NHL® 09

NHL 09 is the newest hockey game from EA SPORTS. The company holds a dominant position regarding all sports, except basketball. Hockey is one of their strong suits. I am not a big fan of ice hockey, but I can appreciate the fundamentals behind it. From what I could gather by playing the demo of this game, the visuals are stunning. The players are all very detailed and their movement looks real-life to me, but I am no expert. The gameplay seems to be real, too. I didn't know much of the rules and the fouls and all that, so it was hard for me to keep on playing for long periods. But I take it that someone who knows will have a much easier time playing this game. The introduction before the game is awesome. A whole show is mounted for the introduction of the teams. The stadiums are all very detailed and seem alive with people in the stands. There are several modes, as expected from a franchise game. There is a league, there is the exhibition game, and there is online play. The latter proves to always be the most fun when I play a sports game.