A career mode full of promise
It’s not all bad news however, despite an overly complicated deep control scheme, the basics do work. If you can find the pass and shoot buttons, you can enjoy a quick game of ice hockey and the gameplay mechanics and smooth visuals will provide an enjoyable experience.
There are improvements too, the new face-off system is probably the best to date. Being able to set your stick location using the right analogue stick and a whole host of tie-up animations make for some very enjoyable face-offs.
NHL 2K8 also offers longevity a-plenty in its Franchise mode. A completely re-worked negotiations system makes signing players interesting as a money meter actually shows how the owner and the player’s agent see the deal progressing. Negotiations in sports titles are usually very straightforward but these actually feel like real negotiations.
As with previous NHL 2K games, all the coaching options are still in place and this year there’s a player development system too which’ll allow your players to earn points after matches and improve their stats.
The user interface in career mode is generally quite pleasing, player photos are as clear as could be and most menus are easily found. The aforementioned points system can be a little confusing to navigate and understand, but on the whole the Franchise mode is well presented.
If you haven’t the time to risk delving into Franchise mode, Season mode, Tournaments and Mini Games are all available too. Regrettably, there’s very little new to these modes and they feel as if they’ve been pulled right out of 2K7 and into 2K8. So much so that the Mini Games don’t utilise the new control scheme and revert back to the 2K7 controls. As if we weren't confused by the new control scheme enough already.