Alright Boyz!!! NHL 08 impressions!!!!!
 

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/794/794764p1.html

Damn I'm so excited! They are focusing on skating and this time the game will be 60 fps!!

The screenshots look excellent to boot!

My favorite sports console game gets even better. :)

but the game doesn't look like that. those aren't actual game shots from the video game. when you play it'll never look like that. those pics mean nothing. obviously they look cool, but for practical purposes they're worthless.

I'll respectfully disagree... I have NHL 07 and the game looks just like the pictures did in the preview last year. It's really a beautiful game.

Looks to me like they polished the game this time around.

Of course I do have a 24" LCD, Vga cables and the 360 set to 1920x1080.

i understand the graphics are top notch. just that those angles shown in the link are not from an actual game where you're controlling the players. if anything maybe it's a replay but the game never really looks like that. it'd be cool if it was possible though.

Maple Leafs' Theorem of Video Game Hockey Marketing states that any attempt to impress me with how "realistic" a game is will always contain at least one screenshot that demonstrates that the people doing the marketing have no idea about hockey. Like a shot of two guys fighting who never fight, or some guy scoring a wraparound goal with a slapshot, etc.

Hey, is that a shot of Marion Gaborik throwing a crushing hit on Brendan Witt? Nice!

Yeah, I know they do spice them up at times, but I do think most next gen screenies are close to the real thing. I don't play with that close of a camera, but I can watch a replay and see similar screen shots.

http://www.5w-g.com/?p=259

Mark my words, "sports game of the year".

Tell them to call me when there's a slider to adjust the goalie skill. Idiots.

I hate f'n sliders.

I also hate sliders.

"We couldn't figure out how to properly balance the game, so we decided to just let the customers have a go and tell them its an added feature."

Yup, pretty much the standard nowdays. Believe it or not, there are games that still play fine on defaults - see NHL 07 and APF 2k8. I've been playing NCAA 08 on defaults (AA) as well and so far, it's been fine.

I hate sliders, and I want a goaltending slider because I don't trust EA to get it right.

Are VGA Cables better than the cable that comes with the 360?

Todd, I know part of why you love NHL 2007 is the control scheme. 2ksports has announced that NHL 2k8 will also have controls mapped to the right stick including dekes, passing, and shooting. It should be interesting to see how the 2 games compare.

FYI.....Bill Abner is going to be meeting with 2K Sports for a NHL 2K8 Q&A session. He's taking question submissions for those that want to know something specific.....

http://sportsgamer.blogspot.com/2007...questions.html

Bingo. My goalie (and theirs) would just occasionally stand there while a non-deflected unscreened slapshot from the blueline went in. Granted, it happened once with Osgood and Cloutier, but every game?

It does sound decent. Is it safe to assume that Staal will be bumped off the cover now after his recent fiasco?

I don't believe the cables that come with the X360 are capable of 1080p, but I could be wrong. Doesn't matter all that much as I'm not sure there are any games that output that signal yet.

There is a comparison over at gamespot on the different cables if you do a search.

Yes, but I also love the "no speed" burst scheme in NHL 07, not sure if 2k sports is taking that out as well or not.

I am excited to see what 2k sports can do this year as I love how their sports games has so much immersion.

It's just hard to believe with EA having another year to really perfect their control scheme how 2k sports will attempt to close the gap.

I'm hoping that's the case as I got $36 worth of trade-in for Forza 2 if I put it all on a pre-order game. Took a chance on NHL '08.

http://blogs.ign.com/EANHL08/2007/08/23/64254/

Does he actually mean it when he says it is important to play out your AHL games to develop your players? So a season will take twice as long to get through?

I know I won't be playing but a game here and there, to check out the players and what not.

I think he means, the more games you do play with your AHL team, the better you will be at picking out the better talent. Although he also says when you bring players up to replace injured players, you'll obviously be able to judge them where it counts, the NHL.

That's how I did it last year with the reserve roster.

