Title: NHL 2K9 (aka NHL 2009)
System: Nintendo Wii
Release Date: September 8, 2008
Publisher (Developer): 2K Sports (Visual Concepts Studios)
ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+
Pros: Solid hockey action. Intuitive controls. Fun fighting system.
Cons: Hazy graphics. Occasional frame rate drops. Horrible menu system. Horrible manual.
Overall Score: One thumb up and one thumb down; 75/100; C; * * 1/2 out of five.
I’ve come to understand there are gamers who have no interest in hockey as a sport but love hockey video games. I am not one of these people because I love hockey. Despite living in an area of Ohio where talk of hockey is still followed up with, “Aren’t they all on strike?” there is no other sport I’d rather be watching.
This is why I was so tremendously looking forward to NHL 2K9 for the Wii and why it also left me somewhat disappointed.
He Shoots, He Scores!
The idea of using the Wii Remote to get off a one-timer or to fight with the WiiMote and Nunchuck attachment combo just sounded too cool, and it really is. Developer Visual Concepts Studios did a great job with the control system. Although you’re not holding/swinging the remote like an actual hockey stick (thereby saving your home and friends from irreparable damage), you will be moving around to get off your best shots.
Puck control is automatic although you can use the d-pad on the Remote for some fancy tricks to fake out your opponents and the analog stick on the Nunchuck to control your direction. Combining this with buttons allows you to skate with extra speed for a short time, or to handle the puck while always facing the opposing team’s goal.
The skating controls are very responsive and well done, but they really shine in passing and shooting. To pass, you point the remote at the player to whom you want to pass. A blue triangle will quickly appear over his head, and a push of the A button will send the puck his way. The same system is used for relays. It’s very responsive and much simpler than the multiple button system of other hockey games, provided you don’t mind raising your arm to point the Remote at the TV for three periods.
Goaltending is a mixture of vision-cone control and gesture-based saves, and the combination of the two works pretty well. The Wii will normally handle goaltending for you but transition is smooth when you are given control.
Since the gameplay camera never really strays from its north/south viewpoint, you’ll likely find yourself preferring a specific end of the ice for attacking and defending. I found it easier to set up an offense when shooting away from the camera, and easier to defend when the attackers were staking towards the camera.
The Gloves Are Off
Of course, there are fights. Although fighting isn’t as important to the game as the hockey-illiterate think, fights do happen often, and they’re well-represented here. You’re not just throwing punches with the WiiMote and Nunchuck. Rather, you punch with Nunchuck and use the WiiMote to maintain your balance. This is actually fairly true to life, where hockey players generally will grab the opponent’s jersey for leverage, then swing with their free hand. I’m not sure I understand what winning a fight does for you in NHL 2K9, but it’s a fun diversion from the hockey action now and again, almost like a mini-game. Speaking of which…
What, No “Fog Game” Option?
Aside from standard gameplay, NHL 2K9 doesn’t really bring much to the ice. You’ve got your tutorials but no Wii-specific mini-games like those in sports titles from other publishers. You get pond hockey and mini-rink play but neither really changes the gameplay from the standard quick game or franchise/season mode. Even worse, there’s no online multiplayer option. This is a huge negative, as sports games aren’t nearly as fun when playing the system.
Unfortunately, the problems with NHL 2K9 don’t end there. The graphics feel hazy and dated, even for the Wii. I could easily forgive this (Wii owners kind of have to) if it led to better gameplay but it doesn’t. There are framerate issues and choppy video segments where players bounce around illogically and flip around the goal as if passing right through it. It feels as if the developers needed another few months to finish up the game but instead rushed to get it released before the start of ‘08/’09 season. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the menu system, which is a terrible mess of options that don’t seem to relate to one another.
The instruction manual, which is more of an instruction pamphlet, offers no help on anything other than the basic controls. By the time you actually get to the game, you have such a bad taste in your mouth that you can’t actually enjoy yourself until well into the second period. I’ve been playing the game for a month now, and I still have no idea how to win a face off.
Heading to Overtime
NHl 2K9 should do well enough with hockey-starved Wii owners, simply because there’s no competition. The action is pretty good when you get to it, and the game is good enough overall to keep players happy. Next year, though, if EA brings NHL ‘09 to the Wii and 2K Sports takes the time needed to polish up NHL 2K10, gamers will wonder why they ever bothered with NHL 2K9.
Site [NHL 2K9]
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