A few years back and it would be easy to find criticism of the EA Sports brand. Possibly because we just saw iterations instead of innovations, year after year. Luckily now it’s the complete opposite with games like FIFA and NHL leading the innovation. From quirky analog controls to new and interesting Be A Pro modes, EA have done a really good job of injecting some new life into their long running sports franchises. Two years ago the rendition of NHL saw the addition of the Skill Stick which introduced new engaging controls that really opened the game up to non-hockey fans as well as appeal to the traditional fanatic. But how well will the franchise perform after it’s biggest inclusion for years?
NHL 09 sees the addition of Be A Pro mode. Similar to the feature introduced in FIFA last year, Be A Pro lets you control just one player on the ice. FIFA 08’s version was very basic but NHL 09 has expanded on this idea and lets you create a player from scratch. You then can work your way up through the different lines in the AHL feeder until you eventually get a call from the parent team in the big league.
Meanwhile the games skill stick has been improved upon by offering advanced defensive play. You can now flick the stick towards an opponent to check them and although this doesn’t seem like a massive change, it helps sell the consistency in the control scheme and feels satisfying to boot. The rest of the control scheme seems similar if slightly improved from previous versions. If encase you haven’t got to grips with the new controls the game does start with some simple training drills that explain the controls and how they work. If you still don’t want to use them the game comes with a simplified NHL 94 control scheme that stays true to it’s namesake with face button controls only.
These new defensive controls have been backed up by a whole new set of animations for giving and receiving hits out on the rink. These fluidly fit along side the games large array of animations for other aspects of the game. Graphically the game still looks brilliant and despite the looping animation of the crowd, the graphics help sell the experience. Except when the camera cuts to the bench in between plays. It might just be an animation glitch or because there are a lot of moving players on the screen at one time but the game drops a lot of frames. Luckily it seems to stay away from areas where you are in control but it’s noticeable nonetheless.
The sound has always been a fairly competent aspect of the game. The crowd and commentary are up there with the best of the genre. The commentary is largely the same from last years but it still stands out to make the action more entertaining. The game as a whole has a very nice TV broadcast feel that could have been perfected with a few more elements.
NHL 09 is very similar to last years but it’s slightly better in every single way. The Be A Pro mode is excellent, the new control tweaks make defending as fun as attacking and once you’ve changed the default shooting settings the game becomes a lot more accessible and manageable. The innovative controls have been expanded upon and this makes the game recommendable to almost anyone even non-hockey fans. Despite this you feel as if this is the most refined version of NHL to date. It will really be interesting to see how EA will meet the bar next year seeing as seem to raise it every year.
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