NHL 08 Impressions

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 10:39 am

Jack:

Mysteriously, my version of NHL 08 doesn't offer online play. Can't help you there.

Take care,
PK

kicko · Post by **kicko** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 11:02 am

you can still direct ip right? just in case you can't find it. I am going to have to scoop that up for some play on the go lappy style.

TCrouch · Post by **TCrouch** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 11:11 am

That game last night was so funny. I felt for Naples and JRod, because I was the most arrogant bastard for 2 periods. Any time the other team would cross the blue line and fire a shot at me, I'm yelling out "GET THAT SH*T OUTTA HERE. YOU BETTER DO BETTER THAN THAT TO GET ONE BY ME" while in net.

Then, minutes later, I get slightly out of position and give up the wrister, then that weird "lost the puck" goal, and suddenly I'm back to being nervous and humble (if that's possible).

It's just funny that confidence can play such a huge part of playing a goalie online in this game. When you're in the zone, you feel like nothing can beat you. Then you get shelled and suddenly you're genuinely scared when somebody is charging you with the puck. It's still tough to believe how deeply that mode can get inside your head.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 11:26 am

kicko wrote:you can still direct ip right? just in case you can't find it. I am going to have to scoop that up for some play on the go lappy style.

Not sure, kick. Haven't even checked. IP play is available for Madden 08, so hopefully it will be there for NHL 08.

But the day EA introduces IP online play for its Rugby series is the day that I play no other team sports games online, ever.

Take care,
PK

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 11:59 am

The game has gone back to the store for good this time for preorder towards NBA 2K8.

If I had a 360, I'd surely purchase the game to play online with you guys.

I just don't think I can put up with a franchise season of single player. Poor defensive positioning from my teamates, slow to react user goalies, EA's infamous comeback A.I., warp speed passes by the computer, "scratch your head" random goals by the computer, along with problems with point tracking has really soured my opinion on this game.

By being patient, I'll play the game @ 60fps next season and hopefully some of the issues I've mentioned will be worked out.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 12:13 pm

FWIW, in the OS thread on the PS3 version, most people seem to be okay with the frame rate.

I'd go for it if the team online play and online leagues are rock solid and there are plenty of PS3 players.

But I'd heard that just after release, there were like 5 players in each lobby.

Edit: Weren't you reluctant to open it Dan, and now you're able to return it anyways?

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 12:28 pm

wco81 wrote:Edit: Weren't you reluctant to open it Dan, and now you're able to return it anyways?

He's already opened it, the returned it, the purchased it, then returned it again. He's the next gen PK.

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 12:56 pm

dbdynsty25 wrote:
wco81 wrote:Edit: Weren't you reluctant to open it Dan, and now you're able to return it anyways?
He's already opened it, the returned it, the purchased it, then returned it again. He's the next gen PK.

LOL. Close. I didn't open it the second time I purchased it. I started reading about too many issues and decided why force myself to enjoy it when I wasn't 100 percent happy with it? It truly is an enjoyable game, but not $60 good in my opinion, especially if I'm not taking advantage of the online play.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 1:07 pm

dbdynsty25 wrote:
wco81 wrote:Edit: Weren't you reluctant to open it Dan, and now you're able to return it anyways?
He's already opened it, the returned it, the purchased it, then returned it again. He's the next gen PK.

Hey, at least I did it with cheap and used games, not systems.

Take care,
PK

GameSeven · Post by **GameSeven** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 1:30 pm

EA Announcement forum has this to say about a couple of the reported defects in the game:

EA wrote:"The NHL game development team have diagnosed a problem with online user disconnects while trying to connect to a percentage of Online Team Play, Versus, and Online Shootout game modes. EA will be working to deliver a solution to this problem and will communicate this to our online community as soon as we can. We realize this is a huge inconvenience as online play is a big part of the game. Please be assured that we are working on a patch as quickly as possible.

In the meantime, if you find that you are disconnected from the server while entering an online game mode, we recommend that you reset your hardware before attempting to enter another online game mode to increase your chances of success.

We are also aware of an issue how losses are tracked in Dynasty Mode. We are working towards addressing this issue as well."

http://forums.ea.com/mboards/thread.jsp ... 7&tstart=0

EDITED: There is also this, which describes a little more detail that hints at the problem:

EA wrote:We are aware of an ongoing issue with NHL 08 where players using Quick Online Team Play, Versus, and Shootout modes may be disconnected during or immediately following the National Anthem. Experiencing this disconnection once puts your game in a state where future match attempts in these modes may fail. Additionally, any players you were matching up with when the issue occurred will now be in the same state since they were disconnected as well.

