Round 3: Content

I have to nail this one early. NHL ‘09 wins this round at a canter as the sheer amount of stuff on offer is nothing short of incredible. Be A Pro has been added to the franchise for the first time this year and has already been proven to work very well on their sister FIFA franchise (I think it’s re-branded MLS in the states, but I’ve been wrong before) and if it works as well as it’s done for the soccer title, it alone helps things along smoothly. A lot of content is also concentrated around your player who you create at the start of the game, from performance checkers to using him on Be A Pro once he’s good enough, as well as online leagues which can be done in the usual manner, or by one person rounding up as many of his buds as possible and calling in the main players to help him out in a time of need by each controlling a hockey player. This is only scratching the surface, my friends.

The options in 2K are not so broad, but there are some lovely touches, like the amount of retro jerseys you can use when playing the game and also being able to play mini hockey with teams of 3, as well as playing on a pond. The best option, whether it be a gimmick or not is a mini game which allows you to drive the Zamboni ice re-surfacing machine round the rink trying to clear the rink in the time allowed. There are also trivia questions during loading times, but its one thing I’ll highly rate for 2K’s game. I’ve never seen a sports game with such small loading times in my life and you’d be amazed at how much difference it can make. Sadly it’s not enough to swing the pendulum in its favour and EA catch another goal on the 2-on-1 breakaway.

EA: 2
2K: 1