What Do You Think?

[Savoie06]

Well people what are your thoughts on NHL 2K8 at this moment?Do you feel its going to be better than 2K7?Do you think EA will finally overtake 2K for the most realistic hockey game?Do you plan on owning one or both?
Me personally Im more excited about this 2K Hockey game than Ive been since they owned the ESPN license.Even if this years edition ends up being the lesser of the two hockey games this year,2K is finally waking up and realizing they need to be making serious upgrades to thier game.With the graphics finally looking updated,the new "pro stick",and changes to the Franchise Mode,2K8 is sounding quite promising to me.I do plan on owning both because it sounds like EA is really putting together a great game themsleves.2K8 comes out first so I can get my hockey fix as early as possible.No matter what results from this years games,next year is sure to be phenomenal!:dance:

[The Tree]

I definitely agree. You can't help but be excited about the improvements. I'll probably buy both but it depends on what they say about EA's game. I thought last year the EA game was goin to blow 2k out of the water. But they still haven't come up with a gm as intelligent and well rounded as 2K's. But I'm looking forward to both. It looks to be a great year for videogame hockey.

[maball]

I'm looking forward to both games...i will be purchasing both...im a huge hockey videogame fan and can't wait to play these two games!!!...September 3rd(ship or release date for 2K8) is only like a month away!!!

[Sylar]

I agree, this year would be phenomenal in terms of Ea and 2k being able to deliver next gen games. I am leaning towards 2k8 however, I just wanted to sort of deviate from Ea (followed the Ea hockey franchise since 98) and see what else is out there.

[baandje]

With the graphics finally looking updated,the new "pro stick",and changes to the Franchise Mode,2K8 is sounding quite promising to me.
I think the Pro Stick has the chance of defining 2K hockey in comparison to EA's series, in the same way Konami's PES controls define that game compared to EA's FIFA. The individual player moves and tricks that are possible in PES go way beyond anything in FIFA. In the same way, by having to use the buttons to shoot, the Pro Stick can be programmed to pull off all kinds of moves - moves that I doubt are going to be possible with EA's Skill Stick. I found that to be the one glaring problem with the Skill Stick last year: very little real puck control, given the slightest move in the wrong direction and the player would shoot the puck instead of stick handling.

[Savoie06]

I also like in 2K8 how you can the LB to pass or you can hold it down and use the right analog.Ive always thought they should incorporate passing into the analog controls.Maybe this way passes wont be so dead on all the time or you could even lead on a guy on the break.I think they should have maybe done the same with the shooting though and just made the RB a modifier button.

[Badeshlesh]

No way...I like the shooting as one button. None of that crap EA pulled to make the controller settings all messed up from '06 to '07

[shotblocker]

Many feel 2K was playing catch up in the gameplay dept. to EA, which is rare. I think the new controls are an improment in controls over EA's game. I wonder if they will have goalie/puck phsyics, that is something they need that EA kinda has in place, but also that can be gratly improved upon,

[sabres81]

I was not a big fan of the fact that EA only had a 10 season deep franchise in 06 not sure about 07 b/c i went to 2k7 which I liked much better. Only prob w/ 2k7 the create a team was junk couldnt even get a logo to match one of the four colors you could have for sweaters. Hope this is improved. Anyway, not going to spend $50+ on EA for ps2 when 2k8 will be $20.

[Bl00d h0und Gang]

EA NHL has always been my choice over 2k hockey. WITHOUT QUESTION EA sports took a leap into the next gen world with the skill stick, while NHL 2k7's game play was closer to old gen hockey.

I am torn on which game to get this year. I have dismissed all 2k sports titles since they went to the $20 discount games in 2004. But now I'd be remiss if I don't give all 2k sports games a good hard look before deciding to with EA or 2k. What excites me the most about NHL 2k8 is the new faceoff mechanics. Having players thrown out of the faceoff circle is an aspect of video game hockey that has been missing for to long. This reason alone has me leaning towards purchasing 2k8 over NHL 08 by the slightest of margins. Idk fo sho. We'll see. Both games should be hott! I probably can not go wrong either way.

[Bl00d h0und Gang]

Many feel 2K was playing catch up in the gameplay dept. to EA, which is rare. I think the new controls are an improment in controls over EA's game. I wonder if they will have goalie/puck phsyics, that is something they need that EA kinda has in place, but also that can be gratly improved upon,

So can your spelling and sentence structure.

