nhl08
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NHL 08 demo skates its way onto the XBLM
Fellow Canadians and ice hockey fans around the globe hurry on over to the XBLM for a special treat. Available right now on the Marketplace is a demo for the soon to be released hockey extravaganza that is NHL 08. The demo is a slim 593MBs, is available to most of the world for download and features some hot Anaheim Ducks versus Ottawa Senators ice hockey action. The game ships September 11th, so give this demo a try before you commit to a purchase and weigh in on whether or not you think this year's NHL installment lives up to your expectations. Drop the puck already and play!
Achievement lists for a bunch of retail and XBLA titles
Over at Xbox 360 Achievements, there are a slew of new Achievements listed for retail and arcade games alike. They have Two Worlds, Skate, which came straight from EA, Fatal Inertia, NHL 08, & Medal of Honor: Airborne. On the XBLA side of things, there is the cheaper of the two Arcade games that came out today, Space Giraffe, Fatal Fury Special and we're especially happy to see Sonic 2 make it there as well. A cool little reveal about Sonic 2 is that it will have online multiplayer, derived from the splitscreen multiplayer found in the Genesis version. So, those are plenty of lists for you to examine for your next target of 1000 or 200 Gamerscore. Retail: Read: Two Worlds Read: skate. Read: Fatal Inertia Read: NHL 08 Read: Medal of Honor: Airborne XBLA: Read: Space Giraffe Read: Fatal Fury Special Read: Sonic 2
Wondering how NHL '08 is shaping up?
Sure, hockey isn't the most popular sport in many places of the world, but the NHL series of games is a pretty big hit every year. Not quite a hit like Madden, but it's a great way for the hockey enthusiasts or the closet hockey lovers to get their sticks on the ice. EA has lifted the veil on NHL 08 and we're going to talk about what's changing.First and foremost, skate controls are going to get a major overhaul. Playing defense in last year's game was quite difficult due to lack of skater control, which is also getting overhauled. For example, the way you move your analog stick (left to right or in a semi-circle motion) will determine how your player turns. It's pretty obvious -- left to right turns the player around right away, a semi-circle motion will turn the player around in a slower, wider arc. You can dynamically switch between the two turns mid-way if you want, too. Your skating speed is affected by the amount you push the analog stick forward. Basic and intuitive, but something they needed to do.In addition to those control tweaks, there are additions to the skill stick so you can do some fancy puck work around the competition -- no doubt to liven up the online aspect of the game. You can toss the puck in 10 different directions now, so that should help in online matches as well. There's only so much you can do with left, right, and behind.Checking is getting improved -- momentum based for both players instead of the incredibly outdated "I hit you, so you fall down" method. Shooting takes on a Tiger Woods twist. Your right analog stick serves as your accuracy. With all these improvements, we have to ask: did EA even try on previous NHL titles? It sounds like these "updates" are incredibly basic things that should have been improved and changed at least five years ago. We hope there's more to come, because we'd hate to have the hockey-lovers rise up in rebellion against the lack of attention EA gives to the games.
