NHL 2K8 - Xbox 360

I'm rating this a bit late, but it still needs to be reviewed. I believe the game is great, but it faults in a few areas; such as main anvigation. It has a overly complex main menu to enter seasons and skrimiges. The practice mode( to improve your team) is a little weak as well. Probably unnecessary too. The gameplay is complex. If you love button masher games you'll love this. Combos and slap shots require a number of buttons to be hit in order to perform.

AWESOME

I definitely recommend you buy this game. It's so much worth the couple of dollars you have to pay. The rosters are out of date, and EA's game has advanced a lot, but this still, BY FAR, has the best gameplay on any next-gen hockey game. Not to mention the textures and arenas are fantastic.

I've been playing EA Sport's NHL series from 1993 and every year been dissapointed by every next release. The only thing that seems to get better each year is the graphics and animations with core features like realism, AI and gameplay taking a back seat on the project.Last year I was happy to find out about 2K Sports and their NHL2K series and had to give it a try. I was surprised by the realism and 'feel' the game had which was 10 times better than all the EA games put together.NHL2K7 and now 2K8 have been updated exclusively for the XBox 360 and the graphics are absolutely stunning, especially in 720/1080 resolution. The new goalie AI in the game gives 2K8 the title of the most realistic goaltending in hockey gaming history (a big letdown in all hockey games), a new faceoff system and some added animations and other tweaks and enhancements make this game a solid overall performer.The new control system takes a while to getting used to but ultimately it leads to more productive hockey with greater choice. One can always go back to the old control system if thew new system is too daunting.One of my favourite things I like about this game is that you can modify absolutely any setting in the game - from the frequency of the back glass breaking from slapshots, to penalty frequency down to the specific penalty, i.e hooking, elbowing, penalty shots etc. Having all these settings available lets you tweak the game in places you would feel it is unrealistic.The franchise and online options are comprehensive, which will keep you managing your team well into the release of NHL2K9.EA Sports NHL Series still has a long way to go with regards to gameplay compared to the 2K series. Its debatable whose graphics are better, many would say EA, but of course your graphics are going to be better if your whole programming team focuses on making the game look better instead of improving on the game features that really matter.

Now, i'm not going to bash 2k8 and say it sucks or that EA's 08 is miles better because that isn't the case.It seems that people either hate one or the other game and love the other. Well guess what? I own both, for both ps3 AND xbox 360. If you have to make a decision and you can only play one game you have to ask yourself which is going to give you the most amount of enjoyment. Reading reviews are pretty bias becuase a good majority fo the time people base their reviews on which game they shelled out the $60 for. Very few people give both games a good chance. I've played both games for both systems since their release.I do enjoy 2k8's in depth franchise, it has always been it's strong point. EA have been focus on revalutionising the game engine however to which I think is more important in this day and age. If you play alot of dynasty you may want to go with 2k8.I'm not going to lie, I am a bigger fan of 08 simply because the skill stick is just beyond brilliant to me and the gameplay while you are playing is just better than 2k8 it's just that simple. However, 2k8 is still a decent quality game and it's all hockey people. Without 2k EA wouldn't have been pushed to put out one of the best hockey games they ever created since NHL 94.

Let me start by saying that I don't watch hockey, in fact I don't really like hockey. I have always enjoyed hockey games! I have played them since the NES. I am halfway though a full season in franchise mode and find the game to be really fun. The action is fast, the animations are good, and the sound is top notch. I would recommend this game to others. I play games to be entertained, this game entertains me. I may not miss things in this game that true hockey fans do, but I feel this game is well worth the price.

Having played both this game (NHL 2K8) and NHL 08 from EA...I think this one takes the blue ribbon. While NHL 08 graphics are just slightly better, the difference is minor and the gameplay makes up for it in large measure.The control the prostick gives you over handling the puck is the best I have seen in a hockey game. It took a little bit to get used to the controls, because I have been so used to EA's typically uniform controls over all it games. After a few games, I got the hang of it and it is some much easier to use... And for those that like the classic controls, they are still available in NHL 2K8.The depth of franchise mode is nice, including its more realistic contract and trade structure. There does seem to be a minor flaw in the trade structure at times. You will be contacted by a team for a potential trade they are interested in, but when you go to execute the trade it sometimes is rejected. Weird!!Overall, love this game. Its addicting and a blast to play.

I still gave this product 4 stars. The only reason is the controls are a bit funky. Otherwise graphics are good. Player movements are good too. Great game for any NHL fan.

Good