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 Over the Labor Day weekend, I was able to get some quality time in with the NHL 09 demo on my Playstation 3.
I should preface these impressions by stating that I had some issues with NHL 08. I found the game frustrating due to weak defense and the frequent perfect pass from the CPU player in along the boards to the always un-molested AI forward in front of my goalie who can always perfectly tuck a one-timer past my netminder. I also felt that AI goalies on levels All-Pro and above were a bit too super-human. So I fired up the NHL 09 demo, and I’m happy to report that there’s a lot to like from the demo. The demo starts off with some “training” that shows you how to shoot, how to aim, how to deke, and some of the new defensive/checking moves. Veterans of the series will breeze through the shooting/aiming/deking, because that’s basically unchanged (which is to say…a good thing), however the new defensive controls (poke check, hits, etc) are a bit new…and very welcomed. It looks like D is getting some good tools this year. The checking/poke checking/hitting seems more effective this year. Last year, it seemed way to hard to cause a collision and/or knock an offensive skater off the puck. This year (at least from the demo) it seems easier to cause collisions of varying variety and effectiveness. In short, it looks like offensive minded players will find themselves without the puck (or on their backsides) if they try too much freewheeling hockey this year. That’s good, because that means they will have to cycle the puck and run an offense moreso than merely carrying the puck everywhere. Once you get through the skill drills, you have two options. You can play a 1 period “game” between the Penguins and the Redwings, or you can play a 1 period "game" on “Be A Pro” between the Pens and Wings. If you choose just to play the standard game, its like previous NHL games- you pass the puck and control the guy you pass to, or on defense, you can select the player you want to control on the fly. You’ve played that mode before. However, in “Be A Pro” mode, you take control of the center, and play him through the whole game. (In my case, I was Sid Crosby**). The camera angles for “Be A Pro” are fantastic, as well as the “arrow” prompts that will occasionally pop up to tell you where you “should” be for your positioning..particularly as it pertains to your defensive assignment. On offense, if one of your AI controlled teammates has the puck, you can call for the puck with the same button you use to pass (R trigger/R2) At that point, your teammate will attempt to get the puck to you. I had a blast trying to get Crosby in the open to tuck one home against my least favorite hockey team (i.e. The Wings). The camera that follows you dynamically, and the feel of the game is top-notch. I think “Be-A-Pro” is going to not only be huge for this game, I think this mode will probably get so much recognition that it might be the standard for all EA Sports games going forward. (I can already imagine this in Madden 2010..where you can be your favorite player for a whole game…and the camera adapts to that.) Regardless of which mode you choose (standard or Be A Pro) I’m happy to say that EA Canada has upped the defensive game. I saw open teammates suddenly have their sticks lifted by the closest AI defender as I passed the puck their way for what should have been a quality shot. I could also do the same to the AI offensive players. I can also initiate better body contact than last year…and the AI does as well. In short, the defense has some brand new controls that will serve them well. One thing I must mention is that the game did not report what difficulty level you are playing on. If it does, I was unable to locate it. It was a bit easy to move the puck up-ice on offense, but once in the offensive zone, the AI did a pretty good job of forcing me to move the puck around. Still, the passes you make – like last year- tend to be tape to tape…whether you are using Sid Crosby or some 3rd line forward. It is important to note that some of this seems mitigated by the fact that though the pass might be on a perfect route to your other player, the AI frequently lifts their sticks and the pass often goes harmlessly past the player. So there’s that factor. I can’t really make a call on the goalies in the demo. I had problems scoring on them, but then again I was messing with new controls. I scored 2 garbage goals, and had some “would be pretty goals” denied by defender stick-lifts in front of their goalie. Again, I don’t know what difficulty level the demo makes you play on. Overall, I was very impressed with the demo, and extremely impressed with the Be-A-Pro mode. I liked the feel of the skating, checking ,deking, passing, etc. So far, it looks like EA Canada will have a big hit on its hands. (**Note: Regarding Be-A-Pro, although the demo forces you to use either Crosby or the Wings' 1st line center, the full "Be-A-Pro" mode in the retail game will allow you to assume the role of any player.) Scott Hemphill Co-Founder
Consolesports.net
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