Hockey season is almost upon us at that means the video games of the world’s fastest sport are out and ready for us to enjoy. When it comes to sports games nowadays, there are really only two major players, EA and 2K. It seems every few years one of the two takes a step forward and the other a step back. Furthermore, its hard to judge each game solely on who makes it. Each studio has given us gems as well as duds over the past couple of years and especially in this next gen. NHL 2K9 has set the bar for a really good hockey game. Its a shame that the other guy completely cleared it.
NHL 2K9 has undergone a little bit of a face lift the past few years. The menus have changed and the presentation has been tweaked to make you feel like you are smack in the middle of a real live hockey game. You get treated to post game highlights which are nice when you want to see some of the goals you scored, which there will be plenty, more on that. During a playoff run, its tradition for players to grow beards and its freaky seeing some guy develop facial hair over its course, but fun nonetheless. The announcing is good, but players who put some time in will hear the same dialogue over and over. I have not heard them make an incorrect call but what they say won’t change your life nor will it make you laugh. The game has an above average soundtrack with some heavy punk/alt rock. The game is also polished enough where arenas look like their counterparts and you can definitely recognize your favorite players.
The gameplay is where I felt a little wanting more. The game has default controls with shooting mapped to a button which can and should be changed to Pro Stick right away. The hybrid feature combines both, but true hockey gamers have fallen in love with the RS and will want that setting. There is also a speedburst function which in my mind makes the game was too easy to gain open ice. Its not hard at all for a winger to burst by two defensemen skating backwards for an easy breakaway and once you master “the deke”, scoring becomes all too frequent. Wraparounds are again an easy way to end an OT game and far often the goalies are out of position leaving wide open nets to shoot at. It is very hard to find a balance of scoring and difficulty, but I feel like the game is far too easy for seasoned players.
Like all 2K games, there is a deep franchise and season mode with online support in both. There are also online leagues, but computer AI can be awful if you are just a single player on a team filled with bots. You can easily be thrown offisides when a teammate rushes the line instead of dumping in or fails to avoid contact while you skate like a rookie into the zone prematurely. There is an awesome zamboni game in between periods. The goalie control in the shootout drives me insane. It feels like you are playing a carnival game instead of netminding. Having to keep the puck in a cone while hitting a bullseye takes away from the realism and drama of a one on one breakaway.
2K has released a very good hockey game here despite some issues. The game looks and feels authentic and the in game physics are spot on. The issues of easiness makes it feel like an arcade game instead of a true sim. Some players will like the emphasis on skating around in circles while the defense chases you but others are going to want to dump and chase and master a true zone breakout. There is a lot of hockey to be played here with some fun mini games thrown in. This would definitely be the hockey game of choice in a usual year, but the guys over at EA really made something great. Its not always fair to compare things when reviewing them, but when it comes to video games and especially those in the exact genre, it must be done. NHL 2K9 made huge leaps from last year, but is still a few steps behind NHL 09.
Overall 7.5 of 10
7.5? are you out of your fucking mind? I’d rather stick needles in my pee hole than play this game. EA sports gives this game a golden shower in its sleep. tell those nips down at the 2K office this game doesnt cut it.
@ person above – perhaps the most disturbing commentator name ever on the site, congratulations! I think you dislike 2k, hehe.
EA’s game makes hockey feel like fucking soccer. Slow.
I will be buying 2k9 over EA this year just because it feels fun to play.
It’s the little things, like how snow sprays up like it should when players stop (almost non-existent in 09) or how every faceoff is slightly different. Faceoffs in 09 are boring and unrealistic (same as in 08), the players just stand there basically. In 2k9 they actually get down low and shift around like an actual faceoff.
Animations in 2k9 also look way better than in 2k9. In 09 everything is too jerky due to emphasis on skill stick (which I like for the controls, 2k9’s skill stick doesn’t seem to make the animations jerk as much).