Please Post Your Demo "1st Impressions" here :)

[Rising Force]

If youve downloaded the demo, please share with the rest of us what YOU think so far!

Thanks

:thumbsup:


We'd like to hear from 360 owners now too !:)

[mr NEW JERZ]

the demo already came out? i wonder when nba 2K9 demo will come out

[submityoresume]

the demo already came out? i wonder when nba 2K9 demo will come out
LOL this guy is in an NBA2K9 trance! this thread absolutely has nothing to do with NBA2K9 geesh:rolleyes:

[AKA AO]

i play about 10 games now and i already don't like it. the stick handling is worst this year. the new controls suck. its like playing EA 07. how hard is it to make a game that lets you shoot when you want to shoot.

the superstar moves to deak out players is nice, but thats about it. i will keep playing it to get more use to it, but i think its bad. atleast when i try the 2k8 controls the first time it felt right. this control feels all wrong.

[CellFish]

That's all I needed to hear.

[reddog]

why cant they make the goalies look real, there should be way more crossovers when turning, your not always gliding when your turning, especially when your trying to gain speed, not that impressed sorry

[reddog]

This game needs work, played a few periods and looks like the same 2k, I do like the control of the dman I must say, responsive

[AbuckleysO]

wen is the demo comin for ps3

[reddog]

its up go download- over 2 hours ago

[kcxiv]

Demo for this game is out already.

[Rising Force]

The demo came out for the PS3 version earlier today.
So far no good reviews,,, but I think what AO is complaining about is what I complained about 2 years ago on NHL07 and eventually got used to it.

[kcxiv]

I dont know much about hockey, but i do know about video games. So far it all seems very responsive. Going to keep playing until i know what the heck i am doing. So far the shooting/passing and whatever seem ok. Like i said though. i dont really know what i am doing just yet. I am not a hockey fan. we have like no hockey in central california. lol

[Rising Force]

i play about 10 games now and i already don't like it. the stick handling is worst this year. the new controls suck. its like playing EA 07. how hard is it to make a game that lets you shoot when you want to shoot.

the superstar moves to deak out players is nice, but thats about it. i will keep playing it to get more use to it, but i think its bad. atleast when i try the 2k8 controls the first time it felt right. this control feels all wrong.



I wish you'd give us some more details on your review, instead of just pointing out what you hate the most! So far youve made 3 threads and made it clear to all of us that you hate the new controls..... but what about the graphics? the game play? the overall feeling,,,,
Now , dont get me wrong,,, I DO appreciate your feedback,,,,and I do think that the controls are very important..... but as I said before, I used to HATE the NHL07 and LOVED 2K7,,,,but eventually I got used to it and LOVE it now,,, so its not a bad thing when they make a change as long as its not ruining the game completely .

Thanks again for your input bro,,,,, give us more details if you can :)

[kcxiv]

Its responsive as hell i do know that. I am playing in the hybrid controls and i dont know what people dont like about it. They seem fun so far. Skating seems like their skating. Hits seem good. I like going and controlling the goalie. I just need to learn the rules of this game.

[BigBoy23]

What happened to building from the ground up???

This is almost the same exact game as 2k8. The skating isnt that great, the controls feel clunky, and thats compared to 08, which is the only thing going for that game.


How come they rarely do crossovers? It just seems like this game was just thrown together in 2 months and they left the basics out.

C'on 2K, seriously?

PS - i'm gong to keep playing it to see if it gets better but ive already played about 15 games and I havent found myself liking it more yet.

[AKA AO]

I wish you'd give us some more details on your review, instead of just pointing out what you hate the most! So far youve made 3 threads and made it clear to all of us that you hate the new controls..... but what about the graphics? the game play? the overall feeling,,,,
Now , dont get me wrong,,, I DO appreciate your feedback,,,,and I do think that the controls are very important..... but as I said before, I used to HATE the NHL07 and LOVED 2K7,,,,but eventually I got used to it and LOVE it now,,, so its not a bad thing when they make a change as long as its not ruining the game completely .

Thanks again for your input bro,,,,, give us more details if you can :)

the hitting is better, the gameplay kind of feel the same as 2k8 but i think 2k8 is still better. they don't give you much in the demo. the intro looks cool, players look better then 2k8 but not even close to EA. there was no commentary so i can't speak on that. once again the sliders need work but i'm sure the demo on easy.

[Rei]

A couple questions for anyone that played the demo.

What teams can you choose from?

How does the crowd react to home team goals, away goals, big checks etc.?

Are the "built from the ground up" goalies any better than they were last year?

That's it for now, i'll have more questions later.

[MapleLeaf16]

A couple questions for anyone that played the demo.

What teams can you choose from?

How does the crowd react to home team goals, away goals, big checks etc.?

Are the "built from the ground up" goalies any better than they were last year?

That's it for now, i'll have more questions later.

1) Pittsburgh and Detroit
2)The crowd reacts alot better than 2k8. When Detroit scores the place goes nuts and it's dead quiet when ****burgh scores.
3)The Goalies look pretty good

[MapleLeaf16]

So I just finished playing the demo and overall I'd say it's pretty good improvement over 2k8. The animations are much better and the Classic control is 10 times better than 2k8. My only problem is that when you score, it only shows who scored and not who assisted but besides that it's lookin good

[Rei]

Thank you sir.

[lockjaw333]

I posted this at another forum. I'm a huge 2K hockey fan, been there since the beginning. Here are my thoughts:

Okay, I've played the demo 20 some odd times now. Here are my impressions, I'll try to break it down into facets of gameplay.


GRAPHICS:

The graphics in this game are pretty bleh. I would venture to say that NHL 2K8's graphics are better. Maybe its the PS3 version, but nothing seems sharp and clean, and textures are pretty poor. Uniforms and equipment definitely look worse than 2K8.

As far as animations, they are definitely an upgrade from 2K8. However, it seems like the core gameplay is dependent on only a handful of animations. There aren't many variations of wrist shot animations. I would say the bulk of the animation work was put into collisions and checks, with subtle nudges and bumps really shining.

Stickhandling animations are downright atrocious. (More on this later)


GAMEPLAY:

Right away its easy to see that positioning has become more of a focus. Players keep proper positioning much more frequently, and the computer actually plays positional D rather than check first, ask questions later. AI logic seems decent enough for the low difficulty setting the demo is on.

The Skating engine is awesome. Its easily my favorite part of the demo. Its right up there with EA's engine. The speed and flow of the game is very realistic. For default settings, the game plays a very realistic game of hockey straight away.

CONTROLS:

Many of you are going to be really unhappy with the amount of control given to your player. I'm actually pretty upset about this aspect. I used the Pro Stick Evolution controls. Up front, I will say that they are a downgrade from last year's pro stick.

First off, stick control is really, really, REALLY poor. Basically, you are now restricted to side to side movement with your stick when handling the puck. Its not very fluid, and your player hunches over, seemingly concentrating super hard when stickhandling. It looks sort of ridiculous. This is a marked downgrade from 2K8. Forget total stick control. Forget always having to position your stick.

What makes this system worse is that, when you do stickhandle, your player stops skating and just glides. You cannot skate while stickhandling. Dekeing the goalie is also basically eliminated. You can't create your own dekes. Remember all of those nice dekes you made in shootouts or on breakaways? Yeah, forget about them.

If you want to pull a fancy move, you're now relegated to superstar moves, which, for all intents and purposes, are pretty meh. I was able to do an inside-out type move, a spin move, and some weird forehand-backhand shot.

Defense is totally gimped. Full control stick sweeping is absolutely inept. Once again, your player stops skating when you activate full stick control. And it seems that you can only move left and right (no more 360degree control). Also, I'm not sure if it was just the PS3 controller, but I found it literally impossible to go into full stick control without my player poke checking first. I tried doing it lightly, quickly, etc....no dice.

This upsets me because defense is one of the facets of 2K hockey that I've always loved. You've always had such awesome control over your defensive arsenal. It seems almost all of that has been stripped away, which seems in line with the general dumbing-down of the game.


Despite all this, my overall feeling is that I actually liked the game. I know it will have tons more polish in the final product, and I think I will enjoy it. But don't expect it to be a super realistic hockey simulation, because as of right now its not.


Quick notes because this is getting too long:

--checking isnt insane, its actually pretty realistic
--goalies are pretty good, but dont seem quite at the level of 2K8
--dedicated dump button is very cool. makes cycling much better.
---did i mention stick handling is hideous?


Thats all for now. Thanks for reading.

[Price]

sounds like 2k bombed this one big time.

[AKA AO]

I posted this at another forum. I'm a huge 2K hockey fan, been there since the beginning. Here are my thoughts:

Okay, I've played the demo 20 some odd times now. Here are my impressions, I'll try to break it down into facets of gameplay.


GRAPHICS:

The graphics in this game are pretty bleh. I would venture to say that NHL 2K8's graphics are better. Maybe its the PS3 version, but nothing seems sharp and clean, and textures are pretty poor. Uniforms and equipment definitely look worse than 2K8.

As far as animations, they are definitely an upgrade from 2K8. However, it seems like the core gameplay is dependent on only a handful of animations. There aren't many variations of wrist shot animations. I would say the bulk of the animation work was put into collisions and checks, with subtle nudges and bumps really shining.

Stickhandling animations are downright atrocious. (More on this later)


GAMEPLAY:

Right away its easy to see that positioning has become more of a focus. Players keep proper positioning much more frequently, and the computer actually plays positional D rather than check first, ask questions later. AI logic seems decent enough for the low difficulty setting the demo is on.

The Skating engine is awesome. Its easily my favorite part of the demo. Its right up there with EA's engine. The speed and flow of the game is very realistic. For default settings, the game plays a very realistic game of hockey straight away.

CONTROLS:

Many of you are going to be really unhappy with the amount of control given to your player. I'm actually pretty upset about this aspect. I used the Pro Stick Evolution controls. Up front, I will say that they are a downgrade from last year's pro stick.

First off, stick control is really, really, REALLY poor. Basically, you are now restricted to side to side movement with your stick when handling the puck. Its not very fluid, and your player hunches over, seemingly concentrating super hard when stickhandling. It looks sort of ridiculous. This is a marked downgrade from 2K8. Forget total stick control. Forget always having to position your stick.

What makes this system worse is that, when you do stickhandle, your player stops skating and just glides. You cannot skate while stickhandling. Dekeing the goalie is also basically eliminated. You can't create your own dekes. Remember all of those nice dekes you made in shootouts or on breakaways? Yeah, forget about them.

If you want to pull a fancy move, you're now relegated to superstar moves, which, for all intents and purposes, are pretty meh. I was able to do an inside-out type move, a spin move, and some weird forehand-backhand shot.

Defense is totally gimped. Full control stick sweeping is absolutely inept. Once again, your player stops skating when you activate full stick control. And it seems that you can only move left and right (no more 360degree control). Also, I'm not sure if it was just the PS3 controller, but I found it literally impossible to go into full stick control without my player poke checking first. I tried doing it lightly, quickly, etc....no dice.

This upsets me because defense is one of the facets of 2K hockey that I've always loved. You've always had such awesome control over your defensive arsenal. It seems almost all of that has been stripped away, which seems in line with the general dumbing-down of the game.


Despite all this, my overall feeling is that I actually liked the game. I know it will have tons more polish in the final product, and I think I will enjoy it. But don't expect it to be a super realistic hockey simulation, because as of right now its not.


Quick notes because this is getting too long:

--checking isnt insane, its actually pretty realistic
--goalies are pretty good, but dont seem quite at the level of 2K8
--dedicated dump button is very cool. makes cycling much better.
---did i mention stick handling is hideous?


Thats all for now. Thanks for reading.

that about sum it up, i agree with everything you said. i'm hoping the demo is just bad and the final game is better. now 2k9 has drop from a buy to a rent first. EA09 got bumb up from a rent to a buy.

[PzYkED]

Played about 15 games on the demo... Feels like an old EA game when it comes to animation :( Jerky movements , and checking is ridicolous, u can slide around the ice by pressing the checking button and it doesnt matter if another player is close or not.. looks dumb. I liked 2k6 LOVED 2k7 and kinda liked 2k8, but 2k9 so far isnt even likable. Slapshot sounds like nhl 93 and skating enginge is nowhere near the previous years , not fluid at all .. 2k has dropped the ball , im sticking with 2k7 or maybe ill give 09 a go.

[Rei]

Thanks for the info Lockjaw, you answered alot of good questions in your review of the demo.

From what i've read about the demo so far it just seems like 2k9 is a step down from 2k8. To be completely honest the last time i played a 2k hockey game and actually had a fun time was 2k5.

I'm in no way shape or form an EA fanboy, hell i've never owned an EA hockey game, but it seems like EA is taking hockey to a new level and actually upgrading their game making it more fun every year and 2k is trying to keep up but in their own way.. which in turn leads to a disapointing product.

I'm disapointed that 2k9 might flop and EA might make a run at an NHL exclusive license. Hopefully the demo just lacks what the actual game might have in store... until september i guess i'll just have my fingers crossed.

[OneEyeRed]

I loved the demo and the controls are adjustable. As far as people saying the graphics are not up to par I would like to know what your playing it on. On my PS3 with a 50" Panasonic 1080P the game looks freaking amazing. Crystal clear graphics, smooth game play etc. I have played the demo about 15 times now and finding the right controls does take some time. However, if I were to compare this demo to NHL08, I would say I was quite impressed.

I honestly look forward to this game. The crowd looks great, the opening ceremony with the graphics display on the ice rocked. I am of course partial to Detroit as I was raised and grew up in the Detroit Metro area so they have always been my favorite team. Would have loved to see some octopi thrown out on the ice.

[Rei]

I loved the demo and the controls are adjustable. As far as people saying the graphics are not up to par I would like to know what your playing it on. On my PS3 with a 50" Panasonic 1080P the game looks freaking amazing. Crystal clear graphics, smooth game play etc. I have played the demo about 15 times now and finding the right controls does take some time. However, if I were to compare this demo to NHL08, I would say I was quite impressed.

I honestly look forward to this game. The crowd looks great, the opening ceremony with the graphics display on the ice rocked. I am of course partial to Detroit as I was raised and grew up in the Detroit Metro area so they have always been my favorite team. Would have loved to see some octopi thrown out on the ice.

Not everyone has an incredible TV. I'm sure with a thousand dollar TV anything looks pretty great. If that's the only market 2k9 is aiming for then they'll be disapointed.

[NativeHawkz88]

i think you all don't know the real game of hockey. you can't create your own fun so you gotta let it all on the game.. i watched videos... the hitting video is great.. the goalies are like 2k8 goalies. Just a bit more Sqaured.. and a bit weak on blocker side. Once again.. you guys put yourself in the position where you seem the game is letting you down. Graphic's.. are better i dont know what the hell is wrong with you but.. they sure did improve from 2k8.. aswell how can the players be floating when they said they removed all those errors..

[Rei]

i think you all don't know the real game of hockey. you can't create your own fun so you gotta let it all on the game.. i watched videos... the hitting video is great.. the goalies are like 2k8 goalies. Just a bit more Sqaured.. and a bit weak on blocker side. Once again.. you guys put yourself in the position where you seem the game is letting you down. Graphic's.. are better i dont know what the hell is wrong with you but.. they sure did improve from 2k8.. aswell how can the players be floating when they said they removed all those errors..

First of all if i wanted to create my own fun i'd build a fort in my backyard. When i buy a game for 60 dollars it damn well better be fun.. i shouldnt have to use my imagination to make a game fun.

Secondly, we all dont know the real game of hockey? So players dont cross over when they turn, slapshots sound like you're slapping a wet fish against the pavement, stick handling is impossible while skating, and players in the nhl dont skate backwords while trying to clog the shooting or passing lane with their stick?

Lastly graphics could honestly matter less to me. Graphics dont make great games, think of some of your favorite games of all time. I bet some of them were from your younger years on not so advanced entertainment systems with now laughable graphics. Point being, graphics dont make games great or even fun. Its the gameplay which 2k has been lacking these past couple years.

[AbuckleysO]

To be honest 2k8 was way better in everything.

[hockeylover16]

yea after hearing all this i think EA will be getting my 60 dollars and just say there shootout video on 1up and it looks very impressive

[b-Dub]

yea after hearing all this i think EA will be getting my 60 dollars and just say there shootout video on 1up and it looks very impressive

Really? After reading all of this, i see that some like it, some really don't and some seem to just not like the controls. All this means to me is that I can't wait for the demo to go live on XBL so I can try it myself and form my own opinion. Because, after all, when it comes to my enjoyment of games, my opinion is the only one that counts.

[hockeylover16]

Really? After reading all of this, i see that some like it, some really don't and some seem to just not like the controls. All this means to me is that I can't wait for the demo to go live on XBL so I can try it myself and form my own opinion. Because, after all, when it comes to my enjoyment of games, my opinion is the only one that counts.

I said I think That Ea will be getting my 60 dollars not that i will be for sure getting it just because of all of this, does this mean that will not be giving 2k9 a try? absoloutley not, but if enough people say the graphics are like a ps2 game and by looking at the videos i agree fully, and 09s like like a 360 version i think my 60 dollars will go to them
ps sorry bout the arguement im not looking for a fight, just for a place to read others opinions and to share mine

[Rei]

I said I think That Ea will be getting my 60 dollars not that i will be for sure getting it just because of all of this, does this mean that will not be giving 2k9 a try? absoloutley not, but if enough people say the graphics are like a ps2 game and by looking at the videos i agree fully, and 09s like like a 360 version i think my 60 dollars will go to them
ps sorry bout the arguement im not looking for a fight, just for a place to read others opinions and to share mine

:thumbsup:

[navarz]

I already pre ordered my copy of 2k9 so I hope i won't be dissapointed

[hockeylover16]

I already pre ordered my copy of 2k9 so I hope i won't be dissapointed
how much does it cost to pre order?

[Rei]

how much does it cost to pre order?

Usually at least 5 dollars but you can also pay up to the full amount if you'd like.

I was able to get my money back for preorders a few times, if you're really unhappy with your decision as of right now just get your cash back.

[HockeyFan18]

The camera angle in the demo was really bad I almost found it unplayable based on that.

[MapleLeaf16]

Wow, alot of people are dissapointed with the demo. I've found the hybrid controls to be great and the graphics are much better(and I'am using a Standard TV). Maybe some people are being a little too quick on their judgment but not everyone will love this game but that's alright.

[KillingEdge]

Wow from the way it sounds this game is awful...

out of all the people that played the demo really no one liked it. maybe 1 or 2 people thought it was ok, but i guess when the demo is out for the 360 i'll find out for myself if its good or not.

[AKA AO]

Wow, alot of people are dissapointed with the demo. I've found the hybrid controls to be great and the graphics are much better(and I'am using a Standard TV). Maybe some people are being a little too quick on their judgment but not everyone will love this game but that's alright.

have you played with pro-control? i don't know how people could think this is better. they just cut 50% of the control from making the right stick shoot. they try to rip off EA controls and did a poor job.

its not that hard to make basic controls. left stick skate right stick is the hockey stick. LB pass RB shoot. LT superstar mod. RT speed burst (not turbo) they should make turbo apart of the left stick by how much you press up or down on it.

i also get not everyone is going to like even my idea for controls, thats why just the base would be LS move RS stick. all the rest each player can map it anyway they like it.

