NHL 2K9

 Wii
User Score
5.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 20 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 20
  3. Negative: 6 out of 20
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  1. aaronallingham
    Sep 14, 2008
    6
    The game play was typical 2k. The inclusion of the unique Wii style of play was surprising, in a positive way. My only disappointment with the Wii style of game play was that stick handling should have been incorporated using the Wii remote.The players were generic with little resemblance to the actual players and sadly the one token that 2k has over EA is the off ice, behind the scenesThe game play was typical 2k. The inclusion of the unique Wii style of play was surprising, in a positive way. My only disappointment with the Wii style of game play was that stick handling should have been incorporated using the Wii remote.The players were generic with little resemblance to the actual players and sadly the one token that 2k has over EA is the off ice, behind the scenes game play.In this installment this falls short of earlier versions. I give great acclaim for being the first Wii version of an NHL game and though I have sited some negatives I would recommend this game to any NHL fan porting on the WII.… Expand
  2. CK
    Sep 20, 2008
    7
    Overall, I find gameplay to be very enjoyable. The graphics are disappointing, as noted by others, and overall the whole game feels as if it is more of a beta version than a finished product. However, it is very fun to play, the Wii Remote is used effectively, and passing is natural.
  3. JTrot
    Jan 11, 2009
    0
    Worst!!! Horrid game play. I challenge anyone to even see the net at the far end of the ice as the only view you get is basically behind your own goal. You will often accidentally hit the 1 button when you shoot which switches you to Goalie mode. Just horrid horrid gameplay. First game I bought and will trade in as soon as possible. Graphically it is a joke. Sure, pregameWorst!!! Horrid game play. I challenge anyone to even see the net at the far end of the ice as the only view you get is basically behind your own goal. You will often accidentally hit the 1 button when you shoot which switches you to Goalie mode. Just horrid horrid gameplay. First game I bought and will trade in as soon as possible. Graphically it is a joke. Sure, pregame looks awesome but gets tiresome. No one can read the players team lists as the fonts are tiny. The fighting is terrible.... by the time you have mastered how to use both controllers to (a) stay on your skates and (b) actually throw a punch, you'll already be in the playoffs... impossible to learn to fight! I played Team Canada vs Team Belarus and they still beat me and I've owed every hockey sim EA Sports has put out. Wait for an EA SPORTS version.... this one get a game misconduct.… Expand
  4. JasonL
    Oct 1, 2008
    5
    Great idea, poor execution. While nobody expected jaw-dropping graphics the gameplay is not really that bad. The AI is still not up to snuff, I often watch players bunch up and go offsides ahead of the play. The menu system is poor, profile management is poor (and save failure messages seem to be the norm), and where are the user stats? I swear I saw them once but I've been throughGreat idea, poor execution. While nobody expected jaw-dropping graphics the gameplay is not really that bad. The AI is still not up to snuff, I often watch players bunch up and go offsides ahead of the play. The menu system is poor, profile management is poor (and save failure messages seem to be the norm), and where are the user stats? I swear I saw them once but I've been through the menu several times now and can't find them again. This game falls into one of these categories: it was obviously rushed out the door, it's still in beta or the testing team was on vacation. Maybe it's time to switch back to EA Sports.… Expand
  5. Nelson
    Sep 18, 2008
    6
    Hungry for a game of Hockey for the Wii I picked this up. My 9 year old and I had a blast playing it as the controls were easy to pick up; before long slap shots, wrist shots and a fight or two happened. Graphically it sucks....really hockey on the game cube looked better. It has been awhile since I've really been bothered by graphics vs gameplay..in this case..it is veryHungry for a game of Hockey for the Wii I picked this up. My 9 year old and I had a blast playing it as the controls were easy to pick up; before long slap shots, wrist shots and a fight or two happened. Graphically it sucks....really hockey on the game cube looked better. It has been awhile since I've really been bothered by graphics vs gameplay..in this case..it is very disapointing. Regardless glad there is some hockey for the wii and hopefully next year they'll get it right… Expand
  6. JoelSmith
    Sep 11, 2008
    3
    Awful game. I assumed that the wii version would be modified in a way that made it work and be fun with the limitations of the wii. What they did was simply take an existing version, which runs on powerful gaming consoles, and force it to try and work on the wii. They failed miserably. What a waste of $50. Honestly, I had to force myself to try and finish a few complete games. Sadly, theAwful game. I assumed that the wii version would be modified in a way that made it work and be fun with the limitations of the wii. What they did was simply take an existing version, which runs on powerful gaming consoles, and force it to try and work on the wii. They failed miserably. What a waste of $50. Honestly, I had to force myself to try and finish a few complete games. Sadly, the only part that is any fun is the Zamboni mini game (unfortunately you can only get to it after playing a fulll period of a game - how ironic!)… Expand
  7. PaulShannon
    Sep 10, 2008
    5
    Good: Finally a hockey game for the Wii
    Bad: They should have finished the game before releasing
    Ugly: This game.

