Xbox 360

NHL 08

I can easily say without a doubt that this is not only the best EA hockey game since NHL 05, but quite possibly the best hockey game ever. Fans can be happy to know that the series they grew up loving has finally delivered in all department to create the most realistic and authentic hockey game on the market. Second place is the first loser, and that means you 2K Hockey.

NHL 08 manages to improve on last year’s already great hockey game. If you were a fan of last year’s effort, NHL 08 won’t disappoint.

With all said, it's no surprise that NHL 08 is this years best hockey game offering. Adding vastly improved gameplay to last years impressive control scheme ensures EA's hold on the title of Best Hockey Game Yet Devised. 2K Sports is relegated to a distant second-place, plagued by overly complicated controls, a badly designed interface, and subpar gameplay. Another year will have to pass before we can see if 2K can turn the tide once again in their favor.

Electronic Arts has produced some pretty good hockey games to date, but none of them can match the gameplay quality and the depth of NHL 08. EACA fixed what it had to in order to clean up the gameplay, while at the same time loading NHL 08 with the kind of offline and online features fans have been asking for since forever. Bottom line: Pick NHL 08 up if you’re looking for the best console hockey game ever produced.

In the end, EA has excelled in creating its smartest, deepest hockey game to date. Almost every complaint -- with the exception of no classic teams -- has been addressed from NHL 07. The result is an evolution into a full-blown hockey simulation rather than arcade shoot-em-up/checking fest. If you know hockey and appreciate the subtle nuances of the sport, then NHL 08 is the greatest thing since the Outdoor Life Network.

Even so, hockey fans and casual sports gamers alike will love NHL 08, as its simple yet deep controls invite all comers to the ice. This season, everyone should take a sip from NHL 08's Stanley Cup.

NHL 08 is a great entry to the NHL series, presenting some great new gameplay modes, vastly improved on-ice play, and some excellent graphics. A must-have for serious hockey fans.

Despite the poor online modes, the rest of the game is nothing short of stellar. With all of the new tweaks and gameplay options, NHL 08 is worth the time of any hockey fan. Not only has EA managed to prove that this is indeed the coolest game on Earth, it's also one of the best sports titles of the year.

NHL 08 has brought hockey back to the forefront of sports video gaming. With intuitive controls, exciting gameplay and a one-two punch of audio and visual goodness, this game has just about everything that any hockey gamer could want. There is still some tuning that can be done to the game and some features that could be added in future iterations, but for now, NHL 08 can be considered an instant classic.

I called Skill Stick one of the greatest innovations in sports videogames last year and now that EA has had another year to fine-tune the system, and add a new skating engine, NHL 08 is the best game on ice. The speed, the flow, the control, it’s perfect. The Dynasty Mode has seen improvements as well. There’s even online league support, though it’s a little bare-bones at the moment. Still, how can you complain about a game that has gotten better in every respect since last season? You can’t. If you’re a hockey fan, you have to check NHL 08 out.

NHL 08 is the kind of makeover that this series has been waiting for for years. Some of the annual updates have been little more than trying to gloss over the flaws. NHL 08 has stripped away the gloss, fixed the issues and then added an even shiner coat over the top. The focus on improving the gameplay experience pays off so well and makes the matches ten times more fun than they've been before, especially in the multiplayer mode where the game is more realistic and immersive than ever. This is now as good a multiplayer experience as FIFA or Pro Evo on their best days. What better recommendation could you have? NHL is now back with the big boys of the sports sims.

I was a bit worried that moving toward a slower, sim-based game would hurt the experience, but I found that it’s just as intense.

Well, neither for the moment. And can you blame me? Halo 3 and Orange Box have pretty much obliterated any possibility of me going back to play either for at least another month or until the Christmas party season kicks in. But from my experience so far, it’ll likely be NHL 08 that gets dropped into the 360.

In pretty much every single regard, NHL 08 is a significant step up from the series' current-gen debut last year. It's got more content, exciting gameplay, and legitimate smarts to its game. Some issues certainly knock 08 back from being a truly superb effort, such as the online issues and the few remaining control irritations. But by and large, this is a terrific game of hockey that's both realistic and thrilling to play, a combo that's often difficult to achieve in sports games. If you love hockey, you owe it to yourself to check this one out.

