NHL 08 Impressions

tjung0831 · Post by **tjung0831** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 8:35 pm

sportdan30 wrote:Have you guys seen shots going wide of the net on the 360 version, or is everything on goal?

I've got shots going wide everywhere....they nailed the Blues perfectly!

Blublub · Post by **Blublub** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 8:40 pm

sportdan30 wrote:
"Have you guys seen shots going wide of the net on the 360 version, or is everything on goal?"

All over the place - no "locked on" feel at all for me.

dbdynsty25 wrote:I did see one troubling thing...check out the video I made of it. Yikes.

Yup, goal mouth collision detection could be improved, at least in the replays. I had one goal on a wraparound through the side post. Still, it looked and felt legit in real time, just strange looking on the replay. I think it's kinda the same with DB's example - no doubt that was meant to be a deflection off the goalie's skate.

Ironic that phantom deflections are an issue, since the game handles most deflections about as good as any sport title I've seen.

Still lovin' it and haven't even gotten online. I can't stop playing dynasty. Love those AHL games...

Thanks 10, that explains the Reebok uniforms. Damn, some of them are butt-ugly. Check out http://www.geocities.com/capn89/.

Sully · Post by **Sully** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 8:52 pm

That was odd, DB. There was one review I read that said the collision detection on instant replay was way off. Seems to be the case there.

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 9:19 pm

ddtrane wrote:
Zeppo wrote:I just played one online game of 2 on 2 with Acid, Diablo and Scoop and HOLY CRAP I AM LOSING MY s***! We're back in business!
Was waiting for tomorrow with my $10 giftcard at Circuit City. But that line has me going to gamestop right now to get some multi multi-player action going. I hope to see the old rivals gang back in effect. Jack, pass the freakin' puck!!!!!!!!!!

I'm In! Just picked up the game and I'm ready for a Rivals/NHL98 "Revival"

MizzouRah · Post by **MizzouRah** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 9:20 pm

Echoing all these comments. So far, I'd have to say the EA hockey team did one HELL of a job getting this game to the point where it's almost a perfect game of hockey. Wow.

Must play until my eye lids close and I start snoring on my computer desk.

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 9:21 pm

Zeppo wrote:I just played one online game of 2 on 2 with Acid, Diablo and Scoop and HOLY CRAP I AM LOSING MY s***! We're back in business!

Not to say there aren't issues. In the lobby, there is a 5-minute timer counting down, which may be OK in a non-private game, but really should be something you can disable in a private game. Not only is it lame on the surface, but it seems to start counting when the lobby is created, meaning any late-comers to the room have a very short lobby time.

Further, once the game starts, you can only talk to your teammates. This could be a good thing in a 3 on 3 game, maybe, but with 2 on 2, it's not very cool at all. At least it should let you chat overall once the game is over, or between periods, but no. And then once the game is over, you don't go back into the lobby or anything, you just quit back to the main menu. Lame.

But the gameplay with 2 on 2 is freaking fun as all hell. Really, really good. It will only get better once we start to get the hang of the controls. I'm not sure I'm sold on 3 on 3, but it's SO nice to have 2 on 2 online sports gaming back!

You should try all connecting in chat through XBL before you start the game. See if that works.

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 9:22 pm

Zeppo wrote:I just played one online game of 2 on 2 with Acid, Diablo and Scoop and HOLY CRAP I AM LOSING MY s***! We're back in business!

Did u guy lock onto one player or switch around? How does it work?

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 10:08 pm

dbdynsty25 wrote:BTW...playing with the international league teams is f'n awesome. I have no clue about any of the players but it's just a cool twist on the same old same old NHL. It's like having all of the leagues in FIFA...it keeps it fresh.

Yeah, they had those teams in the PSP version last year and it's pretty f'n cool. I didn't know they were going to be in the 360 version this year so it was a pleasant surprise.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 10:12 pm

Sully wrote:That was odd, DB. There was one review I read that said the collision detection on instant replay was way off. Seems to be the case there.

It wasn't a replay thing though...I knew some crazy sh*t happened before I even went to the replay. I was controlling the defender and I thought the puck went around behind me and all of the sudden it's in the goal. It was weird.

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 10:12 pm

JackB1 wrote:
Zeppo wrote:I just played one online game of 2 on 2 with Acid, Diablo and Scoop and HOLY CRAP I AM LOSING MY s***! We're back in business!
Did u guy lock onto one player or switch around? How does it work?

You can do either. The game we played we all had player switch going. You can lock into any player before the match though, I think even goalie.

The only downfalls for the 2-on-2 / 3-on-3 is the 5-minute timer in the main lobby at the beginning, the fact that you can only talk to your teammates, and after the game you don't go back to a lobby.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 10:13 pm

ScoopBrady wrote:The only downfalls for the 2-on-2 / 3-on-3 is the 5-minute timer in the main lobby at the beginning, the fact that you can only talk to your teammates, and after the game you don't go back to a lobby.