    Graphics literally look half done. Players are identical and lifeless (dead, DEAD eyes). On the plus side, gameplay and controls are pretty good.

    I am becoming more and more convinced that the impending Wii motion plus addon is necessary before waggle is useful.
  8. brock
    Sep 12, 2008
    3
    This game is broken. The gameplay is fun, but only for as long as you can overlook the fact that the graphics are worse than games made 5 years ago, the commentary is plainly stupid, the text on the screen is too small to read, the motion controls are annoying, unintuitive, and CANNOT be changed or adjusted, the menus are difficult to navigate, the controller responsiveness feels clunky,This game is broken. The gameplay is fun, but only for as long as you can overlook the fact that the graphics are worse than games made 5 years ago, the commentary is plainly stupid, the text on the screen is too small to read, the motion controls are annoying, unintuitive, and CANNOT be changed or adjusted, the menus are difficult to navigate, the controller responsiveness feels clunky, and the player faces appear to be random and generic.
    But hey, if you can get past that, then you'll really enjoy the half-decent gameplay.    … Expand
  9. ricobob
    Sep 19, 2008
    2
    This is the worst hockey game I have ever played. I have an hard time finishing one game. The graphics were better on gamecube and it's something I can not understand.
    I think I will sell my Wii now.
    I tried nhl 09 on ps3 and it's 10 times better on all department. Now for the analysis: Gameplay is bad. It's basically impossible to prevent the player from shooting    This is the worst hockey game I have ever played. I have an hard time finishing one game. The graphics were better on gamecube and it's something I can not understand.
    I think I will sell my Wii now.

    I tried nhl 09 on ps3 and it's 10 times better on all department.

    Now for the analysis:
    Gameplay is bad. It's basically impossible to prevent the player from shooting and the game is mostly rush + shot opposite team rush + shot. The controls are interesting but they lack depth and they surely don't make up for everything bad in this game.
    Graphic is the biggest flaw of this game. It looks very very much terrible. NHL 2k6 on Xbox had way better visuals. You would expect a next gen game to look better than the previous one. But that doesn't apply here. Even the nhl games on gamecube looked better.
    The Wii is much more closer to the ps2 than it is to the ps3. The game library attests it with ps2 remakes like Okami and Resident evil 4, that are both on the Wii top ten rating, minds you.

    The all time best hockey games goes like this for me:
    NHL 09
    NHL 94 (snes)
    Ice hockey (nintendo)    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

91
#91 Best Wii Game of 2008
51
#51 Most Discussed Wii Game of 2008
88
#88 Most Shared Wii Game of 2008

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
65

Mixed or average reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. IGN
    68
    2K has the right idea here, including motion shooting, IR passing, and motion-based goaltending, but the core game is just too much of a rushed effort, and the final product is a visually unpleasant, choppy, incomplete package.
    Read full review
  2. GamesRadar+
    60
    It’s just too bad that it looks so darned ugly. The controls are a breath of fresh air, though, so long as you give them a chance (which we have a feeling too many people won’t).
    Read full review
  3. Da Gameboyz
    70
    NHL 2K9 for the Wii disappoints in the graphical department as it cannot compete with its competitors in terms of visual appeal. However, the hands-on controls more than make up for this by adding a sense of actually being in the game and not just sitting on the couch playing the game
    Read full review
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