EA Sports' NHL 08 hasn't taken on the ice just yet but the developers are already giving everyone a clue on what's in store for the new season. One of the cool new features is a dedicated mode for the goalie position. Watch as David Litman, gameplay producer discusses it.

The goalie position is among the most underrated position in all of sports. Be it ice hockey, soccer or water polo, the goalie is often the most pressure-packed job especially when facing a savvy offensive squad. You're the last line of defense when your teammates slack off and you'll hear it from the crowd every time a shot blows by you. This year in EA Sports' NHL 08, you'll know that this isn't a job for the faint of heart.

Now that you have an idea of the pressures and thrills that being a goalie has, it's time to start thinking of ways to get excited when the opponent's offense gets more tenacious than a flaccid earthworm. In any case, you can get NHL 08 this month on the Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, and the PC.

Buy: [NHL 08 (PS3)]
Buy: [NHL 08 (PC)]
Buy: [NHL 08 (Xbox 360)]

Bust out your ice skates, your hockey stick, and the rest of your hockey team, we've got another video for the upcoming EA Sports video game, NHL 08 (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC).

In the video, Meredith Gaffney, assistant producer for NHL 08, talks about customization and team creation options in the game. You can basically choose the skates you want your players to wear or the stick you want them to use. You can also test the equipment to ensure that you get what you need. Players will also get to choose team details like logos, names, and uniforms - down to your player's socks.

Better check out the video and see what we mean. We'll keep you posted on more NHL 08 news so stay tuned.

Buy: [NHL 08 (PS3)]
Buy: [NHL 08 (PC)]
Buy: [NHL 08 (Xbox 360)]

EA Sports is gearing up for the next hockey season and it's armed with two powerful new tools to create some miracle on ice. Dean Richards,  producer of NHL 08 (PS3, 360, PC), recently posted a message on the IGN blogs and he introduced the Create-a-Play and On the Fly AI features. Both will satisfy simulation nuts and push realism to the next level.

The Create-a-Play option lets you design rushes and breakaway tactics with ease using a TiVo-like interface. Essentially, what it does is leave you in a mode similar to Practice and let you move a player the way you want him to in the play. You can then add new players to the mix by moving them as the first player moves in the way you want him to. It's a bit like recording in overlapping fashion to run a play to perfection.

The Create-a-Play function should be great when you have opponents playing in a certain manner that none of the preset plays can address. If you've always thought you have what it takes to coach, this is the game for you.

You'll have to be careful, though. EA Sports has listened to the calls of true-blue NHL fans and is fielding in an AI which adapts and evolves like human players do. Essentially, what the On the Fly AI does is to contour to the way you play and analyze your strategies. Run a play too often and the AI will find a way to break it up. Rely on your star too heavily, and the opposing team just might go head-hunting.

And the adaptation isn't limited to a single game. The scouting actually extends through your save file. In the playoffs where adjustments are the key, you'll have to have more than one strategy to beat the CPU.

Brush up those skating moves and juice up your plays. Don't think for a second that you'll win the Stanley Cup with a slap shot from the blue line because the AI will punish you and leave your teeth chattering in the ice.

Buy: [NHL 08 (PS3)]
Buy: [NHL 08 (Xbox 360)]

If you've ever played hockey, or attempted to play it, you'd know just how painful it can get. (Heck, for this writer, even putting one foot on the ice is painful.) For today's dose of the upcoming EA Sports video game - NHL 08, a lot of effort was put on making the pain look real.

David Littman, gameplay producer for NHL 08, gives us some insight on just how the contact physics and realistic motion applies in the title. They used a new contact physics engine and a new skating engine. NHL 08 (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC) looks smooth and realistic, though that's judging from the videos we're seen so far. The real test will be on the game's September 11 release date.

Anyway, we'll leave you to check it out for yourself. Feel free to tell us what you think. Enjoy!

