NHL 08 vs 2K8
 

Any big hockey fans that have played either want to comment? I'm usually a 2K fanboy but NHL 08 is getting some sick reviews, whereas 1UP gave 2K8 a pitiful 4.0 (08 got a 9.5).

Re: NHL 08 vs 2K8
 

Oh helllll yeah, I forgot NHL 08 is out today. Sweet.

I hated 2K7 so much and loved 07. The demo for 08 was pretty sweet and that's without figuring out all the new moves. The computer AI definitely seemed much, much better.

Re: NHL 08 vs 2K8
 

Do you mean for next gen or PS2?

PS2 version of NHL 07 did not have any of the bells and whistles as the next gen editions.

Re: NHL 08 vs 2K8
 

NHL not hitting stores till tomorrow in most places, so I doubt many people have impressions yet. Seems to be out just in Toronto, damn Canadians. I'll be definitely picking up 08 tomorrow, don't really have any interest in 2k unless impressions really get more positive. Tip for those of you who want to pick it tomorrow, Circuit City is guaranteeing both NHL and Skate in by 2 tomorrow or you get a 20 dollar gift card, looks like Skate was delayed a day or two, so pick up NHL and get Skate for 20 bucks off at the same time, both demos were fantastic.

Re: NHL 08 vs 2K8
 

I have gotten 2k the last 3 years, and this year I am sold on EA's 08.

Re: NHL 08 vs 2K8
 

Ive always enjoyed both games. Alway gave a bit of an edge to 2k but last year 07 i liked better. Now aft6er seeing this year NHL08 its no contest anymore.

Re: NHL 08 vs 2K8
 

[ QUOTE ]
Circuit City is guaranteeing both NHL and Skate in by 2 tomorrow or you get a 20 dollar gift card, looks like Skate was delayed a day or two, so pick up NHL and get Skate for 20 bucks off at the same time, both demos were fantastic.

[/ QUOTE ]

wtf is skate? is that the lingo for 2k8?

Re: NHL 08 vs 2K8
 

[ QUOTE ]
wtf is skate? is that the lingo for 2k8?

[/ QUOTE ]

http://gamepro.com/microsoft/xbox360/42175/info.shtml

Re: NHL 08 vs 2K8
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
wtf is skate? is that the lingo for 2k8?

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http://gamepro.com/microsoft/xbox360/42175/info.shtml

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oh, why the f are we talking about skate in a hockey thread.

Re: NHL 08 vs 2K8
 

I'm just saying if you want a free 20 bucks while picking up NHL, just go to Circuit City, that's my plan anyways.

Edit: Nevermind, it looks like they aren't honoring it, one of those "guarantees" where they call it off if they can't actually guarantee it.

Re: NHL 08 vs 2K8
 

God, I was gonna pick up 08 but then IGN had to go and get 2K8 a decent review (even after 1UP thrashed it) and I've always liked the 2K series better so I don't know. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] DECISIONS!

Re: NHL 08 vs 2K8
 

Gameplay will probably be better with 2k8 multiplayer wise.

Re: NHL 08 vs 2K8
 

Alright, I've picked up 08 and have a few actual impressions. First game I played was an AHL game between Albany and Rochester, lost 4-2. There's definitely a difference between AHL players and NHL players, a little bit slower and don't have the same deking abilities of the NHL stars. This was at superstar difficulty. Next, tried out the goalie controls in an all star game, very dissapointed in this mode. Unlike the normal game, there is a definite framerate drop while playing with the goalie camera. It's hard enough to try and stop a deflection through a screen without having to deal with the game hiccuping in the middle of it. I also found myself out of position quite a bit, something that would probably get better with more practice but, due to the framerate issues, I probably will never get. It's too bad, I was looking forward to playing goal every once in a while. I then tried out a bunch of the drills, shooting for the corners is pretty boring but the skating drill is worth trying a few times, you can really tell the difference between the 07 and 08 skating engines. Finally, I just finished a game between the Rangers and the Flyers, winning 4-1 buoyed by a Jagr hat trick. Little disappointing, no hats were tossed on the ice, don't know why they took that out from 07.