I know you loved NHL '07 Todd. I thought it was far worse than 2K's version, control scheme be damned.

I love sliders, so we disagree on that one too.

I thought EA's game had far better controls last year, I just hated the AI. I felt like I was watching a series of five year old defenseman skating around. I'm making no prejudgements this year. I'll read the reviews, take everyone's thoughts and make a decision.

The great thing about this is that with the NBA and NHL we actually have competition. I wish the NFL and MLB were the same.

I am excited for the online leagues this year, I will plunk down the money to get Live if we can get a FOFC league going (and I can be the Jackets).

I get nervous just about every time EA does a new feature like the "Poise" rating. It's a cool idea, like most of their new features, but at this point I just assume that they'll overdo it to the point that it's annoying, and then work it down to something usable over the next few releases.

I can just picture players shooting pucks into the stands and goalies giving up 15 goals in a playoff game because they don't have a good "poise" rating.

I want to get an nhl and nba game this year for sure but still undediced between 2k and EA versions for both games. Will probably wait a couple of weeks to see how important are the bugs on each one, as both promisse a lot, but for sure both will have some stupid franchise killing bugs.

NBA Live has been terrible for several years now. I think you should go with 2K's NBA game for sure. As far as NHL, it really comes down to personal preference. I have both of the NHL games from last year, and I have no idea which one I liked more. They were both decent to me, but I didn't really love either. Picking an NHL game would be a much tougher decision than picking an NBA game.

I bought NBA2k7 past year and loved it, but after reading previews of both games for 2008, i must admit that Live looks better on the paper, with way more deep in the franchise mode. That is why i want to wait, i know gameplay should be better in 2k, but if franchise is as good as it's said in live...

Live does look like they are finally giving a shit about the series.

Troy,

A wait and see is a great approach.. you'll definitly have impressions from me on NHL 08 the day it comes out. :)

I've read that watching the CPU cylcle the puck on the powerplay is a thing of beauty.. we'll soon see.

When it comes to the hockey games, I'll read comments from people I respect and make a decision based off of that.

When it comes to the NBA games, I'll buy 2K the day it comes out, no questions asked.

If Live ends up being much improved and 2K's equal, I'll go ahead and give it a shot.

Same here. NBA 2k7 and College Hoops were the 2 best console sports game of the last year in my opinion. The only reason I might skip them this year is because I'm so attached to my College Hoops career (even though it is has had a short hiatus thanks to Biosphere and to a lesser extent Madden/NCAA.) However, if I'm going to buy a basketball game, it will be NBA 2k8.

Just read on HFBoards that the 360 demo is up!!! Can't wait to get home and download it and play.

I believe it is 3rd period of 5v5 with Ottawa and Anaheim, if I remember right. Also, it is on Pro mode

This is what i hate from owning a Ps3. I wonder why the demos take 1 month to come to Psnetwork.

I personally think demos are a problem in the industry. I know that gamers love to play a snippit of the game to wet their appetite, but I've seen more than one developer comment on how much of a hinderance it is to getting everything done in a timely fashion.

A glaring example of that was Gears of War. Microsoft pushed the developers to create a demo. The developer's response was that Microsoft could have a demo by the end of the year or a fully complete game by the end of the year, but not both. Wisely, Microsoft chose the full game over a demo.

From a marketing standpoint, demos can be incredibly important. There is no doubt in my mind that games like Bioshock, Stranglehold and Overlord will see (or have seen) increased sales because of a strong demo.

I wouldn't have purchased Bioshock without having played the demo, even after hearing how great it was. I think I would have just read a description about it and thought, eh doesn't sound like my kind of game.

Thanks for this!

I love demos, I just think they release them early if they think they have a great game on their hands.. which makes sense.

Downloading now!!!!!!!!!!!!

Played it for an hour or so tonight, and I might as well go ahead and trade in NCAA and Madden for NHL, its that good. They fixed most of the problems that made last years game frustrating at times.

