Keys to Success for NHL 09

[RaychelSnr]

Patrick Williams has written an article looking at what NHL 09 has to do to keep the series on the right track. Check out his article, Keys to Success for NHL 09.

"The Stanley Cup Finals took some crazy turns in the NHL and with hockey still on the minds of many it is time to discuss a little NHL ’09. With EA Sports latest rendition of the war on the frozen pond in the books, it is safe to call ’08 a success in my mind. Apparently I am not alone in my assessment either as some considered NHL 08 the best sports game of 2008. Perhaps now is a great time to discuss what the next installment needs to do to trump this past year's."

[wsu_gb23]

NHL 08(360) was the best GAME I played in 2007-08! It was so addictive....awesome game! Hope EA can make the PS3 playable this year....I don't really feel like selling my PS3 and picking up a 360 again....

[BDawg35]

I'll defer to everyone else. I guess I'm in the minority. I found NHL '08 frustrating as heck. I sat down one night and played about eight games and couldn't score more than two goals in any of them. I'm not a stick skillz guy and I got the feeling you had to be in order to play this game. What I really, really, really need - and others have asked for as well - is a separate set of sliders for human and CPU. The sliders as they are now are a total mystery. You don't know to what degree you're helping yourself and hurting the CPU when the sliders are universal for both.

[bigwill33]

Poor bdawg, yes this game was geared more towards button grinders than in the past. However, you are so correct that the sliders need to be tweaked and actually work properly. Having sets for human vs cpu would help out tremendously.

Still it can play a pretty simulation style if you try, the one thing that lacks is the garbage goals around the net. I think improving that aspect would help players like yourself because you can throw shots at the net and hope for rebounds etc.

[Shadymamba]

man i had this game for months someone brought it as a gift and i never played it lol..guess im the fool i better get on with it!!

[mdgoalie37]

Re: Keys to Success for NHL 09

I'll defer to everyone else. I guess I'm in the minority. I found NHL '08 frustrating as heck. I sat down one night and played about eight games and couldn't score more than two goals in any of them. I'm not a stick skillz guy and I got the feeling you had to be in order to play this game. What I really, really, really need - and others have asked for as well - is a separate set of sliders for human and CPU. The sliders as they are now are a total mystery. You don't know to what degree you're helping yourself and hurting the CPU when the sliders are universal for both.

The game can be frustrating. if you just try to go up and down the wing, fire shots or set up one-timer after one-timer you will be in big trouble. Puck possession is key - you can force the CPU into mistakes if you play smart.
That said, the game can be really frustrating - I remember beating the Islanders (I was the Flyers) when I scored 4 first period goals (a few were junk) and I won like 8-1. Next game I completely dominate NJ, without Broduer and I lose 2-1. I think I had 65 shots. I probably was running and gunning more in that game since Marty didn't play - and it cost me.

[Cardot]

'08 shined in the online department. But like BDawg, the single player experience frustrated me a bit. Sadly, I would have just needed a few options to make me happy....separate goalie sliders being the big one. Personally, I like 5 minute periods, but I also like realistic scores.....unfortunately, I wasn't able to get this in '08.

[bigwill33]

This just came out from gamestop.com for NHL 09, and sounds promising. Check out the article and there are a few screen grabs too. They speak in depth about first person mode too.

"Of equal, if not greater, use will be the ability to lift an opposing player's stick off of the ice with a press of a button. It's a simple defense against the prevalent one-timers that can become a cornerstone of the game, especially online; by lifting your opponent's stick off the ice, you take away his ability to smack that one-time pass toward the goalie. Nevertheless, you have to be careful because there's an associated risk with this defensive reward: If you miss the timing on the lift, then you might end up inadvertently smacking your opponent's player in the head, resulting in a penalty in the process. " -gamestop

[StatMan79]

bigwill - that sounds a lot like how the A button is used (on 360 that is) on defense right now, except you're tying the guy up, not lifting his stick. You can get the high-sticking call just the same though if you're doing too much.

I'd very much like to see the scouting and draft stuff improved a ton.

[bigwill33]

bigwill - that sounds a lot like how the A button is used (on 360 that is) on defense right now, except you're tying the guy up, not lifting his stick. You can get the high-sticking call just the same though if you're doing too much.

I'd very much like to see the scouting and draft stuff improved a ton.

You mean when you hook the guy and sometimes it goes and does the stick in the face animations?

I think this should work better, because it serves as a way of just playing the stick and not the body. It will help smaller defensemen pick up a man, and is probably a good way to counter the annoying slap passing that goes on online.

What would be nice would be if they had 2 and 4 minute penalties for high sticking. I know they are not allowed to show blood in the game because of the rating, but even not showing it and just putting those penalties in the game would add a lot to the experience. Here's to hoping atleast!

[Flyermania]

Re: Keys to Success for NHL 09

I am very optimistic for NHL 09...the core of the game is solid, so the game needs some minor tweaks and adjustments to make it better. The development team seems very committed to the series -- just look at the improvements made when it first came to next-gen, and then again from 07 to 08.

[Kontos18]

NHL 08 definitely needs to work on the player faces. They had the superstars and a few other players but not enough. It is nice to recognize your favorite players. I also think a new faceoff system would be good. You don't see many faceoffs in the NHL that doesn't result in a battle with help from the wingers. The board play needs fix bad. The only way to pin a guy was to hit the hold button and half the time you get called for a holding call when the puck is right there. The goaltending was either terrible or awesome depending on your difficulty level. The game was fun against a human opponent but for playing the computer I prefferred 2k8 because of the slider options. Looking forward to 09 because the potential to be an awesome game is there.

[StatMan79]

Am I really the only one that doesn't care about dumping and chasing being in the game for the sake of realism? These are the worst parts of real hockey - I certainly don't want to be playing dump and watch in a video game.

[Trick_]

Re: Keys to Success for NHL 09

Am I really the only one that doesn't care about dumping and chasing being in the game for the sake of realism? These are the worst parts of real hockey - I certainly don't want to be playing dump and watch in a video game.

i'm torn on this....because i try to play sim...but like you i hate that part of the game...however i'm willing to bet that their are a lot of goals scored this way. it would be a perfect way to incorporate or create plays from behind the net IMO.

[bigwill33]

Am I really the only one that doesn't care about dumping and chasing being in the game for the sake of realism? These are the worst parts of real hockey - I certainly don't want to be playing dump and watch in a video game.

It should at least be an option for players who like a simulation style game. If you play a team that you cannot get into their zone any other way then dumping should be an option at least.