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NHL 10 to feature first-person fighting, gameplay 'refinements'
The change is among 200 "refinements" EA promises, including glass-banging crowds, a new board physics engine and scraps after the whistle. Additionally, EA adds that enforcers will now step in to throw down to protect skill players in a fight, meaning even virtual versions of Crosby or Sakic can breathe easy knowing someone's got their back.
Gallery: NHL 10
EA predicts Bruins as NHL playoffs champs
Not to say the Bruins aren't due following a 37-year drought, but EA also predicted that the San Jose Sharks would come out on top in 2008 (fun fact: they didn't). Clearly reality does not always favor the screen, and it remains to be seen if Boston or one of the other 15 playoff hopefuls will be the team to actually hoist Lord Stanley above their heads.
X3F TV -- XBLA in Brief: NHL Arcade, Minesweeper Flags
Download the trial version of NHL Arcade
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EA's 3 on 3 NHL Arcade skates onto XBLA February 11th
. That is, if the hockey players can fit their abnormally large heads through the rink's entrance. Thankfully, the PSN will be receiving NHL Arcade a few days earlier, so we should know whether XBLA purchasers will need to stock up on Crisco.3 on 3 NHL Arcade gets one week exclusivity on PSN
Matt Maher, lead designer of the game, explained the inspiration for NHL Arcade on the PlayStation.Blog. "There are no options out there for consumers to play an Arcade style hockey game ... and the NHL dev team felt that we could fill this void with a top quality product and give the users a game to enjoy."
NHL Arcade will feature online play and support for Trophies. The game will be available tomorrow for $9.99.
Gallery: 3 on 3 NHL Arcade
Trophies: 3 on 3 NHL Arcade
Top 5: Activities that Need Waggle
Hardcore gamers sure do hate tacked-on waggle. Indeed, no one likes to flail their arms around like they're trying to signal aircraft when a simple button press will do. And the guys on the other sides seem to be under the impression that the Wii is nothing but a PS2 that replaces thumb pressing with wrist flicking. So when a new title or an iteration of an existing franchise gets announced for the Wii, the non-believers tend to thumb their snooty noses and prattle amongst themselves with ingenious statements like "Dead Rising on the Wii? More like Waggle Rising. YEAH! HIGH FIVE, BRAH!" All right, maybe they're not quite as neanderthalic, but the sentiment remains: the use of waggle is often met with skepticism from the core.
To ignore the importance of waggle would be to forget what makes the Wii so awesome. Sure, some games have no real need for motion-based controls, but let us not forget the joy and immersion experienced by the non-gamer who first picked up a Wiimote and found themselves instantly engaged in a lively tennis match. To downplay motion controls would be to forget what made the Wii so successful in the first place. Without it, the Wii would be just a beefed-up GameCube. (THERE, I said it!) Just for a moment, let us forget about why Super Mario RPG has yet to be released on the North American Virtual Console and go back to the flood of imagination we felt when the Wiimote was first unveiled. Here are the activities we wish were made into games on the Wii.
The Top 5 is a weekly feature that provides us with a forum to share our opinions on various aspects of the video game culture, and provides you with a forum to tell us how wrong we are. To further voice your opinions, submit a vote in the Wii Fanboy Poll, and take part in the daily discussions of Wii Warm Up. EA Sports looking into possible subscription program future
During yesterday's EA conference call, EA Sports boss Peter Moore briefly mentioned concepts the studio is considering for the future of their various titles. Moore stated they were looking at instituting "subscription programs" to the EA Sports library in order to "take advantage" of customer loyalty. Of course this could translate to a number of ideas so before we get bent out of shape we should consider it doesn't have to be a bad thing.Consider a subscription based model that would drop by-the-minute roster updates for your favorite sports games over multiple seasons rather than having to plunk down another full retail chunk of change. While we can't guess what might, if anything at all does, come of this idea we can at least credit EA for being one of the publishers that keeps trying to innovate. Whether some like it or not.