[Grandmaster D]

Someone has put a vid on youtube. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thrJhHNqQkY)
The in game coach settings provide way more settings than before.
Still bitterly disappointed that 2K8s controls are not in, but some things look nice, like the ref putting the net in position (around 5:30 in the linked vid) in game just like the new celebrations.
Someone broke a glass? Wonder if they have a follow up animation.

Also, the short load time - just like in 2ks NBA - is a really good thing to me.

I wouldn't judge on the AI, as it seems to be set on an easy setting (hope so...).

[vanhalendlrband]

Whatever is most sim i'm goin with. Last year i chose 2k8 cuz i was able to use the 2k8 controls which everyone ****ed on about when they were just fine, they just needed to make it not so easy to score. I can't believe that they'd try to do the EA controls, although in a hockey game 2K did do it first anyways. I liked the total stick control, that was absolutely amazing and so sim.

Something was lost when Treyarch was off the job. It seems like from the sounds of things this game is getting more arcade and more arcade. I haven't played it yet, but i'm a huge sim fan of hockey, NHL 08 was not sim, 2K8 was, NHL 08's animations were definitely sim looking, but it wasn't a sim feel. Looks like I might just pick up 2K2 for Dreamcast again, and see whats happened since then, because when that came out it blew EA out of the water, EA was so arcade, and I think its the same EA game hiding behind the state of the art Mo-Cap technology they have here in Vancouver. Last years game felt like a joke, 2K managed to hold on to the sim, but the only thing that was wrong with the game was online drops, glitches, and it was too easy to score, all they had to do was fix that. Thats it, and improve the hitting, ready to go.

Now it seems like from what everyones saying we're left with two EA Sports games this year, man this is really dissappointing, the NHL games were finally going in a good direction, then 2k4-2k7 was Kush trying to do what Treyarch did, now we have VC trying to do what EA, Kush, and Treyarch did, and now it sounds like a huge mess.

If it wasn't for what treyarch did, Kush and 2k never would've had the sales they did for 2k games, and they basically added nothign too it except ruin the skating and the hitting. I'm getting 2K2 asap to find out whats gone wrong, maybe even 2K3 again. Other than the s-move, those games felt so real. How can you possibly mess that up.

I really hope, man. Again tho the demo last year was horrible, and once i turned it to sim settings it seemed sim, but i do not want to be playing with the shoot up stick left right. This just sounds horrible. THe 2k8 controls were fine, they were perfect for sim players, but too hard for newcomers, and people to used to cheezer moves from 2k7 which still worked in 2k8.

I guess this is the end, its a sad day for hockey games everywhere. Back to EA BS all over again. I almost bought EA last year, but i didn't like it, it looked really cool, it was really fun, but was it sim, somewhat. Not like 2k2-2k3 was minus the glitches in those games and s-moves.

They listened to all the wrong people on this one, even if the game ends up being more sim than EA again, the reviews are gonna be horrid. 2K hockey sounds like its done for good. Again i really hope not. I won't be able to go by the demo, because the demo from last years game wasn't accurate to the sim settings. Its probably fast, with big checks, and very arcadey am i right? Two years in a row now i haven't pre-ordered 2k. I did from 2k2-2k6. How can you guys be so stupid?????????????????????????? I just want to play a bloody hockey game, and what did EA get exclusive rights to the AHL or something. Like man alive.

[AKA AO]

your right vanhalendlrband if the 2k9 demo is like the full game, i think 2k is done with hockey. EA might be less sim but to me it looks like there trying. people tell them what was broken and bad in 08 and they reply in 09 by fixing those problems. wow how good would 2k be if they listen to anyone off this site. with pro-mode, online 30 man leagues, full 82 game season, trade and stat tracking. they almost have everything 2k has. the only thing there missing is a web site for league, which i think will be coming. also making your own player to take him online and build a team with your friends is to cool.

[SaintPatrick33]

My Impressions ,
First this game is on Rookie or Pro at best so remember that when reading everyones views. Second this is a demo that was probably submitted 2-4 months ago this isnt even close to the finished product .
Third this is 2k and it will have tons of sliders to fit almost everyones needs goalie speed , reaction ect so guys dont freak out already........:rotfl:
If I also remember correctly each team has its own individual sliders to adjust their style of play.
The Good and remember the difficulty setting on this demo is pro or lower and game speed is to fast in this demo:
The skating and animations are great and I saw many new ones and even a few new goalie ones which in my opinoin are near perfect .
The puck Physics are once again incredible very realistic.
CPU AI especially defensive is fixed as everyone is where they should be on the ice .
(no more cpu D-men guarding air behind the net )
I really liked the default camera setting very nice no blind spots.
Myself and many have seen the cpu dump and chase and cycle the puck and remember that can also be adjusted as some claimed that wasnt in there.
The game looks very nice in HD but player models did get shrunk a bit kind of like old EA big head square bodies at times but then they look near perfect at other times like different builds ? maybe this will be tweaked in the final product .
For us goalies theres a tons of new goalies masks with 30 real designs and tons of options skulls , Eagles and the options combinations are near limit less and customizing to their actually NHL masks will be very possible at least color wise in my opinion. Thanks for all the mask info to Ronnie Hobbs at GCHD.
Fleurys mask looks great in the demo design wise that is ,and the few players I could see close up looked dead on including Holmstrom but without the facial hair ?
The bad I really have no bad feelings about the demo other than wanting more and many have said that after their very critical first impressions but now they cant stop playing the demo very addictive and for me I really dont no what people expect from a demo anyways ?
Now many myself not included have complained about the new controls but like I said I am a goalie lol and find the new basic controls fresh ,simple and fun.
I cant believe with all of 2k fixes that we asked for years people are still complaining and judging the game on a possible 4 month old build with no slider adjustments ?
I used to be a hardcore sim player stats gotta be perfect , tweak sliders more
than I played but after playing MLB the show 08 the most near perfect sim game youll every play for 6 months straight which I loved !!! but did I have fun, yes but more fun then say MLB 2k7 or Madden 09 which are by no means a perfect sim but I enjoyed them so much more because they were/are FUN remember guys these are videos games and if you want what you see exactly on TV its not gonna happen but let me tell you THE SHOW 08 came close.
So guys just my opinion try and look at all the good things 2k/vc has already address in the short old Demo and I cant wait for the final product before I pass judgement.
:dance:

[Cozmicoz]

Overall Impression - A good, casual game of hockey

I've played 20+ games so far, and I'll break down the GOOD and the BAD.

THE GOOD:

- Fresher/Cleaner look to the franchise with a brighter overall appearance
- The arena looks wonderful - excellent details on the boards, crowd, etc.
- Intros are very nice; the video presentation on the ice never changes but the entrance camera angles change from game to game to make it a little more varied
- Crowd sounds and reactions are much more convincing and exciting
- Puck sounds are much more realistic too (off boards, flipping to the ice, etc.)
- Puck physics are fantastic as the puck bounces on edge, or rips into the top corner and out again, just as quickly (there's something about those rocket-shots to the roof of the net!)
- Collision detection is fine during gameplay, as the puck glances off body parts, sticks, and the rink convincing
- Also, players spin off checks, tumble, lose balance... nice improvement

THE BAD:

- Player models are 'boxy' and jerseys are too tight... however, when the game is in motion, everything looks very good and you won't notice these things as much
- In cut scenes, players bump into each other, the refs, and the net - there are some really quirky animations (or lack thereof!)
- Conversely, in some cut scenes, the collision system simply does not exist as players sail right through each other on their way to the bench and draw
- Goalies rock back and forth before going into their post-goal animation routine
- On a few occasions, the instant replay did not show the goal, but the insignificant action beforehand (???)
- Overall gameplay is more 'messy' than EA's NHL series... It's harder to set up, make quick cuts on your skates, control the flow of the play, etc.
- While the sound of the whistle is better than the previous 'high school gym whistle' used in previous versions, the ref still blows the whistle after a goal !@#!#$


MISC:

- Check out the CPU demo camera (it activates from the Rick Nash startup screen if you don't hit any buttons). If only we could play with that camera!@# (2K - please release a patch to make the cpu demo camera playable!)

INITIAL VERDICT: This game has a refreshing new look and appeal. It's nowhere near the sim that NHL 09 will be, but it's not meant to be that in the first place. If you like or love hockey, NHL 2K9 will impress you at times, and offer a different experience from EA's game. NHL 2K9 is an addictive game in its own right... and possibly NHL2K10 may seriously challenge EA.

Cheers,

Cozmicoz

[SaintPatrick33]

INITIAL VERDICT: This game has a refreshing new look and appeal. It's nowhere near the sim that NHL 09 will be, but it's not meant to be that in the first place. If you like or love hockey, NHL 2K9 will impress you at times, and offer a different experience from EA's game. NHL 2K9 is an addictive game in its own right... and possibly NHL2K10 may seriously challenge EA.

Cheers,

Cozmicoz

I think your sadly underestimating 2k9 new engine and one of a kind sliders which can tweak this game into any style you like.
NHL07-08 always feels very scripted to me as they could always score when they needed and to tell you the truth I am sick of those types of cheating AI games.:rotfl:
I just wanna play a fun realistic game of sim hockey I believe NHL 2K9 will give us ! Thanks 2k :dance:

[submityoresume]

I am pleased with the demo and find fun and ez to like = ) I know that once the full game is released it will be an instant classic. I don't care about all the extra stuff that ppl care about like players bumping into eachother during warm ups:eek: I care about the core which is gameplay and 2k you make us earn enjoyment through your games. That's why the lasting appeal always win when it comes to 2K! The complainers are like empty souls... They don't know brilliance if it stares'em in the face. This demo is a testimony to some great games of hockey that'll hold me over until NBA drops then i'll be good 2k = }

It's amazing to me how you are scrutinized so harsh when time and time again sim-play is what you guys dominate at. But noooo see the hater's have to blame you for that so they start bragging about the graphics of the competition. Then if you dominate in the graphic's the the hater's scream you compromised sim for graphic's:eek: Either way you lose with these empty fools who just want to steal the thunder from us 2K fanboys who are proud to be so! PEACE!!!

[Rising Force]

I played this demo about 30 times untill I realized that this game simply doesnt cut it.

The graphics are good but not great. The animations are updated, but still not the best. Sound is great as is the presentation.
The controlls plain SUCK ***......

And for those who say dont judge a book by its cover,,,,,, this isnt the cover. Judging this by the cover would be if I would judge it by little articles or pics here and there.....
I hardly believe that the final game would be THAT much batter , unless this demo was made 3 months ago and VC scratched this and worked on a new revamped game the last 3 months.....

So here is my scores:

Graphics 8
Presentation 10
Audio 8 ( since there isnt a commentary on demo this isnt 100% accurate)
Controls 6
Fun Factor 6

MY SCORE : 7.6

[SaintPatrick33]

:dance: I played this demo about 30 times untill I realized that this game simply doesnt cut it.

The graphics are good but not great. The animations are updated, but still not the best. Sound is great as is the presentation.
The controlls plain SUCK ***......

And for those who say dont judge a book by its cover,,,,,, this isnt the cover. Judging this by the cover would be if I would judge it by little articles or pics here and there.....
I hardly believe that the final game would be THAT much batter , unless this demo was made 3 months ago and VC scratched this and worked on a new revamped game the last 3 months.....

So here is my scores:

Graphics 8
Presentation 10
Audio 8 ( since there isnt a commentary on demo this isnt 100% accurate)
Controls 6
Fun Factor 6

MY SCORE : 7.6

Wow all that from a 4 month old demo well you most know more about the game than me :confused:
Maybe its just not your cup of tea and you prefer a more arcadey type of gameplay ?
But I think your making alot of assumptions off a short demo.

So heres are my ratings off a 1 period, 4 month old demo
Graphics 9 if you have a HDTV but agree players bodies could use a tweak
Presentation 10
Audio 8 Im sure this wont be like the Show or any game .
Controls 9 just perfect for me
Fun Factor 11 , its just so FUN period ... Fun and Sim = NHL2K9 :dance:
I score the Canadian way 47/50 eh !

[b-Dub]

Rising, what about the controls don't you like? I don't have a PS3 so I haven't played the demo yet, but I'm curious to know what's so bad about them.

[AKA AO]

Did i miss the crazy koolaid? i'm starting to think 2k PR people are posting. saying the demo is good is like saying alone in the dark was great game and the controls are just fine...

[Rising Force]

:dance:

Wow all that from a 4 month old demo well you most know more about the game than me :confused:
Maybe its just not your cup of tea and you prefer a more arcadey type of gameplay ?
But I think your making alot of assumptions off a short demo.

So heres are my ratings off a 1 period, 4 month old demo
Graphics 9 if you have a HDTV but agree players bodies could use a tweak
Presentation 10
Audio 8 Im sure this wont be like the Show or any game .
Controls 9 just perfect for me
Fun Factor 11 , its just so FUN period ... Fun and Sim = NHL2K9 :dance:
I score the Canadian way 47/50 eh !

Glad you liked it.

I explained above that unless they actually scratched what this demo was represneting 3-4 months ago and now have a new engine and game play, my score remains the same.
The last 2 times (2k8 and 2k7), the demo was truly representing what the final product would be like.
Sure, you will be able to tweak the sliders and adjust the difficulty. But you can NOT adjust the FUN FACTOR, which this game lacks so far.

[Rising Force]

Rising, what about the controls don't you like? I don't have a PS3 so I haven't played the demo yet, but I'm curious to know what's so bad about them.

The controls arent as tight as they were last year or the year before. Maybe its something I will get used to as time goes by,,,,, I just didnt feel like I had TOTAL control over the guy I was controlling... The ONE thing I truly have to give applause to VC is the controls in regards to HITTING. That works perfect. but when you have the puck and try to build a play, it just doesnt seem as smooth as 2k is known for .... Hopefully like AO begged for it, they will fix it or release a patch :)

[SaintPatrick33]

Glad you liked it.

I explained above that unless they actually scratched what this demo was represneting 3-4 months ago and now have a new engine and game play, my score remains the same.
The last 2 times (2k8 and 2k7), the demo was truly representing what the final product would be like.
Sure, you will be able to tweak the sliders and adjust the difficulty. But you can NOT adjust the FUN FACTOR, which this game lacks so far.

Actually the 2k8 demo was very different from the final product 2k8 as we were discussing that at 2k.net not sure about 7 thou.
So I just dont think its fair you re making all these assumptions on this demo as people should decide for themselves as everyones tastes are different .
kinda like I prefer Fun and Sim and you like scripted acrade style no biggy but dont wreck this game before it comes out for other people who may believe everything you write.:lol:
Ps I also read how many people like yourself hated it the first time but then got used to the new control options and they cant stop playing it ?

[b-Dub]

The controls arent as tight as they were last year or the year before. Maybe its something I will get used to as time goes by,,,,, I just didnt feel like I had TOTAL control over the guy I was controlling... The ONE thing I truly have to give applause to VC is the controls in regards to HITTING. That works perfect. but when you have the puck and try to build a play, it just doesnt seem as smooth as 2k is known for .... Hopefully like AO begged for it, they will fix it or release a patch :)

Ok. Thanks for the explanation.

[joker07]

2k9 DEMO is GREAT , The 2k9 game is genius ! It is not only a game , It is Realy hockey play ! :thumbsup: EA ending :thumbsdow

[joker07]

The controls arent as tight as they were last year or the year before. Maybe its something I will get used to as time goes by,,,,, I just didnt feel like I had TOTAL control over the guy I was controlling... The ONE thing I truly have to give applause to VC is the controls in regards to HITTING. That works perfect. but when you have the puck and try to build a play, it just doesnt seem as smooth as 2k is known for .... Hopefully like AO begged for it, they will fix it or release a patch :)

The controls are more better than before ! More responsive and not hard for use ! It is the best fusion EA and 2k skillstick . I love 2k PRO STICK NOW !

[Rei]

2k9 DEMO is GREAT , The 2k9 game is genius ! It is not only a game , It is Realy hockey play ! :thumbsup: EA ending :thumbsdow

Same statement, different thread.. ahem.

http://www.xbapodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/fanboi-anatomy.jpg

[vanhalendlrband]

your right vanhalendlrband if the 2k9 demo is like the full game, i think 2k is done with hockey. EA might be less sim but to me it looks like there trying. people tell them what was broken and bad in 08 and they reply in 09 by fixing those problems. wow how good would 2k be if they listen to anyone off this site. with pro-mode, online 30 man leagues, full 82 game season, trade and stat tracking. they almost have everything 2k has. the only thing there missing is a web site for league, which i think will be coming. also making your own player to take him online and build a team with your friends is to cool.

If these forums go back to 2005, or even back to the SEGA sports ones, you can see quotes from me telling them to fix the goalies glitches, and so forth, yet they never listened. Franchise mode still froze for 2k6 7 and 8 after that. I found the demo very different than sim settings on HOF tho from last year.

[JubeiDOK]

I don't know what you are all talkin about, you say you like 2K for sim and I see a lot of people missing the 2K8 pro stick controls (which were brilliant imho), but I've been playin these 2K games online for about 2 years now and there are only about 4 or 5 other people out there that know how to use the game to play a game of hockey. Where the 'ell were u guys when I was playin? No one used the pro stick, and if they did they didn't use it to stick handle. All your complaining and a bevy of horrid reviews led to what we have now, deal with it.

Also, I'm lookin for confirmation of wether or not the 3 control schemes in the demo are final? Will there be more in release? I thought I remebered reading in one of the previews that the more complex pro stick controls would be there for us fans that learned how to use it in the first place.

[kcxiv]

The controls arent as tight as they were last year or the year before. Maybe its something I will get used to as time goes by,,,,, I just didnt feel like I had TOTAL control over the guy I was controlling... The ONE thing I truly have to give applause to VC is the controls in regards to HITTING. That works perfect. but when you have the puck and try to build a play, it just doesnt seem as smooth as 2k is known for .... Hopefully like AO begged for it, they will fix it or release a patch :)
hmm, do you mean that the controls were not responsive? i found them to be very very responsive so far. Mind you i am not a hockey fan, and i am learning the game of hockey with this game and i will get down the rules and everything that goes with it, but its going to take me a little time.

[kcxiv]

I got word from 2k that penalties and fighting were removed from the Demo. Thats why you dont see it happening. Its probably due to them wanting you to just feel how the game runs.

[JubeiDOK]

oh yeah, and has onyone seen any pinning going on in the demo? did they seriously remove the board work, sucks if they did as it's a pretty big part of hockey

[submityoresume]

oh yeah, and has onyone seen any pinning going on in the demo? did they seriously remove the board work, sucks if they did as it's a pretty big part of hockey
U suck with all the whining ******.

[justabill37]

So did they remove D altogether and just make a straight EA port?

[Streetster17]

If these forums go back to 2005, or even back to the SEGA sports ones, you can see quotes from me telling them to fix the goalies glitches, and so forth, yet they never listened. Franchise mode still froze for 2k6 7 and 8 after that. I found the demo very different than sim settings on HOF tho from last year.
thats funny cause i just played an entire season on 2k8 and it froze on me. ****

[Rei]

thats funny cause i just played an entire season on 2k8 and it froze on me. ****

Just turn of cpu trades, injuries, and make sure each team has at least 3 scratched players and it wont freeze up on you.

Thank you kush and 2k for a quality product last year.. and the year before that... and the year before that..