I LOVE the AI this year on both ends of the ice. On offence, the defenders actually help out in the play, and when a winger carries the puck back to the blueline, one dman will go down low and help out. Guys stand in front of the net to create traffic. Shots from the point are very realistic and the rebounds as well. Its very satisfying to cycle (yes, you can actually cycle the puck) around and then find an opening in the slot and score.

On defense, the D-men are in perfect position, and the wingers help out up top. Its very hard to get a shot through unless you work the puck around to an open spot.

Special teams is even better! I was on the PK, and they started nice and wide in an umbrella, then worked their way tigher and closer, passing the puck nicely around and finally taking a one timer from the point and scoring on a rebound.

Also, another goal scored against me was a shot from the point that deflected off a skate and completely fooled the goalie.

It took me a while to not play it like I did last years game, because this game's AI is MUCH smarter and I agree that the Pro AI is 10x better than the Superstar AI from 07. I can't imagine when I actually get the game and turn up the settings that I like (shots are still a little too hard, and the puck control is still too much). Its going to be great!

Just what I wanted to hear. :)

I'm about 50% done on the d/l. Seems like the few gripes I had are gone or have been fixed. Can't wait to see it in action.

Not much to add to Turner's thoughts.

I want this game yesterday. If there is any sport game you can tell the difference between 30 fps and 60 fps, hockey is it. Gameplay is as smooth as silk. I've played 07 so much, PRO difficulty isn't much of a challenge for me, but it's quite nerve racking when the other team is on a PP this year.

If there are no major bug-a-boos, I might not take this game out of the 360 all season long.

I got to try the demo for a few periods last night and I was pretty impressed. The tweaked the skating controls just enough that you no longer feel out of control in your own zone, and the defencemen finally know how to stay at the point and not put themselves offside whenever you pass to them. Those two changes add up to offensive zone play that feels more strategic than any previous game.

If anything, it may go too far -- some of the 5-on-5 play ends up feeling like a power play because the offense is passing it around the perimeter so easily and the defense just sets up and waits. Maybe that was just a result of being on Pro level.

This thing is going to be huge fun against other players.

How in the world can EA manage to leave the glaring AI bugs that were pointed out in LAST year's build in this year's build. Even when consumers publicly point out problems in their AI, they still don't fix it. Amazing.

From the SportsGamer blog:


Here's the video from last year's game......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhokV_NHGxg

EA, it's called Testing 101. If it was a problem in last year's build, test the same scenario on this year's build to make sure it doesn't get through.

I should've known what I'd find when I saw that Mizzou B-ball fan was the last person to post in this thread.

I heard this only occurs because the PS3 is so difficult to program.

He's kind of like a newer version of jbmagic, except he uses coherent sentences and puncuation?

In all fairness to B-ball, that is simply horrible. Watching the guy simply stand there for minutes on end with the defense watching him in a 5 on 5 situation is a bit moronic. The defense is what I took issue with last year as well. I thought the AI was horrific.

I played around with the demo and found the game to be a lot of fun. This is a bug that can be worked around (by not standing in one spot for twenty minutes but I'm sure there is a slider for defensive aggressiveness that could improve that as well). Still, it's an asinine bug to be in the game.

I don't see this as a big deal. Simply don't do it. I can't see the score of the game but I wonder about that as well as what defensive aggressiveness slider (if there is one) is set on. Who knows. To me though it's not a glaring problem unless you simply abuse that one. Unlike some of the other games' problems.

Can anyone get this to occur on their copy? I don't have NHL07, but reading some of the comments on youtube (which are well-thought out and carefully written like most comment sections on the Internet) make it sound like it's hard to replicate.

I don't think that standing there doing nothing is an 'abuse' of the game. 'Abuse' would be be a situation to exploit a flaw to score 20 goals in a game. This is just a situation where they simply showed a hole in the defensive AI that never should occur. The reason this annoys me more than anything is because my job by day is to thoroughly test code. Letting something like this through is inexcusable, especially when it was flawed and noted in a build nearly one year ago.

