NHL 09 Review - PC

Hockey is one of the few professional sports left that hasn’t signed an exclusivity deal with one game developer. This has led to some intense competition between 2K Sports and EA, especially in the last couple of years. Enter NHL 09, the most ambitious and feature-rich hockey video game ever. Already with a rock-solid gameplay base, the development team took the experience to the next level by adding a massively multiplayer team play mode online and the ability to step into the shoes of an NHL superstar for an entire career.

Blades of Glory

On the defensive side of the puck, you can now perform a stick lift maneuver that will turn board battles into a real thinking affair. It also makes stopping one-timers and passes much more effective, as you can simply lift the stick of the receiving player and watch the puck go right by. It’s simply one little addition that changes the entire dynamic of the game. On offense, you can now lean in against the defender and protect the puck with one hand, a move that will help you drive to the net and avoid checks. Compared to last year, the puck physics are looser and more slippery. This means that games are now much more dynamic and will play with a greater variety than before. Don’t even think about trying to pass through traffic, as the puck will be deflected or intercepted. Instead, players will have to make use of the flip dump feature, which lofts the puck high into the air (very useful for a dump and chase style of gameplay); as the puck hits the ice, it will be bouncing, and just because you’re first to the puck, it doesn’t guarantee you’ll be able to control it and come out with it on your stick

All these new moves will come in to play online, where the new EA Sports Hockey League mode is located. Up to fifty players can form a team together and compete against other teams in six-on-six games, where each player is a specific position. It is by far the most rewarding and frustrating game mode on the disc. Do you know basic hockey positioning and strategy? If not, prepare to lose a lot. In order to be successful, you will need to work with your teammates and play sound hockey. It will take time, communication, and lots of trial and error. Expect to work on things like breakout strategies, offensive zone positioning, and back-checking with your buddies until you become a well-oiled machine on the ice. Just like a real hockey team.

In one of the more amazing feats of the sports video game world, EA has recreated the mentality and attitude that a real team of real players would employ in the online virtual arena. And when it all starts to click, when you look up the ice and see your friend streaking across the red line open for a pass and you hit him using only your instinct, his breakaway goal will have everyone on your team cheering into the headset and congratulating each other on a job well done. Simply put, there’s nothing else like it. It’s mildly disappointing, then, that teams of two or three players versus a full squad have the advantage as the online AI will tear you apart. A little more balance would have been nice, or the ability to restrict matchmaking to teams with equal number of players, but it’s still great fun nonetheless.

Ice, Camera, Action

The game will save the progress of your team’s record and performance as well as your stats, so you can go back anytime and look at your goals and assists. You also get your own series of hockey cards that you earn at various points of progress that will let you upgrade your player’s attributes. You can even take screenshots and video clip highlights from replays and upload them online for all to see. These features also bleed in to the offline Be a Pro mode, wherein you can use your created character and play through his hockey life from minor leaguer to rookie to all-star. The entire time, you play your single position from a zoomed in camera angle that puts you right on the ice during a game. Got a penalty? Prepare to watch the proceedings from a first person perspective while you serve your time. Even the pre-game introductions will focus on your character as he skates through the warm-up. It’s all incredibly immersive and original, and adds another deep level of gameplay to the typical franchise fare.

(Almost) Miracle on Ice

It’s almost a perfect game. Severe online connection bugs and freezing problems hamper the experience enough that we can’t give it a full five out of five. Things like putting one player into an empty lobby during matchmaking and the unpredictable nature of the game locking up seemingly at random should have been fixed before launch, especially since these are some of the same bugs that occurred in last year’s game. Despite these issues, NHL 09 is still the most definitive hockey video game to date. There are so many fun modes on the disc, the skill stick is still the best way to play hockey (though there is a three-button NHL 94 classic scheme for the uninitiated), and the gameplay is still rock solid. Even if you’re only a passing hockey fan, you should still play this game.

Review by: Justin Fassino