[SaintPatrick33]

hmm, do you mean that the controls were not responsive? i found them to be very very responsive so far. Mind you i am not a hockey fan, and i am learning the game of hockey with this game and i will get down the rules and everything that goes with it, but its going to take me a little time.

Wow guys isnt this amazing a non hockey fan who never plays the game loves the new controls and finds them responsive :dance: Wow 2k9 you did combine FUN and SIM .
Its pretty nice not have to hold Rstick and Circle button and L2 bottom to get the same affect as its not rocket science its Hockey somtimes less is more :D
Its a great game Hockey and 2k9 so I hope you enjoy it and wait till you see the fight engine.
As far as learning the game try NHL.com for rules or just watch a few games and youll pick up alot and welcome to the great game of Hockey the coolest game on earth :cool:

[sleepytercel]

The demo is there to get the basic feel of the engine and what's offered for this year. You can't judge the simulation aspect, AI, and game speed based off this demo. It's set on the "pro" difficulty, which was already reported in previews to be more accessible to the newcomers. When these settings are changed, you will get a more realistic representation and a tougher game of hockey. So far, everything looks like it will provide a better overall and entertaining experience.

As for the controls, well...a lot of us got used to the controls in 2K8, and many of us liked them (I was one of them). However, a huge majority hated 2K8's control scheme and the reviews were even hurt by them. Everyone praised the EA controls and wanted 2K to add that scheme into their game. The new scheme may take some time to get used to (much like 2K8), and there may be a liking to them eventually. We were the minority crowd with the acceptance of 2K8's controls, and VC was only trying to offer what the community was wanting. When we're in the extreme minority, there isn't much that can be done.

[Mtume]

It feels random like

[Rei]

The demo is there to get the basic feel of the engine and what's offered for this year. You can't judge the simulation aspect, AI, and game speed based off this demo. It's set on the "pro" difficulty, which was already reported in previews to be more accessible to the newcomers. When these settings are changed, you will get a more realistic representation and a tougher game of hockey. So far, everything looks like it will provide a better overall and entertaining experience.

As for the controls, well...a lot of us got used to the controls in 2K8, and many of us liked them (I was one of them). However, a huge majority hated 2K8's control scheme and the reviews were even hurt by them. Everyone praised the EA controls and wanted 2K to add that scheme into their game. The new scheme may take some time to get used to (much like 2K8), and there may be a liking to them eventually. We were the minority crowd with the acceptance of 2K8's controls, and VC was only trying to offer what the community was wanting. When we're in the extreme minority, there isn't much that can be done.

Why not add the 2k8 control scheme as an option, i'm sure it wouldnt be that difficult. Even if not too many people would use it, i doubt it would be any less than the amount of people that use classic.

Also it's not so much the controls that upset me, it's the whole gliding with the puck while stick handling thing... what's up with that? You stop skating to glide and stick handle and concentrate on the puck in the NHL you're going to get hammered.

[SaintPatrick33]

The demo is there to get the basic feel of the engine and what's offered for this year. You can't judge the simulation aspect, AI, and game speed based off this demo. It's set on the "pro" difficulty, which was already reported in previews to be more accessible to the newcomers. When these settings are changed, you will get a more realistic representation and a tougher game of hockey. So far, everything looks like it will provide a better overall and entertaining experience.

As for the controls, well...a lot of us got used to the controls in 2K8, and many of us liked them (I was one of them). However, a huge majority hated 2K8's control scheme and the reviews were even hurt by them. Everyone praised the EA controls and wanted 2K to add that scheme into their game. The new scheme may take some time to get used to (much like 2K8), and there may be a liking to them eventually. We were the minority crowd with the acceptance of 2K8's controls, and VC was only trying to offer what the community was wanting. When we're in the extreme minority, there isn't much that can be done.

Well said Sleepy , its a demo why does everyone go crazy off 1 period of gameplay ?
Its just a taste but a very good one .
I also feel 2K delivered their goal of a FUN SIM at least what I saw in this demo .
Oh and why doesnt anyone praise them on no more cpu defenseman behind the net guarding air or the great new checking engine and wonderful new animations .:confused:
Its amazing most complained about last years controls so they changed them ? but now they miss um ???

[OneEyeRed]

Well I still enjoyed the demo and the various control options. As far as earlier 2K games locking up let me tell you that ever single EA game I have owned for PC or PS3 has and always did lock up more often than not except for Burnout Paradise. NHL08 was horrible for lock ups and bugs and I will simply not purchase any more EA games. I am done with them. 2K9 is the only other option for me for a Hockey Sim and the demo felt good to me and I had a blast with it.

[stoney0ne]

I dont know much about hockey, but i do know about video games. So far it all seems very responsive. Going to keep playing until i know what the heck i am doing. So far the shooting/passing and whatever seem ok. Like i said though. i dont really know what i am doing just yet. I am not a hockey fan. we have like no hockey in central california. lol
hmm, do you mean that the controls were not responsive? i found them to be very very responsive so far. Mind you i am not a hockey fan, and i am learning the game of hockey with this game and i will get down the rules and everything that goes with it, but its going to take me a little time.



well your target audience is happy 2k :rolleyes:

[Rei]

I applaud 2k for it's attempt to get people that arent necessarily fans of hockey interested in the game. The drawback of course is some, for lack of a better word, dumbing down of the controls and possibly other aspects of gameplay.

The NHL did the same thing. Why do you think they took out 2 line passes and added shootouts to OT? There are also alot more penalties involving the tying up of forwards. They wanted to increase scoring and the flow of the game to entertain fans and non fans alike.. it worked.

Just because someone new to hockey likes the 2k9 demo is no reason for sarcastic comments and cheap shots at 2k.

[beyonder09]

demo

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/38380.html

[kcxiv]

well your target audience is happy 2k :rolleyes:
To tell you the truth, if i wasnt a 2k moderator now, i wouldnt even have downloaded it, but now that i am, i try to play every game, so i have knowledge of it. I dont want to have to get into a discussion and me know nothing about what i am getting into on these boards.

Your reason for responding to my post was way off. I am a sim gamer to the heart. I try to play sim. Anyone that has played me in any other 2k, heck sports game period knows i dont cheat or cheese.

[SaintPatrick33]

To tell you the truth, if i wasnt a 2k moderator now, i wouldnt even have downloaded it, but now that i am, i try to play every game, so i have knowledge of it. I dont want to have to get into a discussion and me know nothing about what i am getting into on these boards.

Your reason for responding to my post was way off. I am a sim gamer to the heart. I try to play sim. Anyone that has played me in any other 2k, heck sports game period knows i dont cheat or cheese.

Hi the same guys who are complaining about the stick control are the same guys who complained last year how bad it was so they changed it this year but now they want it back :rotfl:
These same true sim players also spend more time tweaking sliders and complaining then actually playing.
Im also sim as it gets but at what point is enough enough do you guys even enjoy the games for what it is a game and if not maybe just watch hockey on TV. ;) ;)

[kcxiv]

Hi the same guys who are complaining about the stick control are the same guys who complained last year how bad it was so they changed it this year but now they want it back :rotfl:
These same true sim players also spend more time tweaking sliders and complaining then actually playing.
Im also sim as it gets but at what point is enough enough do you guys even enjoy the games for what it is a game and if not maybe just watch hockey on TV. ;) ;)
Yeah, i will always play fair, but not to the point of where they are eliminating pretty much everything. After all its a video game and its NEVEr going to play exactly the same. Some people just get to crazy with how they interpret sim rules.

Also, here is a sneak peek at the upcoming 2kommunity thing. These are just NHL2K online leagues for the moment. Thought another mod was going to post it, but i havent seen it up, so here it goes.....

http://www.leaguegaming.com/forums/showthread.php?t=121518

[AKA AO]

Hi the same guys who are complaining about the stick control are the same guys who complained last year how bad it was so they changed it this year but now they want it back :rotfl:
These same true sim players also spend more time tweaking sliders and complaining then actually playing.
Im also sim as it gets but at what point is enough enough do you guys even enjoy the games for what it is a game and if not maybe just watch hockey on TV. ;) ;)


this is not true there where many people that love them when they came out. when they did the change it was a change for the better. on day 1 i like the new controls. they also left the old ones in to keep 2k7 fans that didn't want to change happy. what happen to that common sense.

[Grandmaster D]

I finally got my hands on the demo; just one period against the AI and several against a friend.
I got to say, it's not as bad as some say it is. I got used to the new Pro Stick very quick. The game looks good to me, the animations and framerate in particular (for a PS3 sports game; afterwards we played the NHL 08 demo and boy, how can anyone play that game on PS3? The framerate hurts the eyes!).
I really like the short load time and the more of coach settings you can acces in-game - great stuff.
That said, I want 2K8s Pro Stick back - it just feels better and gives more control. I liked playing defence in 2K8 and need some time to get used to the slightly less control in that department. I heard that EA will have all of 2k8s defence control possibilities and some this year - wonder if anyone call it rip off - bet not. For 1up it will be a natural evolution out of the genius minds of EAs studio. And then, 2k9 will be seen as lacking behind again - just for not carrying on things they already had.

[SaintPatrick33]

Yeah, i will always play fair, but not to the point of where they are eliminating pretty much everything. After all its a video game and its NEVEr going to play exactly the same. Some people just get to crazy with how they interpret sim rules.

Also, here is a sneak peek at the upcoming 2kommunity thing. These are just NHL2K online leagues for the moment. Thought another mod was going to post it, but i havent seen it up, so here it goes.....

http://www.leaguegaming.com/forums/showthread.php?t=121518

Hey man will teach you hockey yet ! just remember to keep your head up and your stick too if you know what I mean lol:rotfl:
Which leads me to a question a bit off topic , I was shocked :eek: to find out that most of you so call sim thats not real hockey ect. have never even play the game once on Ice is this true as I still play 4 times a week :thumbsup: ???
If so intil your on the ice with a stick in your hand you should think about what your saying as I wouldnt tell a doctor how to operate you get the point as talk is cheap and many of you should having a sale :rotfl:

[SaintPatrick33]

this is not true there where many people that love them when they came out. when they did the change it was a change for the better. on day 1 i like the new controls. they also left the old ones in to keep 2k7 fans that didn't want to change happy. what happen to that common sense.

Hi,
Maybe so but its seems more complained then supported it or they wouldnt of changed it :confused:
Sorry maybe they can patch it in but that may also effect gamplay as its a new engine ?

[SaintPatrick33]

Yeah, i will always play fair, but not to the point of where they are eliminating pretty much everything. After all its a video game and its NEVEr going to play exactly the same. Some people just get to crazy with how they interpret sim rules.

Also, here is a sneak peek at the upcoming 2kommunity thing. These are just NHL2K online leagues for the moment. Thought another mod was going to post it, but i havent seen it up, so here it goes.....

http://www.leaguegaming.com/forums/showthread.php?t=121518

Good stuff and thanks for always being positive and very open minding and not so life or death serious as these are just games for kids right ? well maybe big kids :cool:

[macpuck]

This is depressing. I don't want to read any more of this because, if most of you are correct in your observations, it's going to be a long winter.

[vanhalendlrband]

Hey man will teach you hockey yet ! just remember to keep your head up and your stick too if you know what I mean lol:rotfl:
Which leads me to a question a bit off topic , I was shocked :eek: to find out that most of you so call sim thats not real hockey ect. have never even play the game once on Ice is this true as I still play 4 times a week :thumbsup: ???
If so intil your on the ice with a stick in your hand you should think about what your saying as I wouldnt tell a doctor how to operate you get the point as talk is cheap and many of you should having a sale :rotfl:

I used to play a lot of street hockey, played some ice hockey. I played out in Sudbury, ON on an outdoor rink in the winter about -27 degrees celsius (-16.6 degrees Fahrenheit), my toes were bleeding. My favourite position to play is goalie.

I haven't played yet, so i don't know. I just know some things changed when 2K4 came around and it seemed like we got some more sim, and then some things got taken away. I know when 2K2 came out on Dreamcast and you play it 2002 on any system, you can see the difference and 2K2 even with the faceoffs in the wrong spot, and laughable glitches, had the best sim gameplay. 2K8 didn't have the animations but, was really sim, but was still too easy to score. I don't know what to think, i'll know in a month whether or not i'm buying a hockey game, maybe 09 got the realism caught up to the animations, or 2K9 went crazy and made it way better.

For hockey tho, 2K had the shoot up stick in a hockey game first, altho i heard EA had it in a baseball game before that. For hockey tho, this is just them using the hardest slap shot competition and using something they've already had, altho i hope the stickhandling isn't as limited as EA's. I might just stick to Forza 2, an engineer should be able to make a game that can take a engineering degree to master to make it sim, and make an arcade game at the same time. Somehow i get this feeling with 2 straight years of reworking the game that this might be the year 2K will be left behind, and they won't be able to come back, or EA buys them out and this is the last 2K anyways. It is perfectly legal for the shareholders to sell as we've read, if 2K9 gets screwed up and is still full of glitches, I wouldn't be surprised if they get sold.

[justabill37]

Without the pro stick (Classic or 2K8) I don't think I'll be purchasing a hockey game this year. I'm sure 2k did some good things with the animations and AI and all, but they seem to have taken control away from us. Pro stick 2k8 was great and still is great, this evo and hybrid....just isn't the same. I was hoping they would improve on the controls as 2k always does, not remove them. I understand that EA (Unfairly) took the hockey crown. (Thanks to 1up's horrible and biased review of 2k8). Once again 2k had the best game out there. (Not just a fan boy I thought that EA's was unplayable...and I tried. So anyway now 2k is hurting financially so they need to go for those big, general market dollars and that's business. Hopefully there will be another small sports game company that will cater to us hard core guys. Although the fun may be over.

[Fuman]

doesn't sound good, not being able to skate while deking or playing defense moving your stick around

sigh who came up with these brilliant ideas

i may go to ea this year.

[Seiferoth]

I'm sorry to say, it looks like another fail.

The core problem, IMO with 2k vs EA in the past few years is that NHL 2k simply lacks excitement.

When I score a goal in 08, the crowd roars appreciatively, a blaring horn resounds throughout the rink and a well choreographed cutscene flashes showing excited teammates gathering together.

When I score a goal in 2K, there's an awkward pause, proceeded by the goal scorer awkwardly raising his hands in the air multiple times, and as I look around, I can see 2 or 3 teammates performing the same awkward motions, all isolated from each other. These 'celebrations' take place between hopelessly pathetic animations of Barry Trotz-like goalies and opposing defensemen either skating into their own net or alternating between 2 or 3 robot like animations. All this combined with a god awful announcer screeching the name of the goal scorer and horribly fake, quiet, scattered and generally awful crowd cheering, clapping and animations.

Simply put, I get excited when I score a goal, or get a big hit in EA's games...but scoring a goal in 2k9 (as well as previous itenerations) feels more like I just iced a puck.

This same lack of polish applies to nearly every aspect of the game. Menu's may be a small thing, but when you screw them up as badly as 2k9 screwed up the team select menu, there has to be some mention. My first thought when booting up the demo. "Wow this looks crappy".

As well, the controls lack polish. When playing EA's game, bringing the right thumbstick to the right side, yields an obvious, immediate, clean draw to the right from my player. 2k's game sends my player into an awkward, gliding hunch, making it virtually impossible to actually accomplish anything remotely satisfying.

I could go on and on. I believe, 2k DOES have a better foundation than EA does (especially if they would bring back icon passing!) but in 2k9 -again- it appears to be hopelessly buried beneath a load of amateurish garbage.

The best analogy I can think of is, watching a B-level movie, with B-level acting, B-level directing, B-level presentation but an A-level story. You want to like the movie for what it's capable of, but the awkward, ineffective crap so outweighs any positive foundation, that you simply can't help but prefer the latest million dollar Hollywood blockbuster.

[NSDF]

I started on 2k8 last season before switching over a few months later to EA's game. EA won me over, as I felt that the game-play was just better, and once I got used to their skill stick the rest was history.

I played the 2k9 demo on the PS3, and I'm impressed with the movement forward for the game. The controls still feel a bit awkward at first, but I got used to them a lot more quickly than I did last year. In particular, I got Satan to put a nice deke move on the D-man and then wrist a solid shot top corner - nice!

I like the skating engine a lot more than last season.

The checking is much less rock-em-sock-em and feels much more realistic.

Dumping the puck and chasing it into the corners felt pretty good.

I thought the AI responded well in most situations, not only the CPU defensive AI, but also the AI players on the Human side who didn't have the puck.

I'm sure that some of the graphics stuff will be much more polished in the final product - this being a scaled down demo after all. And as pointed out already - 2K is legendary for its use of sliders to customize the game.

Love the idea about playoff beards, and the Zamboni thing is a nice break, nothing to do with game-play, but a bonus none the less. I love the idea of custom Cup celebrations - you play 82 games to get there, plus have to win 16 to get the cup - you want to stick around and celebrate the moment a bit.

Having said all that - EA may well have just as decent an AI this season, they also have a great skating engine and their skill stick works very well. This year, they promise more realistic penalties and an emphasis on defensive stick work. It will be sweet to be able to lift a guys stick and steal the puck. They are also promising much less accurate passing, and more loose pucks. Even a penalty on the D for shooting the puck over the glass.

In the end - playoff beards, Zamboni rides and cup celebrations are nice perks, but game-play is where it is at.

My opinion - it's going to be close this year, very close. I think that 2K is back on track and moving in the right direction, but they have a lot of ground to make up to catch EA in terms of game-play. We will know more when EA releases its demo in the next couple of weeks.

If both games are close - the playoffs beards might just make the difference, only time will tell.

[vanhalendlrband]

I started on 2k8 last season before switching over a few months later to EA's game. EA won me over, as I felt that the game-play was just better, and once I got used to their skill stick the rest was history.

I played the 2k9 demo on the PS3, and I'm impressed with the movement forward for the game. The controls still feel a bit awkward at first, but I got used to them a lot more quickly than I did last year. In particular, I got Satan to put a nice deke move on the D-man and then wrist a solid shot top corner - nice!

I like the skating engine a lot more than last season.

The checking is much less rock-em-sock-em and feels much more realistic.

Dumping the puck and chasing it into the corners felt pretty good.

I thought the AI responded well in most situations, not only the CPU defensive AI, but also the AI players on the Human side who didn't have the puck.

I'm sure that some of the graphics stuff will be much more polished in the final product - this being a scaled down demo after all. And as pointed out already - 2K is legendary for its use of sliders to customize the game.

Love the idea about playoff beards, and the Zamboni thing is a nice break, nothing to do with game-play, but a bonus none the less. I love the idea of custom Cup celebrations - you play 82 games to get there, plus have to win 16 to get the cup - you want to stick around and celebrate the moment a bit.

Having said all that - EA may well have just as decent an AI this season, they also have a great skating engine and their skill stick works very well. This year, they promise more realistic penalties and an emphasis on defensive stick work. It will be sweet to be able to lift a guys stick and steal the puck. They are also promising much less accurate passing, and more loose pucks. Even a penalty on the D for shooting the puck over the glass.

In the end - playoff beards, Zamboni rides and cup celebrations are nice perks, but game-play is where it is at.

My opinion - it's going to be close this year, very close. I think that 2K is back on track and moving in the right direction, but they have a lot of ground to make up to catch EA in terms of game-play. We will know more when EA releases its demo in the next couple of weeks.