Also, if this got through, it should open up major concerns as to how much (or how little) testing was done on this project. The frightening thing is that they actually pay contractors good money to test these games.

First, the demo was on Pro difficulty, so I'm reserving judgement until I play on one of the higher levels. The part of the demo I didn't like on Pro was that the defense seemed to just play "too smart", which means they would just remain in good position, and not be aggressive at all. I believe the producer (Littman) said that when you go to higher levels, that the defense will be much more aggressive.

I still don't understand the big deal about this, I don't plan on sticking my guy at that spot, and not playing the game. When you actually play hockey, it plays like a hockey game should.

Actually, I'd be willing to bet the problem is worse this year. Even in the demo, I find that the defence is way too passive once you've set up in the offensive zone. Every shift feels like a powerplay because you can basically pass it around without much fear of being touched. The AI is good at getting into position to pick off a pass, but they don't come near you along the boards. The same could be said for your own defence when the cpu has the puck.

Maybe it will be better at higher levels (the demo was only "pro"). It's not a deal-breaker since as somebody mentioned you don't have to stand around if you don't want to. But the bigger picture is that the demo at least has no feeling of hockey "flow" in terms of attacking rushes. You just skate into the zone, stop, and try to set up a scoring chance.

It's great that EA finally has made something that allows some basic passing plays (e.g. pass to the point without them going offside), but as always with any positive new feature they seem to have gone too far on the implementation.

You've become such a shill.

The f'cking developers have said on the higher difficulties, the AI will attack more and become much more aggressive.. they wanted to allow new players to learn the controls in the demo. If at AS and Superstar, the defenders still sit around, then I'll judge the game.

It's fcking funny though, I've played over 100 games of NHL 07 and I've never seen this yet. Although I've learned to actually play games instead of doing stupid shit like this.

It's more fun to bitch about a game that's not even out yet. I mean, why not "jbmagic" a post from another site claiming the game's broken from a fcking demo?

No offense, but if there's a problem in the demo and the developers say "no, we meant to do that, don't worry it will be fixed in the real game", and you believe it... well, I admire your optimism.

I don't think it is a problem, I think that the passive quality of the defense is what you will see if you play at the Pro level, to make the game easier. It was just set at a lower level for the demo and not something designed just for the demo.

I do agree that if I see this on the higher levels, then I will not be too pleased. Also, if I remember right, I think some of the sliders were adjusted from the normal for the demo. I was able to look at the sliders right before I started the game, but I could not adjust them. I'll take a look when I get home, but it could be that the 'aggressive' slider was lessened.

But if it was purely a case of the Pro level AI, why does my own team behave the same way? Does the difficulty level affect every AI player on the ice, or only the CPU ones? Would seem kind of odd to make everyone play poorly at the lower levels.

Off topic, fun to see how the Mizzou fans friendship is growing in each new game thread :D

Ah, we're all good. Rah just gets worked up at times. Discussions would be awfully boring if everyone agreed. I just assume he's having a craving for a dip of chew when he gets fired up. :)

Agreed. The last thing players should do even at the lower levels is just to do nothing. If anything, they should take bad angles on players or be over-agressive to where it's easier to get passes in behind the defense. Also, I'll repeat that this was a problem in last year's build. If it was a new thing this year, it could be excused as just a demo glitch. When it was show to be in the production build for last year, it then becomes a problem that simply wasn't addressed in any way.

No offense taken, but honestly, I've NEVER noticed this in any game of '07 I've played. Maybe it's because I don't try and do things like this.

And I totally agree as a gamer that you shouldn't bother thinking about this specific instance. You're the consumer. You're paying someone to do it for you. The problem is that this is a clear instance that EA continues to have very poor QA testing for its games and the consumers are the ones suffering.

The Madden and NCAA demos are another clear example of this. When people played it, they instantly noted that there were some major balance issues with fumbles and interceptions. People said that it was likely just a demo issue and that it would be cleaned up for the final build. It wasn't just a demo issue and it never was cleaned up.

