NHL 2K8 - Review

Added September 24th, 2007 by Kisan Parikh

As the hockey season kicks off, NHL 2K8 hits the ice with stout competition from EA’s NHL 08. After being clearly the best hockey title a few years prior, the franchise is now feeling the heat as their competitors introduce new features. In response, NHL 2K8 features several promising gameplay and franchise innovations. Does 2K8 melt under pressure or do these new features help keep the series alive?

Right from the start, gamers will be presented with a completely redone control scheme. Taking a page out of EA’s book, 2K Sports has named the right thumbstick the ‘ProStick’. The idea is that the right stick will control the players stick, allowing him to perform dekes and fakes. The shooting mechanism involves using the right bumper to shoot and left trigger to toggle a slapshot. The left bumper controls passing, and if held down, can be combined with the right stick for aim. The speed boost has been split into two places: the right trigger for speed and the A button for a quick additional burst. Confused yet? The new control scheme is fairly complicated. What’s worse is that learning the control scheme does not result in a more natural feeling game. The ProStick moves the puck back and forth, but really doesn’t provide the control that is expected. Human and computer opponents on higher difficulties make this control useless during games. Not only is the ProStick fairly useless, but it results in an outlandish and tedious control scheme.

The only well implemented control changes involve the Superstar Moves and revamped face-off system. The Superstar Moves include 12 canned moves that are activated using a combination of the left trigger and two face buttons. These moves, which range from a fake whiff to batting the puck out of the air, are only usable by your team’s top players. Each move is well animated and very rewarding if they result in a goal. The face-off system adds a bit of realism and variation to the game. In 2K8 face-offs are dynamic, with gamers being able to control the actual draw with the right thumbstick. Once the puck is dropped, the play is rarely clean as the two centers normally lock up. The user must continue to pull the puck free and call upon wingers to pick up the loose puck. This gives the user a much larger amount of control over game-changing face-offs instead of leaving everything to luck.

Once you get past the complicated control scheme, 2K8 is actually a fairly fun game to play. However, with the dud ProStick, the game isn’t terribly different from 2K7. This isn’t such a bad thing; however the AI still hiccups quite a bit. Your teammates jump offside regularly, and the opponent’s netminder often passes the puck right to your forwards. One noticeable difference is the seemingly more cohesive animations. Goalies, in particular, move around in a more realistic manner. They come out to challenge shooters and are less robotic in their crease mechanics.

The game’s graphics have been reworked for the better. The game looks more “next-gen”, with a nice amount of detail in equipment, jerseys, and the rink. Players are seen with a variety of branded equipment and look more proportional than in pervious titles. The only letdown in terms of graphics would be some odd looking faces, even when dealing with well know players. Despite this, it is easy to see a huge visual improvement in NHL 2K8.

Getting away from the in-game portion of NHL 2K8, the Franchise Mode has been infused with a new negotiation system, player growth tracking, and CBA rules. The most important Franchise change is the negotiation system. Instead of just finding a price for a player, you are now tasked with pleasing both the player’s agent and the team’s owner. While staying under the salary cap, you must make and counter contract offers in a dynamic process. This includes walking away when you trip up in a negotiation and going in for the kill when the time is right. The idea is to force the agent to agree to a lower price. The new system works pretty well, and I have yet to find a quick fix or bug that can let you exploit it.

The player growth tracking is implemented to model the highs and lows of a player’s season. While a user can do little to modify these changes, it is possible to react to them and make the required changes through line pairings and trades. Factors include ice time, aging, and mods. Ice time simply allows your player to gain experience, aging adds boosts or fatigue based on your player’s age, and mods simply change certain player ratings. This takes a players performance beyond the typical rating system.

The CBA rules pose as another Franchise challenge for players. Now you must deal with restricted free agents, 2-way contracts, and waivers. Restricted free agency allows your team to hang on to young talent, because you can offer minimal prices without worry. If another team bids higher, you can either match their contract or be compensated in the form of draft picks. 2-way contracts are forced upon every rookie, and again, allow you to hang on to young talent. These contracts allow you to move players up and down from the minor leagues, without worrying about him clearing waivers. These new rules and contract types add another element of realism to the robust Franchise mode.

Outside of Franchise Mode, NHL 2K8 retains the modes of past titles. The modes haven’t seen any changes; however their presence is a huge source of replay value. Online, you are presented with identical features including tournaments and seasons. The games run at half the frame rate over Xbox Live, however there is little in the way of lag.

NHL 2K8 reminds me of a hockey team that looks unbeatable on paper but fails to perform in a big game. The new ProStick fails to have any lasting effect on the game, other than the fact that the resulting control scheme is a pain. While the Franchise Mode offers some cool new elements, the fact that the gameplay is almost entirely on the same level as 2K7 is extremely disappointing. All in all, it is hard to recommend this title for more that a rental due to the fact that it is little more than a roster update.