NHL 09

NHL 09
File:NHL09Cover.PNG Cover of NHL 09, featuring Dion Phaneuf
Developer(s)	EA Sports (PS3 and Xbox 360) HB Studios (PC and PS2)
Publisher(s)	Electronic Arts
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release	PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Microsoft Windows PlayStation 2
Genre(s)	Sports (ice hockey)
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

NHL 09 will be the 19th video game in the NHL series released by EA Sports.

New features

Be a pro

Similar to "road to the show" in the MLB series, be a pro allows the gamer to start off as a player on the 3rd line of an AHL team. This is the only player on the ice that you control in 3rd person perspective. The in-game "performance tracker" will rate the player's play in 3 categories, Position score, Team play and Stats. You will also be able to choose what type of a pro you want to be, these classes include sniper, playmaker, grinder, dangler, power forward, offensive defenseman, defensive defenseman and goalie. You will also have the choice of playing an existing player on a current NHL team.

Create-a-play breakouts

This feature allows the player to completely control how the team goes from their own zone into their opponent's. Last year, players could only set up a play in the neutral zone, or in the offensive zone.

Defensive skill stick

NHL 09 expands on the "skill stick" of NHL 08 by adding the power to stop offensive attacks. It allows you to block passes and to raise an opposing player's stick just before he is about to receive a pass.

New checking/fighting

More than 300 animations of fighting and checking will be added along with a new physics-based checking and fighting engine. The euphoria engine is not being used in NHL 09. However, it was used to capture the 300 animations that are seen in NHL 09.

EASHL

The new online league on NHL 09 will let players form teams of up to 50 players. Although games can only hold up to 6 players per team, each game will be recorded for the organization and will represent an online rank compared to other organizations. At the end of a certain amount of decided games the top teams will battle in the playoffs and receive prizes and other rewards from EA. Players will also be recognized by statistics that will keep track of points and display the top players with their real names instead of their Gamertags.

NHL 94 controls

In order to compensate how complicated the NHL games have become, EA Sports have added an option to use a simplified style of controls to help new players get used to the game. These controls will use the face buttons to do most of the work, such as A being pass and B being shoot, instead of using the right-analog stick. This is an option.

One-handed dekes

A new type of deking, this allows the user to hold the stick while controlling the puck in one hand.

Commentary

Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson will likely be play by play and color commentary for the PS2 and Windows version of the game, while Gary Thorne and Bill Clement are to return to the Xbox 360 and PS3 version of the game from in-game footage, released demo.

Centennial Tournament Mode

Commemorating the Montreal Canadiens 100th "birthday" NHL 09 will feature a team of all-time Canadien greats, such as Maurice "Rocket" Richard, Jean Beliveau, Guy "The Flower" Lafleur, Larry Robinson, Serge Savard, Guy Lapointe, Bernard "Boom Boom" Geoffrion, Toe Blake, Dickie Moore, Bob Gainey, Yvan Cournoyer, Steve Shutt, Henri "Pocket Rocket" Richard, Howie Morenz, Jacques Lemaire, Jacques Lapperiere, Doug Harvey, and Emile "Butch" Bouchard. Also lacing them up for the Centennial "Habs" in net will be Patrick Roy, Jacques Plante, and Ken Dryden. In addition to gamers being able to play as the team, they are also able to enter "The Centennial Tournament", in which they will have to go through an eight-team bracket for a chance to play against these all time greats.

Soundtrack

• Airbourne - "Runnin' Wild"
• Avenged Sevenfold - "Afterlife"
• Black Tide - "Warriors of Time"
• Dr Manhattan - "Big Chomper, Big Chomper"
• The Elms - "The Shake"
• Gob - "Underground"
• Johnossi - "Execution Song"
• The Kills- "Cheap and Cheerful"
• Metallica - "The Unforgiven III"
• Millencolin - "Done is Done"
• Panic At The Disco - "Nine in the Afternoon
• Protest The Hero - "Bloodmeat"
• Tokio Hotel - "Ready, Set, Go!"

Custom soundtracks have been confirmed to be in the Xbox 360 version.

Demo

A demo was released on the PlayStation Network on August 28, 2008, followed by the release of the same demo on the Xbox Live Marketplace on September 3, 2008 at 5:00am ET. The demo includes tutorials for shooting, deking and defensive moves while playing as 2008 Conn Smythe Trophy winner, Henrik Zetterberg. Once the player finishes the tutorial (or you can exit the tutorial via the pause menu), he or she then has access to a single 3rd period game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings where the player may choose which team to play as. If the game remains a tie once the period is over, the game will immediately go to a shootout. The "Be a Pro" mode is also available in the demo for a single 3rd period game between Pittsburgh and Detroit. Sidney Crosby and Henrik Zetterberg are the only players available for the "Be a Pro" mode.

Reception

IGN gave the game a 9/10.

External links

• Cyber Hockey League (CCHL) Free / 11 years and running EA NHL online hockey league