It's baffling that a bunch of idiots like us can find these issues in a couple hours of gameplay, yet a well-paid QA team can't find them over a few months of testing.

Yeah, I do agree with you there, but it is not that they are playing poorly, they are just playing passive. They are staying in perfect position, and you have to work the puck around to get them out of position. I always played the NHL07 with the aggression slider set as high as possible, and I never witnessed just being able to sit there. Of course, I change a lot of the settings, such as puck control decreased, pass speed decrease, shot speed decrease, of which they put in there to fit the 'casual' gamer instead of the 'hardcore' gamer.

I'm not too worried about it now, because I believe that the sliders will fix it, as they did last year, but there are just too many variables that are fixed in the demo (level, sliders, ect..) for me to be convinced that I won't be able to get the game to play as I want it to.

AGAIN, it's a fn demo for peat's sake.

Actually, I understand what he's saying here and he's right. The demo is how the game will play at the same level. I expect if I set the same stuff up in the real game, it will play the same.

However, I just don't feel that comparing the interceptions and fumbles from Madden/NCAA (a game changing issue) is the same as exploting a small bug that doesn't affect the game at all. It would be different if the goalies were constantly letting in weak goals (a game changing issue) or a certain shot would ALWAYS go in, but that's just NOT what we are seeing here.

As it was in the Madden and NCAA example that I cited. I'd drop $100 on the table right now that there's a YouTube video within a month that recreates that exact same situation because I'm pretty sure there's no way EA fixes it. I doubt anyone would put down money against mine to say that they think it will actually be fixed in the final build.

Agree to some extent, though the question remains that if this kind of a AI flaw can make it through to a 2nd year build, what else did they miss? Yes, it's only a what if question, but it's a valid concern.

Yeah, I'm not really worried about the "you can just stand there" bug since I'm not sure why you'd ever want to do that.

But in the 08 demo, I definitely noticed that the defence was way too passive. Not just a little passive, sitting back and playing a strategic game, but way too passive. And that could be a problem in terms of the overall fun factor, because it didn't feel like real NHL hockey. You lose the flow to the game when you know you can just skate into the zone, slam on the brakes, and then try to set something up while the defence waits around for you.

I'd be willing to bet that, on balance, it will still be more fun than the alternative -- skate in, either try desperate pass for one-timer right away or lose the puck. I like that they've slowed it down a bit and added some strategy. I just think they've gone too far. It feels like playing Madden with no pass rush and eight guys in coverage.

My guess is that this won't be as big an issue in two-player mode since the human player can always chase the puck around if they want.

These sorts of issues are almost always the result of a last-minute tweak that inadvertently breaks something. It's not like the QA team is sitting around for months seeing ten fumbles per game and not realizing it's an issue. I know it's fun to pretend that the QA guys are idiots but in reality they're usually not the ones causing the problems.

(Oh, and they're also usually not all that well-paid...)

They're paid more than the beta test squads that test some of the text sim games that we play. Those text sims are a WHOLE lot more complicated and I'd argue that those alpha and beta teams do better work than what it appears the EA testers do.

I agree that last minute stupid tweaks by the developers could also be an issue, but that doesn't make the situation any better.

While we're all here and discussing this game, who is looking to get it and has XBL? I don't have XBL yet, but I am planning on getting it with this game IF we can start up a league here. Does anyone else have any interest in that?

Well, at this point in time, I'm going to take Littman's word where he's said at higher levels ie-the next difficulty setting, you'll see the AI become less passive and start attacking. I've never played this game on pro, nor do I plan to now.

If I'm on the PP and I can setup that's fine, but yes.. 5 on 5 I fully expect the AI to come after me in their zone. If Littman is wrong, then I'll start looking at NHL 2k8.

FOF is more complicated than Madden? Really?

From a horsepower perspective, obviously Madden or any other current-gen game has a lot under the hood in regards to graphics. But it's obvious when you have graphics issues and relatively easy to test. When you have a text sim like FOF and FM, there's a lot more little things that can be really tough to replicate or test for given the level of realism that these games try to reproduce. I've tested a console football game and OOTP just for comparison. The testing of OOTP was much more difficult IMO.