While our development team works on a permanent solution, we suggest restarting your Microsoft Xbox 360 immediately after the error occurs. This will force the game to reload and clear up any bad state the game has entered. Keep in mind, though, that if a player you’re matching up with has recently experienced this same disconnection and has not reset their Xbox 360, your next attempt may disconnect and you'll have to reset your console again.

Help EA spread the word around the community by mentioning this over voice at the team selection screen before the game starts. The more people that know about this solution, the more people will restart their consoles to clear things up, and the less likely it is that the issue will happen again.

We realize this is a huge inconvenience, as online play is a key part of the game. Please be assured that we are working on a permanent solution as quickly as possible.

http://support.ea.com/cgi-bin/ea.cfg/ph ... aqid=17537

JRod · Post by **JRod** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 3:08 pm

Drunk Zeppo seems to think its all your own routers. I happen to think that drunk Zeppo is full of BS.

It's stupid EA and not our routers.

webdanzer · Post by **webdanzer** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 3:15 pm

I love how it is contagious, like the 'EA clap'.

GameSeven · Post by **GameSeven** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 3:26 pm

webdanzer wrote:I love how it is contagious, like the 'EA clap'.

PSA: Remember when you play NHL 08 you're not just playing with friends, you're playing with EVERY FRIEND THEY'VE EVER PLAYED WITH.

Practice safe OTP everyone...

JRod · Post by **JRod** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 3:32 pm

GameSeven wrote:
webdanzer wrote:I love how it is contagious, like the 'EA clap'.
PSA: Remember when you play NHL 08 you're not just playing with friends, you're playing with EVERY FRIEND THEY'VE EVER PLAYED WITH.

Practice safe OTP everyone...

Haha...nice one.

webdanzer · Post by **webdanzer** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 3:36 pm

EA wrote: Help EA spread the word around the community by mentioning this over voice at the team selection screen before the game starts. The more people that know about this solution, the more people will restart their consoles to clear things up, and the less likely it is that the issue will happen again.

hellbent · Post by **hellbent** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 3:57 pm

pk500 wrote:I know it isn't as good as the next-gen console version, and I know it's not an entirely realistic game of hockey, but the PC version of NHL 08 is really growing on me because it's just plain FUN as hell.

Normally I'm an insane stickler for accuracy with hockey games since it's my favorite sport. But I realize that no company ever has reached that kind of realism level with a hockey game, and maybe it never will. So if the game is fun and has an acceptable level of realism, I'll take it.

Hey PK (or anyone else with the PC version) -

I'm debating picking up the PC version because of the many add-ons and mods that are a big part of EA's NHL series. I'm just curious as to whether or not the goalies have improved since last year's game. On the two highest difficulty levels, the goalies were only saving 75-80% of the shots coming at them (both HUM and CPU-controlled), which forced one to play very short periods in order to keep the scores semi-realistic.

One used to be able to quickly work around this issue with the goalie slider, which was mysteriously absent in last year's game. If the goalies are better or the slider is back, I'd love to check 08 out.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 4:13 pm

I'm only playing five-minute periods since I've made no slider adjustments yet, but I'm finding goalies to have reasonably realistic save percentages. I'm using manual aim, by the way.

Sometimes they'll get shelled; other times they'll post a shutout.

The biggest problem with save percentage in this game isn't the goalie AI as much as it is EA's remaining, idiotic insistence to allow only adjustment of period length at five-minute intervals. Simply moronic.

Five-minute periods don't create quite enough shots; 10-minute periods create too many. Oh, what I wouldn't give for a seven-minute period.

I haven't played an EA PC hockey game since NHL 2004, but again, I'm really pleased human and CPU shots miss the net with realistic frequency, especially if you launch a slapper from an askew position at the point. It's SO refreshing to finally see that in a hockey game right out of the box.

Another thing I'm really enjoying about this year's PC game is the ease of the controls. There aren't any crazy finger gymnastics like PES 6 or Madden 08 to use all of the moves in the toolbox.

The ease of controls feels much like Rugby 08 -- my personal gold standard, of course

-- and allows you to concentrate on setting up plays or play defense instead of memorizing control schemes.

Finally, like most good team sports games, you really need to pay attention to the top players in the PC version of NHL 08. Guys like Ovechkin, Crosby and St. Louis will shred you if you don't keep track of them at all times. I definitely get that sense of dread when Ovechkin gets the puck between the circles in this game, which is a good feeling.

I don't have a console, but I doubt the PC version of NHL 08 is as good as the 360 version judging by everyone's comments here and comparisons of the two games' feature sets. But it's the best EA hockey game I've played, and it's a ton of fun.

So I'm digging it!

