NHL 2K9 Write-up at IGN

[Dyne]

Running with a 6-man TNL team would be sweet, though.

Indeed it would.

[kingoffighters]

I need to trade in some crappy games to get this. Anyone besides Advo, Weeman (Dyne?), and me?

[jyoung]

OK, I managed to sneak in about 2 or 3 periods before going to work.

It seems like they added a lot of new hitting animations, and the hits in general are just a lot harder and more satisfying this year. Maybe even too hard, considering that I was laying bitches out with Sidney Crosby.

On the positive side, you consistently get called for cross checking if you go after a dude illegally, so you have to be careful about over-checking.

And if you hit hard enough, bitches will get injured and leave the game. I was averaging about one injury per quarter since the AI skates with its head down (but somehow has the eyes to see every passing lane).

I couldn't get the poke check to work at all. I think I just suck at it, though, 'cause the computer was poking it away from me anytime I got near them.

I quickly learned that the "protect puck" button is a lifesaver against the poke-happy AI. Not sure how much use it will be against check-happy human players, though.

Automatic wraparounds are pretty sweet. If you're behind the net, you just press shoot and you go into a little animation.

More to come as I spend some more time with it.

Overall impressions for now are positive.

[Changeling]

I'm going to get it, but I'm not overly excited about the game. Lifting the stick won't be that big a deal unless youre playing the "be the pro" mode where you only got one guy to think about. I appreciate it, but its a small addition. Playing be the pro and laying people out with Crosby is a joke too. The mode could be fun although the camera gets a little bit crazy and its sometimes hard to see where the puck is sometimes.

I LOVE the new checking animations agaist the boards and like watching goalies go butterfly to deny shots.

Weeman is right about the Protect the Puck stuff . I don't think it'll matter when playing against another person, but we won't know till next week.

Fighting is a joke again as well. I wish it took more than 2 punches to lay people out. I had more fun with the fighting in NHL 98 than I do with this stuff. Seems pretty basic, yet they mess it up every year.

Also, I know know why EA is acting like controlling your stick on defense is something new this year. 08 had it too.

I WISH there were some kinda online mode to see if EA FINALLY got their shit together online this year or not. I had some great times with it, but I also had alot of shitty times due to bad lag and games freezing alltogether. I REALLY don't want to go through what I went through last year. I may wait a week and see what shakes with it before picking it up, but I'll definitely get it.

It'd be nice to have a TNL league this year so I can toy with Yoshi's hopeless Devils.

[ElCapichan]

OK, I managed to sneak in about 2 or 3 periods before going to work.

How's the ol college caf doing these days?