. As you play and accomplish goals, you will earn new cards. This comes into play both online and offline. But this whole setup is more insidious than merely having players get into the idea of advancing their profile. This is the major set-up for the Be a Pro mode (but more on that in a moment).

Once you get past this, you are into the main menu, which has the Play Now, Game Modes, Online, My NHL 09 and three new areas – EA Sports Media Hub (highlights are stored), Performance Tracker and Tutorials (which includes the career mode – you can Be A Pro by creating a character or taking over the career of an NHL player).

The Be A Pro element is a dynamic journey through the NHL, starting with a rookie assigned to an AHL farm team. You are generally placed on the third line (in the rotation) and the goal is to meet objectives, move up to the first line and have the pro club call you up. Your performance on the ice is rated in three areas – position, team effort and skill. As you play, you will get reminders of where your player should be on the ice, and when you come off during a line change, you sit on the bench and watch the game as any player would. The game switches from a third-person perspective (when you are on the ice) to first person when you ride the pines.

Playing earns experience points, which can then be used for leveling up. The experience points fall into three categories – offense, defense and athleticism. You earn points in different categories, but be patient; you certainly won’t be taking an average draft pick to superstar status with points earned in one game. Every ability has a “buy” value that increases as the skill works up. This role-playing element is very entertaining, and truly gives the game depth. You will start to care about your player and about earning points by learning your role on the team.

The fact that you run in shifts brings strategy to the game. For example, you are tired and a line change has been called for. As you head to the bench, your defense steals the puck and feeds the pass down ice. You are the lead skater. Should you reverse your course and attack to the puck, or continue to change it up? Honestly, if you still head for the bench, you will hear about it later, and your team score may take a dip. You can’t just rely on the on-screen prompts but actually have to think about what you are doing at all times. You know – like real hockey.

But take the time in the minors to learn your skills, because once you make it to the pros, the game moves at a different pace. You have to be accurate with your shots and passes and a minor defensive mistake may cost your team a goal.

While the game has a host of great modes, the Be a Pro element is probably where most gamers will spend their single-player time. It is involving and very entertaining. When it comes to multiplayer, the idea behind Be a Pro makes its mark with the EA Sports Hockey League. It is a persistent online league where players play as positions within the team concept.

The franchise mode is just like the 08 version but with a bit more detail included when it comes to drafting or recruiting players for your pro team.

Graphically the game has a few flaws (based on the build received). In the Be a Pro segments, there were instances where the clipping was off and where there were disembodied parts – gloves or other parts floating in the air heading for the bench. Not totally a distraction, the game has some solid physics that give it a solid feel. The controls seem a little iffy at times. You hit the button for a pass and the puck simply floats away, or you try a wrist shot and the puck sticks to the stick, but this is mostly at the AHL level. There was not a lot of that in the pros.

Gary Thorne and Bill Clement handle the play-by-play and color and do an outstanding job. They bring the action home in a manner that will have you excited to listen to the game as well as watch and play it. And the musical score is also solid.

AI is a little suspect at times, though tweaks have been made to make the defense a bit tougher. During an AHL span in the Be a Pro mode, the player-controlled Pro took a penalty for high sticking and was not even near any other player and the stick never left the ice. And then the team had an off night with two consecutive opportunities where the Pro was skating down alone in the slot and there was no pass as the attacking teams neared the blue line. Instead the player with the puck hung up his teammate with an offsides’ call. That is frustrating when you are trying to score team points for the career advancement. Still, it almost feels natural.

And speaking of which, when it comes to board-pounding action, the body check truly feels like it packs a lot of power. When you nail that opposing play just right and leave them sprawled on the ice looking for where they left their senses, it sure can feel great.

NHL 09 is a great sports title. It is fast-paced, involving, evolving, with terrific graphical elements. EA Sports took a very good game – NHL 08 – and made it better, and that is exactly how to advance a franchise.

Review Scoring Details for NHL 09

Gameplay: 9.0
The game modes are varied enough to offer something for everyone and while the controls are easy enough to understand, it will take some sharp reflexes to read the game and make the right decisions. The game physics are also very nicely done.

Graphics: 9.1
When someone walks by and stops, stares and says they thought, for a moment, they were looking at a real game, that speaks volumes. Sure, up close you can tell it is a video game, but the game physics are very well realized here.

Sound: 9.0
Thorne and Clement are excellent and the musical score is solid.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 9.2
The additions are wonderful, and EA Sports seems to have built on the franchise rather than do what some dev teams do, which is axe a few things to make room for new elements. In this case, the transition from NHL 08 to 09 is warranted. You get all the great things from the 08 title plus some new and outstanding elements with 09.

Multiplayer: 9.0
Solid online elements give the game more depth.

Overall: 9.1
If you are a sports fan, regardless of whether you would class yourself as a hockey fan, this is the game to play. It has the right pacing, can lure you in and brings a lot of depth and entertainment value. Congrats to EA Sports dev team – you have taken the franchise to the next level.