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Update: Last week, I had a 0-0 game go to a shootout against a player named IAMCHINESE (or I_AM_CHINESE). Anyway, he used a glitch that allows you to score every time in the shootout. Why doesn't EA address these issues?
I started out with high hopes for this game. However, after playing it for 3 months, my lofty expectations have turned to that all-too-familiar feeling of disappointment with an EA sports NHL hockey game.
At the surface, things seem great. The graphics are attractive, and the gameplay feels responsive. I do like the skill stick; it's a great improvement to the game and it allows for more creative offense as well as defense. However, once you want more than a cursory experience of playing hockey, this game begins to unravel.
I should preface the rest of this review by stating I've owned probably a dozen or more NHL games (EA's NHL series and the 2K series as well) since my first game: NHL 94 for the SNES. Also, I should let it be known that I feel the actual gameplay is the most critical feature of the hockey gaming experience. If the play is unrealistic, or if it slow and unresponsive, no amount of special franchise modes or extra bells and whistles can compensate. And my review focuses on online play, not playing against the computer.
So, now to take off the gloves. This game is absolutely terrible when it comes to realistic gameplay. The main offender is, by far and away, the goaltending. NHL 09 cannot recognize the difference between good scoring chances and poor scoring chances. Goalies are simply out of this world. They don't have any problem with stopping 15-20 one-timers per game, or with gloving slapshots from 10 feet out in the slot. They'll make impossible save after impossible save and leave you in frustration. To make things more confusing, the goalies have more trouble with shots that would normally be considered "low percentage" chances. These include unscreened wrist shots from the point, or floating, floppy backhanders that seem to find their way into the net much more often than they should. So, if you're playing this game and you want to score: don't use techniques that would make sense in an actual NHL game. You need to cheese. Find one move that works (there aren't many) and use it over and over and over. It's the only way to consistently score. It's just not any fun at all.
I know that the intent is to keep scoring down, but how is it any more realistic for a goalie to make 20 impossible saves in a game compared to a 15-10 final score? Taking slapshots from the blue line is pointless. Wrist shots from the slot are pointless. One timers have a decent chance, but you'll need to shoot 10 good one timers before you can get one past the goalie without ringing it off the post or crossbar. Dekes are also another scoring possibility, but some games you'll have 5 breakaways and be unable to score on any of them. I almost feel that the game decides (before you start playing) how many goals you're allowed to score.
Other problems include the stick lift and poke check. For online play, these are the most over-powered, over-used moves for defensemen. Using the stick lift, you can steal a puck from a guy who is 2-3 feet in front of you. Once in a while, you'll get a penalty for high sticking, but not often enough to keep everyone from mashing away on the stick lift button. Spamming the poke check on defense is surprisingly effective because if the puck carrier comes anywhere near the defender, the puck pops off your stick. In reality, when a defender poke checks, he is left out of position if he misses. In this game, you can simply poke, poke, poke until you get the puck.
Another major flaw in the game is the ability to hit offensive players who don't have the puck. Good internet players know that you can shut down the other player's offensive chances by checking players before they receive the pass. Also, if you're trying to set up a power play, the other team can cross-check your forwards when they don't have the puck. It is almost never called. Additionally, if you get a breakway that has enough separation that makes using the stick lift impossible, the defender can dive from behind you and trip you or knock you off balance just long enough for you to lose the puck into the goalie. That is never called unless your guy actually falls over. If you're chasing after a loose puck and a player from the other team is going to barely beat you, just check him from behind right before he gets to the puck. He'll lose balance and you'll come away with the puck.
The game has actual glitches too. During gameplay, sometimes your players will be set up for the one timer, but when you pass it to them, they lock up and the pass hits them in the skate while they are unable to move. I've scored goals in the shootout that don't count for some reason (they hit the net and bounced out but didn't give me a point) and I've seen goals scored where the puck never crossed the line completely. Sometimes the game will crash during online play causing you to get a loss. When attempting to change lines, the player stamina bars that you see at first are incorrect! Only when you try to switch your lines does it update with the current stamina levels. That can cause you to leave a tired line on the ice because it incorrectly showed them as rested.
