NHL 2K8

Oct 4, 2007

The biggest problem with sports games is that they're repetitive, year after year. Sure, they'll have some new flair sprinkled throughout the game to make it more appealing to fans, but when it comes down to it, they are for the most part the same thing we've seen before. However, we've seen quite a few sports titles this year that are bucking the trend, delivering new innovations and solid gameplay experiences making them worth the time and money of videogame sports fans. 2K has tried to follow this trend with NHL 2K8, and though it's a capable, solid hockey title, it still seems a bit tired in the grand scheme of things.

To its credit, NHL 2K8 comes filled with a few new game modes that turn into quite a bit of fun, especially if you're playing with a bunch of friends. Some of the new inclusions help make it a bit more intriguing and enjoyable to play. Combine those with the fact that it's the best-looking hockey game, if not the best-looking sports game, you may find that there's a decent amount of fun to be had here.

The game supplies some stunning visuals, which help create a more dynamic experience. The character models are detailed down to the finest points, with great recreations of players, uniforms and the various rinks from around the National Hockey League. When you go to a close-up angle of the players, you'll notice that you'll easily be able to pick out the likes of Henrik Zetterberg or Nicklas Lidstrom as they look remarkably close to their real-life counterparts. The animations are smooth, with players hustling up and down the ice as they try to send that puck past the goaltenders. When players get checked, you'll almost feel the hit as they fall hard or knock the boards around. The camera dynamically follows the action, swooping around the various arenas and changing angles helping to provide a great field of vision as you move up and down the ice. All said, it's definitely a visually pleasing experience.

NHL 2K8's biggest failing comes in its controls, and though they're far from horrible, they certainly seem to be a step back from competing titles. They work okay, but one would be hard-pressed to call them simple or intuitive. A training mode provides some relief, but the lack of intuitiveness is still troublesome. Little inconsistencies like wrist shots being designated to a shoulder button while slapshots require a combination of a trigger with the wrist shot button are a little annoying. Combine that with the fact that there are two different buttons for two different types of sprints, and you'll find that the controls quickly become an irksome experience that simply isn't necessary. It doesn't make sense to have so many different things going on on the controller, making us wonder why things weren't simplified.

Another setback comes with the new ProStick controls. Sure, it's certainly a step forward in the 2K series, but in today's market, it isn't good enough as it's about two years behind the curve. The ProStick allows players to move their stick around as they move about the ice, helping to control the puck and adding new angles to shots... but it doesn't feel that useful. It basically boils down to players being able to deke as they're driving towards the goal, and while it's a nice touch for the series, without the ability to actually shoot with the stick, it falls short from the standard set last year. It would have been a revelation back in 2005, but hockey fans have been able to experience something better elsewhere for two years now, making it seem like a poor recreation of a great feature.

On the upside, the game also provides a healthy amount of modes. A Tournament mode lets you participate in a 16-team competition; it's far from revolutionary, but good if you want a quick playoff session without having to play through an entire season. There's also the Challenge mode, where you'll play as classic teams in legendary face-offs such as the '80 USA vs. USSR match with bonus feats to achieve such as scoring three one-timer goals or recording 35 hits. This mode is especially fun if you've always wanted to experience these matches properly, rather than merely unlocking classic teams.

The selection of extra side games could potentially provide hours of multiplayer fun. Here, you'll be offered the chance to play in a game of pond hockey, though it's actually a regulation rink placed in an outdoor environment. It's nice and all, but we were hoping for a smaller pick-up game type of vibe. Fortunately, in the Mini-rink mode you'll be able to play in a smaller area (about a third of the size of a standard rink) in a two-on-two match-up. This mode actually turned out to be a whole lot of fun as the games are fast, dynamic and filled with all sorts of hard hits and crazy goals: exactly what we were looking for.

The third extra is Battle mode, which is basically a slew of party games where up to four players can knock the stuffing out of each other on the ice. The different games offered bring a nice level of variety to the overall package and they're really some of the best bits that the game has to offer. The games range from things like freeze tag, where players must slam into another in an attempt to avoid being "it," to turf war, where players, once again, knock each other down in order to gain points by possessing various nodes scattered throughout the ice. It's the small things like this that are really a joy to play and help make up for the shortcomings of the main game.

The online mode offers the ability to play standard matches, where you can face off against a stranger or set up a custom match of your own. There's a slick lobby where you can play against people with a similar skillset and improve your ranking among the players across the nation. Connecting to a game was hardly an issue, but on the Xbox 360 version there was quite a bit of lag. It's not so severe that it renders the game unplayable, but it is jarring and disruptive. The game simply stops for a second or two and then catches back up with itself and resumes with nothing lost. It's not a huge deal, but it is incredibly frustrating when you're driving into the slot to take a wrist shot, only to have the game stutter and interrupt your flow. If it happened just once in a while, it wouldn't be such an issue, but it occurs so frequently that it quickly becomes annoying. However, on the PS3 version, none of this occurs -- just smooth sailing online, lag-free.

With everything it has to offer, NHL 2K8 is a decent title and will more than likely please fans of the 2K series with its improvements and new features. However, if you're a die-hard hockey fan who buys both EA's and 2K's NHL titles, or if you simply prefer the EA series, you'll find that NHL 2K8 doesn't manage to hold its own. Despite all that's good with the game, NHL 2K8's innovations are a few years behind the times, making it feel like a cheap rehash of what's already available.