If both games are close - the playoffs beards might just make the difference, only time will tell.

You're confusing Skating animations with Skating physics. EA's animations were bang on last year, almost had me fooled. I played a full half season before I saw it was just another EA game again (I've played every single NHL by EA to death except 2003-2006, which made me sad that this game came from my home town, 07 and 08 only marginally better).

I found EA's game to be very fixed, super CPU, same EA type of passing, totally unrealistic gameplay, as far as video game fun gameplay, I guess if you don't really watch hockey and play hockey it would be a lot more fun. If you're like me and have played, know players, and watch every single game on TV for the Canucks my whole life, you know when something isn't right. 2K8 was by far more sim and true to hockey than 08 was.

[vanhalendlrband]

I'm sorry to say, it looks like another fail.

The core problem, IMO with 2k vs EA in the past few years is that NHL 2k simply lacks excitement.

When I score a goal in 08, the crowd roars appreciatively, a blaring horn resounds throughout the rink and a well choreographed cutscene flashes showing excited teammates gathering together.

When I score a goal in 2K, there's an awkward pause, proceeded by the goal scorer awkwardly raising his hands in the air multiple times, and as I look around, I can see 2 or 3 teammates performing the same awkward motions, all isolated from each other. These 'celebrations' take place between hopelessly pathetic animations of Barry Trotz-like goalies and opposing defensemen either skating into their own net or alternating between 2 or 3 robot like animations. All this combined with a god awful announcer screeching the name of the goal scorer and horribly fake, quiet, scattered and generally awful crowd cheering, clapping and animations.

Simply put, I get excited when I score a goal, or get a big hit in EA's games...but scoring a goal in 2k9 (as well as previous itenerations) feels more like I just iced a puck.

This same lack of polish applies to nearly every aspect of the game. Menu's may be a small thing, but when you screw them up as badly as 2k9 screwed up the team select menu, there has to be some mention. My first thought when booting up the demo. "Wow this looks crappy".

As well, the controls lack polish. When playing EA's game, bringing the right thumbstick to the right side, yields an obvious, immediate, clean draw to the right from my player. 2k's game sends my player into an awkward, gliding hunch, making it virtually impossible to actually accomplish anything remotely satisfying.

I could go on and on. I believe, 2k DOES have a better foundation than EA does (especially if they would bring back icon passing!) but in 2k9 -again- it appears to be hopelessly buried beneath a load of amateurish garbage.

The best analogy I can think of is, watching a B-level movie, with B-level acting, B-level directing, B-level presentation but an A-level story. You want to like the movie for what it's capable of, but the awkward, ineffective crap so outweighs any positive foundation, that you simply can't help but prefer the latest million dollar Hollywood blockbuster.

2K has never had EA's graphics or presentation, nor would they ever. EA has the state of the art facilities here in Vancouver, and its the largest video game making facility on the entire planet, yes that includes Japan and the United States. Nobody will ever touch EA's animations and presentation. The only time 2K had the leg up was in 2K2 when Sega Sports put in every teams arena, and EA's NHL 2002 only had GM Place for every single arena, which is the arena where they get a lot of their work done.

2002-2008 is very exciting when you talk about scoring a goal, or making a hit, so on and so forth, what we want here, or at least what i want, and what wins me over, is true to hockey gameplay. EA stepped away from that, now they're coming back but they're still using their Mo-Cap technology as a way to hide their lack of true hockey physics. We'll see if thats changed this year, and if its changed in 2K, if you were to just look at 2K8 and 08 and not know hockey, you would definitely go with 08. If you were to really know hockey and sit down and play 2K8 with total stick control (which took me like half an hour to get used to and was awesome) you'd see that it was the most realistic hockey game on the market, but also very annoying with glitches as 2k games have always been.

I will also not judge this game by the demo as last years was on Arcade settings and will not really make my decision till I put both in sim settings. If I even buy one or the other remains to be seen.

[CellFish]

I happened to go over a friend's house yesterday and he has a PS3 so we downloaded the demo of the game. To say the least, the game is a lot worse than I thought. The controls are suddenly even more complicated than the old ones. If you have any intention of using the right stick to deke then other than shoot, you will have no idea how to do anything. It's entirely counter-intuitive.

Thanks 2k. You basically sold NHL 09. I'm not sure if that was your intention though.

[Price]

I always cringe when people call 2k a true sim. Neither game is a true sim. However when I played 2k8 players were scattered everywhere, everybody was hitting everybody constantly, there was no positional play, no team work and the same moves worked every time. Yes, like thousands of people say I do play hockey. I've played ice hockey for 20 years. Obviously I'm not a professional but I have played high level competitive hockey throughout my childhood so I'm pretty competent and I absolutely love hockey. To me there is no other sport. That being said. NHL 08 may have had some stupid forced goals and stuff like that but the movement of the players positionally, the flow of the game the scale of the players/rink and the AI learning was much more realistic and sim than 2k. Moving sliders around all day will not the remedy those problems that 2k had. I'm not dedicated to EA in fact NHL 2k5 is the most fun I've ever had with a video game period, but in recent years EA has really put work into making their game flow like a real hockey game. I'm glad to hear that 2k has made their shooting mechanics similar to EA because it's very intuitive. Shooting the puck should not be complex. The fact that the controls in 2k8 were hard for the casual gamer to pick was not necessarily a good thing and did not mean it was hardcore and true sim. Anybody who is not disabled can pick up a stick and shoot a puck and have fun hitting the puck around. They may not be able to do it well but hitting the puck with a stick is very intuitive and is a simple back and forth swinging motion. I do however feel that it is a real kick in the shins to altogether take last years controller scheme out of the game for those who learned it and actually prefer it. So I hope this year 2k will focus on those little things that make a big difference like positional play, adaptive AI and realistic flow instead of just adding mini games and more features that may be fun but irrelavent.

[NSDF]

2K has never had EA's graphics or presentation, ...

EA has amazing graphics, but I actually thought the player faces in 2k were a little more true to the real life players. I also thought EA had nowhere near the presentation that 2K had last season. Watch the start of both games - you get lots of shots of guys skating around and commentary in 2k8 - whereas EA gives you a couple of bars of the National Anthem and then you are off and running. The cut scenes in 2k were more realistic as well - and you got a 3 star presentation at the end of the game in 2k - whereas EA gave you an option to see who the 3 stars were after the game. 2K really delivered the knockout to EA in terms of presentation in 08. Remains to see what happens in 09.

Graphically, aside from faces, I thought both games were fine, but EA had an edge for sure. Not enough to be a deal breaker though. EA also gave you AHL teams, which I decided I really liked. 2k, on the other hand, gave you a lot more options in terms of uniforms - with a lot of classic uniforms, whereas EA cheaped out again there.

I thought EA's game was fine from an AI point of view, but both games have their bugs. In EA - on more than one occasion, the puck got lost in the goalies feet and half a minute or more passed by with all the players standing around doing nothing. No whistle, no ability to grab the puck with the player and the goalie standing there with his thumb up his butt. There were also plenty of times where I would take the puck around behind the opposition goal only to have one of my own players get in the way. There is also a tendency in 08 for the AI controlled players on your team to stand around and watch loose pucks, rather than attack them, thus resulting in a lot more puck possession for the AI team than they deserved. You really don't feel like the AI is supporting you in 08, where it seems better in the demo of 2k9. So far, 2k's demo appears to look good in terms of AI - but we won't be able to make any real comparison until we get the EA demo in a few days.

After playing 2k for the last couple of seasons, I didn't initially like EA's game all that much, but the more I played it the more I grew to really love it. I'm still open to 2k this season, and will probably end up trying both before the year is out, but I'm worried that 2k made some improvement and then went to gimmicks like playoff beards and Zambonis. I always get worried when those things are getting more emphasis than AI - where EA is touting more of its advances in AI and less on gimmicks. Maybe just marketing decisions, but it does concern me.

[Fuman]

to me it's all about gameplay, I want to see what's beneath all the bells and whistles and see how the coregameplay performs

I think 2k with the pucks physics technology was key on

ea when i played it was way too arcadey, the movement of the players was too unrealistic they seemed to be like robots to me

since i mainly play online, that's also a key of which one i will play

which ones has the least amount of glitch and cheese goals and is the online play smooth etc

ranked in importance

1) gameplay
2) online play
3) all the rest

[macpuck]

Your ranking of importance makes sense to me ... except that I would list the "excitement of goal scoring celebrations" at the very bottom of the bottom. Maybe that's because I score to infrequently.

[yambag021]

the hitting is better, the gameplay kind of feel the same as 2k8 but i think 2k8 is still better. they don't give you much in the demo. the intro looks cool, players look better then 2k8 but not even close to EA. there was no commentary so i can't speak on that. once again the sliders need work but i'm sure the demo on easy.
as much as it makes me want to yak, i agree.

but besides hitting, nothing here is a "step up" that REALLY matters to me. crowds????? i could care less. gimmie gameplay and controls. 2k is starting to get madden syndrome. make good game, then next year add one tiny upgrade and new rosters, sell fot $60.

[yambag021]

Really? After reading all of this, i see that some like it, some really don't and some seem to just not like the controls. All this means to me is that I can't wait for the demo to go live on XBL so I can try it myself and form my own opinion. Because, after all, when it comes to my enjoyment of games, my opinion is the only one that counts.

the some that like it are FAR less than those who dont. and with the "some seem to just not like the controls" line, controls are #1 top thing needed to be good in a game to get my coin. for you guys that hope that the game will be "fixed" from the demo, go download the 2k8 demo, then play 2k8 normally and tell me if there was any differnence. dont be in denial, lol.

[Droc]

Im not bothering to try the demo
The demo for 2k8 was nothing compared to the final release of 2k8.

[yambag021]

sureeee......

[JubeiDOK]

U suck with all the whining ******.

you must be someone I destroy regularly

anyways, for anyone that cares...I finally got a few more periods in and the pinning along the boards is still there

[j44thor]

as much as it makes me want to yak, i agree.

but besides hitting, nothing here is a "step up" that REALLY matters to me. crowds????? i could care less. gimmie gameplay and controls. 2k is starting to get madden syndrome. make good game, then next year add one tiny upgrade and new rosters, sell fot $60.

I'm pretty shocked at most of the replies to this demo. I've been playing console hockey games since the skinny/fat guy days on SNES and IMO this has the potential to be the best hockey game of all time (though PowerPlay 96 is still one of my all time faves).

Let me start by saying that gameplay is #1 most important thing to me.
The gameplay in 09 is night/day better than 08. This is the first game I have played where the D is actively involved in the offense.
Sure you can pass to the point in 08 but 1/2 the time they don't keep it in and more often than not a blocked shot immediately becomes a breakaway.

I find the D in 09 will not only hold the blue line much better but they are also in position to not only receive a pass but also move the puck when they do receive it because they are squared up anticipating it.
Positioning is essential to hockey game play and this game seems to have finally done it right.
I'll admit I never got fully comfortable with last yrs controls so it isn't a huge loss to me.
One thing I haven't gotten a good handle on is defensive controls and I will be disappointed if the defensive controls are as problematic as others have reported.

I also think the goaltending AI is much improved over last yr.
One play in particular was when Osgood came 10' out of his net to play a loose puck after I ended up out of position breaking up the play. This was something that never happened in 08.

The biggest and most important improvements IMO are the positioning of all players including the goalie and the toned down hitting physics.

If the demo is close to the final build I think this could end up being the best sim out there.

[Droc]

I'm pretty shocked at most of the replies to this demo. I've been playing console hockey games since the skinny/fat guy days on SNES and IMO this has the potential to be the best hockey game of all time (though PowerPlay 96 is still one of my all time faves).

Let me start by saying that gameplay is #1 most important thing to me.
The gameplay in 09 is night/day better than 08. This is the first game I have played where the D is actively involved in the offense.
Sure you can pass to the point in 08 but 1/2 the time they don't keep it in and more often than not a blocked shot immediately becomes a breakaway.

I find the D in 09 will not only hold the blue line much better but they are also in position to not only receive a pass but also move the puck when they do receive it because they are squared up anticipating it.
Positioning is essential to hockey game play and this game seems to have finally done it right.
I'll admit I never got fully comfortable with last yrs controls so it isn't a huge loss to me.
One thing I haven't gotten a good handle on is defensive controls and I will be disappointed if the defensive controls are as problematic as others have reported.

I also think the goaltending AI is much improved over last yr.
One play in particular was when Osgood came 10' out of his net to play a loose puck after I ended up out of position breaking up the play. This was something that never happened in 08.

The biggest and most important improvements IMO are the positioning of all players including the goalie and the toned down hitting physics.

If the demo is close to the final build I think this could end up being the best sim out there.
Well said. I have to agree with the AI, it seems to work positional much better, and the dump & chase work on the boards and behind the net is an excellent improvement over 2k8.

[Rising Force]

The fact that all players are the same size fatties, takes away from the realism of this game.
If the celebrations gonna look the same in the final product yet one more thing taken away from the realism.

Sure game play means a lot,,, but they need to step it up a notch in form of presentation and realism,,,, if I wanted to just get stuck with good game play, but decent graphics, Id rather take NHL 94 !

I have played this demo for almost a week now, but still not sold 100% on it,,, of course I will give the final version a Rent-try, before I decide I should buy it,,, but so far it just seems to me that I am controlling car batteries on skates on the ice than player with unique physics and 'personalities'......

[submityoresume]

The fact that all players are the same size fatties, takes away from the realism of this game.
If the celebrations gonna look the same in the final product yet one more thing taken away from the realism.

Sure game play means a lot,,, but they need to step it up a notch in form of presentation and realism,,,, if I wanted to just get stuck with good game play, but decent graphics, Id rather take NHL 94 !

I have played this demo for almost a week now, but still not sold 100% on it,,, of course I will give the final version a Rent-try, before I decide I should buy it,,, but so far it just seems to me that I am controlling car batteries on skates on the ice than player with unique physics and 'personalities'......
LOL!!! u need to step yo TV game up kid. Go HD or else!!!

[kingbrehm]

LOL!!! u need to step yo TV game up kid. Go HD or else!!!

I'm sorry, what?

[kingbrehm]

Well; the game isn't exactly an overall upgrade from 2k8, but let's be honest; this game is not the final release. That's why demos are a retarded way to base your decision. Either go buy both games and play them both, or go rent them & buy one of the two games. Whatever you do don't base your decision on some of the illiterate fools who have posted their opinions here. For some EA will have better gameplay / graphics / presentation and be a better sim; and for others, VC will be your new best friend.

[Rising Force]

LOL!!! u need to step yo TV game up kid. Go HD or else!!!


I have a 46" 1080p Sony Bravia.
The better TV you got, the worse it makes this game look, Yo!
:D

[Price]

The biggest and most important improvements IMO are the positioning of all players including the goalie and the toned down hitting physics.


Yes, my thoughts exactly. I love most everything about 2k's game except for the lack of positioning and absurd hitting. Those two things are a real determining factor. If 2k fixes those and offers the EA style shooting mechanics count me in.

[Rising Force]

Time to hear from our 360 friends and their opinions :)

[sleepytercel]

Okay, downlaoded the demo, and was just messing around trying out whatever it is I could. Overall, I think it's a far improvement over last years. Yes, everyone now says that 2K8's controls were perfect. However, we can search back these forums, game reviews, and user comments, on how much they hated the "difficult controls", and no one can really blame VC for changing them up. It was the number one complaint for 2K8 (and I liked the 2K8 controls as well).

My impression of 2K9 is much greater. Now, these settings are probably on default pro setting, much like most demos. We have no idea on how the other settings will change the game. We don't know what kind of settings are really there.

The first thing that popped to me was the overall polish. The game feels like it has some polish to it. For VC's first attempt at this series, it is a great start in my opinion. The checking system is excellent! It is contextual, and adds some nice flair to the visuals. However, I thought the overall visuals of the game itself was a bit lacking. Players look small, and the faces remind me a lot of what was designed in APF2K8 (same artists maybe?). The crowd and rink looked great, and the presentation (what was there) looks a lot more promising. The animations overall are very detailed and keeps things fresh, though I did notice some "popping" in transitions.

Now, my take on the controls. I'm an open minded person. I won't just play one game and have a complete decision on my thought. I was messing around trying to figure out every single possibility. If anyone has ever played me online, they know that I am keen on figuring out game mechanics, and will seek the intentions of the developer. No, when using the Pro Stick, you can't move left or right. You glide. However, upon more scrutiny of the design, I was figuring things out a bit. I scored some really nice goals after a combo deke and shot. The deking is fun, and it makes you sorta think and plan your move. I performed a deke to get by a defender, saw my center head forward, passed to him, skated slightly left of the goalie, and quickily slid my stick toward the opening and fired. It looked great, and it felt rewarding. That's where I think the design choice is.

Now, this is only from the demo, so I may not be exact on the vision. I don't think VC intended the pro stick to be something that you swing around aimlessly while skating around. It's more of a decision of use. I don't think it is meant as a deking tool against defenders. It does seem that it's sole use is for scoring goals (obviously). I didn't find myself accidentally shooting the puck, because the pro stick doesn't seem meant to deke everyone out. It seems to play as that quick reaction to deke the goalie. I decided how I was going to approach and quickily slid my stick toward the opening and fired. It was a read and react approach, and it felt good. I think the decision to limit movement was to keep the pro stick from being overused unrealistically. Even on defense.

On defense, it felt that the game wants me to be more focused on positioning and preperation, rather than approach and slide my stick everywhere. This seemed to provide more of a read and react against the offense. In 2K8, you would follow swinging the stick around for a stealing of the puck. However, 2K9 seems to force you to provide a proper position and approach with some thought. It's hard to convey in words on what I mean.

I suggest folks to attempt playing the game in what I tried to describe. The pro stick on offense is a goalie deking tool only (and maybe to avoid steals as well). Approach the goalie in the direction you wish, and quickily decide if you wish to swing the stick left or right (wherever the best opening is) and quickily fire. Even better, try the play that I did. Take the LW up, when the defender gets toward you, perform a deke (LB and R"Stick) and then press to pass, and then press up on the "R" stick for a one timer, or take in the pass and attempt to fool the goalie. When I did this, it felt really good, planned, and intuitive.

[CellFish]

I already posted what I thought in a different thread. I honestly have no gripes with this game. It is basically exactly as a hockey game should be. I still have to get used to Pro Stick Evo but it's a lot more intuitive than I thought it would be. The shooting is just right, the passing is just right, the puck physics are excellent, the checking is excellent, the poke-checking is as responsive and fun as it always was. The only thing that I have yet to try out and that frankly excites me is the fighting. I honestly think that I will be picking up 2k9 over 09 this year.

[jacanuck]

<- 360 owner, tested the demo.

It's the exact same game play as last year, only with a new modified gimmicky control scheme. I'm exceptionally disappointed, and predicting that plaguing online disconnects, and offline franchise freeze errors remain.

2K9 is basically a "skinned" version of 2K8, and the new visuals aren't even that great.

4/10 based on the demo.

[sleepytercel]

<- 360 owner, tested the demo.

It's the exact same game play as last year, only with a new modified gimmicky control scheme. I'm exceptionally disappointed, and predicting that plaguing online disconnects, and offline franchise freeze errors remain.

2K9 is basically a "skinned" version of 2K8, and the new visuals aren't even that great.

