In attendance were the venerable (and hockey game legend from NHL 04) Jeremy Roenick, cover athlete Dion Phaneuf, Corey Perry, Patrick O’Sullivan and Wild goalie Josh Harding.  At the event all the players got to experience the “Be a Pro” mode and played as themselves.  It was set up as the Calgary Flames (for Phaneuf) vs. the San Jose Sharks (for Roenick).  Here are just a few comments that could be heard from the players.

Roenick: “Holy crap this game is realistic!” – after Perry cross-checked his player and was assessed a penalty

Phaneuf: “I’m not sure who would win in a fight between myself and Dan Boyle” – after his character lays out Boyle in a scrap

Roenick: “Jesus this is realistic.” – about the game in general

So yeah, you get the point.  They were loving it.

Also attending the event were gaming journalists from far and wide.  I had the privilege of getting a chance to chat with Brian Ekberg of Gamespot fame.  He was a very cool guy and is one of the best and most respected game journalists around today.  Thanks for being so approachable Brian!

Brian Ekberg and Yours Truly

Overall it was a great event and with the reviews pouring in being overwhelming positive, it seems NHL 2009 is poised to have another great year.

Check out some more photos from the event below.  I’ll have a review of the game up sometime in the coming weeks after some extensive testing of the online leagues…but the early word is that the game is amazing.

Levelling up in a sports game? Awesomeness ensues.

So what exactly is the EASHL?  It isn’t just another online mode…it’s basically an introduction of RPG elements into the sports genre with a dash of MMO for flavour.  In the EASHL, you take control of your own player and you (yes you, it is your name on the back of that jersey and your real name that appears on the leaderboards – not your gamertag), play online and are graded on your performance.  With the new performance tracker feature, you are graded on how well you play hockey, not on how well you play a video game.  A new system for tracking your progress and skills allows players to “level up” their hockey player by attributing skill points and improving stats…just like an RPG.  Perform well on a consistent basis and your hulking power forward will improve with you.

When you first begin there will be 10 player types to choose from across 3 categories of players:

Forwards: dangler, grinder, playmaker, power forward, sniper
Defensemen: defensive defenseman, offensive defenseman
Goalies: stand up, hybrid, butterfly

Want to be the next Sidney Crosby?  Become a playmaker.  Think you may be the next coming of Patrick Roy…choose a butterfly style goalie.  Point is, you get to tailor your own player and make him into a superstar…that is, if you have the skills to back it up.

So how do the RPG elements work?  As you play online with your created skater you will be awarded hockey cards which give you points to spend on your player’s growth in three areas: offense, defense, and athleticism for skaters and reflexes, puck control, and athleticism for goalies.  You may choose to level up your player across any of the three areas.  Even better, if you decide at any point in your career to change player types you retain all of the points you have earned and can redistribute your skill points to the new player type.

So how is it like an MMO?  All of this player development takes place online in the EASHL with teams made up entirely of gamers just like you.  You will have to work with your team and play your position if you are to have any chance of winning.  Players can emerge online as snipers, grinders or shutdown defensive specialists.  Best of all, it will be your name the opponents fear.  As you prove yourself online you will ascend the leaderboards and can challenge for the distinction of being the best player in the game at your position.  For once the leaderboards truly will mean something.

For anyone that has ever played a sports game this has to come as exciting news.  Finally, gamers have the chance to prove themselves in a system that rewards the player for playing better than everyone else.  Maybe it will finally help answer the question that all sports fans ask…who is the best?

If you want to learn more about the game be sure to check out the official NHL 2009 website here.

First of all, the game is looking great.  The visuals look amazing and the atmosphere is very reminiscent of the Alien Trilogy (Quadrilogy my ass). If you enjoyed watching Ripley battle aliens in dark corridors against insurmountable odds this game should be on your radar.

Second, the story is almost exactly the same as the now legendary Ridley Scott directed Alien film…and that’s a good thing.  Set on a mining ship that is in, you guessed it, deep space, protagonist Isaac Clarke finds himself up against an alien species called “Necromorphs” that have taken over the ship and killed everybody.  It’s a classic science fiction story and one that perfectly creates a situation where you are completely alone and afraid.

Third, Dead Space is a third-person survival horror game that is very similar to Resident Evil 4 and the upcoming Resident Evil 5.  Chances are, if you like those types of games, this one will be much the same…only with less zombies and a sci-fi twist.