E308: NHL 2K9 demo gets us pumped for hockey
We haven't highlighted many sports games at E3 (unless you count Wii Sports Resort), but NHL: 2K9 is different, as it's the first legitimate hockey game to hit Nintendo's console. We are some very hockey-starved individuals, so we're keeping a cautious eye on this one. You can see a little bit of the game for yourselves in the demo above, and maybe we're just easy to please, but we like what we've seen so far.
Ignoring the fact that the 2K rep is blatantly (and unconvincingly) reading a script, we appreciate some of the features he highlighted. Getting into fights sounds like fun (and makes us wistful for the days of Mutant League Hockey), as well as the simple but clever Zamboni driving. Seriously, who's never wanted to drive a Zamboni? At least we'll sort of get the chance now, even if it has to be through virtual means.
The rep also takes special care to mention the Wii game and its controls, which he says are simple but work well (as you hold the Wiimote like a hockey stick). Sounds good to us.
Ignoring the fact that the 2K rep is blatantly (and unconvincingly) reading a script, we appreciate some of the features he highlighted. Getting into fights sounds like fun (and makes us wistful for the days of Mutant League Hockey), as well as the simple but clever Zamboni driving. Seriously, who's never wanted to drive a Zamboni? At least we'll sort of get the chance now, even if it has to be through virtual means.
The rep also takes special care to mention the Wii game and its controls, which he says are simple but work well (as you hold the Wiimote like a hockey stick). Sounds good to us.
NHL Hockey finally comes to the Wii
Sure we've had football, baseball, soccer, and even tennis grace our precious white consoles, but hockey has been sorely missing from the group -- unless you count Ice Hockey and Kidz Sports Ice Hockey, which we don't. Finally, 2K Sports has stepped up and is bringing NHL 2K9 to the Wii. We don't know much about the game, except that it's coming, which is enough for us at the moment. Oh, and it will utilize the Wii's motion controls, in case you had any doubts.
[Via press release]
Phaneuf body checks his way onto NHL 09
"There are always a lot of options for who we want on our cover, and Phaneuf was a perfect choice for us this year," said David Littman, lead producer of NHL 09.
Currently in development at EA Vancouver, NHL 09 is scheduled to hit retail before the puck drops on the new season.
Blue Jackets' Nash to front NHL 2K9
Not to take anything away from three-time All Star Nash, but it's still an odd choice, at least by team standings, given the Blue Jackets' once again abysmal campaign during the 2007-08 regular season that saw the fledgling team rank near the bottom of both the Western Conference and overall league in points. However, perhaps those who make these kinds of decisions are hoping this is the sort of voodoo that will turn Ohio's NHL franchise around -- sort of like a reverse Madden curse.
Microsoft, Companions in Courage partner to bring Xbox Live to children's hospitals
With all of the continual media controversy over violent video games and their negative impact on society, it's refreshing to see these same games in a positive light every now and then. This is especially true when games are used to lift the spirits of hospitalized children, something we've seen in efforts like Child's Play and the Get-Well-Gamers Foundation. Now, Microsoft has become the latest gaming organization to follow its moral compass, inking a partnership with NHL legend Pat LaFontaine's nonprofit Companions in Courage to bring 450 Xbox 360 game kiosks to children's hospitals in the US.The kiosks will come pre-loaded with select games, movies and television content, and will allow children to play games and chat with each other across a private "safety-enhanced" flavor of Xbox Live. The kiosks will be rolled out in waves, with the first wave being kicked off with three simultaneous events today at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of New York-Presbyterian, the Children's Hospital of Orange County in California, and the Children's Hospital & Regional Medical Center of Seattle, the latter of which will feature a presentation by Microsoft exec Robbie Bach.
EA Sports predicts Sharks as Stanley Cup champs
While this writer's favorite team, the Buffalo Sabres, are out playing golf, we agree that the Sharks, behind 2005-06's Hart Trophy winner Joe Thornton (not to mention former Sabres defenceman Brian Campbell), present a formidable force for any of the playoff race's 16 teams. Still, there's too much on-ice talent to write this off as gospel just yet, so we'll sit back and probably scream at the TV tomorrow evening as we wait and see if history mirrors EA's crystal ball.
Eric Staal featured on NHL 08 box art
