Exemplifying how EA Sports' chronic case of sequelities can be a good thing, NHL 08 includes most of the great things that made for a great hockey simulation last year, mainly in the return of analog "skill stick" control for totally-nuanced puck-handling, but also with some notable girth to its expected incremental improvements.

Majorly tweaked, for example, is the artificial intelligence (AI) of the computer controlled players which, along with the removal of the "speed burst" fantasy sham, makes for a more realistic hockey sim as opposing teams will shut down your favorite give-and-go routine once they catch on to it, clogging up the slot or whatever else needs to be done. Even the commentators will mention the adjustments, which makes the voice over work useful for a change.

Also, much like 2K Games NHL games have been doing all along, players will actually play their positions -- and even pinch when you've manually fouled their system.

But it's not all a lesson in advanced computer science simulation. NHL 08 now, for the first time, lets you pass to yourself, just like the super players do, shoveling the puck past a defender and catching up with it on the other side. Hard to do, but truly awesome once you learn to pull it off. Then the AI catches on....

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