Fourth and finally, this game is a brand new IP from EA, a company that is traditionally very hesitant to take chances and move in creative new directions.  There is far too much money involved these days with developing new IP’s and the fact that EA is taking a chance on a new one is a positive sign not only for the industry but for gamers.  If you are tired of playing sequels and the same games that have been rehashed over and over again, now is the chance to throw your support behind a game that is trying something new.   Lets be honest, new IP’s don’t come along very often because of the financial risks involved. Too often a great new IP will be released that is gains universal critical acclaim…only to catch on too late with gamers. Fans of the amazing PS2 game Okami will agree that the game should have had far more success with the gaming community.

If you are one of the many that has not even seen this game yet be sure to check out the trailer below.  Better yet, be sure to see the awesome developer commentary video. Science fiction fans should be excited.

I think this game is going to be worth taking a “chance” on.  To learn more from someone that has actually played the game, check out a hands-on preview written by IGN’s Hilary Goldstein.

To be clear, I’m not advocating that you should go out and buy this game…yet. But if it comes out and is actually really good I only hope that gamers will give it a chance. Otherwise, all we may have to look forward from EA will be the next iterations of Tiger Woods and Burnout for years to come.

Also announced for the 2009 title are boxing icons Sugar Ray Leonard and Lennox Lewis. No doubt, many more will be added to the list in the months to come. If the wait for this game is too agonizing, try getting a full facial tatoo and bite your friends ear off next time you get in an argument. That’ll help you prepare for what is inevitably to come.

Now, after having put in more hours than I care to admit, a few things about the game have emerged as more than just minor nuisances. In an effort to organize my thoughts I have compiled a list of the top 5 things that need to be fixed in the next iteration of Harmonix’s Rock Band.

Please note, that I am tackling Rock Band from the perspective I think most people who go and buy this game will be able to relate to. I’m talking about the gamers who want to be able to bring it home, set it up and rock out with their friends. This game is far more about having fun with friends than it is about “passing levels,” “beating the boss” or “winning the game.”

And now, the top 5 things that need to be improved for Rock Band’s inevitable next iteration:

5. The guitar is terrible.

Anyone that has played with the guitars from Guitar Hero 2 or 3 will immediately notice how cheap and flimsy the guitar is that comes packaged with Rock Band. It simply doesn’t feel right. Making matters worse, the guitar is not wireless. If the guitar that comes with Guitar Hero 3 can be wireless, why can’t this one? Since I have the 360 version, I’m going to assume that it was a problem with Microsoft, as the PS3 version has a wireless guitar. Topping it all off, my guitar broke within 1 week of buying the game. Put simply, that is unacceptable.

4. The microphone has no buttons or ability to navigate menus.

Throughout the game there are many, many times when the lead singer will have to push the A button to select “continue.” Seems simple right? Nope. You have to find a controller and do it that way. While this seems like a petty complaint, when you are rocking out with tons of people (who are usually intoxicated), this can be a major pain. Would it kill them to have a button on there somewhere? How about you do the tamborine tap and that works as a button push? I realize that they probably didn’t want the singer to accidentally push a button while the rock it out, but can’t the button simply be deactivated once you are in game to avoid that problem?

3. Too many songs are locked when you buy the game. When you buy this game you are shelling out $200 to buy an elaborate kareoke machine. I’m not sure how many people out there are buying this for some hardcore challenge but in order to unlock all the songs you need to go through one of the campaign modes to get them all. When you get this game home you want to be able to play all the songs that are are in the disc. Having to play the same songs over and over again with you friends just so you can unlock more songs and add some variety is a joke. I’ll never listen to “Say it Ain’t So” ever again thanks to this game.

2. Some of the songs break the game.

That’s right, some of the songs are so hard that you will simply fail if they show up. For example, if you buy the Metallica pack and one of those songs shows up in a random setlist on world tour, chances are your band will be in tough. This is especially painful when you are on song 7 of an 8 song set. Where’s the fun in that?

1. The multiplayer interface will drive you insane.

Ok, this game is all about playing instruments. I understand that. Problem is, 9 times out of 10 there will be non-gamers playing Rock Band with you. When it comes to the interface that’s a huge problem. I can’t even count the number of times someone will get their turn on drums and proceed to hammer out a drum solo to warm themselves up. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to them, the pads are actually buttons too and somehow you end up backed up all the way to the main menu. Or, when you are ready to rock somebody hits the red button on the guitar as they and you have to start setting it up all over again. It’s a real problem. Why can’t 1 player have full control to set the band up? It would only take a second. If you’ve played the game at a party before, no doubt you will have experienced this. Problem is, the more you play (and you’ll play a lot) the more times it will happen to you.

That’s it. Despite these problems, Rock Band is a simply fantastic game. It brings gamers and non-gamers together in a way that few games have ever been able to before. It is the evolution of Guitar Hero and has something for everyone. If you are on the fence about this game, don’t be. These gripes are all minor (save the guitar breaking perhaps) and the core game is the definition of fun.