EA’s latest installment in the NHL franchise has introduced some groundbreaking features, including the new ‘Be A Pro’ mode and the EA Sports Hockey League. But does the third ‘next generation’ installment really push things to the next level like EA have been claiming?

Gameplay:

NHL 09 uses the same analogue stick control scheme introduced in NHL 07. Your left stick controls player movement, while the right stick controls your hockey stick. Moving the stick back and flicking it up allows you to take a slap shot, while just flicking it up lets the player take a quick and accurate wrist shot. EA have really fine tuned the analogue stick controls over the last few years and in NHL 09 they’ve hit the nail on the head. The controls are easy to pick up and allow lots more interesting gameplay, but if using the right stick is not for you, the game still allows you to change to the standard button control scheme. NHL 09 includes all the features from the previous games such as Dynasty Mode, in which you pick a team and take them to Stanley Cup glory, and your standard exhibition mode. But the real star of this year’s installment is the introduction of the ‘Be A Pro’ mode we’ve seen in previous EA Sports games such as the FIFA games. This option allows you to create your own unique hockey player and allows you to customise their basic appearance and gear. There could have been a few more appearance options available, as it stands you can only choose from 8 pre-set heads and then proceed to change skin tone and add scars and freckles etc. However the gear available lets you choose your helmet, gloves and most importantly your skates and stick, which you can then adjust to suit your player. You can select the radius of the blade on your skates and also the flexibility and curve of your stick, which gives slight tweaks to gameplay including your player’s speed and shot tendency. You can then select the position you want to play, you can choose from any position on the ice including the Goalie. Once you’ve created your Pro you then select a team to sign for in the NHL, you start off playing for their AHL affiliate team and work your way through the lines until you’re finally called up to play for your NHL team. Once you get into your first game you’ll notice that there’s a blue arrow showing your suggested positioning, you don’t have to stick to it but it’s a good way to learn the position, something I found very helpful as I’ve never played a real game of hockey in my life. As you play you’re rated on your performance in 3 categories, Positioning which is affected by how much you stick to the blue arrow. Team Play, which is rated by how you play with your team and how often you call for passes and shots, and Stats which is simply how well you perform as a player overall, from scoring goals to how many times you give the puck away. You’re rated from F to A+ depending on how you perform in each category and then at the end of the game you’re given an overall rating of your performance. As you progress through the ranks with your pro, either offline or online you will earn skill points to upgrade stats on your player, there are three categories in which you can upgrade your skater, Offensive, Defensive and Athleticism, each having around 20 sub-stats to upgrade including passing, shooting, speed, agility, balance and checking. Also included are five hockey cards which you earn by averaging a certain rating and completing certain tasks. All of the upgradeable stats and player progression is so involved it’s almost like a sports MMO. What makes the ‘Be A Pro’ mode different from FIFA’s is the fact that you need to be doing a lot more as a hockey player when compared to a football player. Because there’s only twelve players on the ice you’re a lot more involved in the action and if you make a mistake, you will be punished. Also in hockey there are line changes, you will constantly be called off the ice to sit and watch your team mates whilst on the bench, when you’re payer starts to get fatigued you will see red circles on the bench which indicates that you’re being called off for a line change. This doesn’t hinder gameplay in NHL 09 because there are many line changes in a single match so you’re never going to be sitting on the bench for majority of the game, but if you are impatient you can simply hit the ‘B’ button to call for a line change and get back into the action. The only problem I have is sometimes the AI can make some silly decisions and there’s one glitch that can get really agitating. In the face off, when you pull the puck back to the Defensemen, for some reason he decides to smash the puck into the offensive end and therefore make you receive an icing call. This can happen quite frequently and it really rattles my cage. NHL 09’s online mode consists of normal versus games and the new Online Team Play option where up to twelve players can take up a position and work as a team with five other players. This is then taken to the next level with the EA Sports Hockey League. This feature allows you to create your own club and compete against other clubs online, almost a sort of clan support. This is where most of my time has been invested and this is definitely the best form of clan support I have ever seen in any game. The huge number of customisation options and stats is something EA have worked hard on and it shows. When you create your team you can select which jersey you’re going to wear from the hundreds of jerseys available, including NHL and AHL teams. Unfortunately you can’t create your own logo/jersey, which is something I'd liked to have seen. As your team progresses your individual player stats are recorded along with your 10 most recent played games, your team can also unlock trophies for completing certain tasks and members can write their own blog in-game. Another great online feature that’s missing from a lot of games is the ability to upload videos and screenshots to the Internet. EASportsWorld.com allows users to upload videos they’ve recorded in-game using the new instant re-play feature.

Graphics:

NHL 09’s graphics are very nice looking, the players, ice and puck all look outstanding, especially when viewing them in one of the cut scenes, such as when a goal is scored. The jersey material looks photo realistic and the detail put into facial expressions and player movement are fantastic. Unfortunately the same amount of effort hasn’t been put into the crowd, which compares to a very poor PS2 game. Although most of your attention isn’t on the crowd, when watching an instant replay you see them quite a lot. They stand there all looking the same and performing the same static animations and at times it can really get quite creepy.

Sound:

The soundtrack used in the game is pretty decent, with appearances from Billy Talent and Avenged Sevenfold, it’s all very heavy rock which appeals to me, but might not to other gamers. Fortunately EA has the answer with the addition of the EA Media Hub. This feature allows you to add any playlist on your Xbox 360 Hard Drive into the game. I know that listening to music whilst playing has been standard for a while, but with the EA Media Hub you can assign different songs for different moments in the game, such as when your team comes out of the tunnels, when someone receives a penalty, if a player is injured or even when you score a goal. EA have left no stone unturned when it comes to assigning music. What also makes this feature cool is that effects are added to the music when it’s played, for example, when your team is coming out of the tunnel the music is quite tinny and contained because the music is playing on the speakers outside. But as soon as your player exits the tunnel it sounds loud and echoes in the huge stadium. In-game sounds are excellent and really get you involved in the game. The sound of your player skating up ice, taking a really hard slap shot, and then hitting the crossbar will always make you jump out of your seat and groan with disappointment. When you do score a goal each one feels special and unique and when the claxon sounds and you see that green light you get a real feeling of accomplishment, and if you’re like me you’ll start shouting abuse at the other AI controlled team. The sound of bones crunching, crossbars rattling and sticks slapping will always bring a smile to your face and really get you involved in the action. The only problem I have with the sound is the terrible Panic At The Disco track included, but thankfully you can switch off certain songs from the settings menu.

Longevity:

With the huge amount of options added for NHL 09 you’re always spoilt for choice. I have spent a lot of time working on my pro’s career and stats, which never gets old. Joining a club in the EA Sports Hockey league will have you investing a lot of your spare time to contribute to your team, and the usual Dynasty Mode, Online Leagues and Versus all contribute to a huge sports game. You could quite easily invest months of time in this game, enough to get you through until next year's game is released.

Overall:

Most sports games are released every year, and you can usually expect just a few minor changes from the previous installment. NHL 09 has broken that trend and introduced many new features and tweaked existing elements to create a game far superior than last year's version. EA have introduced some groundbreaking features never before seen in any sports game. This is a huge leap in the right direction and if it wasn’t for the few glitches I experienced and the creepy zombie crowd, it would be scoring a perfect 10!