Is there an echo on the internet?

Zeppo wrote:Not to say there aren't issues. In the lobby, there is a 5-minute timer counting down, which may be OK in a non-private game, but really should be something you can disable in a private game. Not only is it lame on the surface, but it seems to start counting when the lobby is created, meaning any late-comers to the room have a very short lobby time.

Further, once the game starts, you can only talk to your teammates. This could be a good thing in a 3 on 3 game, maybe, but with 2 on 2, it's not very cool at all. At least it should let you chat overall once the game is over, or between periods, but no. And then once the game is over, you don't go back into the lobby or anything, you just quit back to the main menu. Lame.

MizzouRah · Post by **MizzouRah** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 10:43 pm

Just got my ass handed to me courtsey of the Rangers, 9-1. I was out shot 70-19. Unlike 07, I'm REALLY going to have to learn to play smart instead of hitting everything and having breakaways. You really have to make quick, smart, decisions.

- I'm getting out hit
- I'm getting out shot
- I'm getting beat on many faceoffs
- I love how the PP slows when the CPU team is in your zone and resumes accelerations when the puck is cleared
- Stat overlays are there, I've seen them.. not as much as I would like, but I've seen them
- Goalie play is so much better, no more goofy bounce off the top of his pads into the goal
- Top players HAVE to be watched, Jagr had 4 goals.. if he's left open, he's going to burn you
- Better in between stoppages as you don't always see shots on goal

I will always remember my first goal. Jay McKee a slapper!

I would suggest if you are new to the series to start on Pro and go from there. I feel like a chump on AS and I played 07 to death.

Each game on AS is going to be mentally challenging for me. I have to find the other teams stars, hit smart, poke check, pass accurately, etc.. I had many penalties that would not have been penalties in 07.

In all, initial impressions are I love this game. It does so many things right in terms of real hockey.

JRod · Post by **JRod** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 11:32 pm

MizzouRah wrote:Just got my ass handed to me courtsey of the Rangers, 9-1. I was out shot 70-19. Unlike 07, I'm REALLY going to have to learn to play smart instead of hitting everything and having breakaways. You really have to make quick, smart, decisions.

- I'm getting out hit
- I'm getting out shot
- I'm getting beat on many faceoffs
- I love how the PP slows when the CPU team is in your zone and resumes accelerations when the puck is cleared
- Stat overlays are there, I've seen them.. not as much as I would like, but I've seen them
- Goalie play is so much better, no more goofy bounce off the top of his pads into the goal
- Top players HAVE to be watched, Jagr had 4 goals.. if he's left open, he's going to burn you
- Better in between stoppages as you don't always see shots on goal

I will always remember my first goal. Jay McKee a slapper!

I would suggest if you are new to the series to start on Pro and go from there. I feel like a chump on AS and I played 07 to death. Each game on AS is going to be mentally challenging for me. I have to find the other teams stars, hit smart, poke check, pass accurately, etc.. I had many penalties that would not have been penalties in 07.

In all, initial impressions are I love this game. It does so many things right in terms of real hockey.

Problem is the ping-pong nature of the CPU on all-pro. They are so quick passing that its really tough to pressure them. I wish there were passing errors. The ones you see all the time in hockey. Here the CPU gets a pass and can fire a one-timer all too often.

Certainly there's a learning curve. But I see some of the same problems that were in 07. The will shot even if there's three defenders in front of the net.

For me its still too tough to play defense.

Sport73 · Post by **Sport73** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 11:39 pm

Anyone tried playing online on the PS3?

It hangs in the team selection team and won't let the challengee change teams etc. Randomly it will 'pop in' and let me get a game in, but then back to the same crap.

I admit it, all of the defense I gave the PS3 is crap. Between lower frame-rates and the inability to simply play online - I may be back in the 360 camp. I like the PS3, and my wife will kill me, so I'll probably suck it up, but this crap is ridiculous!

vader29 · Post by **vader29** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 12:20 am

I kept switching between Pro and All Star difficulty and will probably start a dynasty with Pro at least for the first season before moving up to All Star. Pro plays a lot better than last year with the cpu hitting more and getting more shots on goal, there were a few games where the cpu kept control of the puck in my zone for a couple of minutes while they were even strength.

Animations are really good with reactions immediately after scoring goals, I had a game where Gary Roberts scored a goal from in front of the net and he got hit immediately afterwards and was knocked off his skates into the boards, looked great. I played about 5 games with the AHL teams and those games all played out really well with a lot of close games.

I checked my router settings and DMZ was disabled so I changed that so hopefully the online stuff will work for me next time, definitely looking forward to some 3 on 3 multiplayer with this game.

MizzouRah · Post by **MizzouRah** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 12:46 am

I'm getting smoked on AS. I played a game on Pro and although I lost, I could at least move the puck. I can't believe I haven't won a game yet.