4/10 based on the demo.

Seriously? It's the "same exact"? The game feels hardly like 2K8. I mean, it's a hockey game, so that part is the same. However, the way it moves, the way it plays, and the entire engine feel distinct than to what was offered last year. It's hard to get a good grasp of the games simulation elements when playing on a low difficulty, but your "opinion" is strictly false.

[pairunoyd]

<- 360 owner, tested the demo.

It's the exact same game play as last year, only with a new modified gimmicky control scheme. I'm exceptionally disappointed, and predicting that plaguing online disconnects, and offline franchise freeze errors remain.

2K9 is basically a "skinned" version of 2K8, and the new visuals aren't even that great.

4/10 based on the demo.

Oh come on now. You just tryin to hurt somebody's feelings.

[SaintPatrick33]

<- 360 owner, tested the demo.

It's the exact same game play as last year, only with a new modified gimmicky control scheme. I'm exceptionally disappointed, and predicting that plaguing online disconnects, and offline franchise freeze errors remain.

2K9 is basically a "skinned" version of 2K8, and the new visuals aren't even that great.

4/10 based on the demo.

are you sure you didnt download 2k8 l:rotfl: because 2k9 is brand new really nice :dance:
I cant wait for this game

[joker07]

NO ! NHL 2k9 is s... because NHL 2099 the best is better the best better Littmanoids...

[yig]

The fact that last years controls are not in the game are a deal breaker for me. Unless they can patch them into this game somehow. Using the 'new and improved' controls scheme was very dissapointing... I guess I will try the 'other' hockey game or just stick with '08.

[Rei]

NO ! NHL 2k9 is s... because NHL 2099 the best is better the best better Littmanoids...

Can anyone please translate this for me?

[b-Dub]

Can anyone please translate this for me?

It means that he forgot his medication today. :D

[Rei]

It means that he forgot his medication today. :D

Ah, ok. Now it makes sense. :thumbsup:

[Fuman]

very disappointed with the demo, especially with the control scheme

you can't even stick check 360 degrees anymore

deking looks very poorly executed to

players heads look was too disproportiniate with the rest of the body

looks very amateurish

[b-Dub]

I'm playing it now. Here's a few quick, early impressions.
- The controls are odd to me right now. Not what I was used to in 2k8. Is it a bad thing? I don't think so, but I'll need to play some more to get a good idea. The controls are responsive, none the less.

- The game plays a lot smoother. Animations are nice, and skating feels better.

- The game looks pretty good. Cleaner than last year, though, the jerseys look "thick". To me, they look like they might be wool jerseys. I thought they looked a bit off when I first saw screenshots of them. But the arena, the crowd, ice, and the lighting are all really nice, though.

- I like the new menus and how fast it loads. I hope it loads that fast from the disc when the game ships.

[Rei]

After weeks of watching videos and listening to people talk about the demo i'm suprised i'm as disapointed as i am with the 2k9 demo.

I must say to start with the presentation is much better than it has been, maybe the best ever in a 2k hockey game. Player models look alot better, the intro is a nice touch and the crowd reacts much better to big plays that it has in the past.

Now with the bad, keeping in mind this is just a demo, some of the things i didnt like will obviously be implied in the final version of the game.

1. Passes were for some reason incredibly innacurate. Not innacurate like sometimes in the nhl a pass misses... innacurate like i push a direction and hit the pass button and the puck does not go anywhere near where i want it to and it also has such a slow speed allowing the opposing team to easily intercept my pass. Probably slider adjustable but still a stupid thing to have in the demo.

2. The shaking of the camera when i came up with an ok hit. I dont know what this is about... i dont want a camera shaking when i check someone... it's just stupid.

3. The sounds of things like slapshots and pucks hitting the boards and goalpoasts sound unrealistic.

4. As nice as the new check animations are i dont like how if one of my wingers gets checked a few of the animations will have him laying on the ice for way too long. When someone gets rattled in the nhl and they lay down on the ice that long, they're injured and the ref will nine times out of ten stop the play.

5. I'm absolutely suprised nobody has said anything about this yet, it could just be me or maybe my controller but i doubt it. I had the controls on hybrid or whatever the setting is to use the right analog stick to shoot, i'd skate into the offensive zone press up and i wouldnt get a shot off. One time i had to press up 4 times to get a shot off... this ****ed me off more than anything else.

6. After play animations are just bad. After you score a goal the goalie will just stand there or back up akwardly. After a whistle i saw someone on detroit skate through another player. Things like this make the game look sloppy.

There are just alot of gameplay issues i didnt enjoy, i wont mention the controlls because obviously a change like that takes time to get used to but overall it just wasnt as great as i expected it to be.

I will without a doubt be renting 2k9 before i buy it and hopefully the final product will be more enjoyable.

[Rei]

I'm playing it now. Here's a few quick, early impressions.
- The controls are odd to me right now. Not what I was used to in 2k8. Is it a bad thing? I don't think so, but I'll need to play some more to get a good idea. The controls are responsive, none the less.

- The game plays a lot smoother. Animations are nice, and skating feels better.

- The game looks pretty good. Cleaner than last year, though, the jerseys look "thick". To me, they look like they might be wool jerseys. I thought they looked a bit off when I first saw screenshots of them. But the arena, the crowd, ice, and the lighting are all really nice, though.

- I like the new menus and how fast it loads. I hope it loads that fast from the disc when the game ships.

The loading time was almost non existent, hopefully that's not just because it's a demo.

[b-Dub]

A few more things:

- I agree with Rei about some of the sounds. They sound like they were recorded in a very empty and very hallow arena. It's odd. Maybe they won't be so noticible once commentary is in.

- I know I will be cranking up the game speed once I get the final version, default speed is too slow for me. I think it would be good for someone new to the game however, and they did say that the default settings are easier.

- I like that I can actually score on a couple one timers now. In 2K8, I think my one-timer success rate was around 0.5%. It was so bad that I was only taking about 4-5 a game, just to see if luck was on my side.

- Rei, I don't know about you, but I was the Penguins and using the hybrid controls, and it shot for me every time I pushed down on the stick. I had no problem with that.

- I also really like the positioning of the players, and if I move them out of place, then switch players, they skate back to the proper position. They move more intelligently this year, so far.

[Irish916]

Ok, I've had about 25 games with the 360 2K9 demo. My impressions are as follows:

I'll start with the bad first:
Player models!!! OMG! When folks made comments about them, I blew it off. After playing the demo, it is clear someone dropped the ball at 2K. Did they have a community college design the player models!?!?! C'mon now VC!? How can you make such a simple part of the game looks so bad? What producer would sit back and say that the proportions of the players are ok?!!? I feel the problem is the torso head and shoulders are out of proportion with each other. The goalies look like NFL linebackers!! I mean it's really that bad.

The shining light: The player proportions are not as noticable during game play, which pacifies me. The refs/lineman also seem to be in proportion.

Controls: Yeah, a mild dissappointment for me. I loved the Prostick Classic from 2K8 because you could stick handle with the right stick without having the shoot assigned there. It makes no sense to have the shoot assigned to the stick and the buttons at the same time. You want the shoot on the stick, choose pro stick evolution. Why does BOTH the Hybrid and the EVo controls have the shoot commands assigned to the stick. Drives me nuts, but I'm getting used to it and it's not a deal breaker for me by any means.

Skating: I think this one will be fixed with the access to slider settings in the full release. Either the game speed was too low (again, can be changed with sliders) or the speed burst wasn't long enough. In either case, it made the pace of the demo much to slow for me. Everyone felt fatigued, which is ok - so long as I can control the settings. The other thing with the skating was the movement of the players. I notice some players will cross over and I couldn't tell why all players didn't cross over. Perhaps it has something to do with the player energy level or skating ability, but I would like to see more fluidity there.


THE GOOD
Defensive awareness: The defensemen were excellent in the demo. The point to point one timers looked very realistic. The defensemen pinched nicely, and you could always count on them to keep the puck in. They reacted very well to the puck.

Shooting: While I don't think manual shot aim was turned on in the demo (at least I hope it wasn't) the shooting felt much improved over last year. You had more control over one-timers, whereas last year as soon as you passed the puck, the teammate would automatically shoot, and you shouldn't stop them. This year, you can push the puck across and you have control over the shot, which is excellent. In addition, the wrist shot is much improved over 2K8. You don't have that "delay" in taking that shot that I experienced last year. It's much snappier and more realistic. Slappers are big, fast and loud like we like them!

Improved body physics: Players seemed to react to hits much more realistically in the demo than in 2K8. A player would get hit and wobble one skate to keep his balance, or careen head-first into the boards. You didn't see the same animations over and over like we had in 2K8. Some players will drop their stick and clutch a part of their body. I hit Hal Massen-Gill so hard he dropped for all 4's for a few seconds and collected himself. I was pleased to see that I can also get loose after the whistle and run players as well. I do love that.

Presentation: The sounds and arena detail has been improved. The post sounds are much more articulate and the crash of the puck on the glass sounds like it would if you were watching a game a ice level. The crowds are engaged in the game. They go quiet and boo when the opposing team scores, and they cut loose when you pop one home. They reach to hits and failed breakaways. The images of the arena a much cleaner this year. (makes me wonder what in blazes happened to the player models; was arena artist on vacation when it came time to create the player models?)

AI: I noticed even on the thumb-sucker arcade settings the computer AI got after me. They forechecked me, blocked passing attempts out of my zone, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, they took some runs at my players. This was a clear indication to me that heart of this franchise has remained intact from 2K8 to 2K9.


All in All the demo showed off some of the new features of 2K9, although it was still quite arcade-like when not on the simulation settings. I'm expecting to be able to tweak this game to get those settings perfect. I'm still a bit bewildered with the down-right offensive player models, but I'm still liking the improvements for this year. I didn't expect the game to look as good as EA, and I'm happy to see that the core elements of gameplay realism that make this franchise special appear to have carried over.

[Grandmaster D]

1. Passes were for some reason incredibly innacurate. Not innacurate like sometimes in the nhl a pass misses... innacurate like i push a direction and hit the pass button and the puck does not go anywhere near where i want it to and it also has such a slow speed allowing the opposing team to easily intercept my pass. Probably slider adjustable but still a stupid thing to have in the demo.
Tris10 said in another forum, that this could be, because auto pass aim (or something like that) is activated in the demo. Same with auto aiming for shooting.

[joker07]

I love camera shaking ! It is real next-gen ! GREAT !

[Rei]

I love camera shaking ! It is real next-gen ! GREAT !

If 2k made a ketchup flavored popsicle you'd love it.

[RoadDoggFL]

If 2k made a ketchup flavored popsicle you'd love it.
I'm listening...

[shonuff326]

I like the demo so far. I have the controls pretty much down, but I still prefer the 2k8 controls which I didn't think were as difficult as everyone made out to be.

I am missing one key control feature which either isn't in the pro stick evolution scheme or I have just overlooked it. I can't figure out how to icon switch my players? I always did that in 2k8 so I didn't have to click a million times to get the guy I wanted. I prefer back checking with forwards so regular switch player presses usually give you a defenseman which is a pain in the neck. Hopefully I am just missing the combo.

Back to play a few more periods to figure some things out. So far so good.

Also a moment of silence for Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon Star, Julius Carry III, who played The Shogun of Harlem, aka, Shonuff who has recently passed.

http://www.bet.com/News/NewsArticleObitJuliusShoNuffCarry.htm?wbc_purpose= Basic&WBCMODE=PresentationUnpublished&Referrer=%7B0471DDF0-D0D8-48A8-9E30-ADD40CBE0269%7D

[Grandmaster D]

Anyone managed to switch to the last man in defence? Last year, it was double tapping the pass button - that seems to be gone now.

[j44thor]

1. Passes were for some reason incredibly innacurate. Not innacurate like sometimes in the nhl a pass misses... innacurate like i push a direction and hit the pass button and the puck does not go anywhere near where i want it to and it also has such a slow speed allowing the opposing team to easily intercept my pass. Probably slider adjustable but still a stupid thing to have in the demo.


Funny playing the PS3 demo I felt just the opposite. I was hitting about 90% of my passes (too many IMO) but chalked that up to pro-level.
If anything I was setting up plays that I never could with 2K8, cycling the puck down low passing to the half-boards then point to point, back down low, all the while trying to get a clear pass to the slot.
When I did and the wing buried a one timer it was legitimately exciting.

Don't know if it is a difference between Xbox and PS3 but I had zero problems passing.
Shooting was another story but I actually like that 50% of my point shots missed the net.
Shooting is always way too accurate in video games.

[shonuff326]

Funny playing the PS3 demo I felt just the opposite. I was hitting about 90% of my passes (too many IMO) but chalked that up to pro-level.
If anything I was setting up plays that I never could with 2K8, cycling the puck down low passing to the half-boards then point to point, back down low, all the while trying to get a clear pass to the slot.
When I did and the wing buried a one timer it was legitimately exciting.

Don't know if it is a difference between Xbox and PS3 but I had zero problems passing.
Shooting was another story but I actually like that 50% of my point shots missed the net.
Shooting is always way too accurate in video games.

I also have had no trouble passing. I am on 360 and find the passing to be very accurate. I like shots that miss the net too. As a former goalie I know that shots that miss the net can be a pain the butt with bounces off the boards, especially missed short side, shots missed wide usually find their way out of the zone.....which is nice. Been getting some decent opportunities from those bounces so far, nice scrumming action.

[KillingEdge]

i played the demo yesterday and liked it a lot.

the gameplay is very smooth and realistic, i like how u can use the old controls, cause the new pro stick controls are god awful, but thank god they took out the sprint. the camera is very bad, i do hope they still let you use the 3/4 camera in 2k9

the graphics are very good compared to the last few games, the ice looks amazing

[One Crunk Killa]

This game is going to be great enough said. I'm glad they took out the sprint button and the back to forehand bs so it will be interesting to see how everyone adapts. One of the things to get used to is playing defense there really isn't stick wiggling unless you hold the direction after poke check and you can't move around while doing it either :( lol

[justabill37]

So I gave this demo a chance, I honestly did and here is my two cents.

Animations are nice, nice collision on the checks, and the checking toned down and more realistic.

I like the on the fly coaching

I kinda like the puck physics (sorta)

I like the intros, even though I will only watch it once.

The shooting is responsive and maybe even intuitive, but............

The bad...

I would be able to deal with the shooting on the right stick if I could actually stick handle, even EA's 08 had a better side to side puck handling than 2k9.

This is how 2k9 feels on puck handling. ( Hey if this came out two years ago, no problem.) So Pavel Datsyuk is in the demo. Dats is arguably one of the top ten elite puck handlers period. So why is it when I try to go side to side. (Left to right) with #13 it feels like the ice is flooded with about an inch of water. Is there a setting to dry out the ice in the full version or is that why there is zamboni games? Becasue right now going right to left, the puck sticks to the ice and instead of going side to side I'm going side.............................................. ........................to side. And that is a rather huge deal breaker.

More bad....The player models blow. ARe they playing outside like back in the forties is that why they are wearing wool sweaters? And who is that weird looking dude wearing Zetterbergs wool sweater? Last year is was Zetterberg, This year I think it's his retarded cousin.

The poke check, canned animation, although effective, is crap.

So to summarize.....2K went from Pro-stick to Pro-stick evolution. 360 degrees of total stick control to no control at all. I think I have a name for that new evo stick it should be called P.O.S. Stick, because that is far more appropriate.

So unless something magical happens and the game that hits retail shelves is actually, I don't know.....good. Then I will just kick it old school and play 2k8. Unless of course ( and not likely to happen) EA actually makes a hockey game that's still.
fun after two weeks.

p.s. I almost forgot....The celebrations are stupid, except when he goes to the bench, that's cool. (The scorer is all by himself after he scores, is this a game of pickup? And the music on the demo, I would have preferred nothing to this garbage, especially after I score a goal. WTF?

[stoney0ne]

thats it right there.



words fail me. i use to be able to have full control of the stick..... now i have like none


horrible. im sure ill get it. but its everything i feared it would be




i hate hate hate all the arcade stuff like the camera shaking

[submityoresume]

thats it right there.



words fail me. i use to be able to have full control of the stick..... now i have like none


horrible. im sure ill get it. but its everything i feared it would be




i hate hate hate all the arcade stuff like the camera shaking

Relax dude, this game is bonkerly good:cool:

[stoney0ne]

Relax dude, this game is bonkerly good:cool:


i know, thats the problem.


id like a game that nhl'erly good

[pairunoyd]

yea, one of my reasons for liking 2k is the total stick control on defense. That, along w/ the sliders and manual passing option.

[Fuman]

This game is going to be great enough said. I'm glad they took out the sprint button and the back to forehand bs so it will be interesting to see how everyone adapts. One of the things to get used to is playing defense there really isn't stick wiggling unless you hold the direction after poke check and you can't move around while doing it either :( lol

great? they took out the fundamental thing that made the game good the controls! you can't sweep check or move your stick around imo it's bad im definately not buying it this year :thumbsdow

it looks like EA's 2004 with the retarded bar next to the skaters showing how fast they accelerate? wtf

and the stupid icons with skates or sticks i guess saying there big scorers and fast skaters

how retarded

[stoney0ne]

my impression of the demo is that its made basicly our entire league think about switching to the EA game

[sleepytercel]

great? they took out the fundamental thing that made the game good the controls! you can't sweep check or move your stick around imo it's bad im definately not buying it this year :thumbsdow

it looks like EA's 2004 with the retarded bar next to the skaters showing how fast they accelerate? wtf

and the stupid icons with skates or sticks i guess saying there big scorers and fast skaters

how retarded

The bar is telling you when the turbo is going to run out. The icons are used in VC's basketball game and has been for years.

[MaddSkillz09]

The demo is great.

[joker07]

Every player who praised 2k9 DEMO need this question : Which DEMO is better than any full game ?

[joker07]

The bar is telling you when the turbo is going to run out. The icons are used in VC's basketball game and has been for years.

I love this icons ! Heh NHL 2004 on PC was the best EA´S PC hockey game . EA do not need this icons now because their players do 100% work on the ice : 100% accurate shots , 100% acurrate tape to tape passes, 100% accurate hits . Any arcade game do not needs any icons because all of players are the same !

2k need some icons because is it the simulator of hockey and every player is different .

[Kuris]

I love this icons ! Heh NHL 2004 on PC was the best EA´S PC hockey game . EA do not need this icons now because their players do 100% work on the ice : 100% accurate shots , 100% acurrate tape to tape passes, 100% accurate hits . Any arcade game do not needs any icons because all of players are the same !

2k need some icons because is it the simulator of hockey and every player is different .

Those icons gives a good info for the player. If you are new to NHL, you don't have a clue which players are good for scoring, skating and so on. And that's why those icons are there. :)

I tried the demo and liked it very much. Puck feels like it has weight and the puck physics are great. Goals look good and those physics along with responsive controls makes scoring fairly rewarding! I've been playing EA's hockey for years and now this demo got me hooked - can't stop playing. I already had to preorder NHL 2K9 and now I just have to wait...

There are few cons concerning the graphics, but the gameplay is just so nicely done that those cons don't get to bother too much.

[joker07]

Those icons gives a good info for the player. If you are new to NHL, you don't have a clue which players are good for scoring, skating and so on. And that's why those icons are there. :)



I am a hardcore player , I am playing over 1000 matches (since 1990) every year but this icons are better for orientation on the ice for every users and you can still do disable this future anytimes. I like a "after shot vision of the sticks" system from EA too it is great inovation for users who like any skillstick .

