Hockey in many ways was the premier sport for video games. Sure, Football is far more popular, but ever since the days of the Genesis, Hockey has beena showcase sport. It was sad to see an incredible demise in console hockey, say around 2001, and it has taken some time for it to have a rebirth. I feel that rebirth is here, and it has occured over the last two iterations of games.

 

I stayed away from hockey after 2003, mainly because I saw that EA's monopoly on the market made each new game just a roster update. I lamented in two previous reviews of the problem with this monopoloy. Then, like a savior, 2K Sports entered the fray and threatened to knock EA off their high horse. It worked.

 

 

 

Let's say this first. I played 2K6 and 2K7 for the 360, and I was sorely disappointed. From a purely operational standpoint, the games were solid and they played well, They just lacked flair. They were unexciting. EA's recent games, say from 2003-2006, were all about flair, with little substance to back them up. Well, it looks like someone at EA was paying attention.

 

This game has the substance, and it has the flair. It is difficult to learn in the beginning, but fairly easy to master, sort of like the learning curve on snowboarding. It is impressive, if not perfect. It capitalizes on last year's Skill Stick, where each anolog stick controls different aspects of the player. Along with play creation and enhanced graphics, this year's game has moved ahead nicely.

 

NHL 08's success hinges on the SKill Stick. The left stick is used for skating while the right controls the hockey stick. A little awkward at first, I found it to be excellent at recreating hockey after playing with it for a bit. It's not perfect, but it has the right feel for a hockey game. Your eally do control the skater and the stick. Learning how to control the puck, now that's something every hockey player has struggled with.

 

A lot of criticism has come down on EA Sports in recent years and I don't deny that they have rested on their laurels at times and at others, they changed things for the sake of change, only to the detriment of their games. Madden 07's new player creation scheme was horrible. It was torture.