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I've got a few problems with be a pro. First off the be-a-pro camera can get annoying sometimes, but mostly I am not a fan of it on offense as I have a hard time seeing where my teammates are some times. If I switch to Classic view or something, then on defense I can't see well enough. As well sometimes the management makes questionable decisions, as does the A.I. Overall though it's a fantastic mode, the small setbacks hardly kill the experience at all.

I'm enjoying Be a Pro mode immensely. Decided to go with a sniper on superstar difficulty since I had played 08, and it's great fun. Took me 16 or so games on Providence before I cracked the Bruins roster (randomized my team), and it felt very rewarding. Heh, I pulled a Lemieux though. First shift, got a breakaway, and on that first shot, it went off the crossbar and in. Still lost in OT, but it was good. As for assists, I had trouble with it as first but it's not too hard when you get the hang of it. I find it better to pass it to the guy and just let him shoot it, don't call for the shot. They score a lot more this way (the AI is pretty good at shooting if you let them do it themselves) Honestly I like it better than 94. It's crazy fun and despite a few bugs the games very balanced a polished. Pick the damn game up, it's a great buy.

I'm having a b***h of a time getting a hold of it in small town Saskatchewan, although hopefully i'll be able to pick it up tonight.

I always use the new controls, I find using the right stick for shooting/deking works out very well. As for lifting the stick, it works, you just have to use it right. It's not as good as a poke check anyways, or a block pass, but i HAVE used it to cause a d-man to miss a puck and let me go in on a breakaway. It's a great game, it just takes a bit of getting used to. As for goalie mode and whatnot, it's a demo and a ton of features aren't in it.

I picked up the demo for 09 on the 360 yesterday and I'm pretty impressed. Defensive aspect has been polished up nicely, it's harder to get the offense rolling than 08, and it seems those lame money goals have been fixed (the whole go left shoot top right from far away was so ridiculous). Posts have been toned down, you'll miss the net now rather than hit 50 posts a period. Although someone in here had a point, the checking is a bit crazy with small guys being able to absolutely lay people out, HOWEVER this isn't a big deal as you can adjust it with a slider and tone it down. Be a Pro is very fun and the camera works well, I expect to probably be into my third season on that within a week . Ultimately I think it's a significant improvement over 08 and when it gets released I'll pick it up. I will then let you guys know what I think of the finished product, but I don't expect to be let down much, assuming online works well

After comin back from a basically 2 week long camping trip and seeing 1 or 2 more games played since I left, i'm very dissapointed. Summers are painfully slow, everybody would rather be out fishing than playing video games, and i'm one of them unfortunately.

The thing is with sliders in the game you can make it less sim and more arcade. NHL 2K series has this down pretty good, you can make go from one extreme to the other. Hardcore sim, or crazy fast paced arcade. Hopefully EA follows suit with more sliders.

Very doubtfull.

Montreals atmosphere is not any worse than Toronto's. Fans are rabid in both places. No, Sundin would do excellent in MTL. He just needs some better linemates so he doesn't have to one man it so much.

Looks great, i'm fine with being in A.

Sure toss me in.

s**t, i've been caught. Nah, i've always liked a bit more of a sim feel in games, I have to admit. Not to mention you can basically make it into an arcade game with the sliders. As for simplified controls, I get that. The control system they have is great but it's not something you can pick up and learn how to use in 5 minutes, you have to play with it for awhile to get used to it, which is no big deal. But say you have a buddy over who wants to play but rather than kick his ass while he figures out how to use the controls he can just use a really simple layout. Small but nice addition. Granted NHL 09 will be way more of a sim feeling than an arcade feeling, it's all about preference I suppose, and I like it to be a little more sim. Plus again, sliders. Controls are not that complex. Play NHL 2K8, now that's complex. You have 2 thumbsticks and I think 2 or 3 other buttons to use. Just takes playing a game or two with to get used to it. Online 3v3 was a blast I thought. Mostly everybody locks into a position now and that makes it crazy fun. We'll see when it comes out I suppose.

