aking like a goon who drops his gloves before the puck even hits the ice, developer Kush Games has come out swinging this year. In an overly aggressive move, many of the alterations implemented into this year’s game are in direct response to the innovations rival developer Electronic Arts Canada debuted in last season’s product. Like any good competition, Kush’s intent isn’t to copy, but to go one step beyond. As powerful as some of these punches may be, many miss the target, leaving Kush with its jersey pulled over its head, and primed for a concussion-inducing retaliatory strike. NHL 2K8 certainly makes strides forward, but even so, many of its new elements lag behind where its competition is today.

The entire control scheme has been reworked to open up the gameplay to analog stick movement, which allows players to swipe at pucks and block passing lanes on defense, and protect the puck and change the shot location on offense. Rather than designating the shooting functionality to a forward thrust on the stick like EA does, Kush has placed it on a shoulder button. As much as this ensures that you won’t accidentally fire a shot while handling the puck, the combination of the analog stick and shoulder button doesn’t feel natural. I found one-timers easier to fire, but the necessities (slap shots and wristers) are horribly clunky. The problematic shooting greatly lowers the effectiveness of the perimeter game, which is already prone to meltdown due to poor player positioning.

On the plus side, NHL 2K8 will make you leap from your seat and cheer when a player charges the net. Punching in simplistic button combinations will activate a special move worthy of a highlight reel. These moves are difficult to perform mid-game, but add tons of excitement to the shootout.

It may not deliver the entire package this year, but NHL 2K8 is a fun game that offers a fast-paced arcade feel.