NHL 2K9 Demo Available on the Marketplace

**daflyboys** · 08-21-2008, 11:19 AM

Re: NHL 2K9 Demo Available on the Marketplace

Guys at 2khockey.net already talking about it. In short.....it's good for a demo.

**savoie2006** · 08-21-2008, 11:59 AM

2K9 Demo For The 360 Is On The Marketplace

Post your impressions here.

Pros:
1.Graphics,it's not the beauty that EA is,but after seeing these graphics in person,I think the game looks better than 2K8 or 2K7.Arenas Look Fabulous.

2.Less Checking,More Bumping.One of my big beefs with 2K8 has apparently been fixed if the demo is any indication.

3.Crowds sound better

Cons:
1.Pro Stick Evolution,not as good as the skill stick,but I expected that in its first year.

2.Players don't resemble their real life counterparts and the goalies look silly,but these are small things in the big picture.

Overall,with some slider adjustments 2K9 should be a winner gameplay wise.Looks like I'll be buying two hockey games this year.

**daflyboys** · 08-21-2008, 12:05 PM

Re: 2K9 Demo For The 360 Is On The Marketplace

Dude, you didn't see the thread already started?

**savoie2006** · 08-21-2008, 12:31 PM

Re: 2K9 Demo For The 360 Is On The Marketplace

Nope,sorry.

**MC Fatigue** · 08-21-2008, 12:36 PM

Re: NHL 2K9 Demo Available on the Marketplace

I'll just post my 2khockey.net post here:

The demo feels pretty good. There are some issues - but there are some really great things too.

I saw some great goals off rebounds and nice passes. The computer finally feels dangerous, as when I gave up a 2-1, they actually scored pretty easily. There wasn't the feeling that every 2k game has had of "oh - no worries, the computer can't score."

There were, however, some pretty bad goals too. It seemed the majority of blocker side goals were scored not because they were nice shots, but because the goalie constantly went into butterfly instead of half-butterfly with his blocker out - so the puck simply went into open net. I really hope it's just an issue of low difficulty, so the goalies are just not using all their animations.

On the other hand - I saw some killer reaching/stretching/diving saves that looked great - and some goals that went past them that looked great. I actually had an amazing one-timer, that actually looked like it was was snapped in (instead of where the previous games only seemed to have slap-shot one timers) that dinged the post, and hit the back of a sprawling Luongo and went in.
Now - speaking of Luongo - I did have an issue with his play style. It looked absolutely nothing like him, and it played absolutely nothing like him. I actually thought I was playing against Johan Hedburg the entire time. He had his distinctly annoying style of play.
Overall it seemed scoring was a little too easy, but mostly just because of those bad animation goals. There were quite a few really nice goals, too. And I hope that boosting the difficulty takes away the poor ones, while still allowing some of the nicer ones I scored.

To focus on shooting, the controls felt strange to me. I had gotten used to 2k8 where I could have so much control, and now I don't feel that any more - but I think it's a matter of learning the controls. Now, I should mention that shooting felt really weak. During the replays things looked fast, and shots looks like they had mustard behind them - but during the actual game play shots felt weak and slow. The wrist shots seem to float at the net - and the slapshots just felt a little off.

I should mention, too, that there were some great goalie deflections. I had one go over the glass off the blocker (and I hope I see more), and I saw quite a few get deflected into the boards off the pads or blocker. I really liked that - instead of all the rebounds dropping in front of the goalie. I'd shoot, and actually cheat to the boards a little in anticipation of that deflection.

Goal celebrations were both good and bad. I had one where my player actually spun around (and quite realistically, it wasn't like some elastic sling around due to a poor animation - he smoothly twisted his body and pivoted on his skates) and knocked a rebound in on Luongo before he could recover from the previous save, and then the player smoothly transitioned into one of those "archer" celebrations and it looked quite good.

On the other hand, there were a few that kind of sucked - as shows on the preview videos. There were also no group celebrations and players often looked like they had no life in them. They just kind of skated around with some weird mouth animation that made it look like they were chewing gum.

Skating feels pretty good. It really does feel smooth like a lot of people have been saying. Speed boost feels interesting. In previous games it seemed that hitting speed burst would shoot you ahead of the CPU most of the time, but now it seems to actually just keep you on pace with them. It doesn't seem to add rockets to your players skates, it just kind of gives them that extra little push. It felt strange, and after a few games I'm not quite used to it.

Checking was ridiculous at times. If you held back, it was good as the computer didn't go crazy - but if you just went for it, people were just all over the ice. And for some reason the developers felt the need to add in a ridiculously annoying screen shake. There was seriously a 30 second point in time where the screen just keep shaking and I would have thought there was an earthquake in game.

There was some board pinning, but maybe only once or twice in the 4 periods I played. And there were quite a few hits that really just jarred a player, instead of sending him to the ice.

CPU offense... I'd say it's pretty good in terms of shooting and passing. They actually made some really nice offensive plays that beat me. And I felt a sense of danger when I screwed up on defense.

However there's a problem that's bothered me in every hockey game (except NHL 08, strangely), why does the computer never dump the puck in? I can't tell you how many times I knocked the cpu down at the blue line and skated off with the puck. Why do the developers seem to be so keen on making the CPU try to skate the puck in all day long. It's been an issue of mine since 2k3, and it's been 6 years now with no development in this area.

Dump and chase is a big part of hockey. Not giving up the puck at the offensive blue line is a big part of hockey. I just wish they'd finally do something about this. Like I said - it just makes it so easy to hit the computer at the line, and skate back up the ice every time.

