Immersive and fun! Put frankly, it's solid!
I've only picked up the game from EB Games earlier today and after the first impressions, I've got to say that this is a VERY solid release. It builds on what made NHL 07 such a great game, and takes it further. The addition of AHL, Eliteserien and SM-Liiga teams to the mix of NHL and International squads means an incredible variety of players and styles to mix it up with and makes it that much more fun when going through the Create-A-Team setup. This was my first stop, and I have to say, I'm VERY impressed. When I first sat down and saw the screen shots from EA and GameSpot, I didn't expect it to be that deep, but the fact is, once you sit down and start to tinker with the various aspects, it is a relatively deep mode. No, it doesn't have Create-An-Arena in the same way that NHL 2004 did back in the days of Xbox hockey, and it could use a bit of customization in terms of logo choices, but it is still a VERY solid feature, and my Birmingham (UK) Renegades thank EA for that one! I decided that it would be best to take players from the Free Agents pool to build my team's roster, and wow am I glad I did! You not only get the NHL's free agents, but all of the other leagues as well, and it gives you a great group of players to build a team with! Yes, there are a lot of over-the-hill NHL-ers in the mix (Roenick, Mike Keane, etc), but there are some solid players still in that mix, and you can build a strong and competitive team if you have the time to sit down a sift through the names.
My next step was the Edit-A-Player feature, to see just how much control we were given this year. I'm happy to say that it is incredible as well! Being a goalie fan, I was ecstatic to find that goalie pads were completely customizable, even the nondescript green pads of Marty Turco could be livened up as much as you wanted. Brands are true-to-life, so the options for pads are as open-ended as your imagination. My only complaint with the equipment lies, as it does every year, with the Goalie masks. You're given the generic team-themed masks like last year, but you're also given a group of about 9 or 10 new "custom" design masks. This would be excellent except that they aren't customizable beyond simply selecting them and seeing how they look. There's no ability to customize colours, no ability to make them truly belong to the goalie or the team, just plain old designs. Now, make no mistake, I'm thrilled that they're in the game and that goalies can be customized to that level, but I surely hope that by next year's installation we can take that mask customization one step further.
So, I've made my team, edited a few players' gear, what's next but to check out the lineups and hit the ice? So, those were my next stops. The lineups this year are fairly up-to-date, but the cut-off missed a few of the bigger post-rush signings, like Roenick. It's a small nit-picky thing, and if you have the patience to sit down and tinker with it, you'll get your up-to-date lineup. Outside of that tiny tidbit, the rosters are perfect. So, now I was ready to hit the ice!
Before jumping straight out there, I gave it a go in practice mode, and I've come to discover that I'm going to make a horrible goalie. The Be-A-Goalie mode is a lot of fun, but you've got to be on your game if you hope to stop pucks with any consistency. Playing off the rush on the offensive side of the puck in practice mode also shows how realistic the AI is this time around, as your teammates will do everything in their power to find some open ice for you to get the puck to them, and the defense will do everything they can to stop you. It's a huge reward to watch a puck-cycling team find that open spot and stuff the puck home, and you will have to work for it this year. The defense will learn from you and stop what you're doing!
So I've now had my fun in practice mode, it's time to get out there and do it for real. Next up? Dynasty mode. I elected not to take my created Renegades into the Dynasty mode for now, so selected my favourite Dallas and Iowa Stars combo. My first action as the GM? To trade Mathew Barnaby (sorry Barney, but you're not my kind of player). I managed to make it a nice pickup at Barney's expense and off I went. I fiddled with the line combinations, went through a few more practice sessions and then hit the ice.
Games in NHL 08 are far more realistic than any previous incarnation we've known, and you'll see it straight off the draw. If you're not thinking hockey, you'd better start! There is a bit of a learning curve if you're new to hockey in general, but what better way to learn the ins and outs of the various aspects of hockey than to simply get out there and do it? One thing that struck me once out there on the ice -- you really feel the atmosphere of the crowd. As the away team in my first game, you could feel the silence if you dominated play for any length of time, or you felt the disappointment as you scored against the home team. The chatter as play moves on (the 'Shoot' chants or 'Use the D' screams) is intriguing to listen to, and it shows just how intuitive the game is now. You have to dig in if you want to win games, as I barely squeaked out a 4-3 victory in my first match.
Overall, I'm incredibly happy with my initial impressions of NHL 08, and I feel that this is a fantastically solid game. I'm looking forward to unlocking the Jerseys soon, but there's more than enough to hold players over until that time.
This is a very solid release.