We have another WINNER from EA Canada!

What I Liked:
- “Be A Pro” mode. I thought I would never use this mode as much as I have. It’s pretty much the only way I play NHL 09 now unless I go head to against my friends. Besides the “Play Now” mode I haven’t touched the others at all! I like the grading/ rewards system; even though it takes forever to upgrade your character it’s more realistic & you learn how to play your position. Being able to create your own character & become a rising star in the NHL starting from the AHL is a lot of fun & very addictive!
- Intuitive Controls. EA has thrown out the old scheme & has introduced a new one. At first it is difficult to use this new control scheme but it makes sense after you get used to it. For those who liked the old control scheme you still can.
- Instant Replay. During a game you can hit the ‘start’ button to access the menu & choose the ‘instant replay’ option. You can make your own replay clips & save them for later viewing (at least on the PS3).
- The fact that EA Sports got every team/ player from the AHL & the NHL plus the European Leagues.

What I Hated:
- Player Renderings. EA was able to render many of the “big” stars of the NHL very close to the real thing but then they had a fair bit of default representations that weren’t even close. I understand that the leagues (NHL, AHL, etc…) are huge & that you cannot render everyone involved in them but try to get most of the players in the NHL at least!
- Frame Rate. Sometimes at any point during a game all the players flash on & off uncontrollably for a brief amount of time (10 seconds to a minute). This becomes annoying during game play but down right frustrating during a critical offensive/ defensive play!
-Announcers. They are repetitive. Call wrong plays & pronounce some player names wrong.

What Was In Between:
- Camera Angles. For the most part they were fine but during fast action at either end of the rink the camera has a hard time tracking the puck therefore making for a very dizzy & frustrating experience (especially while on the offensive)!
- Fighting. While third person it is more realistic than previous attempts but not as rewarding. Fights are also very brief (3 hits maximum!).

Almost excellent...

Wow is what came to mind when I played the demo for this game. The demo is what I have the most experience playing since I just got the game today but as far as what I've read and the gameplay from the demo I feel like I can write an okay assessment of this game. I am a long time nhl 2k sports fan and I always try to play both games before buying one. Hands down EA's game was the best choice. Amazing gameplay and visuals are one of the many features of this game. Being a 2k guy the controls are extremely different but yet feel very intuitive (demo and game tutorials make learning the controls quick and easy.) The be a pro thing is a neat concept and is probably how I will play the game for now (I usually take my favorite team and play season to season) and see where that takes me (my character.) So far the only gripe I have with the game is insanely stupid AI on behalf of human players team. I've been playing the demo over and over on both pro and all-star for about a week now and I can't even count how many one timers were missed because of either poor positioning or late execution on the shot. Very frustrating if you enjoy moving in quickly on the defense and making a pass to one timer. Another thing that is frustrating to me is that the AI doesn't reposition themselves based on my position (I always play the guy with the puck) but this is actually a good thing to teach me to play my characters position both on offense and defense. Those are my thoughts on the game, if you are thinking about buying it I certainly recommend it, and if you are a die hard 2k fan like me make the switch you won't be disappointed (sorry 2k, I am a traitor but your 2k9 is the real tragedy. Hopefully next years game will be completely overhauled, either way I will always give both games a fair shot.)

Tremendous game!

Sometimes the AI releases the puck to my player or down the ice by itself whereby I hadn't pressed any button. (I don't know if some setting is causing this.) So much fun that even though I get scored on and/or lose it's still fun. Why EA, the last four editions of NHL, hasn't allowed Stanley Cup Playoffs to be accessed right away where you play an opponent in the same room as you and not having to play only the AI (w/o having to play a season), I don't know. You used to be able to go right into playoff mode with a buddy with single game advance/elimination.

On the Way.

One of the better hockey games I've played in awhile but also has MANY flaws. The control scheme is VERY simplistic which makes for alot of errors and mishaps(penalties.) Because so many commands come from the right joystick it will OFTEN do one you didnt want. The passing needs improvement too, you'll press to pass to the guy in front of you and your guy will simply chuck it into the wall behind him.. Online play is what it is for an EA game on the free Playstation Network. Many disconnects which result in a loss, even if you were winning, plus it increases your DNF%(did not finish/disconnect) Overall I enjoy playing it but I also see MANY flaws. If I was a bigger hockey fan I think I'd lose my mind with anger playing this, the way I do with Madden. So(from the casual gamer point) I give this a 6.5/10.

NHL 09 is AWESOME!

This game is the best hockey game I've ever played. There are so many things you can do online and offline. This game will keep you busy and happy for a long time. You can play as a team on online players or you can play one one with someone online. You can even join a club/league and play with your friends. All stats online and offline are kept so everyone can see how good a player you are or NOT. This game is CRAZY FUN!