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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.
One feeling I can't get away from is this: The more 2K8 I play, the more "naked" I feel on defense in the EA game. On offense, things are pretty good as well... (again..you MUST go through the control drills. If you don't want to invest 25 minutes to do the drills and learn the controls, don't bother with this game.)
Gamers who have the attention span of Ritalin perscribed toddlers on Red Bull should avoid this game... (cough, cough...Bangpow.)
Yes- the pass button on the left bumper takes some getting used to, but you do. The shoot button on the right bumper takes some getting used to... but you do. Slapshots use left trigger and RB together take some getting used to...but you do.
It all becomes second nature, actually. However, know that classic controls are still available if you want them.
What is really impressive is the "Pro Control" option on offense- particularly on the power play. Here's how it works... to go into "Pro Control" mode on offense, hit the "Back" button on the 360 controller. This will immediately put controller button icons above all of your players... to attempt a pass to that player, you need only hit the button that corresponds to the appropriate player you want to try to hit. It really promotes good puck movement on offense. Now- in this mode, to shoot, you still have pro-stick controls on the R-stick, but the shoot button then becomes the players assigned button (makes sense, because the player can't really pass to himself..)
This is VERY nice, because in other games, you might have two guys on one side of the goalie on an overload play, and other games use the AI to decipher which one you want to throw to if they are in the same general area. So the AI would "think" for you in those games, and sometimes "think" wrong... because all you can do is push the stick in the general direction in which you want to slide the pass. When you bring up the "Pro Control" icons, this problem is immediately remedied, and promotes a heck of a lot of offensive creativity.
The offensive quick-plays are nice too..and the "On the Fly Coaching" with the D-pad works real nice.
One thing I do notice, the puck does not "stick" to your stick quite as much as it does in the other NHL game this year... once you go on All-Pro, you can't just constantly try to carry the puck through traffic., because you will get bumped off the puck if you try to get too cute in traffic. Here's where the good players and the average players show differences. Sid Crosby is more likely to hold on to the puck in traffic than Brooks Orpik and Georges Laraque. Also, Sid and Malkin are more likely to toss an on-the-tape pass than those guys. Forget the "super high percentage passing with everyone" you might be used to. It doesn't apply here unless you are playing an all-star game.
Goalies are also extremely well-done in this game, and have varying personalities. Some come out far, some do dramatic dives and flops, some butterfly, some stand-up. Varying goalie styles, saves, and techniques....also equate to more varied types of goals. This used to be a problem in previous years of 2K hockey, but now its been addressed and its now a definite strength.
Also- there's very little in this game that isn't adjustable via sliders... which is the hallmark of most 2K sports games. I need to also add that the new faceoff commands kick butt. You can tie guys up and kick the puck back out to teammates, or try to stickwork the puck away, or jostle the puck to the wings, or cheat for early pre-drop position (and risk getting waived out). Pretty darn deep. Certain approaches work better depending upon how the guy you are facing off against approaches his faceoffs. Graphically, I'm playing on HD 1080i, and I'm very impressed with the player faces, arenas, animations, presentation- you name it. Looks darn good.
In short- I think if I was to some up my NHL 2K8 experience so far, I'd say it has been fun and rewarding. Its got a 25 minute learning curve that might turn more casual types off (if they want to use the deeper new controls), but this is definitely a mature brand of hardcore hockey where everything you could want is at your fingertips.
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