One cool feature included here is the ability to take screenshots of your own in the game and then use those images for your hockey card.
As for the game's controls, the development team is still further enhancing the skill-stick system that began in NHL 07. Last year saw touches such as the off-puck dekes--for NHL 09, you'll be able to perform one-handed dekes that will find your player pushing the puck out far to one side with either hand, then pulling it back on the fly to get around a defender or even a goalie. Of course, only the best players will be able to pull off a move like this, so you'll want to make sure you use it at the right time, and with the right player.
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Thank you for not discussing the outside world
I'll probably buy this game no matter what, just for the online play. I've wanted the lift stick feature in a big way, i hate covering a guy on the point only to have him release a one timer effortlessly, those were the only kinds of goals that bugged me.
If they can fix the phantom boards (having a guy bounce off the boards when they are clearly a foot away) and make sure sticks don't pass through bodies/other sticks, then they will have made the perfect hockey game.
My regrets to the wii people, but I just can't imagine the control set-up working with a wii controller.
Thanks for the post fanin80, always appreciate the ea hockey news!
Be a pro ... I just don't know about it. Sounds cool but I really enjoy playing on a team. I hope they didn't spend so much time on it that the team game suffers.
Quote:
NHL 09 will also finally give you the ability to take advantage of the skill stick on defense. You'll be able to swing the analog stick back and forth to make your player mimic that movement with his hockey stick, taking away passing lanes in the process. Of equal, if not greater, use will be the ability to lift an opposing player's stick off of the ice with a press of a button. It's a simple defense against the prevalent one-timers that can become a cornerstone of the game, especially online; by lifting your opponent's stick off the ice, you take away his ability to smack that one-time pass toward the goalie. Nevertheless, you have to be careful because there's an associated risk with this defensive reward: If you miss the timing on the lift, then you might end up inadvertently smacking your opponent's player in the head, resulting in a penalty in the process.
LOVE THAT. Lifting of sticks is much needed! I also hope the online leagues are a little more sorted out than last year. I'd like to see an actual schedule to play this year. This would make CP seasons incredible!
I'm also interested in their big mystery feature. I can't honestly think of anything bigger than the "be a pro" mode. Can't wait for the slow trickle of news that always makes me crazy through the summer months!
Cant wait. NHL 08 is simply fantastic, one of the most balanced games of hockey ever created. My friends and I have had some epic battles on it.
The stick lifting sounds like a great defensive feature, and I'm glad they are balancing it with the chance that you get a high sticking penalty if you misuse it.
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A few weeks after crashing head-first into the boards (denting his helmet and being unable to move for a little while) following a hit from behind by Bob Errey, the Calgary Flames player explains:
"I was like Christ, lying on my back, with my arms outstretched, crucified"
-- Frank Musil - Early January 1994
I have to admit, I love the hall of fame mode in Madden. Its a blast going through the combine, getting drafted, and watching your player improve until he becomes the best in his position.
I love the idea of your player starting in the AHL, and having to work to the NHL, I also like the threat of being demoted or traded, something that Madden sorely misses.
I'd love to be a power forward with a massive mean streak and a short temper.
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My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
From the looks of the trailer, I'm guessing Dion is the cover boy this year.
Curse of the EA NHL cover strikes again? No one who has been on the cover did anything for the season that they were featured, and their teams suffered as a result. Carolina lost their division lead bid in the stretch this year, and Eric Staal was on the cover. Year before it was Ovechkin and the caps(but the Capitals wouldn't have made the playoffs last year anyways.) Year before that, it was an early and quick first round exit for the lightning.
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Tacitus: Rara temporum felicitate, ubi sentire quae velis, et quae sentias dicere licet.
Curse of the EA NHL cover strikes again? No one who has been on the cover did anything for the season that they were featured, and their teams suffered as a result. Carolina lost their division lead bid in the stretch this year, and Eric Staal was on the cover. Year before it was Ovechkin and the caps(but the Capitals wouldn't have made the playoffs last year anyways.) Year before that, it was an early and quick first round exit for the lightning.
The Dion eats silly Cover Curses™ for breakfast!
(incidentally, though, I'm trying to remember what Iggy did the year he was on the cover... hmmm, I think I may have to look that up... something tells me that was the year he hurt his hand on Guerin's head at the start of the season, and then missed the last 5 games after going head-first into the boards...)
Yup, after the trophy hauling 01/02 season, Iginla's stats were 75GP, 35G, 32A, 67PTS, -10, 49PIM's and there were certainly more threads to Trade Iginla since he had hit peak value, and that the year before was just an anomaly.
Yup, after the trophy hauling 01/02 season, Iginla's stats were
75GP, 35G, 32A, 67PTS, -10, 49PIM's and there were certainly more threads to Trade Iginla since he had hit peak value, and that the year before was just an anomaly.
Doh. Yeah, that's what I thought...
Btw, I sure hope they go back to making proper game intros. Anyone remember this gem?
Nhl 09
