I'd liek to think that it's not as bad as everybody thinks but... It is.
I felt NHL 09 for PC needed more reviews then this.
Now, to business. The graphics are not improved. Like not at all improved from last year's NHL 08. I guess EA is going more for a lower-end group of people who play this for the PC, but these graphics were acceptable in 2005, not 2008.. Players are blurry, Boards ads are bad, at least the cutscenes are nice.
Sound, was really bad. The music has changed from last year at least but nothing else. Announcer's are still boring and drab. There's also not as much crowd chatter than most people wouldve liked (There's also a REAL noticeable loop for when the crowd cheers).
Presentation, the menues have changed.. But it kinda feels like going back to NHL 06's menu style, which was smaller and more compact.. I liked NHL 08's menu better. Not much else in this category CONSIDERING THAT EA BARELY IMPROVED ANYTHING IN THIS AREA.
A FEW THINGS I REALLY WANT TO ADDRESS ARE THAT:
- The opponent is STILL ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY TERRIBLE. I had to give away the puck on purpose just to get them to shoot on me. And half when they did, THEY MISSED. Even if they were a foot away from the net.
- The Be a Pro mode is enjoyable. It's honestly not as bad as everyone thinks.. Sure you have to start out on the NHL (Not as the first liner as everybody else says in their reviews, you can always change yourself to a fourth if you'd like) but if you started out the AHL it wouldve been way too easy.. Considering I can score twice in a game with a 63 overall player.. When you level up, you dont get to choose where your attributes go. The computer decides it. I'm not sure if its predetermined or based on your playing style.. But you can't choose where your stats improve. And that SUCKS ASS.
So there ya go, the NHL 09 review. Not much else to say here, as you can always check out a NHL 08 review for the exact same stuff anyways.
My score: 6.5/10 for NHL 09