If there's one thing that 2KGames wants you to know about NHL 2K9, it's that the game is going to be accessible. Are you a casual hockey fan who wants to get into the game, skate, and score? 2K9 has you covered. A hardcore hockey fan who can't master the arcane, knuckle-busting control schemes of years gone by? 2K9 will take care of you. Want to manage a team through an entire season and win the Stanley Cup? Want to play online with all of your buddies in a variety of game modes? Want to analyze hockey games and create highlight clips of your exploits? All of these things have a home in NHL 2K9. 2KGames thinks it's a safe bet to say that if you're a hockey fan, no matter what you love about hockey will have a foothold in this year's edition.
It's important to note is that this year's game is founded upon an entirely new code base. This allows the developers to build from the ground up, and change the feel of the game substantially to match their overall goal of accessibility. As such, this iteration in the NHL 2K series can be considered a fresh start as much as part of an ongoing series of hockey games.
The first significant difference mentioned by the developers was the control scheme. They noted that fan knowledge and passion is very high in hockey in general, and that this has carried through to hockey games. This drove games (and specifically control schemes) to greater heights of reality and complexity, until it had become too much. NHL 2K9 takes a step back, and starts users out with a VERY simple control scheme.
The core controls are passing, shooting, and checking; so, they started there, and made those as accessible as possible. When players gain skill and get more advanced, they can switch out to one of the other control schemes, which add a bit of complexity and capability - but the starting setup is tremendously "pick up and play." Custom schemes are not included in 2K9, but the packages that exist should contain something to keep everyone happy.
Paired with the idea of accessibility is pushes. These are viewed strictly as "fun" bonuses - stuff that everyone will enjoy based around the culture and themes of hockey. In this category we have fluffy additions like playoff beards, user-controlled Stanley Cup celebrations, and Zamboni mini-games as well as more serious pieces like better modeling on checks (which now include lesser hits like bumps and stumbles), more involved animations for shooting and passing that allow greater flexibility with the puck, and a real feeling for player size on the ice.
AI tweaks abound, and players will find that the computer no longer pushes for breakaways every chance that it can get, while also being more formidable on the power play. One-timers have been balanced for everyone - so they're now "something to try" when you have the chance as opposed to a surefire means of scoring. There is also a new fight engine, and while fighting lies somewhere between "real game mechanic" and "fun pastime," it is intended to be a fun distraction in NHL 2K9.
Lastly, changes on the "out of game" front have been implemented - also with an aim at simplifying and streamlining play. Franchise mode has been reworked, and roster updates are expected to hit about once a month. Speaking of rosters, historic teams were a popular feature and have been preserved in this year's edition. Online players will find versus matches as well as tournaments and even full seasons open for play. Five on five and six on six matches are still around, but the options for locking and unlocking player slots have been streamlined, as have the mechanics for dealing with player drops.
Reeltime is a new tool that lets you summarize, analyze, and create movies out of your game replays. Content-sharing will be easy, and a lot of flash and presentation-savvy has been put into the feature by working with team-members from other 2K game lines. For Wii-specific players, there are plenty of motion-controls included in the game - in exactly the places you'd expect - though all were certainly forced to conform to the "accessibility" stress for the game!
All in all, 2KGames sounds like they have their head in the right place for this game. They're moved back to the bottom of the pyramid, and built the widest base they can at the ground level. They understand their fans and are passionate about their passions. Focusing this into a careful balance between reality and playability can only help a gaming franchise gain ground, and grow into a better product all-around.
I'm a volleyball playing nomad who's been blowing up aliens, scoring touchdowns/goals, dogfighting, slaying dragons, mowing down hordes of enemy tanks, headshotting, and saving damsels in distress since my dad brought home the very first Atari system. My game-tastes are very diverse, as I enjoy street racers, sports games (especially "hyper" sports games like, say, NFL Street), shooters, RPGs, a good MMO here and there, and pretty much anything else that doesn't involve a Pokemon!
