Pause the game and check the controls out.
Here's some criticisms that I posted elsewhere about 08:
1. Clipping issues. 1-on-1 dekes with sticks going through the defenders bodies. Pucks appearing to be shot into the net though the game recognizes them to be out of the net.
2. Loose pucks situations. If there is a loose puck in front of the goal, instead of the players madly jabbing at it, the attackers slapping towards the goal and the defenders pushing away from the goal, one player magically gains posession and maintains an unrealistic amount of control inbetween 3-4 guys right in front of the blue ice.
3. Shootouts. Maybe it's just me, but I've found a very high percentage method of winning shootouts. Maybe the goalie AI is just bad at stopping this shot but it's really, really high percentage. Not 100% but I can pull it off often enough that even I don't think it's my skill showing, but the game mechanics.
4. Poke checks. Aside from the fact that they should be assigned to the RS without RB as the default, they're annoyingly ineffectual. If you know what you're doing, yes, obviously it works in certain situations. It's pointlessly complicated to both keep your player skating backwards in an orientation that allows you to swipe at the puck with accuracy. You need to hold LT, RB, while moving the LS and RS. This isn't Halo. And even when I hit the puck with a poke check, which happens often enough now that I 'm used to it, the CPU regathers it easily most of the time. It doesn't seem like a huge complaint, but when you start playing a lot, nuances like this are annoying.
5. Team AI. The opponent AI is decent enough, though All-Star difficulty pads their stats rather than increase their ability through more legitimate means. Your team AI is crap. It does none of the things the opponent does, so the player has to switch between all his defenders to always be the one making the play. Your teammates simply don't check or position themselves well.
6. Player switching. As someone else mentioned, there is no last man back button. Switching to the proper defender is sometimes all luck depending if there are 2-3 guys near the opponent puckholder. Very annoying sometimes.
7. Passing. Want to pass to that guy breaking out down the ice? You can't, because your other teammate blocking the path will take the pass. There are no controls to pass to a player farther away if a teammate is in-between. The automation in passing removes a lot of ability for clever passing and can obviously be improved as in the football (soccer to you) games.
Given these glaring issues, 08 is still the better game.
Facebook
Twitter