EA Sports NHL 09 (Xbox 360)

The 2009 edition of EA Sports ice hockey simulation refreshes all of the existing NHL and international team rosters and schedules and adds the Russian Elite League and sees the the addition of the “Be A Pro”-mode in which players create a new player and only control him on the field. This mode is also available in multiplayer for up to 12 players in 6-on-6-matches in which every player on the ice is controlled by a human.

The defensive stick control has also been revamped and now allows for example to prevent direct passes. And it’s possible to control both puck and stick with one hand in the offensive, allowing the player to better outplay the goalie. Of course all this complicates the already complex controls even more so that now it’s possible to switch to the control scheme from NHL ’94 which only needs a few buttons and one analog stick to be successful.