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NHL 09 (Microsoft Xbox 360, 2008) - European Version
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- Buy It NowNHL 09 (Microsoft Xbox 360, 2009) Includes Game, Box and Manual
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Great graphics, great gameplay, decent commentary, but there was more customization in nhl 2k7 than there is in nhl 09. The levels of gameplay you can adjust are limited to speed and the level of your competition. The "be a pro" mode is fun but experience points are too hard to earn and you'll just make your player a beast instead of working your way up (which takes way too long. And your AI team mates will frustrate you to no end (they wont pass it to you and when they do you'll be in a terrible position and you'll turn the puck over and it'll drag your stats down). and i still can't figure out why when you start a dynasty you can't choose the length of the season. I don't want to play 82 games to get to the stanley cup, i want to play 25 or 30 and then go to the playoffs. Lack of customization is the only problem i have with it.Read full review
It may be a wee bit cynical to say that Electronic Arts allowed its long-running NHL series to languish through the first few years of this decade until it was pushed so hard by rival 2K Sports that it had to do something. But whatever spurred the gaming giant to revitalize and so impressively upgrade NHL over the course of the last two years, I, as a hockey-playing madman, give thanks. That NHL 09 exhibits the same level of innovation and value as its most recent predecessors is great news for all of us. The big deal in 2009 for the world's preeminent hockey franchise is a brand-new mode that really does alter the way that you play the game. It's called Be A Pro, and it plunks you in the skates of a promising rookie toiling in the low-rent American Hockey League. You progress through a career of sorts, where gameplay experience and favorable coaching reviews garner attribute upgrades and, hopefully, a call to the NHL. Click the image above to check out all NHL 09 screens. In Be A Pro, you are a player. When you're on the ice, the camera focuses on you. When you want the puck, you call for it. When you're off the ice, you watch the action unfold through the eyes of a guy sitting on the bench. And when you screw up (a cheap penalty or a few intercepted passes) or succeed (a nicely timed body check or several quality shots on goal), the management notices, doles out accolades or condemnation, and perhaps takes appropriate long-term action. To EA's credit, Be A Pro is far from a frivolous extra. It's challenging, it's substantial, and it definitely isn't for the impatient. Indeed, you may need a full half-season of solid, team-first play just to get noticed by the big club. Unfortunately, it's also erratic. You'll get chastised for your faceoff work even though you have a winning percentage, and you may well earn applause for positional play even when you've had a brutal period. As an experiment, I played five strong games in a row then purposely imploded -- completely disregarding Be A Pro's visual cues -- in the sixth. Was I benched? Demoted? No. Instead, I was given props and bumped from the third to second line. Click the image above to check out all NHL 09 screens. In the heat of action, NHL 09 is more believable and more capable than ever before. EA Canada revolutionized video hockey when it turned a gamepad into a hockey stick in 2007 with its pioneering Skill Stick control set, and in 2009 it adds to the repertoire with new flip dump-ins, sweep checks, stick lifts, and one-handed dekes that not only look but feel as realistic as I'd hoped. Being a defenseman is definitely more fun now, and I love the way EA is opening up virtual hockey to all the authentic permutations of the real-life sport. But if you prefer old school to new school -- which some of us still do -- or if you're a casual player, the game has that covered, too. Not only can you opt to adopt a pre-Skill Stick, circa-2006 gamepad setup, but you can also go all the way back to 1994, when two buttons handled most everything. Unfortunately, no matter which configuration you prefer, NHL 09 is not free of past unrealistic annoyances. I was still privy to bizarre last-minute goals that were seemingly designed only to keep the score close, and I still feel that one of the best defensive moves is to viciously chop players to the ice. It is time for EA to correct such indiscretions.Read full review
There are few moments in any sports video game more satisfying than scoring a goal in NHL 09. It's more than aiming top-shelf and pressing a button before the goalie gets into position. No, you have to outmaneuver the defense with quick skating and smart passing, work your way into scoring position, and then manually put the puck where the goalie isn't. But if you played EA Sports hockey in the past two years and experienced the stellar control mechanic known as the skill stick, you already knew all this. In NHL 09, EA expands on its already outstanding gameplay with a host of addictive game modes that make this, quite simply, one of the best sports games of all time. With skill-stick control, your right analog acts as your hockey stick. Move it left or right to deke, press up for a snap shot, down then up for a slap shot, and to the side then up for a wrist shot. On defense, you have 360-degree control to clog passing lanes, deliver poke checks, and pull your opponent's skates right out from beneath him (two minutes for tripping.) There's also a dedicated stick-lift button that, when used in proper position, will whack an attacker's stick away from the puck. When not in proper position, you're