NHL 2K8 (360) Impressions.

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 4:54 pm

I think I have to recant my review. I played the PS3 demo of NHL '08 for a good 45 minutes (returned the full version yesterday) and now I'm in love with '08 again.

Ugh...now I can't decide if I should repurchase '08 again. 2K8 runs smoother, but is it more fun? No, not really.

MizzouRah · Post by **MizzouRah** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 5:23 pm

sportdan30 wrote:I think I have to recant my review. I played the PS3 demo of NHL '08 for a good 45 minutes (returned the full version yesterday) and now I'm in love with '08 again.

Ugh...now I can't decide if I should repurchase '08 again. 2K8 runs smoother, but is it more fun? No, not really.

LOL!

You kill me Dan.

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 5:34 pm

My Gamefly copy came today and I had a chance to play a couple of games. There's no way this game deserves a 4 but it doesn't deserve anythin higher than a 7 if that.

Pros:

Faceoffs are awesome!

Improved graphics.

They ditched that crappy menu system from NBA 2k8 and APF 2k8. Thank god.

CPU doesn't rely on one-timers to score finally! Nice goal variety.

Cons:

While better, the menu system seems very generic and PS1ish.

Overall presentation is terrible. Play-by-play and color commentary is just plain bad and often makes mistakes.

The skating system feels old and stale compared to 08. Still uses speed burst/sprint.

The rink is tiny. This is a big deal folks. I'm not sure why nobody else seems to be mentioning this but the rinks are way too small. They're the size of the rinks in the NHL games on the Genesis with the player models of today. They are way too narrow and as a result I'm not seeing any cycling and I'm definitely not seeing teams set up. WTF happened here?

The new controls are not very good. Whereas NHL 07 introduced the skill stick and it was a true innovation this pro stick feels totally tacked on because people loved the skill stick. Completely pointless IMO.

Where are the penalties? 2 full games and not 1 penalty.

My initial reaction: I don't know, I'm just not impressed with this game at all. I think it took a step back in the AI department despite taking a step forward in the goal variety department. I'll give it more of a chance but I don't think I can get past the small rinks and worse AI.

MizzouRah · Post by **MizzouRah** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 5:58 pm

I noticed the small rinks in a youtube video. They looked better in a video I watched on IGN.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 6:18 pm

Have you guys played the game with different sliders? Don't forget that you can download them online. I have tried Pengman's and Venom's, and it plays a great game of Hockey. In terms of the size of the ice rink, I think the problem is more with the camera angle this year.

The key in learning the controls in 2K8 is to keep your finger on that left bumper first, and then work out from there. As I mentioned before, trying the controls in training mode is very important.

Agree that the game needs to have more penalties. Even with maxed out sliders, I am getting an average of only 2-3 per game.

tjung0831 · Post by **tjung0831** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 6:36 pm

sportdan30 wrote:I think I have to recant my review. I played the PS3 demo of NHL '08 for a good 45 minutes (returned the full version yesterday) and now I'm in love with '08 again.

Ugh...now I can't decide if I should repurchase '08 again. 2K8 runs smoother, but is it more fun? No, not really.

Are you even a hockey fan? Basketball is going to be out in another month or so and once that hits you won't even go back to playing hockey. I'd say just wait until the basketball games come out.

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 6:57 pm

tjung0831 wrote:
sportdan30 wrote:I think I have to recant my review. I played the PS3 demo of NHL '08 for a good 45 minutes (returned the full version yesterday) and now I'm in love with '08 again.

Ugh...now I can't decide if I should repurchase '08 again. 2K8 runs smoother, but is it more fun? No, not really.
Are you even a hockey fan? Basketball is going to be out in another month or so and once that hits you won't even go back to playing hockey. I'd say just wait until the basketball games come out.

Huh?

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 7:01 pm

Dan if you think NHL 08 is more fun i'd buy it again, that's if the store will let you swap it again. I kept and NHL 07 last year not because it was the best game but because it was FUN ! NHL 08 dials up the fun factor again.

MizzouRah · Post by **MizzouRah** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 7:25 pm

Rodster wrote:Dan if you think NHL 08 is more fun i'd buy it again, that's if the store will let you swap it again. I kept and NHL 07 last year not because it was the best game but because it was FUN ! NHL 08 dials up the fun factor again.

[claphands]Someone who gets it.[/claphands]

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 7:36 pm

Rodster wrote:Dan if you think NHL 08 is more fun i'd buy it again, that's if the store will let you swap it again. I kept and NHL 07 last year not because it was the best game but because it was FUN ! NHL 08 dials up the fun factor again.

Exactly Rodster. I picked it up again this afternoon. Yes, I was a bit indecisive initially, but that's because I've always been partial to the 2K series. This year, at least on the PS3, it runs smoother. However, what I found out from playing the '08 demo, was that the game was much more enjoyable and not as control confusing as 2K. Plus, I just love using the analog stick for shooting the puck.

By my second play through of the demo, I wasn't even noticing the frame rate. I'll admit I hastily returned '08 without giving it a fair shake.