Overall, I'm pretty excited. I must have played 40-50 periods of the demo, and you can immediately tell the difference between the pro difficulty and superstar. Unlike NCAA though, where higher difficulty just means that college linebackers have eyes in the back of their head and have better ball skills than Champ Bailey, I didn't see any evidence of the computer cheating. They played better positionally, played the body better when faced with the one on one dekes, and really made you pay if you got out of position defensively. Gone are the days when most of your goals come from making a quick deke to send the defense flying to the boards and then waltz in on a breakaway, you actually have to move the puck around a little bit and try and find the open man in the slot. I think I only had one or two breakaways in my first 2 games, playing with 5 minute periods, and they came off of actual forechecking and neutral zone turnovers, not stupidity from the AI. I do think that the defense could be a little more aggressive, even on superstar it's a touch too easy to set up your offense in the zone and work the cycle, but hopefully sliders will alleviate some of that. So, initial thumbs up to EA's game.

Re: NHL 08 vs 2K8
 

I think i might go with EA this year then.

Re: NHL 08 vs 2K8
 

dudd, what system were you playing on?

Re: NHL 08 vs 2K8
 

360. Everything is buttery smooth except for the goalie camera, it sucks.

Re: NHL 08 vs 2K8
 

through a site similiar to e bay i bought 2k8 for $35 without trying it first.

i'm always preferred 2k > ea in terms of sports games. i bought it for the xbox 360, my gf is currently playing Bioshock and we're going to see a movie very soon.

after i play 2k8 for a bit, i will tell you guys what i think.

Re: NHL 08 vs 2K8
 

[ QUOTE ]
God, I was gonna pick up 08 but then IGN had to go and get 2K8 a decent review (even after 1UP thrashed it) and I've always liked the 2K series better so I don't know. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] DECISIONS!

[/ QUOTE ]

Idea: Rent them both, then lay down your cash for one

Re: NHL 08 vs 2K8
 

Wow, I love 2k8. I love the little things in this game. Face-offs are so great, I've been waved out of the circle (haven't seen that in a hockey game yet), every face-off feels like a battle. quite often the centers wrestle with the puck and tip it a forward, or maybe the forward skates in and takes the puck.

2k8 feels as realistic as a hockey game can be. the graphics are sharp and the gameplay is smooth.

Re: NHL 08 vs 2K8
 

Any major differences from 2k7 that would warrant a purchase?

Re: NHL 08 vs 2K8
 

If you want to unlock the 07-08 jerseys in 08, here's the code. h3oyxpwksf8ibcgt Good thing they made us wait a day to unlock those jerseys, what was the point if they weren't going to wait until the teams unveiled them themselves.

Re: NHL 08 vs 2K8
 

the code was put up mistakenly by Reebok

Re: NHL 08 vs 2K8
 

EA's servers are beyond bad everybody is having a fit about only getting team games going about 1 in every 20 attempts.

Re: NHL 08 vs 2K8
 

Got NHL08 in the mail last night and played a couple games. Awesome game. Quite possibly the smartest sports AI I've seen and I was only playing on Pro. My bread and butter moves stop working really quick and you have to change up your game. Also, the way the players move is tremendously upgraded. It's not like you are stuck in some giant circle everytime you want to turn. I didn't quite get the hang of the new moves to get around defenders, but they seemed to be really cool. I'm also happy I can finally win faceoffs, although I've gone from winning 10 a game to losing 10 a game because it's so easy.

Re: NHL 08 vs 2K8
 

after playing 2k8 for a while longer i'm kinda drawn. i'm a Canucks fan, so i'm using the canucks for my franchise mode. i'm having a terrible time winning. even with Luongo it seems like they score on me too often =(

i have it on all-star mode, because the lower mode is way too easy. I find it way too difficult to get a clean shot. i know it's difficult to get a clean shot in the nhl, but it feels like 80-90 percent of my shots are blocked.

it's extremely difficult to move the puck from your end to the neutral zone. the CPU's A.I. is way too good, and it's as if they have super human strength. i feel like i'm playin against the 93 NJ Devils every single game.

when getting the puck out of my zone, i pass to my forwards, who promptly skate back into my own end due to momentum carrying them back..yeah, they skate back to my blue line to accept a pass.

i gotta say i'm disappointed and glad i only spent 35 bucks on this game. anyone else had any similiar experiences with 2k8?