If you are a hockey fan then you need this game. It’s as simple as that. Whilst it won’t last you forever, it is an extremely enjoyable game with a lot of replay value due to the online play and other multiplayer modes. EA has done a great job on the whole and it’s good to see a large improvement from the previous games. In short—this is the best hockey game yet by a long shot.

In the end what matters most is that this is, bar none, the finest NHL game EA Sports has ever produced. Fans of the original Sega Genesis versions who eventually turned away from this series because the magic was gone absolutely need to give NHL 08 a fresh look. And fans of more recent editions will find plenty of value here to justify the recurring $60 investment. There are flaws in this game, make no mistake, but the fun factor of playing the game more than overcomes its shortcomings. This is not only one of the best hockey games out there, but also one of EA Sports' finest efforts overall, regardless of the sport.

Très bon cru que ce NHL 08. S'il n'apporte pas de grosses nouveautés, il offre une expérience de jeu fort convaincante, un réalisme technique assez impressionnant et demeure accessible tout en gardant un côté très technique. Les fans craqueront, c'est sûr.

I have to say all in all, NHL 08 is a great game for Ice Hockey fans. If you are looking for an Ice Hockey game with lots of big hits and injuries then NHL 08 isn’t for you. However, if you’re looking for a good looking, great playing game that makes you think and actually challenges you, then look no further than NHL 08. With the promise of Roster updates over Live, the ability to create your own plays, teams and players, I can’t see what else hockey fans could want in a game, or another game that could beat NHL 08 for fun and playability.

Between getting all the aesthetics right and offering stellar gameplay, NHL 08 has an awful lot going for it, and I'm sure it will please longtime fans of the series. I was legitimately shocked, however, by the callous, alienating disregard it shows to anyone who isn't a longtime fan of the series. Once I got the hang of the controls, I had a great time playing it. I just wished the game's developers had been willing to meet all the newcomers to the franchise halfway. Every videogame is somebody's first, and if NHL 08 was someone's first hockey game, there's a good chance they'd be so frustrated they wouldn't stick around for 09.

Despite our reservations about picking up another sports license, we came away pleasantly surprised. NHL 08 is one of the finest depictions of the sport so far and we're actually looking forward to what next year's iteration will offer. And it's not very often we say something like that.

No matter which version you play, you'll dig the control improvements, the challenging AI and the attractive graphics. Whether or not NHL 08 checks 2K Sports' NHL 2K8 into the boards remains to be seen, but regardless, EA did a superb job, and you need to play this game, whether you appreciate the sport or despise it.

For hockey fans, NHL 08 is the best hockey offering this year. For non-hockey fans, it's a fun game, but not a must-buy sports title.

Much like the way FIFA has changed its game to emulate Pro Evo and thus left little choice in the football market, so EA's choice to rival its nearest competitor head-on in the hockey genre leaves the more casual gamer without an option B. At the end of the day though, EA have simply gone out to make an as enthrallingly entertaining and accurate hockey simulation as they could - and they have succeeded spectacularly.

NHL 08 is one of the most refined sports updates we've seen for quite some time.

Time in the cooler has allowed our favorite frozen sport (sorry, curling) some time to roll out genuine improvements. The enhanced AI isn't quite a cure-all for 07's passive defences, but it does bring a satisfying, sim-like feel to the franchise for the first time in years. Play creation, minor league play and deflection physics are a few of the non-gimmicks we get, but a handful of on-ice issues frustrate now and then. The online offering is likewise brilliant-but-bugged. All in all, an excellent ice hockey game, but one that would've benefited from one last run-over from the zamboni.

Fjolårets lir har fått en välbehövlig patch och är nu bättre på alla punkter. EA Sports cyniska inställning till oss spelare börjar dock gå oss på nerverna.

Last year, when NHL 07 and competitor NHL 2K7 first started to distinguish their control schemes from each other, I felt they played similarly but 2K Sports won with a longer feature list. This year, as 2K8 lags with its overcomplicated controls, EA has managed to slip by. NHL 08 is imperfect, but with its simple gameplay and its clean presentation, it’s somehow on track to lead the league and push it forward.