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 7:41 pm

Tim,

I apologize for my sarcastic response to your question. The fact of the matter is, I'm not the puck head most of you are, but hockey video games rank at the top for me in terms of video game enjoyment. It doesn't quite edge out MLB The Show, but it's a fun and entertaining way to pass a 20 minute stretch. I find I don't need the complete sim anymore when it comes to hockey games.

MizzouRah · Post by **MizzouRah** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 7:50 pm

sportdan30 wrote:Tim,

I apologize for my sarcastic response to your question. The fact of the matter is, I'm not the puck head most of you are, but hockey video games rank at the top for me in terms of video game enjoyment. It doesn't quite edge out MLB The Show, but it's a fun and entertaining way to pass a 20 minute stretch. I find I don't need the complete sim anymore when it comes to hockey games.

Can you overlook the "jet packing" defensemen?

j/k

To me, the word "sim" is what's killing video game enjoyment. Just have fun and play the game. If you can pop a game in and have some "fun" then consider it a great game. Some people get so stressed out playing games that I often wonder why they are playing them.

I'm like you though... I went back and forth with NHL 2k7 and NHL 07 last year as both of them were fun games. 2k7 frustrated the hell out of me though.. so I kept NHL 07.

Jimmydeicide · Post by **Jimmydeicide** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 9:19 pm

Ive been saying for years the rinks were to big in 2k i think finaly they listened well done too them perhaps the game will feel more like an nhl game now.

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 10:11 pm

The more I play the more I'm seeing wrong with this game. I've tried two sets of sliders from online, one from We Want The Cup and one from Venom.

Checking is way out of control. You can't even take a slap shot at the point without getting checked. That's ridiculous.

It's way too easy to get behind the defense. Mash on the sprint button and you can get behind the defense 4 out of 5 times.

The defensive AI has really taken a step backwards in this series. The checking on slap shots from the point are due to defenders being way too far out. As a result you can't really set up any kind of play in the offensive zone.

Severe lack of penalties. Unless you hit the aggressive hit button you will rarely be called for a penalty. I've played 5 games now and I've only seen 3 total penalties in all 5 games combined. This is with penalty slider maxed on 3 of them and whatever WWTC and Venom had theirs set at.

Too many weird All Star Baseball-type glitches. I've seen the referee chase the puck all the way down the ice during a stoppage before moving on to the next faceoff. I've seen defenders skating in place into their own goals while the puck is sitting on the line right under their feet only to have my player tip it in. This is with the goalie just sitting there looking out towards the point. Major freezes when the clock hits zero to end the game. I haven't noticed anything at the end of the first or second periods but at the end of each game I've had freezes from 2-5 seconds. Very weird.

The only 2 things I really like about this game are the new faceoff system and the replays. Both are cool as hell.

As someone who has bought every previous 2k hockey game on release day I can honestly say that this is the worst game they've ever released IMO.

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 10:30 pm

Another thing I'm routinely seeing is poor puck physics. I'm seeing way too many shots that sail over the net hit the glass and bounce back in front of the net. I've seen this several times each game with a wide variety of sliders.

MizzouRah · Post by **MizzouRah** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 11:43 am

I'd like to hear more impressions if anyone else has this game.

MizzouRah · Post by **MizzouRah** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 9:20 am

VERY EARLY rental impressions.

Forget anything you've learned from NHL 08 as far as control goes. It's very early, but couldn't they just have copied NHL 08's scheme. I don't like thus far, but I need more time to adjust to it. (which sucks because it's a rental and there is no manual for it - just the in game help, I need a quick reference quide)

It's a totally different experience than NHL 08 and I honestly think that's a good thing as I like how it plays a nice game of hockey, but it feels really different. The camera is different, but I like how it gives different views of the action, I like how the presentation is typical 2k sports, the commentary so far hasn't been bad, etc...

I'm really going to play it some more tonight, but there's a lot to like here... I'm just not sure there's enought to make me play it over NHL 08.

webdanzer · Post by **webdanzer** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 9:41 am

For those that have the game:

Can the computer score this year, and are the shooting percentages better?

I've seen too many 50 shot 1 goal games in this series...

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 10:44 am

webdanzer wrote:For those that have the game:

Can the computer score this year, and are the shooting percentages better?

I've seen too many 50 shot 1 goal games in this series...

I don't have or recall the CPU stats, but playing on AS the CPU does score in different patterns other than the one timer, there was garbage goals, redirects, etc. This game teaches you patience mostly to play the geme, get used to the new controls and find the proper sliders that suits your game and it's joy to play.

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 11:07 am

10spro wrote:I don't have or recall the CPU stats, but playing on AS the CPU does score in different patterns other than the one timer, there was garbage goals, redirects, etc. This game teaches you patience mostly to play the geme, get used to the new controls and find the proper sliders that suits your game and it's joy to play.

I agree that the CPU does score a variety of goals finally but after more playtime I totally disagree that the game is a joy to play.