JRod, I think there is a slider for passing accuracy.

Danimal · Post by **Danimal** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 1:08 am

ScoopBrady wrote:The only downfalls for the 2-on-2 / 3-on-3 is the 5-minute timer in the main lobby at the beginning, the fact that you can only talk to your teammates, and after the game you don't go back to a lobby.

I'd throw in the inability to get rid of cutscenes and lack of co-op vs AI. But all of these are nit picks, its great fun.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 1:30 am

MizzouRah wrote:I'm getting smoked on AS. I played a game on Pro and although I lost, I could at least move the puck. I can't believe I haven't won a game yet.

JRod, I think there is a slider for passing accuracy.

And passing speed. But it's Jrod, it's not like we didn't know what his first post about the game was going to include.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 1:41 am

After playing a couple of 2K8 games, I received EA's product late this afternoon and played a couple of games on PRO and a couple on AS. The game on default seem to be quite quick and the passes very crisp, tape to tape. I adjusted the sliders a bit during the game and there were more interceptions. If you want to avoid those tic tac toe passes from the CPU, you have to play the passing lanes carefully and keep your stick out.

The graphics are better than 2K8 although but I prefer the face models in 2K8 as they are a bit more accurate. Both games have great animations. I was killing a penalty on one game and a puck hit one of my D-men, the poor guy was hopping for about 10 seconds until I cleared the puck. The ice looks better in 08 but overall I prefer the options in 2K8, including a whole season of play which EA doesn't have.

+The AI has improved a lot even on PRO, although there are some instances when I am cycling the puck with the Sedin twins and the opposition seems to be a bit on the observing side. Mind you, in real life the twins' cycling game drives any opponent nuts.

+Your better players make a difference in play, so make sure that you save them in crucial moments during the game especially when the game is close. Puck physics like 2K8 are very realistic and some bounces are hard to predict.

-I witnessed a couple of garbage calls by the CPU where the ref should have whistled the play dead and the opponent just jams it in for a cheese goal. On AS mode the goals seem to be coming from the one timer source, strange wasn't this supposed to be a 2K8 problem. Playing D is not as deep as in 2K8, why can't your player skate backwards while backchecking?

+Faceoffs have also improved in 08 as the % of winning them are 50/50 unlike 07, but most impressive is the 60FPS making the game a delight to play with the fun factor right up there.

-Wished there was more board battles.

Overall, 2K8 is still more of a sim game for me; with its control you have a variety of what you want to do with the puck, while killing a penalty for example you don't always just want to slapshot the puck away, but rather feather shoot it away depending on the opponents position.

One thing for sure is that every puck head this year will be very happy with either product. There's a deeper learning curve in 2K8, while EA makes any player that just wants to pick up a quick game, a blast to play.

TRI · Post by **TRI** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 2:09 am

I must say that NHL 08 is probably the best EA hockey game I have ever played. I did not play the demo but the CPU defense seems better. Puck physics are good, the frame rate is improved, and it is fun to play.
The only thing I do not like is playing defense is harder than it should be. Prehaps I need more practice with the defensive controls, but I prefer the defensive controls in the 2K hockey games. Overall it is a good game though and it should be fun.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 3:07 am

One thing I'm noticing while playing on my 24" Dell is that when in 1080P mode, I get some major vertical sync issues when I use the Ice Camera. It is remedied by switching to Classic, so it's not a big deal, but it's just a curious graphical issue. It's really distracting to see a line go through the entire width of the screen all the time...especially when the EA NHL Replay logo comes up...for some reason it doesn't happen with the Classic camera. Weird.

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 9:42 am

I had a couple of issues while playing online last night......

1) There was a thin, horizontal black line across the screen for one entire game, about 3/4 the way down the screen. It wasn't a big deal, but it was a bit distracting. Dtrane, who I was playing, had the same issue. The next online game I played it wasn't there.

2) When trying to play NYIsles, every time we started the game, it would keeo resetting to the opening faceoff...over and over. I was hosting and then when NYIsles hosted, the problem was gone. Isles said he has the same problem with Terry.

Anyone else have any of these or other issues playing online?

When we did play, the gameplay was super smooth. Only issue was that it cuts off your chat abruptly at the end. You can probably hook up thru XBL chat before the game to avoid that problem.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 10:04 am

Nope, definitely not seeing those issues.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 10:26 am

Curious as to how the PC version plays. Anyone tried it?

GameSeven · Post by **GameSeven** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 10:30 am

JackB1 wrote:Anyone else have any of these or other issues playing online?

The EA Forums are full of complaints about online play but it's tough to wade through the chaff. On the other hand, someone captured what I presume is your black line problem pretty well here:

http://forums.ea.com/mboards/thread.jsp ... &tstart=15

I was fortunate last night in that I played about half dozen 2v2 or 3v3 last night without any problems or slowdown. Hopefully no significant problems rear their ugly heads as I'm definitely enjoying this one online.