NHL 2K8
|
Written by Scott Hemphill
|
|
Tuesday, 02 October 2007 |
|
Puckheads everywhere for many years have celebrated 2K Sports’ NHL 2K series as the king of the virtual ice. Last year however, EA got back into contention with a suddenly competitive NHL 07 product. Everyone wondered how 2K Sports would respond with their new NHL 2K8 product.
I’m happy to report that hardcore NHL sim gamers should be very pleased. This game is chock-full of hockey goodness, options, controls, strategy, and authenticity. Like many 2K Sports games, the game is totally adjustable via tons of sliders for just about every facet of puck control, player control, aggressiveness, goalie AI…. you name it. 2K Sports delivers a pretty rich, customizable hockey sandbox for us to play in and tweak to our liking.
But lets get one thing straight:
There’s a new default control scheme that utilizes the Right Stick for puck handling. (2K Sports calls this the Pro-Stick). There are some fundamental differences, one of which is that the R-stick cannot shoot, only stick-handle. Shooting is accomplished with the right bumper button, passing with the left bumper button. At first it feels awkward, but you pick it up if you are willing to invest a small bit of time. There are some very nice in-depth tutorials for each and every control in the game. Its probably the best in game control training I've ever seen in a game. And- yes- you need it, because this game has some detailed controls. Some may find these controls daunting, particularly if you are used to the more simplified control scheme from the competition.
However- and let me emphasize this- the game lets you customize all controls..and you can also go back to the classic NHL 2K control scheme. (Quick, someone tell 1up! They seem to have omitted that from their review..)
As I said in my preview, - if you plan on utilizing the deep, new controls…going through the training is a must. But, fear not, There are some very nice in-depth tutorials for each and every control in the game. Its probably the best in game control training I've ever seen in a game. And- yes- you need it.
At first- the average player will view that as a negative, but after going through the drills, and getting into the games, you'll start to really like the amount of options you have.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Written by Scott Hemphill
|
|
Sunday, 16 September 2007 |
|
After throwing myself into this game for about a day and a half- I find myself enjoying it more each game.
There are some very nice in-depth tutorials for each and every control in the game. Its probably the best in game control training I've ever seen in a game. And- yes- you need it, because this game has some detailed controls.
Going through the training is a MUST.
At first- the average player will view that as a negative, but after going through the drills, and getting into the games, you'll start to really like the amount of options you have.
I REALLY appreciate these controls on defense. Its nice to be able to put your player's stick on the ice to take away a passing lane by getting in position and clicking in the R-stick. Its nice to give a subtle hook to slow a streaking offensive player, its good to have push and elbow commands on board scrums, its nice to be able to hit the Y button to take your selected defender and get him in a context sensitive block-shot stance in front of a given shooter.
And its nice to be able to check someone and see an attempt at a check... even if it is varying degrees of effectiveness. They aren't all big booming checks...some of them -if done right- just knock a guy off balance and cause him to lose the puck...or not. Or the attempted check might just graze the player and cause him to alter his skating trajectory.
the "Intense contact controls" (i.e. the X button on D) controls the..um...cheap shots. Varying degrees of hooking, slashing, spearing and elbowing. The "Goon" players in the league can use them and are more likely to get away without a penalty, but the average Joe or offensive player will probably get sent to the sin bin for using them. So its best to use with the tough guys who are known to do a little extra...and get away with it.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Written by Craig Gonzalez
|
|
Thursday, 30 August 2007 |
|
Today we took part in a conference call along with other media sites with NHL 2K8 producers Ben Bishop, Scott Krager, and Colin O'Hara. We submitted questions like everyone else and the 2K/Kush staff did a fantastic job answering a ton of questions and really going into the game in detail. The conference call lasted just over an hour and we happened to record it all.....except for a minute between part 1 and part 2 due to technical difficulties. Take a listen and feel free to comment in the ConsoleSports.net forums HERE NHL 2K8 Conference Call pt. 1 NHL 2K8 Conference Call pt. 2
|
|
Last Updated ( Thursday, 30 August 2007 )
|
|
|
Written by Craig Gonzalez
|
|
Tuesday, 31 July 2007 |
New York, NY – July 31, 2007 – 2K Sports, the sports publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), today announced new standard setting features for NHL® 2K8, the latest edition of the top rated NHL video game series*. The new ProStick™ gives players precision puck handling movements and all new controls intuitively mapped to the right thumb stick while the groundbreaking face-off system brings an unmatched level of depth and strategy with every drop of the puck.
“The ProStick and face-off system work hand-in-hand to bring a new level of control to hockey video games,” said Graeme Bayless, President of Kush Games, a 2K Sports studio. “With these two features, we feel NHL 2K8 offers a fresh gameplay experience that will appeal to gamers new to the series as well as our loyal fans.”
Fans of realistic hockey action will be truly engrossed with the level of control introduced by the ProStick. Stick movement and commands are tied directly to the right analog stick, giving gamers authentic control and puck handling ability. Hundreds of new animations give users a full range of movement, creating a genuine NHL gameplay experience on both offense and defense.
|
|
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 31 July 2007 )
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Written by Administrator
|
|
Saturday, 21 October 2006 |
|
"The battle for hockey supremacy has never been any hotter than in 2006. Two solid hockey games were released for the Xbox 360 (as well as the older consoles and handhelds) this year and, with the PlayStation 3 just around the corner, it's probably fair to say that we haven't seen the end of quality hockey in 2006. Today, we got a chance to see and play one of those new PS3 puck games for the first time: NHL 2K7.
As has been the case with previous next-generation 2K Sports games, NHL 2K7 isn't skimping at all when it comes to content. Everything that's playable in the Xbox 360 version of the game will be found in the PS3 game as well, including a full franchise and online modes. Those who cry foul that NHL 2K7 is merely a straight port, however, haven't played the game. The developers behind NHL 2K7 have made a couple of important additions to the game's controls that help keep things fresh, and both center around the so-called Sixaxis controller.
First of all, checking can now be performed by jutting the controller forward when in the vicinity of an opposing player. The kind of hit you put on your opponent is dependent on the positioning of both players and, thankfully, it doesn't replace the tried-and-true checking controls. Whether it was due to the implementation or the fact that we needed some more practice with it, the tilt-control checking never really got under our fingers; as a result, we found ourselves resorting to more tried-and-true defensive methods such as screening the goalie and intercepting passes in order to keep ourselves in the game." Read full article HERE
|
|
| |
|
