Sept 20, 2007

For years, EA's NHL series has been winning the hockey battles on the current-generation consoles. Even though its presentation and modes haven't changed much in the past few seasons, the solid gameplay has been a constant. NHL 08 doesn't mess much with a proven formula, except for one key (and awesome) way - the re-introduction of the Skill Stick.

Note: The screens in this review are taken from the PS3 version of NHL 08.  You know in your soul that your PS2 can't do that.  Admit it!

While it's been the standard for a couple of years now on the next-generation machines, the Skill Stick makes its long-awaited debut this year on the PS2. Well, sort of. Last year, the right stick was used to pass, which felt kind of tacked-on and purposeless. No more, as the Stick is now used for shooting the puck at the net and passing is relegated back to the face buttons. This simple change opens up a lot more gameplay than you'd expect from a late-in-its-lifecycle series, but we appreciate it nonetheless.