Hey boys this is a new 2k hockey series with pick up and play controls look here : http://gonintendo.com/wp-content/photos/nhlad.jpg

I love the pro stick evolution control scheme because is less responsive than EA´s skillstick . EA´s skillstick is great but very simple for cheap scoring . I dis like the 2k8 control but if the 2k do not make any re-maping buttons scheme for the 2k9 it will not good think ...

[Rising Force]

NHL 94 on PC was a portover of the genesis version

NHL 95 on PC was the great one,with updated graphics and amzing game play

[DetroitPISTonNBAlive]

omg. i was scared for a second. i thought all u guys were talkin about the nba 2k9 demo. u guys were sayin some bad stuff bout it. thank god uu werent talkin bout nba 2k9.

[Rising Force]

we will say bad stuff about NBA2k9 when its out,,,, well we could now anyways,,,

NBA2K9 SUCKS BIG ONES:D

[DetroitPISTonNBAlive]

we will say bad stuff about NBA2k9 when its out,,,, well we could now anyways,,,

NBA2K9 SUCKS BIG ONES:D

shut the hell up:thumbsdow

[Rising Force]

Someone put up a poll to see how bad NBA 2k9 SUCKS !

[Kuris]

I am a hardcore player , I am playing over 1000 matches (since 1990) every year but this icons are better for orientation on the ice for every users and you can still do disable this future anytimes. I like a "after shot vision of the sticks" system from EA too it is great inovation for users who like any skillstick .

Yes. I just agreed with your opinion of those icons and I meant that they are good info for rookies. With your experience you propably know the players by name that are good at tackling in your favorite team - so you don't propably need the tackling icon to indicate it. ;) 2K's goal for NHL 2K9 has obviously been to make it more easy for rookies/casual players to jump in.

[joker07]

Off topic here , joker, but There never was an NHL 94 for PC.
The 1st PC NHL game released by EA was NHL 95 :)

NO! The 1st PC NHL game released by EA was NHL 93 http://www.cznhl.com/galerie/displayimage.php?album=1&pos=1 but my first PC hockey game was the FACE-OFF (1989)

[DetroitPISTonNBAlive]

Someone put up a poll to see how bad NBA 2k9 SUCKS !

quit teasin. *****

[Rising Force]

NO! The 1st PC NHL game released by EA was NHL 93 http://www.cznhl.com/galerie/displayimage.php?album=1&pos=1 but my first PC hockey game was the FACE-OFF (1989)
read my edited post bro...
The PC version of NHL 95 was the 1st one that was not a port over....

Face off realy sucked,,, but I liked Wayne Gretzky Hockey from 1992...

[Noose#15]

I liked the demo, I thoguht the goalies looked/moved alot better :thumbsup: . I didn't like how I couldn't shoot with the 2k8 control scheme :thumbsdow . The intro, was nice, the fans were nice:thumbsup: :thumbsup: . I don't like the goal celebrations of players. They just sorta skate around with their arms up. Hopefully stuff like crossovers will be in the real version, or maybe a patch to download. I liked how the hitting is more relistic and it just felt like such a better game than last years. I can't wait for September 9th.

[Irish916]

my impression of the demo is that its made basicly our entire league think about switching to the EA game

You'll need more than luck to pull off a league on an EA hockey game. You might want to throw in a rabbit's foot, the four-leaf clover and an Amish prayer book! EA's online last year was OBSCENE, as were year's prior. Look EA's other games like Bad Company and Command and Conquer and the trend continues. They always sell a million+ copies of every title because they've bought up just about all of their competition. If you have 500K preorders, why aren't your servers prepared on launch day?!!? There is no excuse for the poor online performance of EA's game. You want some of that, have fun!

I shot a review up after I played the demo 25+ times. I've played it twice as much since, and I've noticed a few other key things.

I know everyone has their maxis in a bunch over the change in the control settings. I know, I was there too, and if you read my first post on demo impressions I stated I was concerned. One of things I've noticed is that you have much more defensive skill control when skating backwards. I noticed if I was chasing a player toward my own goal, I was not in position to use the defensive skill stick. Now when I was in proper position, and skating backwards, I had immediate control over the poke check. Try it out for yourselvs. It's clear, they wanted to move away from the "swat stick" that it was in 2K8. Let's be honest, last year the stick was OVERUSED on defense. Now EA is marketing the defensive skill stick on 09 as a "first time ever", which is a total crock.

It also appears the skill stick on offense is just as dynamic. The body position of the skater seems to influence what you can do with the skill stick, which is ingenius when you think about it. I noticed the same thing with skill level too. The more skilled the player is in stick handling, the more function I seem to get with the stick, which is cool. Does it take time to get used to, YES!

I was also glowing about the how well the defensemen played. I made that comment without having played as Pittsburg. When I played as Pittsburg, I noticed a sharp decline in offensive awareness from the defensemen. I was not able to connect easily on one timers. Again, I think this is showing how the ratings of the players actually impact the game, which is great. Going point to point with Lindstrom and Rafalski had much better results. This is the type of attention to detail within the gameplay that I love with 2K. I don't want every player to be able to whip the puck around with the skill stick. I don't want every player to have lightning quick acceleration. Nor do we want every player with toughness and agression.

I know I was hard on the visual player modeling. I still think the poor modeling of the players in cut scences is deplorable. That said, I did notice some nice new partical effects added. We have always had the snow spray from the skates, but on some hits and cuts, you see a much more thick release of snow. A few times I put a hit on someone and their skate got stuck in a rut and a chunk of snow popped up. Very cool.

I'm also noticing players react to the pucks more. I did a point to point one time from Lindstrom and it hit a guy in the back of the helmet and he dropped like he was shot!! Excellent stuff.

[stoney0ne]

we would be using a outside service for a ea league. check out www.leaguedaddy.com



as far as the stick being over used in last years game.... watch a nhl game... watch how the defensmen play, then tell them they are using there stick to much

[Irish916]

It was clearly overused in 2K8. I've seen ANd played enough hockey in my life to know the tactical application of the stick check.

[joker07]

read my edited post bro...
The PC version of NHL 95 was the 1st one that was not a port over....

Face off realy sucked,,, but I liked Wayne Gretzky Hockey from 1992...

Yes ! WGH hockey series 1,2,3 was GREAT ! I was played on the PC286 33MHz CPU .... It was slower than mobil and games too long ... old timer...

[CellFish]

A 286-33 mhz? I'm fairly sure they did not make anything faster than a 286 at 25 mhz.

[stoney0ne]

It was clearly overused in 2K8. I've seen ANd played enough hockey in my life to know the tactical application of the stick check.


maybe some guys over used it.


but the range of motion is what im talking about. its not there this year it seems. things like skating backwards and using your stick

[Kuris]

things like skating backwards and using your stick

I was able to poke check while skating backwards. Or didn't I understand something? I am aware of the 2K8's 360 degree stick handling though. But 2K9's poke checking works just fine for me.

I haven't played 2K8 so I'm really not in a situation to judge whether or not these new controls are better than old ones (2K9 Pro Evo vs. 2K8 Pro Stick). Anyways, I prefer the Hybrid control scheme. It's easy enough to learn while I still have a good control over players on ice.

[Irish916]

I'm seeing about a 200 degree motion with the stick in the 2K9 demo while skating backwards. The motion of the stick is more realistic in 2K9. Let's be honest, when do we really see the 360 degree motion of a stick check in hockey? You don't. The point I was making is that folks abused the stick in 2K8. It kinds reminded me of seeing grade school kids playing floor hockey; just swinging the stick everywhere without any direction.

I empathize with people feeling like 2K has taken something away. Controlled 360-degree motion (non spin-o-rama) appears to have been removed. The obvious reaction is "how dare you!" I get that. THat was my first impression. After working with it, the changes begin to make more sense. You don't have the silly looking dekes that you had from 2K8. You also have the skill players with more control and better range with the stick, which I think is cool.

[Noose#15]

This game seems to be a winner in my books, but I'm waiting to actually play the real game before I make my decision.

[justabill37]

Are you guys HIGH or something. "It's the way he shifts his weight that allows to stck handle" or " Unrealistic stick control" in last years game. The only unrealistic thing about 360 control was that you couldn't put the over your head, or lift a stick. I have skated down the ice perfectly straight with DAts.....(weight distribution is perfectly center) and puck handling still sucks....and Dats can puck handle in a shoe box. Controls are meh, at best. And poke check and swinging the stick defensivlely, That should be left up to the defensemen how often he wants to use it. Not the programmers. Although A well timed poke check is how it's done, you know, for the record.

[stoney0ne]

what im finding frustrating. is that while im skating backwards, and tring to poke, the player just seems to glide backwards. i dont seem to be able to control the stick and defender at the same time with the same accuracy as last years game. it just felt kinda random..... like the ea controls

I'm seeing about a 200 degree motion with the stick in the 2K9 demo while skating backwards. The motion of the stick is more realistic in 2K9. Let's be honest, when do we really see the 360 degree motion of a stick check in hockey? You don't. The point I was making is that folks abused the stick in 2K8. .


very true. you dont see guys swinging the stick around in a giant circle. but what you do see is a defensmen throwing his stick out in a well timed poke in any and all direction, if thats where the puck is at...


skating backards with the stick held in a place intended to block a shot, then when the guy with the puck ets close enough, the stick then gets poked out at the stick forcing the guy with the puck to adjust, change angles, protect the puck, what ever

[sleepytercel]

I think it was done so that you focus more on positioning, rather than skating around while also swinging a stick aimlessly. If that was what they were aiming for, then it works. Once I got used to the fact that you can't skate around while doing this, it made me think more on how I will approach my defense and offense. On offense, I would make my cut, and then quickily slide my stick in position and shoot my shot. It feels fine. On defense, I skate backwards, get into position on where to make my move, limit my momentum, and perform my defensive move. I actually think that this years choic of change will benefit a little more against users, and could possibly force people to use a little more thought int their approach.

I'm not a hockey nut, but who skates left, right, up, and down, while swinging a stick at any degree of choice at the same time? Is that possible? On offense, I think the change makes the game a bit more realistic overall. In 2K8, while puck handling, you vould move the stick at any degree while skating and changing any direction with no repercussion of losing the puck or tripping over. I really liked last years controls, but after playing several games of the demo, I see the vision that VC was aiming for. I'm used to the new controls, and I think as time progresses, we may see this as a better interpretation. I've done some nice moves in 2K9 that have felt thought out and rewarding, and looked and felt really good. It took me some time, but I'm liking it.

[mpack47]

I like the video-on-the-ice for the pre-game, the controls are easy to pick up for a new or old player, it's a decent demo

[Rising Force]

I think it was done so that you focus more on positioning, rather than skating around while also swinging a stick aimlessly. If that was what they were aiming for, then it works. Once I got used to the fact that you can't skate around while doing this, it made me think more on how I will approach my defense and offense. On offense, I would make my cut, and then quickily slide my stick in position and shoot my shot. It feels fine. On defense, I skate backwards, get into position on where to make my move, limit my momentum, and perform my defensive move. I actually think that this years choic of change will benefit a little more against users, and could possibly force people to use a little more thought int their approach.

I'm not a hockey nut, but who skates left, right, up, and down, while swinging a stick at any degree of choice at the same time? Is that possible? On offense, I think the change makes the game a bit more realistic overall. In 2K8, while puck handling, you vould move the stick at any degree while skating and changing any direction with no repercussion of losing the puck or tripping over. I really liked last years controls, but after playing several games of the demo, I see the vision that VC was aiming for. I'm used to the new controls, and I think as time progresses, we may see this as a better interpretation. I've done some nice moves in 2K9 that have felt thought out and rewarding, and looked and felt really good. It took me some time, but I'm liking it.


The NBA forum is upstairs bro... :lol: :rotfl:

[sleepytercel]

The NBA forum is upstairs bro... :lol: :rotfl:

Oh, I'm sorry, is that how they play defense in hockey? My bad then. I didn't know hockey players swing their stick around aimlessly while changing directions without losing balance or momentum. I thought there might have been skill involved. Thanks for the heads up.

[BruinsHockey08]

I voted this a 3 in when I first player it on thursday and voted it as a 3 the same day. However with the time I spent with the game over the weekend, I noticed a couple minor details that stick out, like the loose puck battles in front of the net, and despite the lack of penalties, you can still play defense without commiting an infraction, it just takes alot of restraint not to abuse the privledge of not having penalties in the game. Which in turn makes for a more satisfying experience. Overall the demo gets a 7 out of 10 from me, and the game should only be better, this is a definate buy for me, despite the lackluster early impressions

[sleepytercel]

I actually did see boarding in the demo. There was no call, but the mechanic of it is still there. Maybe it'll happen more frequently with different settings. Anyways, I played the demo for about an hour straight last night, and I'm seeing a lot of things I like over last year. I'm used to the new controls, and the game feels more polished than last years effort. I originally gave the demo a 7, but I'll raise it up a notch after the time spent. I like the changes, and I have seena bunch of cool animations as I kept playing. I really liked the animation where I checked someone, the player fell to the ice, and I jumped over him. It was smooth and looked nice. The puck physics are no doubt the best I've seen in a hockey game, and I've seen some really nice goalie animations as well. As I kept playing, I also kept seeing new things, and that's only based on a 3 minute demo. I want to see the full package with the full presentation and how everything will come together.

[Rising Force]

I voted this a 3 in when I first player it on thursday and voted it as a 3 the same day. However with the time I spent with the game over the weekend, I noticed a couple minor details that stick out, like the loose puck battles in front of the net, and despite the lack of penalties, you can still play defense without commiting an infraction, it just takes alot of restraint not to abuse the privledge of not having penalties in the game. Which in turn makes for a more satisfying experience. Overall the demo gets a 7 out of 10 from me, and the game should only be better, this is a definate buy for me, despite the lackluster early impressions
hey
arent you the same guy that posts in EA Forum ?;) well except youre 09 there!?:)

[GhostRider]

Demo seems good...Liked the camera..Overall responsiveness was great

[JubeiDOK]

NO! The 1st PC NHL game released by EA was NHL 93 http://www.cznhl.com/galerie/displayimage.php?album=1&pos=1 but my first PC hockey game was the FACE-OFF (1989)

ah, face-off...where every game I played was Montreal vs Hartford =)

I also used to go in and edit all the names to make them the real NHL'ers of the time.

[BruinsHockey08]

hey
arent you the same guy that posts in EA Forum ?;) well except youre 09 there!?:)

Yes sir, and I come in peace to enjoy both ends of the hockey video game boards.

[Rising Force]

Yes sir, and I come in peace to enjoy both ends of the hockey video game boards.
hey no worries bro....
I visit both sites too,,, nothing wrong with that,,,, I rather give both games a fair shot than become a strict fan boy,,,, 2 years ago I played 2k7 a lot,, last year it was 08,,,
This year , so far Im leaning more towards the 09, but who knows , the 2k9 final version might convince me to buy that one too...... BaP is one thing Im lookin forward to in 09.

And you might know me at EA by my ego crushing user name over there ;)

[Irish916]

I voted this a 3 in when I first player it on thursday and voted it as a 3 the same day. However with the time I spent with the game over the weekend, I noticed a couple minor details that stick out, like the loose puck battles in front of the net, and despite the lack of penalties, you can still play defense without commiting an infraction, it just takes alot of restraint not to abuse the privledge of not having penalties in the game. Which in turn makes for a more satisfying experience. Overall the demo gets a 7 out of 10 from me, and the game should only be better, this is a definate buy for me, despite the lackluster early impressions

Bruins, you touched on something I've experienced with the 2K franchise in general. It took me 2 years to even consider playing anything other than an EA hockey product. It takes a TON of patience to give the 2K series a shot, especially having played EA every year since 1991. I think 2K is really challenged by gamers that have played EA for so long, they can't possibly consider playing 2K. It's just TOO different.

08 was a pivotal year for me. I gave 08 a full week, and I tried 2K8. After a few plays with 2K8, I went back to 08. I finally decided that I was going to play 2K8 for a minium of 6 games in my frachise to give it a fair shot. Once I did, I was hooked. The nuances of the 2K franchise become more apparent with each game you play. You see more realistic moments in hockey captured, and you find the AI doing different things against you every game. They might cross check my star player in front of the net, they might pull their starting goalie in the playoffs and keep their backup in for the rest of the series, they might put out 3 enforcers at once to try to get me to slow down my agressive play. The more I played, the more I noticed things about the game. The way the players actually fight for a reason and how the team responds to fight victory. The fact that you can check the other team into submission to the point that they will lay back and allow you to move the puck over their blue line without any contest. You will see the computer AI agressivelyu forecheck you in your defensive zone, clog outlet passing lanes and have their defence pinch in. I just don't see this type of realist gameplay from the EA series. It's not as pretty looking, but to me it's more "hockey" than EA.

The 2K9 demo is showing me that experience all over again. Some games I win 5-1, other games I lose 1-0. Some games I can carry the puck out of my own zone, other times the computer forechecks the be-jesus out of me. I'm seeing that level of variation in the DEMO with bubble-gum slider settings. Anyone notice how the intro video varies from time to time?? One game Zets steps onto the ice and stumbles as he steps down, and other entrances he hops on with no problem?? That little attention to detail really keeps me engaged. Again, it's aint the prettiest game, but it's totally rock n roll!!

[Rising Force]

he said be-jesus.

[joker07]

Bruins, you touched on something I've experienced with the 2K franchise in general. It took me 2 years to even consider playing anything other than an EA hockey product. It takes a TON of patience to give the 2K series a shot, especially having played EA every year since 1991. I think 2K is really challenged by gamers that have played EA for so long, they can't possibly consider playing 2K. It's just TOO different.

08 was a pivotal year for me. I gave 08 a full week, and I tried 2K8. After a few plays with 2K8, I went back to 08. I finally decided that I was going to play 2K8 for a minium of 6 games in my frachise to give it a fair shot. Once I did, I was hooked. The nuances of the 2K franchise become more apparent with each game you play. You see more realistic moments in hockey captured, and you find the AI doing different things against you every game. They might cross check my star player in front of the net, they might pull their starting goalie in the playoffs and keep their backup in for the rest of the series, they might put out 3 enforcers at once to try to get me to slow down my agressive play. The more I played, the more I noticed things about the game. The way the players actually fight for a reason and how the team responds to fight victory. The fact that you can check the other team into submission to the point that they will lay back and allow you to move the puck over their blue line without any contest. You will see the computer AI agressivelyu forecheck you in your defensive zone, clog outlet passing lanes and have their defence pinch in. I just don't see this type of realist gameplay from the EA series. It's not as pretty looking, but to me it's more "hockey" than EA.

The 2K9 demo is showing me that experience all over again. Some games I win 5-1, other games I lose 1-0. Some games I can carry the puck out of my own zone, other times the computer forechecks the be-jesus out of me. I'm seeing that level of variation in the DEMO with bubble-gum slider settings. Anyone notice how the intro video varies from time to time?? One game Zets steps onto the ice and stumbles as he steps down, and other entrances he hops on with no problem?? That little attention to detail really keeps me engaged. Again, it's aint the prettiest game, but it's totally rock n roll!!

