Adding to the smash hit of 08, EA again takes the cake in the arena of NHL gaming with their 09 entry.
08 wasn't without its bugs, and after a while the same old game mode got boring. Here's where Be-A-Pro comes in at. Playing with a 3rd person camera, getting on and off for shifts, and starting on the 3rd line and moving your way up from the AHL to the NHL, Be A Pro adds that little bit of fun and difference the previous title was lacking. Sure, in 08 you could turn position lock on and play as just one position in a game - which makes it much more difficult to win, as you rely on the CPU to do the majority of the play - but it's much more fun with the personal aspect added to it. Add in the fact that your stats are ranked and filed for your consumption for both online and offline play (separate stats, of course) just makes this an A+ addition.
The franchise mode was great last year and returns nearly unchanged. It remains to be seen if the trading/free agents system was spruced up/fixed (two-for-ones or three-for-twos are impossible to even make, and even one-for-ones are difficult sometimes depending on the makeup of one or both of the teams. Some more code on EA's part could have made the GM-side of things a bit more fun here).
The game isn't without its faults. While the online mode is incredibly deep and adds depth never seen before in online sports games, getting on and playing with friends in unranked games isn't as easy as it should be (see: Halo 2 or 3 for the type of ease of use that devs should strive for). The wealth of menu options sometimes makes it easy to get lost or confused upon your first or second time through the menus.
A low framerate during some of the cutscenes in Be-A-Pro mode (and lesser so during regular gameplay) still plague this game during certain points. Perhaps nothing more than a major annoyance, but something nonetheless.
Also, a few odd bugs were discovered in Be-A-Pro mode in two situations:
One - when leaving the penalty box, I wasn't aware that I had to go straight to my bench. I used the analog stick once or twice, and then I was either in a perpetual state of standing next to the bench (without control of my player), or the CPU took control of my player.
Two - When switching the view type from the Gameplay mode (from Authentic to No Line Switch, for example), I went from a non-authentic option to authentic, and I ended up spending the entire period with full agility and not a minute on the ice.
Regardless, 09 brings the same great hockey from 08, fixed a few bugs the old one had, added a couple of GREAT features, and overall rounded out another GREAT product.
One of the reasons EA has gotten to this point is the competition 2k Sports has fielded. But this year, 2K offers little or no competition to EA's offering. Here's to hoping that next year with yield a much more competitive hockey gaming environment.