I will have to play a bit just to get decent but I could be.

I tried the demo again last night, and I have to say that I think the "passice defence" problem isn't as bad as I remembered it. One defensive player will usually make an effort to attack the puck (even though it's sometimes the wrong guy based on positioning). It's still very easy to get around that one guy but I feel a lot better about chalking that up to the difficulty level.

I think there's going to be an issue with how easy it is to skate into the slot and take a high percentage shot -- both sides (mine and the cpu's) were doing this with relative ease all game and it doesn't feel very realistic. But again, maybe that's going to be a difficulty issue.

All in all I think the outlook is better than I'd originally made it out to be.

From MBB's favorite blog:

So basically the "issue" is a standard hockey tactic that EA got right?

As usual, people love to bitch about nothing.

This is great:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JX0O9t9MLU

Appropriately titled...

Take a look at this one now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hy0pXTnx85Q

NHL 08 Interview, courtsey of Operation Sports:

http://features.operationsports.com/...nhl08interview

Some points I like:

Operation Sports: Has the Draft been upgraded in any way? More advanced scouting during dynasty mode?

David Littman: We have improved our scouting this year by having your scout provide ranges for each attribute. The more you scout an area of the world the better the information will be when you receive it. We have also added a Scouting Central page which changes every month or so to tell you where the CPU believes the prospects are ranked in terms of draft position but you will ultimately have to use your scout to determine what the best pick is for you. There are also “Franchise” players that show up every two to five years, like a Sydney or Mario. Those are the years when you will want to trade for the number one pick [or finish last].


Operation Sports: Will all the AHL teams have real players and no "fake name" players?

David Littman: The AHL has real players on the teams. We have the PHPA license which allows to use any AHL player who has signed a waiver for use in our game. So there might be some players missing but as soon as we get the ok to use the player, we will be adding him into the game through roster updates.


Operation Sports: Will the AI, once they get in the offensive zone, set up plays and pass the puck to the teammate that has the best shot.


David Littman: Yes, we had four people work specifically on AI for the entire year. If the AI controlled team does not have an odd-man rush, they will usually look to set up in the offensive zone and work the puck around until they see a good scoring chance. Also, guys like Jagr will sometimes try and beat a defender one on one to get a scoring chance. The AI team starts to learn your weaknesses the more you play. If you always attack at the blueline, they will start dumping the puck. On All-Star and Superstar difficulty settings, if you start running around in the d-zone, I can guarantee the AI team will take advantage and make you pay.


Operation Sports: Will "dynamic crowds" be featured this year (for example, will crowds be sold out in Buffalo yet half-full in Chicago)?


David Littman: There will be dynamic crowds in our game this year. Also, during the play-offs, expect to see the sea of red in Calgary and entire home team crowds wearing a specific team color.


Operation Sports: Will teams have their own specific offensive, defensive and special team (powerplay/penalty killing) tendencies or plays in the game? For example, the Sabres mount a ton of tension by passing numerous times in their opponent's zone during a power play. Will we see this from their virtual counterparts and other teams that use similar tactics or will the CPU basically use a generic play?


David Littman: Yes. Each team has been programmed to play like their real life counterparts. The Devils will sit back and wait for their opportunities, while the Sabres will attack more often. But, their strategies are always changing. If you are up by two goals, the Devils will change their game and take more chances. If you sit back too much in your own zone, teams will start shooting from the point. Different player types will play differently. Bertuzzi will drive wide and use his body, while Ovechkin will try and beat a defenseman one on one. All teams will take advantage of your mistakes. You have to play solid defense or you will get burned. You can’t run around and try and check everyone. Opponents with good puck handling skills will deke past you. You can’t run around with poke held down, or you will get a lot of tripping penalties. You need to stay in the passing lanes and only attack at the correct times.