[Savoie06]

[/B][/U]

So can your spelling and sentence structure.
O hoo dyed and maid u da english teecher?:rotfl:

[Bruins08]

errr, im not looking forward to the new control scheme. moving everything to the back of the controller and having a lot more dekeing in the game will increase the scoring. But thats not the problem. the problem is that the goaltending needs to be improved by A LOT. enhanced goalie AI is needed greatly....and goalie attempts at saves on the one timer needs to be improved. i really hope they have a classic controller option in the game......

[Savoie06]

errr, im not looking forward to the new control scheme. moving everything to the back of the controller and having a lot more dekeing in the game will increase the scoring. But thats not the problem. the problem is that the goaltending needs to be improved by A LOT. enhanced goalie AI is needed greatly....and goalie attempts at saves on the one timer needs to be improved. i really hope they have a classic controller option in the game......
Well supposedly the Goalies have been completely revamped.

[Nightbird248]

Ok, here is a preview of the game by 2khockey.net that they did after then got to play the game at 2k Sports/Kush Games office in southern California in early July.

"2KHockey.net was recently invited to 2K Sports/Kush Games’ southern California offices to spend a day meeting the NHL development team and getting an early look at NHL 2K8. I got to spend quite a bit of time with the game, and there was a lot to take in.

The first thing you’ll notice when you start up the game is the revamped menu system. Instead of the standard vertical menus, everything is now found in a side-scrolling horizontal bar across the top; when a menu item is selected, a dropdown sub-menu branches out underneath it. This new layout certainly gives the UI a new and intuitive feel, taking advantage of widescreen displays and allowing menu options to be easily visible and accessible.

Once you jump in to a game, the most obvious improvement over 2K7 is the graphics. No longer a shiny port, the new graphics engine is apparent immediately: player models have been completely rebuilt and look fantastic, faces have been redone to look more earthy and realistic, arenas and crowds are incredibly detailed, and there are a ton of new animations. Last year's revamped skating engine returns and is as fluid as ever, but now features a lot of additional subtle animations, too. One of my favorites was a player sticking his skate out to block or deflect a puck: not necessarily to kick it to his stick, but just to keep a bad pass or loose puck from getting past him. And goalies have been almost completely rebuilt from the ground up, featuring a whole array of new animations and making much more realistic saves. I saw a number of beautiful looking animations in just a few games.

The name of the game this year is authenticity. The team was well aware of the mixed response that last year’s Cinemotion received, so those fearing “Cinemotion 2.0” needn’t worry – while the cinematic presentation style is still available as an option for those who enjoyed the dramatic take on the game, the game has defaulted back to the broadcast presentation format, featuring the lauded lower-to-the-ice Parametric camera, TV-style replays, and commentary by Bob Cole and Harry Neale. I couldn’t hear much of the audio while playing but did notice the commentators sounding a little more energized at times, excitedly calling players’ names during impending scoring chances.

2K8 will also feature an impressive amount of visual detail. Beyond the more evident things like tucked jerseys, the game will contain dozens of pieces of branded equipment, down to the specific models of tons of sticks, gloves, skates, and helmets. Kush was working on getting as many NHL players as possible to be represented in their exact equipment – denoting whether their shin guards are tucked in to their skates or overlapping the tongues, and even how much tape is on both the butt and the blade of their stick.

That’s all great, but what about gameplay? The biggest addition this year is the new control scheme, dubbed “Pro Stick”. The right analog stick now gives you 360 degrees of stick movement while puck handling – move it left or right, sweep it forward or behind you, and your player’s stick will move the puck accordingly. If you sweep it forward and back, you’ll move the puck in front of you then curl it back in. Move it backward and press the left trigger and you’ll kick it back to your stick. More moves and refinement are still being worked on. The key is the 360 degrees of stick movement without accidentally shooting the puck or doing an unintended spin/deke.

Passing and shooting are mapped to the left and right bumpers, respectively. Basic passing can be done by tapping LB, or you can hold down LB and use the right stick itself for directional passing, a la NHL Rivals. It’s a nice touch that feels pretty solid. Tapping RB flicks a quick wrist shot, holding it queues up a hard wrister, and pressing left trigger + RB (per 2K’s now-standard left-trigger-modifier) winds up a slap shot. It takes some getting used to but allows you to use the right stick to deke freely and only shoot when fully intentional.

