September 4, 2007

Part 1

NHL 2K8’s Developers on New Features, New Mechanics, Pushing Boundaries, and More
By Louis Bedigian

“We've always been very big about adding plenty of customization and lots of options and sliders so that you can customize your players.”

Yoda once told a fellow Jedi council member that there can be only two leaders. “No more, no less – a master and an apprentice,” he said with conviction. Little did we know that his words would one day apply to NHL hockey games. Only two warriors remain: NHL 2K8 from 2K Sports and NHL 08 from Electronic Arts. Both will be vying for Stanley Cup supremacy this fall.

A lot of attention has been given to the puck and stick movement mechanics, which differ greatly between the two competitors. Colin O'Hara, Lead Designer at Kush Games, explains how NHL 2K8’s ProStick system stands apart from EA’s offering. “What makes ours unique is that it’s separate from skating, shooting, and passing,” he said. “When you use the ProStick, the player doesn’t actually turn. So you can move in a different direction and puck handle back and forth.

“And since the shooting mechanic is separate from the puck-moving mechanic, you can move the puck anywhere and shoot or pass from that location. You can kind of create your own backhand or get the puck way out to your side around a defenseman. That’s the main distinction. I think that’s what [gives] our game more precise controls.”

GameZone spoke to Colin, as well as Ben Bishop, Producer at Visual Concepts, and Scott Krager, Project Manager at Kush Games, to learn everything there is to know about NHL 2K8.

Key Features

• New ProStick controls

• New Superstar moves

• New face-off system

• Both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions run at 60fps

More Than a Roster Update

2K Sports promises that NHL 2K8 will be much more than a roster update. “We have a ton of stuff this year,” Colin boasts. “As mentioned earlier, we have the ProStick, which enables you to handle the puck on a 360-dgree arch in front of your player. Not all players will have the same range of puck movement. You’ll have to play the game differently depending on who has the puck and who is out there at the time. This is also a defensive feature because we put in an all-new poke check. If the puck is far away the animation is going to look different than if the puck was right by your feet.

“In addition to that we have these all-new Superstar moves that allow [you to perform] some of the most famous moves in hockey.” Some of those moves include Forsberg’s one-hand reach and Owen Nolen’s shot call from the All-Star game.

“There are 12 of them and each has a different two-button combo,” Colin continues. “It’s pretty simple. Pull the trigger and if you successfully enter the right combo they’ll do one of these moves. Each move has a requirement, so not all players will be able to do them. The more demanding moves will be reserved for the star players so you won’t be able to abuse it.

“In addition to that we have an all-new face-off system that is just the most in-depth and realistic face-off we’ve ever seen in a hockey game. Basically you use you right stick and there are lot of little different timing things. If you go too early twice in a row you can actually get kicked out of the face-off. There are an endless number of results that can happen. Every face-off is going to look a little different.”

Furthermore, one of the development goals has been to make one-timers more realistic. “We’ve eliminated a lot of the awkward-angled shots like backhanders,” Colin says. “So it’s going to look a lot cleaner. We [also] made it more challenging to do a one-timer. You’re going to need to line up your guy in a more realistic way. If you swing the puck across the zone, chances are it’s not going to hit the net.”

The difference between NHL 2K7 and NHL 2K8’s visuals is immense.

PS3 vs. 360

“The two games are quite similar, but there are a few differences I can point out,” says Ben Bishop, going over the differences between the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 editions of the game. “On the Xbox 360 we’re offering 2K Reel-Maker this year as a marketplace download. Basically it’s a way you can save replays and create highlight reels and upload them for people to view on Xbox Live.

“Also on the Xbox 360, custom soundtracks are available. On the PS3 we have the SIXAXIS of course. Similar to NHL 2K7 you use the SIXAXIS for controlling the goalie and for body checks.

Scott Krager comments: “The hardware between the two systems is very different. I think it’d be hard to maintain a main difference except to say that the PS3 is capable of so much more. It gives us a lot more freedom. While that’s primarily a good thing, it also presents its own challenges. You have more involved technology so that means a greater learning curve. It’s more involved so it gets trickier to do certain things.”

Development Cycle

With two NHL 2K games already available for Xbox 360, Scott discussed whether or not the development has become any easier. “It’s easier in the sense that we have an existing technology base to build on,” he says. “We also have more experience with the platform. NHL 2K8 is the third version released for the 360 and the second version on PS3. Having more experience as well as more time – with a launch title you’re often rushed – [really helps].”

“At the same time,” he continues, “every year we’re trying to do something to outdo ourselves from the previous year. We’re trying to push the envelope more, to do [bigger and] better things.

“As far as the PS3, we had an [additional year] on 360. But I think from an overall standpoint, each system has its own challenges. From a platform [standpoint], you’re making a common game for two very different systems. Memory is handed very differently on PS3, and that is very integral to development.”

No More Fights?

“Fighting wasn’t a big focus for us this year,” Ben announced. “That kind of ties into the way the NHL is now, it’s not really a big focus for them either. They’re really trying to crack down on that sort of thing. You see it on occasion but it’s not the way it was in the past and there are definitely more repercussions for getting out of hand with that kind of thing.”

Balancing Realism and Enjoyment

Many games come up short in the area of enjoyment or realism, abandoning one side in favor of the other. Ben tells us that while he doesn’t want to speak for other developers, “for us working on the NHL 2K series, one of our goals has been to balance rather than sacrifice.”

He says that they have always strived to be the best simulation representation of hockey. “But at the same time we want you to enjoy yourself. We don’t want it too frustrating because it’s too realistic and too hard. We also want to be sure that people who don’t necessarily know hockey can still pick up the game and have a good time. We try to make the game the best for all types of players.”

For hardcore gamers, Ben notes, “We’ve always been very big about adding plenty of customization and lots of options and sliders so that you can customize your players,” which leads to a more realistic simulation experience.

Stay tuned for part 2 of our NHL 2K8 interview.

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