Anyway - that's all I can think of now. There are some great things about the game, and there are some iffy things that maybe will have solutions in the final game. It is just a demo - so who knows what's changed, and what options are in the full game. Perhaps the CPU in the final game does dump and chase, and perhaps the hitting isn't going to be so crazy - but I have to base this post purely on the demo, as it's a demo review.

This will certainly be a buy for me.

And to add to that - I'm relieved that 2k seems to have kept up the good work and at least have tried to keep that SIM feeling. EA's games are great if you liked arcade hockey, but I just don't enjoy it at all, and I was worried 2k was going to go in that direction since all the developers seem to talk about is how "fun" it is to drive a zamboni around and hit people.

**baa7** · 08-21-2008, 12:47 PM

Re: NHL 2K9 Demo Available on the Marketplace

Originally posted by Timmay

EA's games are great if you liked arcade hockey.

Doesn't it get tiring trying so hard to hate? Unless you're some little kid, in which case I apologize and completely understand where you're coming from.

**MC Fatigue** · 08-21-2008, 12:56 PM

Re: NHL 2K9 Demo Available on the Marketplace

Originally posted by baa7

Doesn't it get tiring trying so hard to hate? Unless you're some little kid, in which case I apologize and completely understand where you're coming from.

Where did I hate? I said I personally don't like arcade hockey, but if you do the EA is great choice - but I'm glad 2k has at least tried to keep true to their original direction instead of trying to go the EA way.

Doesn't it get tiring trying to hard to find hate in harmless posts that were nothing more than innocent statements?

So don't twist my words around, please. It's juvenile.

**baa7** · 08-21-2008, 01:04 PM

Re: NHL 2K9 Demo Available on the Marketplace

Originally posted by Timmay

Where did I hate? I said I personally don't like arcade hockey, but if you do the EA is great choice

LOL, you'd make a great politician. And that's still hate. Give it up.

**savoie2006** · 08-21-2008, 01:12 PM

Re: NHL 2K9 Demo Available on the Marketplace

Originally posted by baa7

LOL, you'd make a great politician. And that's still hate. Give it up.

Wait a minute,don't you have a vandetta against EA as well?

**MC Fatigue** · 08-21-2008, 01:13 PM

Re: NHL 2K9 Demo Available on the Marketplace

Originally posted by baa7

LOL, you'd make a great politician. And that's still hate. Give it up.

Stop digging through posts in order to find something to bitch about. Either play the demo and comment on it - or go away. This thread is to post about the demo, not to try to nitpick at other people's posts in an attempt to start arguments.

I've no idea who you are - but you would certainly appear to be unworthy of discussing this matter with any further

So I'll leave it at that, and hopefully this can get back on track, instead of being dragged off course.

**bluengold34_OS** · 08-21-2008, 01:24 PM

Re: NHL 2K9 Demo Available on the Marketplace

Guys, please stay somewhat on topic.....thanks

I played the the demo today, and really thought the arena's were crazy, and the pre-game is done very nicely also-kudos to 2k. I wasnt enamoured by the player models are the faces, but the game play was nice. It felt very solid, but I always like 2k's hockey feel they put on the ice. This will be a day 1 purchase, as it looks to be anice improvement over last year so far.

BTW....nice impressions Timmay. I will also by EA's product, but 2k's always felt to me( personal opinion ) to play a little more sim like, and I always like the spacing that 2k hockey allows on the ice.

**MC Fatigue** · 08-21-2008, 01:27 PM

Re: NHL 2K9 Demo Available on the Marketplace

Originally posted by bluengold34

Guys, please stay somewhat on topic.....thanks

I played the the demo today, and really thought the arena's were crazy, and the pre-game is done very nicely also-kudos to 2k. I wasnt enamoured by the player models are the faces, but the game play was nice. It felt very solid, but I always like 2k's hockey feel they put on the ice. This will be a day 1 purchase, as it looks to be anice improvement over last year so far.

Somehow they took a step back in the graphics department. The player models look worse than 2k8 for some reason - and the goalies are back to being crabs. They looked better in 2k8 compared to earlier versions, but for some reason they seem to have gone back a step.

**bluengold34_OS** · 08-21-2008, 01:30 PM

Re: NHL 2K9 Demo Available on the Marketplace

Originally posted by Timmay

Somehow they took a step back in the graphics department. The player models look worse than 2k8 for some reason - and the goalies are back to being crabs. They looked better in 2k8 compared to earlier versions, but for some reason they seem to have gone back a step.

I agree, I didnt want to knitpick, but it did look like they digressed, but enjoyed the gameplay and the feel of it, and I guess thats why it wasn't a big deal to me. I haven't looked yet, but is there a way to change the difficulty of the demo, it was a little to easy?

Still very impressed with pre game entrance and ice show

**MC Fatigue** · 08-21-2008, 01:33 PM

Re: NHL 2K9 Demo Available on the Marketplace

Originally posted by bluengold34

I agree, I didnt want to knitpick, but it did look like they digressed, but enjoyed the gameplay and the feel of it, and I guess thats why it wasn't a big deal to me. I haven't looked yet, but is there a way to change the difficulty of the demo, it was a little to easy?

Still very impressed with pre game entrance and ice show

Nope - no options in the demo except for choosing the controller layout.

The gameplay itself does play great, and for me the graphics aren't much of an issue either so I for the most part I don't mind them.

NHL 2K9 Demo Available on the Marketplace

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