NHL 09 Media Blowout

At this point there can be no doubt that EA's NHL 09 is going to dominate the world when it arrives in early September. I have to admit that I was not planning on picking up 09 early on as I have been very content with NHL 08, and with the latest rosters in tow was not feeling compelled to pony up another $60. Needless to say I have changed my mind.

I will have a lot more coverage on NHL 09 in the coming weeks but the wave of fresh new videos this week has forced my hand a bit. Before I get to the videos, there are a couple quick things I want to address:

• Be sure to take a second and vote in my poll on the right. I really would like some input on which position I should make my "Be A Pro" player. I am leaning towards being a goalie, but I am not totally sold yet so be sure to have your say.
• It is about 99% certain that I will be starting up an EASHL team and I am looking for people to join up. I will go into more detail on this later, but if you are an XBox 360 player and have any interest in being on this team leave a comment, send me an e-mail, or just stayed tuned here for more info.

Now then, on to the videos:

Passing Gameplay

First Fight Footage

"Be A Pro" Player Types

EASHL Demo (This is a MUST watch!)

New Features

Custom Winter Classic Covers

For all you custom cover fans out there I've whipped up Sidney Crosby covers for NHL 08 on the PS2 and XBox 360 to commemorate the Winter Classic in Buffalo. Enjoy!

Custom Crosby Covers

Here are some Sidney Crosby covers for you NHL 08 players out there. PS2 and XBox 360 versions only. I could also put together an XBox (original) version. If somebody wants one just request it in the comments and I'll add it.

NHL 08 Review

Every now and then a game comes along that redefines the way we look at what a video game, and in this case a sports game, can be. NHL 08 on the XBox 360 is one of those games. As this game got closer and closer to release the positive hype continued to build. I generally pay no attention to previews since they are usually more or less written by the publishers themselves, but these were "hands-on" accounts and they were all glowing. That, along with my pressing need to have a good hockey game to play, convinced me to bite the bullet and upgrade to an XBox 360 in time to grab NHL 08 the day it hit store shelves. Was it worth the investment?

Brian Rolston about to be humiliated

From the moment I first "took to the ice" in NHL 08 I knew that I was in for something special. EA Canada's new skating engine is easily the best and most realistic representation of hockey skating ever produced. The skating in this game feels 100% real and natural and that makes it a joy to just cruise around the practice rink, let alone lace up the virtual skates to play an actual game. The game also looks gorgeous. The player models look great, but more importantly the animation set for the players (especially the goalies) really brings the game to life. Having real looking players doesn't get you very far if they move like robots. Thankfully that is not the case here. The enhanced controls mapped to the right analog stick also help to give players unprecedented puck control during play. The control scheme in NHL 08 will take a little getting used to for anyone who didn't play 07, but once you get the hang of it the game feels completely natural.

Eric Staal contemplating how bad he can make Ray Emery look

Where NHL 08 really shines though is in the AI department. A lot of the hype around the game went into the adaptive AI system and how it learns and adapts to your playing habits. This has seemed a bit superficial to me so far, but I've never been one to run the same play over and over so I may just be beating the system without trying. Aside from that though, the AI in this game is what takes it to another level from any game of hockey that has come before it. Put simply, the CPU controlled players just play great hockey. Player positioning and decision making is awesome and it really helps the game play like a real game of hockey. This also helps produce the first truly challenging sports game I have played in ages. This isn't a hockey game that tries to provide a challenge by pitting you against superhuman goalies (like in some incarnations of the NHL2k series), you are going up against teams that just play smart and take advantage of your mistakes. Leave an opposing forward alone in the slot and you're going to pay. Get caught pinching on D and prepare to get burned by a streaking winger. I can't stress this enough, for the first time ever you feel like you are participating in a real game of hockey. Frankly, some of the teams in NHL 08 play smarter than their real life counterparts.

As I'm sure you've caught on by now, I'm pretty much in love with this game. Hockey fans no longer have to hearken back to the glory days of the Sega Genesis to recall NHL video games at their peak. EA has gone back to the drawing board and produced the best hockey video game and one of the best sports video games ever made. Yes... EVER. If you are a hockey fan you have to buy this game. If you are a fan of sports games in general you have to buy this game. If you hate hockey and sports games but own a 360, you still owe it to yourself to give this game a try. I can sum up my thoughts on NHL 08 quite easily in two words: best ever.

RBK EDGE Jerseys - The Winners and Losers

Now that all of the new NHL RBK EDGE jerseys have been released (compliments of a leaked code for NHL 08 by EA) I thought it would be a good time to look at the biggest winners and losers of the new jersey era. Let's look at the winners first, since that is a shorter list:

Winners:

The Phoenix Coyotes:
Probably the only thing to be excited about if you are a Coyotes fan, the 'Yotes had nice jerseys coming in and manage to escape RBK's wrath with a simplified version. These jerseys have a nice, classic feel to them. If only the team looked half as good.


The Chicago Blackhawks:
The Original Six all got by with minor changes if any to their uniforms. The Blackhawks are here just because they have better jerseys than the other five. Too bad the product on the ice hasn't been as attractive lately.


The Minnesota Wild:
The Wild pretty much left their away jersey alone and took on their third jersey to be their new permanent home jersey. This is a good move since the maroon jersey is one of the best in the business hands down.


The Montreal Canadiens:
Like the Blackhawks, Montreal bought into the "don't mess with a classic" theory. I'm not a big Habs guy, but these jerseys are still timeless.


The Ottawa Senators:
Sure pink sequined jerseys would be more fitting for this team, but I have to admit their new jerseys are pretty sharp. They'll look even better skating off the ice after the Pens knock them out of the playoffs this year.

Losers:

The Colorado Avalanche:
For my money the Avalanche were the biggest losers in the switch to new jerseys of any team. They had an awesome, unique, original jersey coming in and now have arguably the worst looking jerseys in the league. The stripes on the sleeves are a joke. To make matters worse, at the unveiling they put the new jersey right next to the old one so you could see just how big of a disaster it is.


The Columbus Blue Jackets:
I'll be honest, these jerseys could have been a lot worse, but that new logo they've taken on just rubs me the wrong way. Why even call yourself the Blue Jackets with that logo?

The Edmonton Oilers:
The Oilers had very solid jerseys before, and now will look like about half the NHL with these cookie cutter EDGE monstrosities. The sleeves and vertical piping are a mess.

The Florida Panthers:
see Edmonton Oilers


The Nashville Predators:
Predators fans this season (all six of them) can look forward to a team that will look almost as bad as it will play. Nashville's offseason game plan:
- Gut roster
- Ruin jerseys
- Raise ticket prices
Gotta love that new NHL!


The New York Islanders:
The other team with a legitimate claim to worst jerseys in the league, these new ones are a mess. And they look even worse in action. Good times ahead on the Island.

All in all I'm not too happy with the new jerseys, but I'm sure they'll grow on me. There are only a handful of teams that should really be excited about the EDGE jerseys, and those are mostly teams that made no changes. Minnesota and Ottawa are really the only teams to make actual improvements to their look. Oh, and the real good news... these new jerseys are more expensive too! The NHL... it's FANtastic!