If you hit a player on the other team and get a delayed penalty, your player will be unable to gain possession of the puck immediately following the call, even if the puck is right underneath him. For whatever reason, a few seconds must elapse on the game clock before your guy can take control of the puck. The same thing happens when the opposition goalie passes the puck to your player: if the goalie pass comes right to your guy you can't just slap it into the empty net. Again, for whatever reason, your player can't take control of the puck. It will pass through your guy until a player on the other team comes near it. If no opposition players come near the goalie pass for a few seconds, then you can finally get the puck. By then though, the goalie is back into position.
The controls, although improved, have problems. The main irritation I have is that shooting on offense is the same as checking on defense. This causes your player to cross-check the other team when you are trying to stuff in a loose puck. I also feel that the players miss the net on relatively good scoring chances way too much. I'm not sure if this is because of how I aim my shots or what, but an NHL player can hit the net on a wrist shot from the slot fairly easily. That's not the case in this game, you'll miss the net *a lot*.
Another problem is player switching. When you try to switch players on defense, NHL 09 simply selects the player closest to the puck. This causes problems on defense when the guy you want to select is not necessarily the closest guy to the puck. If, for example, you are trying to catch up to the puck carrier but are a step behind, if you try to switch players and play as your defenseman who is in position, you won't be able to. You first have to make your current player skate away from the puck carrier so that your defenseman is closest. However, this takes a second and by the time you finally get control of your D-man it is often too late.
Finally, your computer teammates are another source of frustration. Sometimes your D-men will change up right when the other team is coming down on an odd-man rush. Other times, your AI-controlled teammates will stand and stare at a puck as it glides by them: they won't move, in fact, sometimes, they'll move away from it. Then of course, there are the times that your teammates embrace their inner retard and skate directly into you. This often happens as you're trying to enter the offensive zone and they end up making you go offsides. On offense, sometimes your teammates will not go anywhere near the goal but instead stand on the perimeter and wait. This gives you no passing options. I've noticed that at the end of the game, the computer will force you to put out your top line even if they're dog tired and even if the other lines are not tired and even if you select one of your other lines. The computer just ignores your command and puts out the top line. Finally, if you forget to change up your lines, the computer will leave your guys out until they can't move any more. You'll have three lines with 100% stamina but the line that's out won't change up.
This game isn't as fun as it was when I first picked it up. I suppose that's because most people playing online now know how to exploit the stick lift and poke check buttons and they maul your players far away from the play. New rating: Overall 2/5, Fun 2/5.
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I ve been a huge fan of hockey video games ever since Blades of Steel on Nintendo. I have to say that NHL 09 tops them all. The graphics are amazing making it feel like you are watching a game on TV. The commentary is probably the best sports game play by play I have ever heard. The only down fall of this game is the difficulty to score a goal. Other than that its a must play for all sports lovers.This game is hard, but you still have lots of fun playing it. The first couple of games I played against friends and we all noticed how hard it was to score. As I kept playing against the game, I learned that scoring is damn near impossible. So I just said forget my pride and turned the diff level to rookie with full accuracy on my shot. Before I knew it I learned how to toe up the puck and fire it top shelf. I would have given this game 4.5, but we can't do it. In all everything is good except for the sensitivity when shooting the puck. Lets Go Devs!!Read Best Reviews of NHL 09 Here
I sold my copy of NHL09 and had to repurchase on Amazon because I missed it so much. The Best Sports Game PS3 has to offer! Hockey translates very well on the PS3 and this game takes it to levels not reached by any other. If you're a hockey fan of any kind, even if you like the AHL or any of the European leagues they have them! Incredible depth to the game!!!I have been playing the EA Sports NHL games since the earlly 90's, the nhl games over that span have been hit and miss. This year however EA Sports has nailed this one. What seperates this game is the be a pro mode where you get to create your own character and take him from the minors to the pros. Also the ability to play on different lines with dofferent line mates is a lot of fun too. If you have ever played an nhl game in the past and have even a slight interest, this NHL 09 is the game to buy.
