Archive for January 29, 2009

As the majority of you are saddened over the ending of football season, or anxiously waiting for Americans favorite past-time of baseball to get underway, or some may even be relishing the excitement of the current basketball season. I am like a pig in muck enjoying NHL hockey, which is accompanied by this year’s best sports game, EA Sports NHL 09.

NLH 09 offers everything a fan could want from a hockey game. From the controls to the game play, the game looks and feels like hockey. Gone are the day of run and gun hockey of past EA titles. Instead players will need to play tight defense, strategic offense, and the occasional fist to a guy’s face, in order to be successful in this game.

Graphically, NHL 09 is the cream of the crop. Players look just like their life time counter parts, and they are not shy to take off their helmets from time to time to show off their pretty mugs. Presentation is what can be expected, with the occasional stat jumping up from time to time. Other games, like the NHL 2k series, may put a little more effort into their presentations, as far a mimicking a TV broadcast, but in my opinion, this takes from the on screen action, and with a game like hockey, more is not always better. The sounds are exactly what you expect to hear on the ice. From bone crushing hits, to the ping of the puck hitting the pipe, the sounds are true to the game. Throw in commentary from my own hometown hero Bill Clement and you’ve got gold my friend.

NHL’s shot stick controls are fluid and responsive. Simply moving the stick left to right, is mirrored by your skater, controlling the puck from side to side. A quick flick of the stick toward the net will result is a quick wrist shot, or pushing the stick away before pushing it forward causes your shooter to pull his stick back and let go a ripping slap shot. Do not be discouraged if you find it hard to score at first. Easy to learn, but hard to master, I recommend at least ten games before you get a fluid feel for the controls.

Game play for NHL 09 is some of the best I’ve seen in hockey games of our generation. At first, it felt sloppy. I couldn’t really get a feel for the game cause it felt a little unorganized. I quickly came to realize that years of sub-par hockey games had made me develop some bad habits. I had to shake these quick, and force myself to play the game like a real hockey game. Once I was able to do that, I had much more success, and I was able to enjoy an NHL title on a whole new level.

With so many bad games out there, I would be upset to see anyone pass on NHL 09. Even if you are not a hockey fan, this game’s fast and exciting simulation of hockey is good enough to hold the attention of even the most pessimistic critic. NHL 09 gets the MrSnuggleston Gold Stamp of Approval.