NHL 08

NHL 07 was a fine showing for the long-running hockey series from EA Sports, offering a bevy of features and a unique new skill stick for added control over your shots. NHL 08 looks to up the ante with some brand new features and even more control, making dekes fully analog and improving the skating mechanics of the whole game. NHL 08 is poised and ready to offer some of the most realistic feeling and fluid hockey controls ever when it releases next month.

When first hitting the ice with NHL 08, veterans of the series will notice some huge differences in terms of how the game controls. The face buttons are rarely, if ever, used, with all of the controls mapped to the two analog sticks and the shoulder buttons. It does take some getting used to at first (passing with the shoulder buttons just doesn’t feel right), but once you get over that initial hump, you’ll find that NHL 08 handles like a dream.

The game uses the skill stick popularized in last year’s game, but adds the new twist of dekes to the mix. By holding down the left shoulder button and pushing the right thumbstick, you’ll be able to handle the puck like a pro, keeping it away from opponents while skating in a different direction. The analog skating controls are also a nice touch, and feel very natural.

While the new fully analog skating controls are great and very precise, some gamers won’t really be getting the full benefit from them since they’ll be pretty much hauling ass at every possible moment. The area that the new skating controls come in most in handy is when performing sharp turns to evade defenders and get on the other side of the goalie. When used with the analog deke system, this can be a deadly combo for your opponents’ defense.

The preview build allowed for more than just a chance to play around with the games controls, but it also with some of the cool new features. One area of the game will let you play as the goalie, utilizing the analog control scheme to anticipate and block the opposing player’s shots, perform dives and basically do what you can to stop the other team from scoring.

The Dynasty Mode has been altered a bit, allowing you to create your own team, drafting other players into your club. There are a few ways to do this, as the game gives you the choice of putting up a salary cap (for those who like to go legit) or no cap (for those focused on creating their own personal dream team). This adds a new dimension of control to the game, and is a blast for those who’d like to build their own team from scratch.

Graphically, the game moves at a very smooth pace. EA Sports’ has been adamant about making all of their ’08 franchises run at 60 frames per second (well, on the Xbox 360, at any rate), and NHL 08 doesn’t disappoint. The game feels very fluid, with some great dynamic animations and realistic character models. The sound is the same kind of modern rock tracks that they’ve been offering in the franchise for some time now, and the commentary is very well done and doesn’t wear thin quickly like in other sports titles.

NHL 08 plays a smooth game of hockey, and while the new analog controls take some getting used to, the level of realism in 08 is unsurpassed. Fans of the series looking for the next step in console hockey should certainly check out NHL 08 in September.