NHL 08

Online team play is probably the ideal way to play NHL 08 at all. The six-player mode demands real co-operation to set up on offence, establish who'll forecheck, and when to cross the blue line to avoid without going offside. Online leagues are finally in, albeit in a basic form. They're password-protected, so you'll need to coordinate with friends offline, but it's a decent template if you've got enough puckhead pals to justify a group. Head-to-head returns from last season, and the Xbox Live content is rounded out with shootout mode, which can be played from the shooter's and goaltender's perspective alike, another lead feature this season.

For masochists, NHL 08 offers the opportunity to play goaltender. Goalie control is activated through the pause menu at any point, and is available in every mode. Like shooting, guarding the pipes means using the analogs: the left to move, the right to make a save in a specific direction. The bumpers add "desperation saves", theatrical dives and stackings of the pads suitable for the highlight reel. Goalie mobility is limited, though. You can't wander outside the crease to pass loose pucks to your teammates. We might say the mode's controls are simplified to make them more playable, but being glued to the net doesn't reflect the game's other sim-like qualities. Unfortunately, it's omissions like this that draw the eyes to other design deficiencies: the inability to pin players against the boards, no fantasy draft, no animation to support grabbing the puck mid-air during play, and other nuances still on our wish list, like broken sticks.

Still, we prefer a handful of good additions to a host of mediocre ones. Play creation is nothing new to the genre, and it's well-executed in NHL 08. Instead of cluttering things with an interface, your pre-recorded plays initiate automatically as you transition into certain spots, with some coloured arrows showing where your linemates should skate to. Puck physics are finally addressed, too. Wire a wrister into a defender, and it'll skitter off to the side, glance off his shinpad, or trigger an "ow, I just got hit by a block of frozen rubber" animation. Players positioned in front of the net also actively deflect on their own. Rosters-wise, there are more than 100 teams. If you're not fond of the NHL, EA includes clubs from the American Hockey League, SM-Liiga Finnish and Swedish Elitserien leagues, along with the national squads of 21 countries. All of these are playable in dynasty mode and online, and the same goes for create-a-team, a feature that's crawled back with enough options for this reviewer to enjoy re-creating his college roster.

Will 09 be the year gamers get an upgraded graphics engine? Visuals remain an area in need of some attention for NHL. For once, we'd like a hockey title with some neat stat overlays during play - something to shovel some context in the middle of a season and remind you of your efforts thus far. More generally, the frame rate has improved, but player models seem a bit blocky when viewed from above. At least the audio has benefited from a few updates: some fresh commentary from Gary Thorne and Bill Clement, as well as new ice-level chatter from players.