The narrow ice takes away the space needed for the game to flow. Couple that with an overly aggressive defense that thinks check first worry, about positioning later and you've got a checkfest that rivals NHL 2005. You would think that so many check would skew the penalty numbers on the "too many" side of the scale but you would be dead wrong.

The only way to draw a penalty in this game is to use a button specifically designed to physically assault the opponent. That's right, you have to press the "X" button to do an overly aggressive move such as slash to draw a penalty. You can obstruct, rough, or board all day long as long as you don't press the "X" button you're fine. But wait you can still draw a penalty you say? Well let's say you decide to rack up the penalties by pressing the McSorley button, that doesn't address the fact that the cpu doesn't get called for anything.

But wait, it gets better. The defensive AI suddenly became stupid. Their check first attitude means that they will extend themselves all the way to the point to check you in the process of taking a slap shot. So now it's difficult to get a shot of from the point (totally unrealistic) but now you can draw the defenders to the point and slip the puck in behind them. That's right, the most effective way to play offense in this game is tic-tac-toe. Yay!!!!! It's also way too easy to get behind the defense for odd-man rushes because they would rather check you into next week rather than maintain proper positioning.

I've tried We Want The Cup's sliders. I've tried venoms sliders. I've scoured for slider sets at OS and the 2k forums and none of them addressed any of the problems I just wrote about.

Oh, and it's not a matter of getting used to the new controls, it's a matter of tolerating them. They are so unintuitive it's pathetic. If I wanted to feel this uncoordinated while stick handling I'd switch hands when I masturbate.

As a proud owner of every previous 2k release on launch day I can honestly say that I am appalled at this release. I don't expect many to agree with me on this but that's how I see this game.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 1:46 pm

ScoopBrady wrote:If I wanted to feel this uncoordinated while stick handling I'd switch hands when I masturbate.

That was a VERY good one.

Bill_Abner · Post by **Bill_Abner** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 2:54 pm

ScoopBrady wrote: The only way to draw a penalty in this game is to use a button specifically designed to physically assault the opponent.

That's just plain untrue. I rarely use that hook/grab button and I just spent 23 minutes in the penalty box in my last game against Anaheim. One on a straight B button check (roughing), one for Interference and one for a slash when I used the RS poke check move. One I did use the hook button to prevent a breakaway. Everyone has their opinions, which we can debate about but saying that you can't draw a penalty unless you TRY to isn't the case at all.

I do agree about the overly aggressive point defense, but I still manage to get off a fair number of shots at range. I do wish they'd pack it in a bit, esocially whren PKing. I also agree about rink size. Hard to argue that one. It's just physically ...small. It feels cramped.

I don't agree about the sprint button because you can lower its effectivness a great deal via settings. Sure when you fire it up the sprint is a HUGE problem, but you can change it.

So far I'm certainly enjoying it. I'm 5-3 with the Jackets in a franchise, and every game has felt different in terms of scoring. I've won 1-0 games, lost 6-1 and won 5-4 scoring a game winner with :20 left. But there are some strange design decisions in it too. The controls you are either going to stick with it and love them or stick with them and hate them. I doubt there will be any middle ground. One thing I don't like thus far is that I don't see a lot of varying strategies from the CPU teams. They all tend to play the same way regardless of strategy settings.

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 3:17 pm

Bill_Abner wrote:That's just plain untrue. I rarely use that hook/grab button and I just spent 23 minutes in the penalty box in my last game against Anaheim. One on a straight B button check (roughing), one for Interference and one for a slash when I used the RS poke check move. One I did use the hook button to prevent a breakaway. Everyone has their opinions, which we can debate about but saying that you can't draw a penalty unless you TRY to isn't the case at all.

But that's what I'm seeing Bill. Through 10 games, 9 of which I had penalty sliders maxed out, I've seen a combined total of 6 penalties. 3 of those penalties were the result of my using the X button. Only 1 of those penalties was on the cpu.

Bill_Abner · Post by **Bill_Abner** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 4:47 pm

I just played a game where Zherdev was in the box *6* times. It was ludicrous. Everytime he touched a guy, I was on PK. And it's friggin finesse man Zherdev! Now--even though I don't agree about the penalty thing in terms of having to press X I don't really like how they are handled in th egame nor do I like how the AI handles the PP. It's too easy to stop. The AI rarely get sa good scoring chance on one. I think I have stopped like 15 PPs in a row and rarely did the AI get a good look.

The CPU draws about 2 penalties per game. Approx.

My last game both CBus and Minn had 31 shots and I lost 5-2. But I do agree about the insane aggressiveness of the AI defenders. It's like the hockey version of the 1988 Pistons.

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 10:57 pm

What sliders are you using Bill? I just played another game with 7-minute periods on All Star using Venoms sliders. I played as the Blackhawks at the Wild and won 2-1. Yet again, there was only 1 penalty called the entire game. Marian Goborik was called for hooking. That was it. I'd love to try playing with the sliders you are using to produce multiple penalties.