Operation Sports: Will the Defensive AI be more aggressive when I put one of my guys in front of the net?

David Littman: Yes. On the two higher difficulty levels, you will have a tough time getting to the net. You can try a one on one deke with a good player, or get the puck back to the point and work the puck around. D-men will look to get forwards out from in front of the net so the goalie can see the puck. Screen shots mean a lot in NHL 08, so they are a great way of scoring if you see one.

In the last demo game I played, I had the announcers suddenly start going on (and on, and on) about how the defence knew my tendencies and I was an idiot for not changing my strategy. Good to see the EA Sports announcers still have "hit you with a sledgehammer mode" for new features.

I just watched as Ottawa smoked me for 3 goals in the demo last night. All 3 were legitimate goals and it's so easy to tell when their top line was on the ice.

I'm also noticing the goofy bounce off the goalies goals are gone.. or at least not near as likely as last year.

Tuesday is almost here!!!!

I only saw one in about seven or eight periods. Not bad.

Side note: I never saw a penalty called in the demo, would have been nice to see the special teams play. I also never saw a fight, but others have reported that it's the usual terrible button mashfest that always seems to show up in EA games.

I've seen some penalties, but I do remember the developers saying at higher levels penalties would be enforced more.

I'd like to see a game where each team gets four or five powerplays, like in real life. For some reason EA games always seem to have the penalties cranked way down.

That said, it's one area where I don't mind using a slider to get it right.

I gues this will be the hockey game to purchase this year, but also hearing good things about 2k one, that is including stick handling with the gamepad's right joy too. My final decission would go towards the one with the less buggy and more complete franchise mode.

In 2k's game, the RT only moves the stick, you have to also use the bumpers to pass and shoot... makes it a no-brainer for me. I love pulling back on the RT and pushing foward to shoot.

1up.com had some time with the game and they didn't like 2k's controls at all. I guess we'll see.

This game ships tomorrow. I don't have a preorder in anywhere for it. I'm hoping to just walk into Wal-Mart or Best Buy on Wednesday to pick it up.

Mine is paid in full. I just wish it was available tomorrow. :(

It's been awhile since I've ventured into the dynasty forum, but I just might do an NHL 08 Blues dynasty once this one arrives.

I'd follow this. However, you'd have to promise me you get to the playoffs :)

I'll wait for your reviews and to see how bad are the franchise bugs before purchasing this. I'm still pissed because the crap Madden franchise this year. I don't play games online so a good franchise is a must for me, else it's just like buying a game to play exhibition games.

FYI to PS3 owners. Multiple sites are reporting major framerate issues with NHL '08. It has been confirmed that their competition, NHL 2K8, runs at 60 FPS without problem. IGN has even gone to the point to call out EA for their lazy work on the PS3. They're honestly running out of excuses with most of their competitors not having any problems running at a much higher framerate.........

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/819/819015p3.html

Ok, then my only possible choice is 2k. I'm going to miss the skill stick a lot, but after seing the garbage that Madden is in the ps3 and reading that is NHL going to be the same or even worse, i'll forget about EA for a while.

Btw, good review of both games:

I know ps3 owners are pissed, but hockey is one game EA actually gets right. YMMV however.

It does make sense though... 2k sports have to please the ps3 crowd as well due to much less sales in their sports games.

Most definitely!!! ;)

And EA doesn't need the PS3 crowd? :confused:

C'mon now. Even with an 360 installed base roughly double what the PS3 has worldwide, they still need the PS3 crowd for roughly 25-30% of their total NHL game sales to make ends meet.

Investors are already concerned about the low sales numbers for Madden. If the NHL game underperforms as well (which is pretty likely if the NHL 08 build for the PS3 is flawed), there's going to be some hard questions asked of the EA execs since every EA sports game will have done worse than the '07 version in regards to sales (NBA '08 is still to come, but I bet few hold out hope that it will do anything worthwhile in sales).

I've read the NHL 2k8 game is also having framerate issues on the ps3.. go figure.

You keep believing that.