What you're seeing right here is the exclusive Reebok exclusive trailer for NHL 08 which goes out for the Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360 and the PC. The sports apparel maker has apparently realized the potential of in-game advertising and has pulled out the stops to give this year's iteration its flavor. Take a look at this:

If you're looking for a winter wonderland, you don't have any business buying NHL 08. For the first time ever, all 29 of the American Hockey League will be there to give you checks and leave your teeth chattering in the ice. It's shaping up to be one of the meanest hockey sims ever so watch out because the other team is head hunting.

Luckily for you, there will be some innovations this year to help you make some miracles on ice. Leading the way is the Skill Stick system which makes gliding through the ice and controlling the puck more realistic than ever. With some practice and the right Reebok gear, you just may be on your way to winning the trophy with a slap shot from the blue line.

Hockey fans who've been waiting for some new action on ice didn't have to wait too long for EA Sports to unveil NHL '08 for the Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, and the PC as it sets a rocking tone heading into this year's E3 in Santa Monica. Check out their theme video:

As we've seen with some 15 years' worth of installments, the sports mavens at EA Sports are giving us some of the best-looking athletes on ice while showing off hard checks and lightning-fast breakaways. Not a lot has been revealed about new gameplay options and tweaks, but knowing the people behind the series, there's bound to be a handful.

The NHL franchise has been one of EA's longest-running lines of games and has come out on top or darn near it each and every time. Will the next-generation see another dynasty? Chances are that it just might.

And just to settle the score against the competition, EA Sports' NHL 08 (for the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3) producer David Littman recently made a blog entry for the next hockey sports title and passed new gameplay features and improvements that players might be interested to know. And according to him, from now until shipment, fans of the game can keep checking blogged updates on new developments.

But first, let's see what EA Sports has in store for the new hockey successor to NHL 07, featuring cover athlete Eric "Gunner" Staal this time around. Littman pointed out that all the NHL 07 skating issues have been addressed and that players should have complete, 100% control over each of their players.

"Overall, our goal is to create the tools and the brain of an NHL player, input them into our game, and then leave the rest to you," blogged Littman. So expect brief flicks on control sticks should equate to a precise unique reaction on a player in the game, like a 10% tap in one direction should reflect a player zipping in that location in 10% speed accordingly.

And how about stopping to line up the right pass or shot? That's been improved, too. In any case, the length of time it takes for you to tap the stick on your gamepad, the controlled man will take that long to stop. A simple tap backwards makes a brief controlled halt, and tapping back forward again will cause your player to skirt in that direction again.

And skating has also been improved to the point that animation and gameplay mechanics become more practical and realistic. Teammates on the defense positions will now keep to the blue lines, facing their upper torso toward the puck so that they're always ready to receive a pass from the puckhandler.

Cross-over turns are now just controlled by a genuine, quick roll of the stick, if you want to skirt behind the goal for example to clear up a newly retrieved puck for a new offensive dash toward the opponent's end. He also adds that it keeps player's speeds up while allowing them to change direction.

Skill Stick features in NHL 07 have been further developed to practical levels in NHL 08, and the team behind NHL 08 will also be addressing goals trickling past the goalie and new team-based AI. More on that once they come in.

  

AskMen.com's pick for Sports Rookie of the Year, Eric "Gunner" Staal was picked out by Electronic Arts to grace the cover of the next title in the EA Sports NHL series, EA Sports' NHL 08. The 23-year old Carolina Hurricane's center player was also announced to be the title's spokesman for this year, said the official press release.

"“I am a huge fan of the NHL franchise and played NHL 07 fanatically. I am honored to be named to the EA SPORTS™ family and the NHL 08 team," said Staal. Fans of the sport may remember Eric Joseph Brent Staal (brother of Marc Staal of the New York Rangers, Jordan Staal and Jared Staal - all whom are also hockey players) to have been selected to play the All-Stars game for the Eastern Conference back in Season 06-07.

Staal will succeed Alexander Ovechkin, who graced the cover of the previous title, NHL 07, being the 12th and latest star NHL player to be given the honor of appearing on EA's premier hockey sports game coming for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PS2 and PC this fall.