Take care,
PK

WillHunting · Post by **WillHunting** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 4:59 pm

PK, does the PC version have the right stick for everything and the shoulder button for passing (assuming you play the game with a twin stick pad)?

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 5:15 pm

WillHunting wrote:PK, does the PC version have the right stick for everything and the shoulder button for passing (assuming you play the game with a twin stick pad)?

The PC version uses what EA calls the Hybrid control stick. The right stick is used for shooting and the number 2 button is used to pass.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 5:48 pm

Rodster wrote:
WillHunting wrote:PK, does the PC version have the right stick for everything and the shoulder button for passing (assuming you play the game with a twin stick pad)?
The PC version uses what EA calls the Hybrid control stick. The right stick is used for shooting and the number 2 button is used to pass.

You can pass with the right stick, too. You just need to press the No. 8 button on a Logitech Rumblepad (same as the R2 on a PS2 controller) to pass with the right stick. You also can poke-check with the right stick.

Take care,
PK

JRod · Post by **JRod** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 6:12 pm

Well here's something...

I had two games one from blockbuster and another from gamefly. Both had the lock-up problems mid-game. But here's the thing, it has nothing to do with the 360. I can back out of the game to the xbox dashboard. So that means the 360 code is acutually running.

It's essentially killed the franchise mode in this game. I would be probably 10-15 games into the franchise mode.

I rarely get the problem playing exibitions. And the online problems are well documented.

Anyone know of any sort of fix for this. I've deleted the franchise and started over again. That hasn't helped. I don't know, it's frustrating to be forced to stop playing a game.

Gangrel · Post by **Gangrel** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 6:59 pm

I'll second PKs gushing on the PC version.

Consdiering 08 is my only option, not having a next gen console, I figured I'd have to force myself to like it. But he's right, it IS fun.

I quickly learned to UNlearn some of my NHL2k7 habits from the Xbox. IE. when Markus Naslund is on a breakaway, I cannot be sure he'll be stopped.

Plus, it's refreshing to see the CPU do some cool dekes and score on wristers, as opposed to onetimers like 2k7.

The jersey patch is out for 08 on the PC too now, but watch out. I had installed a roster set from NHLdepot.net , and it must have changed one of the files (you can't load separate roster files like Madden, kinda dumb)

When I tried to install the patch, it threw an error because one of the files was "changed". I had to reinstall the damn thing.

Also, the jersey patch doesn't change gloves or helemets, so you see some weird matches....... (Vancouver still has black for example)

kicko · Post by **kicko** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 8:09 pm

thats "odd"

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 8:48 pm

Gang:

Glad to see I'm not the only inmate in the PC asylum who thinks NHL 08 is a good, fun game.

I'm drawing more and more parallels between NHL 08 and Rugby 08 for the PC by the day.

As I've watched a lot of World Cup matches the last two weeks, I'm learning that Rugby 08 isn't the perfect sim of the sport. There isn't enough possession play, and there aren't enough scrums to call it the perfect sim.

But it's close enough, and it's still fun as hell. Plus one of the things that I've loved about EA's Rugby series since Rugby 06 is the organic, non-scripted nature of it. Every game is different. Every team has different strategies, strengths and weaknesses. I've seen tries and drop goals scored in an impressive variety of ways.

I'm feeling and seeing the same in NHL 08 for the PC.

No, it's not a perfect sim. There's not enough grinding along the boards, and the CPU doesn't cycle the puck enough. But it's close enough, and it's fun as hell.

Plus, like Gangrel, I've seen the CPU score on a wide variety of shots. Wristers from the slot and circle, garbage goals, tips, wraparounds, screened blasts from the point, tricklers through the pads, top shelf, you name it.

And the same-old "skate down the wing and center for a one-timer," a strategy that was successful with the 2K series on the Xbox, doesn't work very well in NHL 08. In fact, most of my centering passes don't even reach the slot. Thank God. I'm playing on the medium difficulty, for context.

I won't take the leap yet to say NHL 08 is in my team sports pantheon with Rugby 06 and Rugby 08, but it has a lot of the same characteristics of relaxed-sim, unscripted, organic, REALLY fun gameplay.

It's a winner.

Take care,
PK

Jimmydeicide · Post by **Jimmydeicide** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 9:04 pm

Well funny thing is everything that was great and organic in 07 360 is rendered pretty much useless now because of the way they want you to play this game now , im so pissed at them for messing this up i cant believe anyone will still find it fun after 30/40 games of the same sit back and wait for your defense to leave a guy open 1 timer fest. I have had some realy fun and great games but most of the time its the same excercise in frustration its to 1 dimesional now.

and double

Oh and P.S.
I cant believe im not in the 3on 3 click anymore cos Zep thinks i have a router.