NHL 09

"Psymin Psays #1: As any good professional knows- even the best have room for improvement!"

NHL 09 from EA Sports has done something that very few sports games can do- it was named one of the Top Releases (overall, not just in the sports genre) of 2008! How can that be?! Well, take a look below and see for yourself!

Presentation:
EA Sports has never let me down when it comes to how well their menus are set up, but that's not the only thing that I am looking at when giving this category a score. The online set up for the Leagues and Clubs is done (almost) surprisingly well. Even though this is the first time we have seen such a set up in a sports game this generation, EA has given us an easy to use interface that almost anyone can follow to set up a quick league or club online. But, this isn't perfect- I wish there was a way to see that you've been invited to a club or league without accessing your in-game invite mailbox (an Xbox Live message would be a lot more convenient). Another presentation issue with NHL 09 comes from a great idea that wasn't quite perfected- editing instant replays. The fact that you can only select one camera angle (out of quite a few of the available options), and one “special effect” per clip is disappointing. Also, I would love if NHL 2010's Dynasty Mode would allow for the quick save feature that EA's football games have where you can click the right stick and select save all to quickly save everything (a feature that I thought for SURE would be in this year after it was left out last year). Overall, the presentation is clean, very smooth, and just plain sexy (if I may be so bold).

Score: 17/20


Graphics:
This is one category where EA seldom ceases to amaze me. The ice has great degradation throughout a period of play, the goalie animations are unmatched, the players look great, and the crowd does it's job. However, the fact that Pavel Datsyuk, Sidney Crosby, and Alex Ovechkin all look great isn't enough! Why doesn't Johan Franzen, Chris Osgood, Jiri Hudler, and other players look at least SOMETHING like their real-life counterparts (please excuse the fact that these are three Red Wings, but that's the team I've used in Dynasty mode, so I know them the best)? I understand that the latter names are not nearly as big of names to some as Crosby, Datsyuk, and Ovechkin, but the fact that Hudler looks like Osgood, Franzen, Haydar, Abdelkader and every other lesser-known player is unacceptable. They need to add more “generic” character models to next years game. It's as simple as that. And why do almost all of the goalies have those demon-like eyes? It's just…unnatural. But, as big a deal as I am making this, it really is a minor issue that doesn't take away from the excellent job EA has done of giving us the most realistic looking hockey game to date; where they have the actual player models, they're done brilliantly. NHL 09 is very easy on the eyes to say the least.

Score: 17/20


Sound:
Some may not like the soundtrack, and it really just comes down to personal taste. Myself, I don't hate it! I think last years was better, but this years soundtrack is fine too. It is full of current alternative rock bands such as Panic at the Disco, Coheed and Cambrio, Billy Talent and Phantom Planet (creators of “ The OC Theme Song”) among others along those lines. It's definitely not ground breaking, but it isn't terrible either. Aside from the music, EA has done a great job of giving the atmosphere of a real NHL game. The hits sound bone-crushing, and the clink of the pipes is unmistakable. The crowd chants are great too, especially the playoff-specific chants such as “we want the cup” or “M-V-P” and the player and referee on-ice chatter is wonderfully atmospheric. This is where NHL 09 raises itself from the mediocre, take-it-or-leave-it teenage alt. rock music, and scores where it counts the most- during the games! Don't buy the game for the soundtrack, buy it for the excellent in-game sounds that set this game above its predecessors.

Score: 15/20


Gameplay:
There has never been a game quite like this- the controls give you the most realistic hockey experience you can have sitting on your couch, the game has much better slider controls than I have seen in EA's past hockey games to set the difficulty right where you want it, and a wonderful online mode that takes the prize as one of the most innovative online additions in a sports game to date. But instead of elaborating too much about the greats of the gameplay, I want to point out NHL 09's shortcomings for this review.

Dynasty mode is where a lot of my let downs come from- from the poor scouting and free agent signings, to the fact that you can't re-sign players mid-season, or the lack of options that could be available. I wish we were able to adjust the salary cap when starting a Dynasty, not just turn it on or off. And why can't we adjust contracts in the middle of the season? Why do we have to wait until the off-season for all that? I want to lock-up my high profile player whose contract runs out at the end of the year before I use up all my cap space on trades. You are forced to play an 82 game season, and no less. Really, I can continue on and on here, (no fantasy draft yet?!) but almost all of my gameplay issues lie in the Dynasty mode (the reason I buy the game year after year).

I have no big complaints about the on-ice play (it's not perfect- there could be better battles for the puck, and the passing difficulty could be higher), but the fact that I entered the Playoffs as a 6 seed, and was still able to win the Cup through smart work and good coaching makes me happy that I play the game (unlike last year where I constantly won the Presidents Trophy, and nearly swept through the playoffs-). This years game is more realistic and relies more on good playing techniques and smart coaching match-ups and less on glitch goals and exploits.

When you take the game online, a lot more issues show up. In league play, there is an absurd amount of penalties. In quick play and club play there are a lot of glitch goals to be had, and tons of people take advantage of the exploits. But, if you do like I did, and build a league around people that want to play a GOOD, REALISTIC game of hockey, the online play can be fantastic. Any lag I have experienced has been due to my own internet connection problems, not from the game itself.

What kind of review would this be without the inclusion of the Be A Pro (BAP) mode? BAP is NHL 09's answer to Madden's Superstar mode, and NCAA Footballs Campus Legend Mode, except it is done even better. This brings RPG elements into the game of hockey. You create a character and build up his stats on the ice through how well you play the game. You can only play as your created character when on the ice, so you must have great positioning to be able to tip in that game winning goal as a Winger, or make the big check as a Defensemen, or make the diving save in OT as the Goalie. BAP is an excellent addition that I honestly haven't even spent enough time with.

Overall, the gameplay is the reason you play any game, and NHL 09 blows previous years and the competitor out of the water. Though it is far from perfect, I have high expectations for next year's game to add a lot of the small things that NHL 09 has left out. And with the addition of BAP, NHL 09 sits at the top of the sports gaming world.

Score: 16/20


Replayability:
I have put in well over 50 hours into this game. I bought it on release day back in September of 2008, and today, June 1, 2009 I won Lord Stanley's Cup. There is a ton of replayability in this game. The Dynasty mode- as imperfect as it is- is what keeps me coming back, and BAP is just more icing on the cake. NHL 09 will have you coming back for more after every game. It left me with the “one more turn” syndrome that Sid Meier games have made so famous: “just one more game tonight…I'm on a streak…just one more, then that's it!”. The only problem I can find here relates back to a gameplay issue I mentioned above- because I want a realistic experience, I play with the salary cap on, but after the first season of Dynasty mode, I am never able to have a decent team the following year because of the poor contract negotiations that are present in NHL 09. Other than that, replayability for this game is remarkable.

Score: 19/20 (Very High)


Final Recommendation:
With a lot of excellent additions, realistic gameplay, and the fact that they were able to improve upon the almost perfect controls of last years game has lead me to telling people that this game is the best hockey game I have ever played. And, after writing this review, even after I lay out all the flaws I have with the game, the fact remains that I have never had more fun playing a hockey game. NHL 94 was superb, but I don't want that arcade feel for the rest of my life- I want realistic hockey, which is why I put NHL 09 at the top of the list for hockey games. Everyone should give the game a go, and time to get used to the controls (which comes with quite a learning curve if you're not familiar with them). NHL 09 is not perfect, but as any good professional athlete, actor, writer, whatever, knows- even the best have room for improvement!

Overall Score: 84/100 (8/10)


Thanks for reading!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/02/09

Game Release: NHL 09 (US, 09/09/08)