What You Need to Know About Video Game Hockey This Season
 

Next week marks the launch of the new video game hockey season and Patrick Williams is here to give you the lowdown on both NHL 09 and NHL 2K9. Get the inside scoop on what to expect and what each game is featuring this year in Williams' article: What You Need to Know About Video Game Hockey This Season.

I'm glad to see VC getting NHL 2K back on the right track. I bought 2K8 last year and it just felt like 2K7 repackaged when I put it up against the huge jump NHL 08 made. I still think NHL 09 will be the best experience, but I could see from the demo that 2K is closing the gap again.

Can't wait until next week. Hopefully we get two great games!

Nice to see the efforts put out when there is strong competition in a sport. With two great games, everyone wins.

actually, I liked the 2k demo alot more than the NHL 09, it felt more weighted, and to me, sharper graphics are on the 2k, Atmosphere goes to 2K also, NHL 09 looks dark.

A great example of how competition breeds better quality games. If this oppurtunity was still allowed to football games, just think where they would be now.

I cant help but to agree. EA makes an absolutely fantastic hockey game now.

True EAs hockey games sucked 2002-2006 (2004 was pretty good), and only 2ks success with NHL2k (2k3-2k6) made EA improve.

About the NFL games; don´t bother anymore, Madden is stale nowadays.

So a good question to pose is this; If EA were to acquire Take 2 and then their only be one hockey game do you think the game would immediately suffer or get better as a result of them perhaps combining the efforts? I am not asking for a which game is better debate as what you think would happen right away. I assume that down the line the ideas and innovation would get stale and come to a slow down, is that also the general thinking of the community?

For the record I agree that competition drives better games for us. I wonder if a another developer would come in and try to make a hockey game if EA buys 2k.