NHL 2K9
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NHL 2K9
Finally a hockey game on the Wii
The first hockey game on the Wii has hit stores early this month, and for the first time, in a long time, my excitement was palpable. As every Canadian who loves his Hockey, getting to actually mimick my slapshots and wristshots in a videogame has crossed our minds but never seriously. I do remember the day the Wii was unveiled, my first question was: is a hockey game possible? This year, 2K Sports and Visual Concepts say: YES! Grab your Wiimotes, helmets and your favourite NHL team jersey because it’s time for some hockey…in your living room! Here’s our review for NHL 2K9.
Gameplay
By using your Wii remote and Nunchuk in combination with arm/wrist motions, shakes and swings, you’ll be in control of everything happening on the ice from passing, slapshots, wristshots and even fighting. There’s no second control option so your NHL 2K9 experience on the Wii will be totally based on mimicks and your own will. Every hockey gamer has dreamt to play his favourite hockey game like this at least once in its life and that’s exactly what 2K is offering. The controls are adaptable to your skills with a Wiimote whether you’re a Wiimote expert or an occasional. If all you want to do is play hockey and have fun, the controls are intuitive enough to give you want you want when you want. And if you’re a hardcore gamer and very knowledgeable of your Wiimote, the same control scheme will allow you to dive even deeper into the experience with on-the-fly coaching options, tic-tac-toe passing and even some Superstar moves. Are the controls flawless? If it wasn’t of the cursor passing sensitivity issues, the game would’ve been close to. Sometimes I got the feeling that the cursor was worthless since it felt more in the way than being useful. In general, the controls are responsive most of the time but I do hope 2K will find what’s making the cursor interfere that much into gameplay.
Flick the Wiimote and he scorreeeeesss!!!!
One thing is sure, the developers wanted to offer as much things as possible to make any Wii gamer happy. Almost every mode offered on the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions are also found here. You can either play a quick game with your favourite NHL team and even with some classic teams (the Nordiques!) for the fun of it. Pond Hockey, Mini-Rink, Shootout and Practice (recommended here before trying to win the Stanley Cup!) are also available but the biggest surprise comes from the fact that the game features a Season/Franchise mode, which will definitely please any hockey fan out there. Also, one cool thing worth mentioning: the Zamboni, which you can now drive between periods. Try to clean the ice in the time limit given, you won’t be laughing at them the next time you’ll go to a hockey game, trust me!
What’s missing to the whole thing? Some online support of course although I totally understand that some stuff had to be put on hold. The game does feature some kind of multiplayer (up to four people on the same screen locally) but there are too many pointers and it doesn’t take much time to see the confusion arise. My guess is that 2K will be adding some online support to the game, eventually and it could make it even more interesting than having a bunch of pointers on the screen. Now, if the All Star Skill Competition could only be added, then playing locally with more friends could be very interesting.
Is online play coming next year? We’ll see. Needless to say, the task to reproduce a serious and realistic hockey experience wasn’t easy. But 2K and Visual Concepts must be proud of what they’ve accomplished so far.
Graphics
During a conference call prior to the launch, the developers said that the game wasn’t a PS2 port but was built from the ground up with the same dev tools they used for the Xbox 360 and PS3 and we have to give them a nice thumb up. But...The game looks good...if you have an HD set and your console set on 480p. Sadly, for those playing their Wii games on the standard TV, they will be treated with a game that does look like a tad better than the PS2, but not much. Texture hiccups and occasional framerate drops are present during gameplay but the game holds its ground most of the time. Are they pushing the Wii architecture to the maximum? I strongly believe so. Can they push it even more? It will be interesting to see.
As for sounds, the same commentary offered on the XB360 and PS3 are also available here as the cool soundtrack as well (finally someone has included NOFX on a game soundtrack!), which is very good. But my biggest disappointment in the sound department comes from the environmental sounds during on-ice gameplay. They sound different…naturally because there’s no Dolby Digital support like on the Xbox 360 and PS3. But here’s the thing, for once, you’ll be concentrating so much on scoring goals or fighting with Paul Kariya against Aaron Downey that the lesser cool slapshots and crowd sounds won’t bother you much.
Value
For 10$ less than the PS3 and XB360 version, you do get a fun game but it’s definitely not the ultimate hockey experience if is that what you’re looking for. Yes, the game might feel a bit expensive and less beautiful that its counterparts. Still, NHL 2K9 does have a nice replay value and fun level even if it doesn’t feature online play like other sports games on the Wii (Madden, Tiger…). The mini-rink, the Zamboni, the local multiplayer, season and Franchise modes…a well rounded package eitherway. If you’re a Wii gamer, you can’t pass on this game.
That Jordin Tootoo...he rocks!
Conclusion
It’s sure cool to see the first hockey game on the Wii pass the first test. Of course, NHL 2K9 isn’t a perfect game and isn’t the best looking game but it does capture what we want to see, a playable and fun sport game on a console that definitely needs more than mini-games and Mario games. I haven’t had that much fun on a Wii since the first time I’ve played Wii Sports. Now that 2K has shown to the world what they can do, it’s time to bring the much wanted tweaks. Expectations are high for NHL 2K10.
Verdict: Every hockey fan has to have this game on its library, if you have a Wii of course!
Pros
* The only NHL game on the Wii
* Fun level really present
* Franchise and Season modes
* Plays great, intuitive controls
* Excellent replay value
* Game looks good on a HD set
* No Mii included. A serious game on the Wii, thanks 2K!
Cons
* No online, no roster updates neither
* Game doesn’t look that good on a standard TV
* The experience can be less interesting when more than two players playing (the cursors)
Final Verdict
Here's a small guide to help you understand our evaluation of games.
PRESENTATION GRADE
Can be from the game's box to the contents of the booklet, and even the game introduction. (Intro, menus, options, etc)
GRAPHIC GRADE
Up to what point the graphics have been worked on my the developper. The design type, the effort used for textures and environments, as well as animations and framerate.
AUDIO GRADE
Is the soundtrack a good match to the game's style, he ambient sounds keeping with the gameplay and the sound effects clear and convincing?
GAMEPLAY GRADE
Placement of the controls and the inferface that the player with be using during the game.
REPLAY VALUE GRADE
The most important factor in the evaluation of a game. It identifies the lifespan of the game and the fun of coming back again and again.
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