To begin with, the graphics are….WOW! Not a whole lot better than 08, but noticeably improved. Then there's the game mechanics. It looks and feels even more realistic than before. Big hits produce a plethora of different and detailed animations, the gameplay is even more fluid than its predecessor, and the AI is vastly improved. The computer adjusts quite well to your playing style. If you start thumping the CPU with onetimers, well, just wait until the next period. All of those beautiful and enticing passing lanes that you oh-so cleverly took advantage of will disappear faster than Ray Emery's career! But this also works both ways! If you understand hockey, and you recognize what the computer is doing to you, then you can easily and effectively change your coaching strategies both offensively and defensively, to lay the smack down on him! Additionally, your defensive efforts reap greater rewards as the poke check and big hit buttons have more of an effect this time around. The computer doesn't just walk through your poke check anymore and get a cheap breakaway like last year's did. You still have to time it correctly, but you no longer need the pope to declare it a miracle in order to pull it off when you really need it, or when the CPU decides it's time to get a couple of cheap goals on you and blow your shutout! The replays are stellar, and the types of goals that you pull off feels like it does in real hockey. The days of the 12 kilometer and hour, 50 foot knuckle ball going in on you from the short side, 2 or 3 times a game are thankfully gone. Overall, this game is a must have for any hockey enthusiast, and easily one of, if not the single greatest sports game ever made. Thank you EA…Thank you from all of us Canadian hockey nuts, who finally have a game to lay atop of an altar to worship. More importantly, to place inside of our 360 and engage in endless of hours of fun and enjoyment, while keeping the griping to the barest of minimums. Excellent, excellent, excellent!
Last years NHL game was a huge step forward, and for once EA has continued that forward trend with NHL 2009. While I have not played everything in great depth thus far, I have touched upon most of the game aspects to for... Read Full Review
*** NHL 09 *** THE GOOD -Very realistic hockey action -Solid controls -Excellent multiplayer -Be A Pro mode is addictive -Superb graphics and sound THE BAD -Online connection issues -Confusing menus ... Read Full Review