likely to be whistled for high-sticking or slashing, but this aggressive defensive move adds another risk/reward element to the action. If anything, the new skill-stick additions transform NHL 09 into a defensive-focused game, forcing you to use actual hockey strategy to get past the blue line. Indeed, flip-dumping the puck into the offensive zone--another new maneuver this year--will allow speedy wingers to get behind aggressive defenders sliding in for the pinch. You'll have to take what the excellent defensive AI gives you; working passes into the slot or behind the net and cycling the puck to create scoring opportunities. Simply zigzagging past defenders on the breakout isn't going to work, especially on higher difficulty settings. Rest assured, there are fewer scoring opportunities than in years past, and NHL 09 is a much better overall hockey experience because of it. But in large part, the overall gameplay on the ice remains very faithful to last year's game. Checking is mapped to the right analog stick, and the physics have been improved so big hits can only be delivered at direct angles (provided the defender has a full head of steam). A stationary defenseman is more likely to harmlessly shove an attacker than knock him off his skates. This eliminates arcade-style hit fests and forces you to play more conservative defense. If you pull defensemen out of position to deliver a big hit, you'll open up the slot, and skilled opponents will take advantage. Hockey purists won't like all the off-the-puck hits that could easily be whistled as interference, but these concessions to video game fun are balanced well against the game's dedication to realism. Because this simulation approach forces you to play real hockey, casual players that loved the old arcade style may feel lost. Fortunately, several tutorials are included that introduce player controls and some basic strategy tips. And if you still hate the skill stick, you can opt for the two-button NHL-94-style controls. Most of the development time on NHL 09 appears to have been spent off the ice on two new modes: Be a Pro and the EA Sports Hockey League.Read full review
I'll keep it brief-ish. If you are an EA NHL vet then I'm preaching to the choir. For others, if you're somehow on the fence, get off the fence...your enjoyment is a LOCK. The single player experience is top notch. The gameplay and AI is extremely tight, and the pace and puck physics, new stickhandling controls (Right Stick) is near perfect. The presentation is outstanding. The Be A Pro mode is incredible. The replay value is immense because of the Online modes, especially Online Team Play; and if you are adventurous, and appreciate large clan-esque aspects of gaming, then the EASHL feature is incredible. In short you can recruit members to join your squad, or find a team looking for members, hook up with others you meet online, etc. It's outstanding. What sets NHL apart for me is that the games are almost lag free. This is a much larger statement than you may think, depending on your sports gaming experience. For example, these types of features are present in other games, like NBA 2k9 (an excellent game in its own right). While I love most things in that game (sans the cheesers prevalent in hoops games), the online component is extremely laggy in Team Play. Though network gaming is ubiquitous in this day and age, it is apparently tough to do if there's not a lot of focus on that aspect. Because NBA 2k9's team play is hit or miss (usually MISS 90% of the time in my experience), it's a real let down. My point being, that it makes you appreciate NHL that much more, because that aspect is done so well in comparison, as it's rock solid nearly 100% of the time. As with many, if not most, online games, the downside is that there are a lot of weaklings that quit as soon as their team is losing (in this example, it's if your team is down 1-2 goals). In a way it hurts the experience...then again, those players usually aren't very talented or knowledgeable about the game, and you'll find your game actually improves when they leave the game (unlike other games, like FPS', where it hurts you). And, more importantly, there is no experience that can touch NHL 09 (soccer afficionados say FIFA 09 qualifies as a similarly excellent experience though I have no input there) when you actually hook up with skilled players that know what they're doing, move the puck, respect how the game is supposed to be played, are respectful to others and the game, etc. I'm telling you....it's absolute sports gaming bliss. I personally think less d-bags gravitate to NHL b/c the game itself is so awesome...but it's all meaningless without having the game to match. EA gets a lot of grief from people, but I have to say they've outdone themselves with this fantastic title. Buy it, play it, love it.Read full review
Right from the beginning, I was impressed with the game. This is the most indepth, highest quality hockey video game ever made and one of the best sports games as well. The online play is very indepth, with multiple modes to matchup players from around the world. The in game modes are very detailed, such as the Be A Pro mode, where a user can create a skater or goalie and start as a rookie in the AHL, work their way up to the big leagues. This is my favorite part about the game, especially the goalie mode! Even though there are some aspects of the game that will frustrate traditional EA Sports NHL game users, like the controls, and not being able to customize them, users will have to take for granted that to get the full effect out of this game, they must get used to the new style of gameplay. OVERALL 5 STARS!!!Read full review
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