I hate EA´s NHL now because I played both games the full game NHL 09 (on GC in Leipzig yesterday) and the DEMO NHL2k9 . EA´s series is falling down from the NHL07 ... the 2k series is really back this year with more fun and more challenges . The 2k9 is GREAT with a EA skillstick now and still it is the same 2k´s feeling it is in the game again . Best regards for the Visual-Concepts and Ben Bishop the mission is complete ,the NHL2k9 it is absolutely different from a EA´s NHL09 . It is very important for me and another hardcore players because WE HATE EA´s MONEY GOALS or TAPE to TAPE passing forever ! Heh, and the zambonis ? Last year EA´s producer David Littman said "We want any Zambonis race in the game but we have not time for make this ...." Oo The 2k has better time or better programmators maybe ... I love an zambonis because I spend my time on the ice so often and the zambonis are my friends !

[Rising Force]

joker, seriously dude...
Of course 2k9 will be different from EA 09
of course youd call it money goals when you cant save them
of course youre a 2k fanboy
and of course YOU of all people would find truefriendhip with a ice-cleaning machine...

This could be turned around, you know....while 2k was too busy programming a zamboni race, EA worked more on gameplay,fun factor and GRAPHICS/REALISTIC PRESENTATION:)

and what you refer to as tape-to-tape passing:
Its videogame hockey dude :) Thats what made those early EA games fun

and TWO,,, if youve been around hockey long enough, you would remember the
real time tape-to-tape passings,,, from the likes of Gretzky-Jagr , in Canada Cup 90... as with the russians in their Sovjet time,,,,

But at least Im glad youve found your game.... Im still very skeptical.... the demo didnt do nothing for me,,,

[submityoresume]

Wow! this demo is 20x's better when you play a human opponent! Great job 2K*

[DarKWolF]

First I would like to thanks 2K for screwing up my 2K hockey!

Thanks you very much to have screwed up a nice franchise that was 2K hockey.

I seriously hope we can remap 2K classic control cause it’s a real mess. (Where in the hell of god are the 2k7 classic control)
Animation is weird and it's nothing like 2K8.

It's a real shame you end up with a game like this after 2K8, did u create the game based on the WII only or what ?! wtf is this mess ?! seriously .. ohh let me guess a family game that everyone can enjoy! yah thanks alots!!

For all I care EA should buy out TAKE-TWO and shutdown 2K.

I hope EA is better than that, if not I guess I will stick with 2K8 till somebody make a real damn hockey game out there.

Btw for the flaming kids, I played over 1000 games of 2K8 and ended up more than once in the top 10 online and I WAS a actual fan of 2K.

Shame on you 2K SHAME ON YOU!

DarKWolF


PS: Don't expect the retail to be much better than this, if that was a 2 months old beta they wouldn’t have rlsed the demo only 2 weeks before the retail.

[CellFish]

I've been playing Online Team Play in NHL 08 for over a week and I have to say that I am already bored to tears. Every single match is the same as the last. The offense is the same, the defense is the same... nothing changes from one match to another. People quit before the game starts, others quit after the second period, there's a faceoff loop bug... it's annoying enough to get into the game and even more annoying when you actually play the game. However, I can live with a lot of this ****. What I can't live with is the following:

EA's 'independent puck physics' are a joke. The puck NEVER rolls in EA. The puck always goes through the same predictable movement. It honestly acts and reacts as though it is magnetic and the ice is metal. It's absolutely awful to play with. Every time I get out of NHL 08 and back into NHL 2K9's demo, I fall in love with how the puck moves again. It is by far the only engine with true 'independent puck physics.'

[submityoresume]

First I would like to thanks 2K for screwing up my 2K hockey!

Thanks you very much to have screwed up a nice franchise that was 2K hockey.

I seriously hope we can remap 2K classic control cause it’s a real mess. (Where in the hell of god are the 2k7 classic control)
Animation is weird and it's nothing like 2K8.

It's a real shame you end up with a game like this after 2K8, did u create the game based on the WII only or what ?! wtf is this mess ?! seriously .. ohh let me guess a family game that everyone can enjoy! yah thanks alots!!

For all I care EA should buy out TAKE-TWO and shutdown 2K.

I hope EA is better than that, if not I guess I will stick with 2K8 till somebody make a real damn hockey game out there.

Btw for the flaming kids, I played over 1000 games of 2K8 and ended up more than once in the top 10 online and I WAS a actual fan of 2K.

Shame on you 2K SHAME ON YOU!

DarKWolF


PS: Don't expect the retail to be much better than this, if that was a 2 months old beta they wouldn’t have rlsed the demo only 2 weeks before the retail.
that was soooo boring:thumbsdow Back to excitement! 2k9 hockey:D

[sleepytercel]

Claiming to be top 10 in any of these games is usually a joke. I'm sure scoring 15 goals in the "pro" lobby was a real hockey fan's dream. I liked 2K8, but it was far from being realistic. However, since giving the demo more than a few games, I actually see a lot more improvement in this engine than the one used in 2K8. I finally ridded my habits of 2K8 and adjusted to what is new for 2K9, and I can't wait to play this game. I've probably played about 30 games of the demo and I am still seeing new animations, Ai advances, and learning new tactics. I think it will provide a greater depth than 2K8. It's also nice to actually cycle the puck around without everyone coming in to knock my butt to the ice. I don't like the graphics much though, but the gameplay graphics are clean, and the overall gameplay actually feels more polished.

[joker07]

joker, seriously dude...
Of course 2k9 will be different from EA 09
of course youd call it money goals when you cant save them
of course youre a 2k fanboy
and of course YOU of all people would find truefriendhip with a ice-cleaning machine...

This could be turned around, you know....while 2k was too busy programming a zamboni race, EA worked more on gameplay,fun factor and GRAPHICS/REALISTIC PRESENTATION:)

and what you refer to as tape-to-tape passing:
Its videogame hockey dude :) Thats what made those early EA games fun

and TWO,,, if youve been around hockey long enough, you would remember the
real time tape-to-tape passings,,, from the likes of Gretzky-Jagr , in Canada Cup 90... as with the russians in their Sovjet time,,,,

But at least Im glad youve found your game.... Im still very skeptical.... the demo didnt do nothing for me,,,

...EA worked more on gameplay,fun factor and GRAPHICS/REALISTIC PRESENTATION ... ahuhuahuahua it is GREAT JOKE from you because 2k do not need better improved gameplay . The 2k series is still number one of hockey simulators !

The EA has not realistic presentation ,each arenas looks the same ,each player looks the same with the same script , each player make do the same move too, only 1 refferee ?? ha ha ha ... Gameplay? What is gameplay with the 100 money goals per game ?an Tape to tape passing does not exists in the real simulation of hockey . The EA company do loosers from every players ! And you are looser now you do not play hockey . You believe EA because you can not skate , I can help you I can buy any HD TV for you OK ?
I am the 2k fanboy ? Ok I am happy with this because only the 2k can make any real hockey simulations . You must try EA.com forum if you can try any arcade games with poor presentations and menus of the game...
You remember the NHL07 ? Please write me 10 different things from NHL09. THX for your september time .

[FrenziedSokar]

still dont get why ppl have to call ppl 2k fanboys on the 2k forums about 2k games :rotfl: :rotfl: i dont find it insulting but these kiddies think by calling us this is gonna upset us lol go back to school children



im no demon hockey player and more the casual player and i was pleased with the demo, the gameplay seemed smooth and the presentation at the beginning of the game was awesome, cant wait to try out the new website :thumbsup:

[Rising Force]

...EA worked more on gameplay,fun factor and GRAPHICS/REALISTIC PRESENTATION ... ahuhuahuahua it is GREAT JOKE from you because 2k do not need better improved gameplay . The 2k series is still number one of hockey simulators !

The EA has not realistic presentation ,each arenas looks the same ,each player looks the same with the same script , each player make do the same move too, only 1 refferee ?? ha ha ha ... Gameplay? What is gameplay with the 100 money goals per game ?an Tape to tape passing does not exists in the real simulation of hockey . The EA company do loosers from every players ! And you are looser now you do not play hockey . You believe EA because you can not skate , I can help you I can buy any HD TV for you OK ?
I am the 2k fanboy ? Ok I am happy with this because only the 2k can make any real hockey simulations . You must try EA.com forum if you can try any arcade games with poor presentations and menus of the game...
You remember the NHL07 ? Please write me 10 different things from NHL09. THX for your september time .


Listen dude.
Youre going around and around with the same stuff you say on the other (2kh) forums.
Quit bragging about your skating and hockey skills.
If youre that good, then stick to the real thing, but I guess you tried it and you couldnt, so you went back to videogame hockey.
I dont play real hockey nor do I skate. Thats why I play videogame hockey. I enjoy it as a game. I enjoy what BOTH parties offer. Both EA and 2K have made more than a handfull of great hockey games over the past decade or two.
What do you qualify as "hockey sim".... if you think that indepth stats and (freezing) franchize modes are part of a sim, then 2k did a good job with their sim.
I enjoy fast paced hockey. Specially online. I am also one that rather lose a game but play fair than load tons of unfair wins in my stats.
I think what it comes down to is the fact that I give BOTH companies a fair shot , EVERY year.... I am not even gonna let this demo affect my final decision.
I dont cut down 2k or EA , by being biased like you are.
I simply try both and might even end up buying both.
Youre just too narrowminded to accept anything from EA, cause to you EA=EVIL.

Also, why dont you save that money you were gonna spend to buy me an HD TV (Since I already have 2), and spend the money on something better,,, like your english .

[sleepytercel]

Alright, please stop the back and forth arguments. It's pointless.

[Rising Force]

Alright, please stop the back and forth arguments. It's pointless.
Youre right ...
My point is, give both games a fair chance. Even if he doesnt want to, thats his choice. but dont cut a company down cause of personal preferences.
I think both companies know what theyre doing .... its all about personal opinions but joker always brings up the fact that he is such a good pro hockey player in life....wtf :confused:

[Rising Force]

And since you asked earlier joker. 10 different things from NHL 07 to NHL 09

1.Be A Player Mode
2. 60 fps
3. 6 vs 6 online mode
4. EASHL
5.Defensive Skill Stick
6.Updated Graphics.
7.Full Goalie Mode
8.one handed dekes
9. Improved checking/fighting
10.Simple Controls inspired by NHL94

Now you name 10 different things on the new 2k9 my friend :) thanks

[sleepytercel]

Well, if we're comparing NHL2K7 to NHL 2K9, then I'll simply say "about everything". Whether all changes are good or bad, I don't know, but the entire game has basically been changed from what I can tell from the demo. Being that it's from a different development studio, it should be of no surprise.

[Savoie06]

And since you asked earlier joker. 10 different things from NHL 07 to NHL 09

1.Be A Player Mode
2. 60 fps
3. 6 vs 6 online mode
4. EASHL
5.Defensive Skill Stick
6.Updated Graphics.
7.Full Goalie Mode
8.one handed dekes
9. Improved checking/fighting
10.Simple Controls inspired by NHL94

Now you name 10 different things on the new 2k9 my friend :) thanks

Ok,I thought I would give this a shot:

1.6 on 6 Online
2.New Fighting Engine
3.Drive the Zambonie(tell me that doesn't thrill you)
4.3 New Sets of Controls(none of which compare to the skill stick I might add)
5.New Player Models(hmmm...)
6.Playoff beards and inteactive Stanley Cup celebration.
7.New Commentators(same commentary)
8.New team intros
9.Superstar moves
10.

Well that's what I gather from the info recieved so far and the demo.

[sleepytercel]

New league integration...that will fill number 10

Seriously, how is this feature overlooked? Being able to upload replay videos to a league website is an excellent idea.

[Savoie06]

I was gonna add,real time player celebrations,but yours will make it look better so we'll go with that.

[FrenziedSokar]

New league integration...that will fill number 10

Seriously, how is this feature overlooked? Being able to upload replay videos to a league website is an excellent idea.

yeah im excited to see how that looks..a great idea they have come up with..i just hope there is no techincal issues with this new feature..not trying to sound negative here but i see this a problemetic area at launch however with new web designs and developers i hope im wrong lol

[sleepytercel]

There could be some bugs with the new system, but 2K has been working extensively to make sure that the system is ready for launch. It's been in design for a while now, so I too, hope that everything comes through smoothly.

[Rising Force]

So we come to the conclusion that we have not one but TWO great hockey games on the horizon.
I for one will enjoy for both , while some narrowminded people go straight into praising one game and bashing the other. goes for both 2k-fanboys and ea-fanboys.....

[sleepytercel]

Well, I just don't like EA's artifical events that plague most of their games. The NHL series, in my opinion, is guilty of it. The scores achieved don't really feel like an accomplishment, and it's almost like the game just keeps things at how it wants played. I don't expect '09 to much different since it's just the engine that is used. This problem shows especially against the computer. It annoys me completely. I just don't notice this problem in the 2K engine, or it isn't as noticable. Games always feel like they play out differently, and if I score, it feels like it makes sense as to why I did, instead of feeling like luck or forced. It's hard to explain, but that's my perspective.

However, one can enjoy a developers approach to gameplay without being labeled a "fanboy", and this term is way overused. There are people who show non-stop praise, and those that troll. They will forever be around. If someone doesn't like something, I think it's okay, as long as it is presented as to why.

[joker07]

The 2k9 online league you can not counting because it is awsome future for hockey games since 1990 . If the zambonis race is one point so any 2k online leagues are 100 points ! If you can add any videos from the game and use reelmaker ... It is crazy time because you do not need to watch any real NHL forever ! I am 2k fanboy this year and my 30 friends in the league too :thumbsup:

[Pharseer]

Well, I just don't like EA's artifical events that plague most of their games. The NHL series, in my opinion, is guilty of it. The scores achieved don't really feel like an accomplishment, and it's almost like the game just keeps things at how it wants played. I don't expect '09 to much different since it's just the engine that is used. This problem shows especially against the computer. It annoys me completely. I just don't notice this problem in the 2K engine, or it isn't as noticable. Games always feel like they play out differently, and if I score, it feels like it makes sense as to why I did, instead of feeling like luck or forced. It's hard to explain, but that's my perspective.

However, one can enjoy a developers approach to gameplay without being labeled a "fanboy", and this term is way overused. There are people who show non-stop praise, and those that troll. They will forever be around. If someone doesn't like something, I think it's okay, as long as it is presented as to why.

"Artificial Events!" I love it, that's exactly what happens in the EA series! I put in 08 looking forward to some great Hockey from all the good things I heard. I was very disappointed to have the game lock up my defenseman on a play, I could do nothing but stand and watch as the AI scored to take the lead! I could not switch players or anything.

I could take the puck in my own zone, head off to grab dinner, come back and my player still had the puck. You can have your fancy graphics, I would much rather have the core gameplay, a different game every time I play, and the computer responding to me taking runs at their players. That's the "spirit" of Hockey.

I hope both Hockey games capture it this year, but once again I see nothing like this in the NHL 09 videos, just the same old boring, unemotional Hockey.

[Nothing2Prove]

I really dont see how any of you like this game. theres tiny things that 2k is better at than ea but honestly theres no comparison. i played the demo and this game would have been good if it was the year 2007. With the new EASHL, one handed dekes, lifting sticks and better poke checking i dont see 2k comeing close to nhl 09. i couldnt play nhl2k9 for more than 20 minutes.

[FrenziedSokar]

I really dont see how any of you like this game. theres tiny things that 2k is better at than ea but honestly theres no comparison. i played the demo and this game would have been good if it was the year 2007. With the new EASHL, one handed dekes, lifting sticks and better poke checking i dont see 2k comeing close to nhl 09. i couldnt play nhl2k9 for more than 20 minutes.

wow thats pretty good that u played it for 20 mins lol normally the 1st post bashers who come on and say they played like 5 mins of the game and hate it so this is an upgrade

[Rei]

Off topic question for anyone that played NHL 08.

I happened to pick up a used copy last week and have been playing it to get ready for NHL 09 which WAS going to be my first choice this year.

Why in NHL 08 is the transition between 2 difficultys so ridiculous? I started out a franchise on pro and after about 10 games i was blowing out other teams 5 to 0. So i went ahead and knocked it up to All Star difficulty and played about 10 games. Not only was the score the absolute opposite (Usually 0 - 5) but everything the AI did was harder, better, faster, stronger. I couldnt get a check in, i could get about 10 shots a game, i could almost never recover the puck on a dump in and every teams goalie had the skill of Brodeur.

I guess my other question would be, did they fix this at all in NHL 09? I'm not paying money to either blow out or get blown out.

Dont think it's just because i suck either, i've always had sim sliders on hall of famer setting on nhl 2k, and to tell you the truth every game was realisticly played without one team having a huge skill advantage.

Hopefully someone has an answer, thank you.

[CellFish]

Hey Rei,

NHL 09 was going to be my first purchase this year too for two reasons: the online MMO part of the game and the centennial Montreal Canadiens team. In the end, those two reasons are no longer enough for me to want to spend 60$ on a game that plays and feels exactly like NHL 07 and NHL 08 and is, realistically, a mild upgrade to the two.

In terms of the difficulty, Pro is about right. I can't say that I blow out the competition at Pro but I don't have that much trouble either. I think I finished my season with 72 wins and 10 total losses. Not exactly a bad performance. The one time I tried All Star, just like you, the game played very unfairly. It's bad enough that when you're winning 3-0 in the third period the opposing team suddenly scores 3 goals within 5 minutes most of the time at Pro but it feels like an absolutely unfair match during the entire game at All Star. However, that's not my problem with the game:

- Since I was mostly purchasing NHL 09 for the online aspect, I figured I would get acquainted with the online team play available in NHL 08. It was fun for the first two days, then the true problems with the game started becoming apparent: people quit before the game starts, people quit after a goal has been scored on them, people quit after the first period, the game has some sort of faceoff loop bug, etc.
- The game itself is flawed. One of the things that sold me on EA's NHL series in 07 was that it had 'independent puck physics.' NHL 07 didn't have it right so I waited for NHL 08. In the end, the only improvement NHL 08 had over NHL 07 was that the goalies were smarter and the framerate doubled. Otherwise, it was the exact same game with the same magnetic puck. Primarily, the puck seems to be magnetized to the ice in the game because it never rolls, never bounces as it should and never skips the ice or anything else we regularly see in a real match. Secondly, it seems to be in love with the stick of the players because passes always complete without fail. Thirdly, the puck is very submissive in that it always ends up in the part of the net that the player chose to shoot to, regardless of how ****ty that player's real-life accuracy is.

NHL 08 has soured me on the NHL 09 experience. The game is boring and repetitive. Even a European friend of mine who has no bias whatsoever to any system or any series told me so. In his words, you will see everything that you would ever get to see in the game within the first 30 minutes of play time. In the past few days, despite telling everyone I would buy NHL 09 (and even joining an online team), I have found myself playing the demo of NHL 2K9 most of the time. I just love it. Every game I play with it seems to be an entirely different match despite the fact that you always play with the same two teams. Imagine that, a match with the two same teams being different every time you play.

In the past few days I have seen deflected goals, fluke goals (the puck bouncing erratically beyond the control of the goalie), **** goals, questionable goals, one-timer goals, wrist-shot goals ... any goal you can imagine in NHL 2K9. Not only that, but the replays, which were traditionally a weakness in the 2K series, have for the first time in the game's history given me multiple angles to see precisely how each one of my goals was scored so I can truly appreciate the greatness of the true independent puck physics in NHL 2K9. To say the least, I am willing to sacrifice an amazing feature (online player MMO in NHL 09) for a game that, at its core, is incredibly fun and realistic in NHL 2K9.