It's third person...I'd assume it would focus on the puck, or you could have some sort of free look option.

08 had some slight bugs but it was still a great game

Are you still sticking around to run it now or does Bo have the reigns?

Put down the torches guys, i'm serious here. Now NHL 08 was a terrific game (Assuming you picked it up for the 360 or PS3 and not the horrible PC and PS2 versions). I went as far to say that it ALMOST surpassed NHL 94. Smooth controls, great deking, a bit more of a sim feel than an arcade feel, but I prefer that. The biggest gripe was the defense was weak compared to the offense, some standard elements (fantasy draft as an example) were left out for no good reason, and oh my christ the posts were hit at least twice a minute. Fast foward to NHL 09. Defensive Skill Stick NHL 08 gave you true offensive prowess with the Skill Stick, and this year we're giving you the power to stop it. Block passing lanes with 360° control of your stick or kill an opponent's one timer game by lifting their stick just before they receive a pass. This is huge. No longer can you pass to a guy right beside the other teams defenseman and he'll one timer it in. Lifting up the stick? s**t yeah. Block passing with a 360 degree control of it? s**t yeah. Be A Pro NHL 09 will put you on the ice with a dynamic new 3rd person camera as you play the role of one player on a team. Our Performance Tracker will rate your play in over 50 categories, to make sure you know what parts of your game need to improve Be A Pro starts your career off in the ranks of the AHL and challenges you to become one of the best in the NHL. Your very own hockey card will mark your progress, from your rookie beginnings to a potentially legendary ending. An absolutely brilliant addition, I believe it's been in madden already and that mode was great fun. You'll only be playing when you're on the ice for a shift, and I assume when you're on the bench it will skip until your next shift (or at least have it for an option). I know for sure i'll waste hours playing this mode. Create-A-Play Breakouts The ice is your canvas and it's up to you to paint a winning strategy in both online and offline play. Create breakout plays from your own zone or set up behind your net and tell your right winger to look for the flip dump from the defenseman The create-a-play in 08 was great. I made a few plays that worked pretty well and looked slick when I could pull it off. But it was missing breakouts, so it's nice to see this fixed up. One-handed Dekes NHL 09 adds another weapon to you offensive arsenal - the one handed deke. When you are skating in on a breakaway tap the puck to one hand and tuck the puck behind a sprawling goalie for the ultimate finish. Time to Forsberg some goalies. Check Hard and Fight An All-new physics-based checking and fighting engine featuring more than 300 new animations brings a higher-level of intensity to the game. Watch players reach for the ice to soften their fall or simply get laid out on their back when you catch them with their head down in open ice. Circle your opponent, grab his jersey and settle a mid-game score. The more animations the better. I'm just hoping they fixed it so you can injure/get injured on something OTHER than a hip check. Imagine playing a game where every player on the ice is a human. This is great, if you can look pass the fact that you'll see some idiots going end to end when they're supposed to be on D. And the more leagues the better. Now, diehard 94 fans, if you're still unwilling to believe this game could finally upstage 94, it's important to take note that EA knows they're going to have a hard time, but they do listen. Thusly... NHL 94 Controls Hit, pass, shoot, and score using the simplified two-button control system featured in NHL 94. Now even players new to the game can challenge the best of the best. I recommend everybody goes and picks up this game in September. NHL 09 Home Page

No need to be hostile sun, I just meant regarding a couple replacements you told me about, specifically the guy who had more or the same amount of games played as mostly everybody else in the league, but you hadn't seen him for a few days (not all that long) and because he had a bad record you just assumed he was inactive and replaced him. Seemed kind of harsh is all.

and so thick you could cut it with a knife.

Alright then. Like I said, if it works, it works.

A very active cast of coaches coupled with quick replacements to those who went missing worked out very well in terms of quickness. Although I don't agree with some of the replacements that were made, as Wags said, results and results.

I'll take Toronto

But what is the primary goal?

This one time I beat AJ in the playoffs. That was the only time.

AIM: TessLog Quebec or Toronto