NHL 08 deepens its gameplay with two new killers

NHL - Image 1EA Sports is gearing up for the next hockey season and it’s armed with two powerful new tools to create some miracle on ice. Dean Richards,  producer of NHL 08 (PS3, 360, PC), recently posted a message on the IGN blogs and he introduced the Create-a-Play and On the Fly AI features. Both will satisfy simulation nuts and push realism to the next level.

The Create-a-Play option lets you design rushes and breakaway tactics with ease using a TiVo-like interface. Essentially, what it does is leave you in a mode similar to Practice and let you move a player the way you want him to in the play. You can then add new players to the mix by moving them as the first player moves in the way you want him to. It’s a bit like recording in overlapping fashion to run a play to perfection.

The Create-a-Play function should be great when you have opponents playing in a certain manner that none of the preset plays can address. If you’ve always thought you have what it takes to coach, this is the game for you.

You’ll have to be careful, though. EA Sports has listened to the calls of true-blue NHL fans and is fielding in an AI which adapts and evolves like human players do. Essentially, what the On the Fly AI does is to contour to the way you play and analyze your strategies. Run a play too often and the AI will find a way to break it up. Rely on your star too heavily, and the opposing team just might go head-hunting.

And the adaptation isn’t limited to a single game. The scouting actually extends through your save file. In the playoffs where adjustments are the key, you’ll have to have more than one strategy to beat the CPU.

Brush up those skating moves and juice up your plays. Don’t think for a second that you’ll win the Stanley Cup with a slap shot from the blue line because the AI will punish you and leave your teeth chattering in the ice.

Buy: [NHL 08 (PS3)]
Buy: [NHL 08 (Xbox 360)]

NHL - Image 1EA Sports is gearing up for the next hockey season and it’s armed with two powerful new tools to create some miracle on ice. Dean Richards,  producer of NHL 08 (PS3, 360, PC), recently posted a message on the IGN blogs and he introduced the Create-a-Play and On the Fly AI features. Both will satisfy simulation nuts and push realism to the next level.

The Create-a-Play option lets you design rushes and breakaway tactics with ease using a TiVo-like interface. Essentially, what it does is leave you in a mode similar to Practice and let you move a player the way you want him to in the play. You can then add new players to the mix by moving them as the first player moves in the way you want him to. It’s a bit like recording in overlapping fashion to run a play to perfection.

The Create-a-Play function should be great when you have opponents playing in a certain manner that none of the preset plays can address. If you’ve always thought you have what it takes to coach, this is the game for you.

You’ll have to be careful, though. EA Sports has listened to the calls of true-blue NHL fans and is fielding in an AI which adapts and evolves like human players do. Essentially, what the On the Fly AI does is to contour to the way you play and analyze your strategies. Run a play too often and the AI will find a way to break it up. Rely on your star too heavily, and the opposing team just might go head-hunting.

And the adaptation isn’t limited to a single game. The scouting actually extends through your save file. In the playoffs where adjustments are the key, you’ll have to have more than one strategy to beat the CPU.

Brush up those skating moves and juice up your plays. Don’t think for a second that you’ll win the Stanley Cup with a slap shot from the blue line because the AI will punish you and leave your teeth chattering in the ice.

Buy: [NHL 08 (PS3)]
Buy: [NHL 08 (Xbox 360)]

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