Customer Reviews

NHL 09

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

It's got a new cover, but it's pretty much the same game as last year (which was pretty much the same game as the year before that!)

Exact same game announcers as last year, with the exact same dialogue. Exact same graphics as last year. Exact same gameplay (it hasn't been very good on the PC since NHL 2002!). Exact same quirks (some of the players look nothing like they should; the announcers pronounce the same name differently depending on what stock phrase they use; "big hit" replays just show players brushing against each other - no one ever falls to the ice!). It's gotten to the point where it's not even exciting to play anymore.

What's new? Well, the rosters have been updated slightly.

If I were EA Sports, I'd be embarrassed to release a game like this. The console versions are incredibly different, and light years ahead of this.

If you purchased any NHL game for the PC in the last few years you'll know EA is up to no good when it comes to improving anything.

This year they added Be a Pro and even more simple controls. Now the offensive layout can consist of just three things: Pass, Shoot and Speed Burst. Be a Pro basically you just play as one person through a season and build upon them as you progress.

Everything else seems to be minor improvements. I noticed little to no graphics changes from last years version, just a slightly higher resolution.

To top it off it looks like they got rid of the EA servers for online play. What the !? Not like there were many people online last year, but this is a major blow to the online community. Luckily you can still join other people online by getting their IP address and joining their game. However, this is a major blow from EA considering almost every online game these days has some sort of online server for everyone to play on.

Also, the graphics are STILL not even close to console level which is pathetic. EA needs to get with the program and let those that have great graphics cards to take advantage of a higher graphics engine. If you ever seen the demo of the PS3/360 versions you'll know what I mean.

EA needs to get on the ball with the PC NHL game. The NHL games for the consoles are much more deeper and also look a lot better. At anything above $20 It's hard to recommend buying NHL for the PC year after year. This will be the last year I buy a NHL product by EA for the PC till they decide to make either major improvements or reduce their starter price to $19.99 or less, and even that my friends is a very hard pill to swallow.

Oh well, better luck next year?

Don't get be wrong, I love the EA NHL Series and if you have never purchased any of the EA NHL versions, BUY THIS!!! The gameplay is smooth, the graphics are awesome, the checking and goalie moves are fun to watch. I gave it a 2 because I buy the latest version every 2 years hoping for more exciting features and this year, I felt I was let down. For me to spend full retail for this for just a couple new features, was tough to do in this economy.

The good: Be A Pro is really fun trying to stay in the NHL without getting pushed down to the minors, but other camera angles would help a lot! The Higher Resolution is a big plus! The players faces look a lot better! A couple new checks and goalie moves and fight sequences, but the game doesn't feel any different. Cycling is fun when you get the timing down, and players do support you more.

The Bad: The arena's all look the same as other versions, they didn't change anything there. The anouncers are the same, and it feels like the didn't give them too many new phrases to say. All my old moves since 1997 still work, I scored 16 goals in my first game with a standard textbook play (take the puck down the side to the corner, center it when a supporting player is in center just behind the goalie). In this day of the internet, you should be able to update the rooster from EA on the fly from within the game with a push of a button. I haven't been able to join a server, it keeps asking for the IP address and I can't find a server to connect to. This interface needs improving.

It's absurd that the PC version of NHL 09 is currently (at the time of this review) priced at 40 dollars. It's a Playstation 2 port; designed for the playstation 2 and quickly repackaged for the PC. This is a game made with a nearly 10 year old system in mind. I don't know about you, but when I buy a new PC game with "09" in the title I expect something at least somewhat modern.

NHL 09 only supports 3 screen resolutions: 800x600, 1024x768 and 1280x1024. NO WIDE SCREEN.

The whole game is archaic. They put the real NHL 09 on 360 and PS3 and put its retarded cousin on PC.

What an utter mess. Just another crime against PC gaming brought to you by EA.

It's such a sad thing, really. EA Sports had a lot of potential and money to be made when it comes to the NHL gaming on the PC platform. Unfortunately, they for more than 5 years have recycled the same content - player models, arenas, commentary, details, everything is just the same. EA Sports essentially was the only NHL game on the PC, but decided not the cater to PC fans anymore.

The game itself is fun to play, many modes such as dynasty, european league, playoffs, etc. You can also create your own player. I still enjoy playing against the CPU, trying to rack up some points and win the stanley cup. Despite EA Sports' inability to update the game, there still is fun in the game.

But, you can't review NHL 09 without looking at previous versions. I've played NHL 07 and 08 and the only real difference in the games are the menus. Are you serious? Shame on you EA.

Rest in peace NHL on PC. I hope NHL gaming on the PC gets resurrected soon, hopefully from 2k sports or another gaming company.

Excellent hockey game, realistic hits, AI isn't too difficult though, and scoring goals can sometimes be too easy. Great fun though when playing friends. Looks really good on PC and runs smooth.

NHL 09 being the last one created for the PC is a very nice game that has something both for the novice and the pro. I especially like the rookie controls which function great for the person that is not a hardcore gamer but plays it just ocassionaly. The comentators are quite annoying so either I turn them of or change it to a language that I do not understand. The graphics are ok but nothing special. I suppose I will have to buy console to continue play this series in the future. Still an alright game. Recommended. 3/5.

NHL 09 is sweet. The game play is great and I love playing in a season. There are 5 choices for each team's jerseys. I have played hockey for years and it feels like your really playing the hockey.

Drawbacks:

I played NHL 2K9 on XBOX 360 and the graphics for 2K9 are far superior.

I have a brand new Dell desktop with 8GB of RAM and a Pentium quad duo processor; but this game still freezes once in a while and seems to have slow moments. That may happen with other games but I don't really play too many game on my computer.


All in all I love the game and the price is write. GOOD BUY.

I've been playing the EA series since the beginning so I've seen some highs and some lows. This year's PC version is just 'meh.'

Create a Pro mode. This is a very cool idea. I created a pro but found the game play to be frustrating because your team mates don't do much for themselves. In the beginning I was an awful winger playing on the first line relaying heavily on garbage goals and passing to get assists. As the season wore on and I improved I was able to start scoring more reliably. In the playoffs, your pro's line will spend 35-45 minutes a game playing. This led to some ridiculous stats. After one season I don't feel like going back to play a second season.

Dynasty mode. Great idea when they came out with it in 2004 and is still fun. I like doing a fantasy draft and building a team from scratch. However, the game is a bit too easy to score on one-timers and deke moves close to the net. The name of the game is hit a lot and shoot a lot. I plan to play through this season but I don't really see playing a second one. The challenge just isn't there.

Graphically the players look great and the motion capture is decent. There's a little too much interference on cross-checks and hits that looks weird and the goaltender's save motions are awkward at best.

The audio, as always, is excellent with sounds that make you feel like you're at the rink.

Overall, this is okay for 2 or 3 seasons of fun but it lacks the staying power of some of the prior years' games.

This edition is a little better than '07, however if you want a fun game where you can makes adjustments, buy NHL 2004.
EA's dominance,in my opion is gone.