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 - Why the NHL doesn't get itHow do you market your sport if you can't get your video game right? This is an opportunity to grow your audience and the NHL can't make sure that all of their players have headshots!! The play is smooth and no real cheese moves like the older games. The announcing is totally random and often doesn't even match the play. "What a hit" .... um ... there was no check ... some guy just scored a goal. Oh well, it is what it is. Rating:  - Good gameIt's a good game for those who love hockey and hockey video games. They could have improved in alot of areas but overall it's a good game to play. Rating: - Valiant Effort With Some SetbacksI must confess, the last NHL game I picked up before this one was 2004, so there may be some features I bring up that were also in previous years which I am unaware of. For the most part, NHL 2008 is fun and addictive, and there are no other NHL games that compare. I was only going to write a three star review, but most of the gameplay issues go away in multiplayer mode. I find this game to be very similar to past years, with some different things here and there, but I was able to pick up the controller and start playing it with no problems. Some reviewers complained of slow-down's in front of the net, and while this does occur it is quite rare. There are also some slow-down's when you dump the puck down ice, but this has only happened a couple times to me. Something new to me is the ability to initiate a fight yourself at just about anytime you would like. I have also seen fights change the momentum of games. While I knew 2008 wouldn't be much different than past years, I knew I wanted to play with guys like Crosby and Ovechkin, which is a major reason for purchasing this game. There are a handful of issues I have with the gameplay and hopefully they will be changed in future years or improve on PS3. First and foremost, is the issue with the shooting. Shooting and scoring are extremely difficult. I use manual shooting, which the game defaults to. Involved in the shooting is a bullseye that moves around the net before you release the button to aim your shot. The only problem is that even when aiming in this way, the puck misses the net at least 50% of the time. This occurs from all distances and angles, and even in situations where it really should not, such as Sidney Crosby in the crease taking a wrist shot that misses the net. It is even difficult to score on an open net. Furthermore, shots that don't miss the net are almost always stopped by the goalie - this inculdes one-timers from all angles and distances, wrap-around-the-net shots, slap shots from the points, and close distance wrist shots. There doesn't appear to be any method to scoring other than to get as many shots as possible. On the other hand, when the cpu is playing against you, no matter who your goalie is, almost 1 in every 5 shots goes in. I end up winning around 2 out of every 3 games, with realistic final scores, but unrealistic shot numbers. For example, I might win 4-3, but I'll have 60 shots on goal and the cpu will have only 15. Most games end this way, and I'm constantly reminded of it, because the opposing goalies, even in losses, usually end up being one of the three stars of the game for having a ridiculous number of saves. This also hurts the overall gameplay due to the fact that you can no longer play a defensive game of puck control, because you're constantly trying to score. I feel this makes the gaming very unrealistic, despite the close final scores. Also, keeping in mind the shot-to-score ratio I mentioned earlier, do whatever you can do to not end up in a shootout, because you will lose it 9 out of 10 times. Apart from the shooting issues, I also notice there is no longer a pass where you can lift it off the ice. In previous years, you could make a normal pass, but also press another button for a lifted wrist-shot-type pass so that you could make passes through traffic. This pass is no longer in the game, forcing the player to deke more. One last issue is that the cpu has a regular tendency to always score goals within the last minute of the 3rd period, no matter what the score is. I honestly believe there is some type of computer assistance that is turned on in the last minute of the game, so you must try extra hard to protect the net at the end of the game. I know it sounds like I've mentioned more negatives than positives with this game, but it is actually a lot of fun to play. Just don't expect to play the cpu and have the games be anything close to realistic. Rating:  - Just a shame...NHL 08 It was the most excited I had been for a game in a really long time. They were finally adding the AHL and you could develop a minor league system. I had read a lot of reviews and they all said basically the same thing: This game is the best hockey game they had ever played. The perfect amalgamation between a hockey sim and an arcade game. The movement was ultra realistic and the puck physics were incredible. It was the ultimate hockey game. I got the game delivered at work and had to wait until I got home to play. I felt like I was 15 years old, counting the train stops until I got to my stop. The first thing I was going to do was play a game, as the Flyers, and annihilate the Rangers. Then I was going to start a dynasty and just play around with the minor leagues, call people up, reassign others. Then I got home and opened the game. When I got to the main menu I was a little surprised. I thought I had read that you could start a user profile, but couldn't find the option anywhere. Well, no big deal. A little weird though. So I played a game. It seemed a lot like I was playing 07 (or even 06). Shooting with the stick was kind of cool, I guess, but other than that, the game didn't seem that different. Certainly not the greatest hockey game ever. But I figured it would be ok, since the thing I was most excited about was the minor league system and the ability to develop players within a dynasty. So I started my dynasty. As soon as I got to the player management, I found I only had three people on my minor league team. That can't be right. So I got out of the dynasty and went to the roster manager in the main menu. After what seemed like an hour of searching I found the minor league teams. However, there is no link between the NHL and the AHL in the PS2 version of the game. The one aspect of the game that I was actually excited for was not accessible in my game. Massively disappointed. And to top it off, as of January 2, the PS2 version of the game has not had a single roster update. The point I'm trying to make is that this is the most disappointing game I have ever purchased. It's not a bad game. I enjoyed the last two versions of it very much. I just don't know why I had to buy a stripped down version of what I hear is a fantastic game. If you are thinking of buying this game, save your money. This is apparently just the beginning of what EA is planning on doing with all the non-next gen versions of the game. Rating:  - DisappointmentI waiting what seemed like forever for this game to come in the mail and when if finally got here, all I have to say is what a disappointment! The game looks exactly, i mean exactly like the 07 version. The new controls don't add much. They saved most of the new features and innovation for the PS3 version and threw out the 07 game with a different cover. I can't even recommend buying it for updated rosters as the ones on the game are very old, probably from 07 as well. I've always bought EA Sports games but now I'll think twice before buying another.
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