Rounding out the new controls is a sprint button and a set of Superstar Moves. When holding the sprint button, you will bear down for an extra boost of speed – handy to chase down an icing, get a jump on the defenders, or chase a player who just beat you. The twist is that when you’re skating that hard, you can’t deke (you only have one hand on your stick) and your fatigue decreases twice as quickly, so you have to use it sparingly. Race up and down the ice and your player will be toast for the rest of his shift; save it until you need it and you’ll find it’s an incredibly useful and realistic tool. The AI also appeared to use it sparingly and realistically, digging in for breakaways and chasing down loose pucks.

Superstar Moves are basically impressive goalie dekes that come into play when you hold down L3 (press in the left analog stick) and press a combination of face buttons. Holding L3 and tapping A-B, for example, might do a fake backhand + wrist shot. Tapping B-Y would be another special move, and so on. There are 12 different moves in all, including rarities like firing off one leg and Owen Nolan’s point-at-the-net. The ease of pulling off these moves depends on the in-game situation and the user’s timing, and the effectiveness is tied to the puck handler’s skill. I was assured by Kush that they were being careful to prevent Superstar Moves from being too effective, making them really only useful on breakaways and/or by more skilled players. If you're not interested in these moves, they can be set to work in “Shootouts Only” or be disabled entirely; online games start with them off by default for those worried about cheesers.

The new controls took me a while to get used to, but once I did, the gameplay felt smooth and familiar. There were some issues still to work out (with 2 months until release this was expected) but the improved goalies, right stick puck handling, and sprint feature looked and felt very good. It was nice being able to puck handle in all directions, not just left and right. Playing defense still feels excellent, allowing you to easily skate backwards, sweep your stick freely (seamlessly making poke checks with the right stick now), and lay your stick down to block passing lanes. And one-timers were missing the net much more often than in the past, making them quite a bit less reliable unless you (or the AI) are in good position. I saw a considerable percentage of CPU one-timers miss the net by a wide margin. Kush told me that they were still working on the gameplay, making AI and control tweaks and further refining the goalies. The human-versus-human games were tighter than ever, pitting 360 degrees of defensive stick sweeping against 360 degrees of offensive stick moves. It felt very balanced on both sides of the puck.

One specific area that’s received a lot of attention is faceoffs. The right analog stick still controls your hockey stick, which you can use to win the faceoff in various ways. Say you’re a righty and want to win the draw back to the defenseman to your rear left. Set your blade down on the ice by holding the right stick to the right; when the puck is dropped pull it back to the left and you’ll sweep at the puck on your forehand. If you want to win it back to your right do the opposite (start with your blade on the left and sweep to the right) and you’ll pull it back on your backhand. You now have to consider who your center is, whether he’s right- or left-handed, and where you want to win the faceoff to. Players will also tie each other up and kick at the puck. And timing is more important than ever, as if you take stabs at the puck too early the ref will push you back and you’ll have to line up again. Do it a few times and you will get thrown out of the circle, forcing your winger to take the draw instead. Combine all of this with a system that allows the Faceoffs are an important aspect of a hockey game that have never been approached like this before, and this new setup is a fantastic, realistic addition.

Other miscellaneous new features I came across include a player finder, the ability to save replays and create highlight reels, variable attendance (seeing the United Center in Chicago about 30% full just made me smile), and a crazy deep Create-A-Player mode. Taking advantage of the branded equipment mentioned above, you can give your created player a huge variety of specific models of skates (boots and blades independent of each other), gloves (including setting separate colors for the stripes and different parts of the glove), sticks (you can even set the amount of curve on the blade), and helmets. Instead of showing up as plain numbers in the menu, you can specifically select the brand name and actual model. You can then select how much tape is on your stick – both the butt and the blade, including how far up/down the stick the tape runs – as well as your shirt collar color, shoulder pad and shin guard styles, tape around your socks (and its transparency), visor style and color, and much more. It’s insanely deep and will let you deck out your player with an incredible amount of customization and specific equipment."

Myself, not sure which I will get as I don't see the point of spending $120 on 2 hockey games. I like what I have read an the videos I have seen of both but the controller setup for 2K8 is uncomfortable at best to me anyway.

[gohabs93]

I will buy both 2k8 and 08, I will play each for 2 weeks. Then I will play the best between them for seasons. Last year it took me 5 days to know all the scoring tricks in nhl 07 and hate it . Nhl 2k7 was easy in the beginning but then when I changed the sliders (one timers on hard), it became cool. But I still think the CPU should be more challenging (even more with EA). AI like winning eleven franchise :P

[Bl00d h0und Gang]

That was a good find NightBird248. The new faceoff mechanics get me so excited.