[Savoie06]

Why in NHL 08 is the transition between 2 difficultys so ridiculous?

This has shocked alot of people who just start playing the game.Adjust the sliders my friend.First and foremost,lower the shot accuracy to 0 and the shot power to 2.This will not only reduce the sniper goal scoring by the cpu,but will result in more missed shots on net.Lowering the shot power to 2 is for a more realistic shot speed and with the accuracy at 0 it helps keep the puck from going out of play.The rest I'll let you decide on,but lowering the shot accuracy should make life more pleasant for you.Try Superstar instead of All Star.It's been said that the gameplay is a bit more balanced on that level.Like maybe EA have the two accidently reversed,but still lower the shot accuracy and power.

[Savoie06]

NHL 09 was going to be my first purchase this year too for two reasons: the online MMO part of the game and the centennial Montreal Canadiens team. In the end, those two reasons are no longer enough for me to want to spend 60$ on a game that plays and feels exactly like NHL 07 and NHL 08 and is, realistically, a mild upgrade to the two.

Haha,ok.Why don't you play NHL 09 before you say that.

In terms of the difficulty, Pro is about right. I can't say that I blow out the competition at Pro but I don't have that much trouble either. I think I finished my season with 72 wins and 10 total losses. Not exactly a bad performance. The one time I tried All Star, just like you, the game played very unfairly. It's bad enough that when you're winning 3-0 in the third period the opposing team suddenly scores 3 goals within 5 minutes most of the time at Pro but it feels like an absolutely unfair match during the entire game at All Star

I would say 72 Wins in a season means the difficulty level is not about right,but too easy(blowing teams out or not).The game played unfair on AllStar?Why cause you lost 10 games before you won 10?Read my advice to Rei.It's not that the game plays unfair,its that the shot accuracy is usually left alone and the CPU is too deadly with it any higher than 1.I prefer zero myself.If your worried about low scoring,try using the vision control(Left Trigger) when you shoot.

Since I was mostly purchasing NHL 09 for the online aspect, I figured I would get acquainted with the online team play available in NHL 08. It was fun for the first two days, then the true problems with the game started becoming apparent: people quit before the game starts, people quit after a goal has been scored on them, people quit after the first period, the game has some sort of faceoff loop bug, etc.


Welcome to online play!You just have to roam the meesage boards and try to find people who want to play the game the way it should be played.People quiting and using the faceoff glitch,isn't the games fault.

I do agree about the magnetic puck and in case you hadn't noticed the magnetic checking.These IMO are the two biggest flaws with the game.09 is said to have fixed this(at least the checking) and the puck is said to bounce over sticks and such as well,we'll see.

[Rei]

Thanks for the input guys. I'm still leaning towards 09 even after my experience with 08. The be a prode mode just looks like a ton of fun and the 2k9 demo was a let down for me.

[CellFish]

Honestly, I don't believe EA whenever they say they 'fixed' something and frankly what's most important to me is the puck physics at this point. Honestly, 2k9 gets it just right. Besides, I have a ton of fun playing NHL 2K9's demo. Regardless of how many people say it sucks or was disappointing, I like it more and more every time I play.

[JubeiDOK]

I'm just curious, how come no ones going about how stupid the "special" moves are this year? Top of the right circle, by the boards, and the player does a through the legs shot? In fact, anywhere from the top of the circle down on that side of the ice will trigger the exact same rediculous shot, and on the other side it's Sweden 93. Can we please get rid of these canned dekes once and for all, put the **** in the hands of the players!

[Nothing2Prove]

wow thats pretty good that u played it for 20 mins lol normally the 1st post bashers who come on and say they played like 5 mins of the game and hate it so this is an upgrade

im not trying to hate on it but the game just doesnt compare. i played 2k the year when jeremy roenick was on the cover and then the year after that. i wouldnt say the game was bad if it wasent bad. i would like to see competition from 2k. they put zamboni crap it but dont make the gameplay better. thats just stupid.

edit: to add ill prob have a demo review of nhl09 when it comes out later today. it will be on ea forums

[submityoresume]

im not trying to hate on it but the game just doesnt compare. i played 2k the year when jeremy roenick was on the cover and then the year after that. i wouldnt say the game was bad if it wasent bad. i would like to see competition from 2k. they put zamboni crap it but dont make the gameplay better. thats just stupid.

edit: to add ill prob have a demo review of nhl09 when it comes out later today. it will be on ea forums
Typical critic dude:thumbsdow

[FSOTG]

Wow, are all the consoles getting the Wii graphics?

Is it a demo for NHL Bubblehead 2k9?

Where are all the star players? I sure wasn't able to recognize anybody. Maybe they could have kept some part of last year game after all.

The control are ok, but I hope last year pro stick is back! The begining of the game looks really cool, but that's about it.

No commentary, no option for the camera, didn't help this demo at all.

I'm really not sure I'll buy a hockey game this year. :thumbsdow

[Kuris]

Now that I've played both hockey demos, I can make a little comparison:

Graphics: EA does it with routine... Looks better than 2K9

Gameplay: EA has added defensive skill stick, slowed down the play, passes aren't as accurate as before and tackling is more difficult and few other minor changes. It's little better than 08 but thats about it. The most important part hasn't been fixed: the puck still has poor physics and scoring is not as rewarding as in 2K9. Puck still acts like a magnet.

Other: There is this one new feature, Be a Pro. It has few camera issues but it's quite fun to play though. It would be very very fun if the physics of the puck weren't so poor.

I think that I need only one hockey this year and it's 2K9. The demo of 2K9 has given me a lots of fun and I had to play it for few periods after playing 09 demo. :dance:

[Fuman]

I guess ill need to play 2k9 a bit more then

I hated the physics of the nhl 08 it was too unrealistic

[Price]

I wasn't too happy with the 2k9 demo when I first played it but I just sat down and played it a bit more and I have to say it's growing on me. First of all 2k series puck physics are incredible. I also noticed that more random things happen in the 2k series as opposed to the EA series. For example I was cutting down the wing with Zetterburg and decided to peel back but there was a linesmen following me and I ran right smack into him, we actually collided and it sounded like he let out a grunt and he took a hard spill. That kind of unscripted stuff makes me appreciate 2k games. I don't like how you can't control your players after the whistle because its always fun to take runs at players. I also don't know what is up with the goal celebrations they seem very awkward. I like the skill stick evolution it makes it easier to find holes in traffic and get the puck through to the net. I wish they would have had some type of be a pro mode who cares if EA has it too, it's just a fun idea. Positioning in this years game is a improvement over last year. I think this game is going to be pretty solid. I like it more than 2k8 which I sold back after only about 2 weeks.

[Rei]

Now that I've played both hockey demos, I can make a little comparison:

Graphics: EA does it with routine... Looks better than 2K9

Gameplay: EA has added defensive skill stick, slowed down the play, passes aren't as accurate as before and tackling is more difficult and few other minor changes. It's little better than 08 but thats about it. The most important part hasn't been fixed: the puck still has poor physics and scoring is not as rewarding as in 2K9. Puck still acts like a magnet.

Other: There is this one new feature, Be a Pro. It has few camera issues but it's quite fun to play though. It would be very very fun if the physics of the puck weren't so poor.

I think that I need only one hockey this year and it's 2K9. The demo of 2K9 has given me a lots of fun and I had to play it for few periods after playing 09 demo. :dance:

2 things.

If you can "tackle" in nhl 09 i sure hope it's difficult because there is no such thing as tackling in hockey.

If the 09 demo is out i must be blind because i havent seen it on xbl yet.

[BruinsHockey08]

its only out on PSN. I cant wait to try the demo

[Kuris]

2 things.

If you can "tackle" in nhl 09 i sure hope it's difficult because there is no such thing as tackling in hockey.

If the 09 demo is out i must be blind because i havent seen it on xbl yet.

2 things for you my friend.

First, I got the word wrong. I meant checking. My native language is Finnish, so sorry for my mistake.

Secondly, you are not blind. NHL 09 demo is downloadable to PS3. It hasn't been released to 360 yet.

[macpuck]

The NHL 2K9 demo is growing on me, too. I reserved mine today but I was mildly disappointed to learn that Elec Boutique/Gamestop won't have the game until Sept, 10. In addition to the game, which seems smoother to me than last year's edition, I like the way 2K sports supports the leagues with stats, trades and interesting , while EA's league environment isn't even close.
In the final analysis, however, we won't really know how good the game is until we play in an on-line league against "real" opponents. How smooth will the game play on line? Will the server function better than last year? One concern I have is the superstar moves. Will there be an on/off slider option so that we can play without superstar moves? I see a potential problem with people over-using and abusing them if they are going to be part of the game, no matter what. I don't want to see league play where guys are coming up and down the wings doing spinoramas on every rush. That could make a farce of the game and create all kinds of unnecessary league play controversy and grief.

By the way, I haven't been high since 1967.

[Xboxing2006]

Add me to the long list of people who can say that the demo is growing on them. After about my tenth game I shook my head and said "damn this is a great game".

[Nothing2Prove]

Add me to the long list of people who can say that the demo is growing on them. After about my tenth game I shook my head and said "damn this is a great game".

you must be high cuz nhl 09 beats it by a mile. ive played both of the demos and heres my ratings
2k:5.5
09: 8.8

[b-Dub]

you must be high cuz nhl 09 beats it by a mile. ive played both of the demos and heres my ratings
2k:5.5
09: 8.8

You don't need to insult people because they like the 2K9 demo. You do need to respect their opinion. If you want to praise NHL 09, and talk it up all the time, you're in the wrong forum. If you want to call people morons, or say they are high for liking 2K9, again, you're in the wrong place.

[Flexxer27]

I really can'tt understand how anyone could post an opinion on a DEMO.


Enough said. <------- THAT'S A PERIOD

[Flexxer27]

So far I have nothing to say except:

LETS PLAY HOCKEY !!

[Nothing2Prove]

I really can'tt understand how anyone could post an opinion on a DEMO.


Enough said. <------- THAT'S A PERIOD

the demo is mostly the final game. theres not much to change from a demo besides for a few glitches.

[2k Hockey]

I've played both demos so far. For me it'll be 2k9 this year (last year I bought 08)....

The reasons:

Ok NHL 09 has REALLY great graphics and the new "be a pro" is a cool thing. But the demo was not that fun for me because I had in 4 games 2 glitchy goals.

1. Penalties - The goalie pokechecks the puck away and with his own stick he put it in his own net.

2. Ingame - A defender skates near the net and somehow the puck was in his own goal.

Besides most of the goals scored were very strange because the goalie just saves nearly everything in '09! (Too often the puck hits a post.) Also the puck physics is very poor this year.

In 2k9 the scoring is much more realistic and this is one of my most important points. It makes so much fun to score in a ton of different ways. In 09 it looks often very similar...

In general I like this goal scoring the most and thats a huge reason to buy 2k9.

[kcxiv]

you must be high cuz nhl 09 beats it by a mile. ive played both of the demos and heres my ratings
2k:5.5
09: 8.8
lol. 5.5? Horrible Movie games are rated in that neighborhood. The only thing i can see is you want to troll a forum.

I am not much of a hockey nut, but there is no way the game is poor. If it is as you say a 5.5 at least explain why. Whats wrong with what you have seen. Mind you the game is on an easy level and fights are taken out because its a demo.

[Grandmaster D]

1. Penalties - The goalie pokechecks the puck away and with his own stick he put it in his own net.

2. Ingame - A defender skates near the net and somehow the puck was in his own goal.
Although Littman says in his blog that the goalies are tweaked from the ones you see in the demo, the AI in general may be point of concerns (have to wait for the 360 demo to check it by myself), when even EGM - which together with their partner 1up unloaded a ****storm on 2K8 and are in my opinion responsible for setting a negative tone for the all the later appearing reviews for the game - state:
NHL 09 - B+
Good: Be a Pro mode is both innovative and appealing
Bad: Occasionally weep worthy AI (Link (http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=333305))

[joker07]

lol. 5.5? Horrible Movie games are rated in that neighborhood. The only thing i can see is you want to troll a forum.

I am not much of a hockey nut, but there is no way the game is poor. If it is as you say a 5.5 at least explain why. Whats wrong with what you have seen. Mind you the game is on an easy level and fights are taken out because its a demo.

Why 5.5? Because admin of the EA.com forums sad 5.5 also.. His name is Oilersguru but he can not do skate and not play real hockey . EA´s demo has too much bugs and his result is 8.8 ... WOW NHL09 the best is better the big bug now HA HA HA HA HA.

[BruinsHockey08]

I gotta admit guru is being bias, but not nearly as bias as some of your posts Joker. However lets keep this clean of cheap shots, I have yet to play the 09 demo, but I was impressed by the 2k9 demo after playing it while, it some things 08 didn't have like loose puck battles, and the tape to tape passes didn't exist in the 2k9 demo. I am holding out on saying which game is better, since I haven't played both games, but 2k9 is a very solid outing and should only get better in the retail version, nice job 2K

[Rei]

Why 5.5? Because admin of the EA.com forums sad 5.5 also.. His name is Oilersguru but he can not do skate and not play real hockey . EA´s demo has too much bugs and his result is 8.8 ... WOW NHL09 the best is better the big bug now HA HA HA HA HA.

I like that when people complained about some aspects of the 2k9 demo most of the people here screamed that it's just a demo... but now that 09 is out and something about the demo is considered a "bug" which i havent seen, you laugh and say it's a horrible game.... biased much?

Hopefully i dont get banned for having an unbiased opinion of a hockey game not made by 2k.

[joker07]

I like that when people complained about some aspects of the 2k9 demo most of the people here screamed that it's just a demo... but now that 09 is out and something about the demo is considered a "bug" which i havent seen, you laugh and say it's a horrible game.... biased much?

Hopefully i dont get banned for having an unbiased opinion of a hockey game not made by 2k.

I agree with you ,there are only DEMOS . Any DEMOS without some bugs does not exists . I never say that NHL09 is horrible game .

[klloobla]

i've now played both demo's..And 2k9 is absolutely horrible. If the game is ANYTHING like the demo then 2k sports as a company might as well let EA buy them out, because that was a pathetic attempt at a demo and there's no way in hell i'm going to waste $60 on such a poorly developed game.

Last year i thought nhl 2k8's demo was amazing, much better than 08's demo and i loved that it gave you multiple teams to choose from, which meant i played the demo over and over again and eventually bought nhl 2k8. This year i played the demo and 5 minutes later that piece of crap was off of my harddrive, deleted.

Sorry 2k sports, you lost another person who was actually happy with 2k8 and easily would have accepted the same game with less bugs/freezing and new rosters.

nhl 09's demo had some bugs, but overall it was actually a good experience and now i'm going to at least rent nhl 09(not even going to bother renting 2k9 after that piece of crap demo)

[Xboxing2006]

you must be high cuz nhl 09 beats it by a mile. ive played both of the demos and heres my ratings
2k:5.5
09: 8.8

I have played sports games for close to 20 years. I'm not high. The demo just takes about 10 games before you see its genius. The Ai and the animations are very diverse and the controls take some adjustments. Once you get acclimated to them the game feels so balanced which is why I say its great. I wonder if this game has file share like CH 2k8 and NBA 2k9. With the right sliders an 82 game season would be incredible because the balance just stinks of a game that will be a different experience every game and the CPU is strong enough to war with you. It wont just be a different experience you will have to fight for every win. How you could give that a 5.5 is beyond me. You are the one thats high. This is a flat out great game.

[Streetster17]

i've now played both demo's..And 2k9 is absolutely horrible. If the game is ANYTHING like the demo then 2k sports as a company might as well let EA buy them out, because that was a pathetic attempt at a demo and there's no way in hell i'm going to waste $60 on such a poorly developed game.

Last year i thought nhl 2k8's demo was amazing, much better than 08's demo and i loved that it gave you multiple teams to choose from, which meant i played the demo over and over again and eventually bought nhl 2k8. This year i played the demo and 5 minutes later that piece of crap was off of my harddrive, deleted.

Sorry 2k sports, you lost another person who was actually happy with 2k8 and easily would have accepted the same game with less bugs/freezing and new rosters.

nhl 09's demo had some bugs, but overall it was actually a good experience and now i'm going to at least rent nhl 09(not even going to bother renting 2k9 after that piece of crap demo)
actually it is still on your harddrive until you download something over it, so you still have a peice of 2k in your box

[joker07]

actually it is still on your harddrive until you download something over it, so you still have a peice of 2k in your box
Yes , it is big problem for him because the NHL2k8 DEMO is perfect holiday´s game .

[Rei]

I keep playing the demo and i keep finding things i dont like about it.

I dont like how slow all my wingers feel, i cant get passed a defensemen without doing an aweful deke which is almost always a spin move or a weird jump thing that literally does nothing.

I do like how you cant pull off any of the cheese goals that were in the last 3 or 4 installments. For example the swoop goal, skate down one side of the offensive zone then cut in front of the net and aim farside. It seems like you actually have to play well to open up scoring chances.

The checking still has me a little upset. It seems that instead of having a checking system that works it's there for entertainment purposes... check a winger with your d-man and watch the pretty new animation of the winger you checked spinning and going off balance.

Still the worst thing for me is the fact that there really isnt any way to manually deke the goalie or the defense for that matter. We're left with a stupid pre-programmed superstar move that really should only be used in shootouts. I like to play as a dangler, my favorite players are going to be pointless in this game because the deking is almost non existent.

[Alviston]

I keep playing the demo and i keep finding things i dont like about it.

I dont like how slow all my wingers feel, i cant get passed a defensemen without doing an aweful deke which is almost always a spin move or a weird jump thing that literally does nothing.

I do like how you cant pull off any of the cheese goals that were in the last 3 or 4 installments. For example the swoop goal, skate down one side of the offensive zone then cut in front of the net and aim farside. It seems like you actually have to play well to open up scoring chances.

The checking still has me a little upset. It seems that instead of having a checking system that works it's there for entertainment purposes... check a winger with your d-man and watch the pretty new animation of the winger you checked spinning and going off balance.

Still the worst thing for me is the fact that there really isnt any way to manually deke the goalie or the defense for that matter. We're left with a stupid pre-programmed superstar move that really should only be used in shootouts. I like to play as a dangler, my favorite players are going to be pointless in this game because the deking is almost non existent.

Completely agree. THis is one of the biggest differences between 2K9 and 09. In NHL 09 you actually "feel" the difference between a top player and a fourth liner. The things you can do with the puck and the way it can be shot are totally different. In 2K9 I just don't get that same feeling at all. If there are differences, they are too small to notice in a game at NHL speed.

[Rei]

One more minor thing i dont like about 2k9, or hopefully this is just the demo. Why doesnt the mesh move when i score a goal? Did anyone else notice that?

[joker07]

One more minor thing i dont like about 2k9, or hopefully this is just the demo. Why doesnt the mesh move when i score a goal? Did anyone else notice that?
I agree . I never saw in the DEMO play .

[Rising Force]

Lets hope the final version of 2k9 is revamped and much better than the demo. The 09 demo is very impressive and adds to the anticipation.