Online support talk was limited but the team wants to issue roster updates at least every six weeks but sometimes sooner if “something big” happens. One cool bit: you can edit sliders in unranked matches and can even send friends slider codes to help get everyone on the same online page, so to speak.

One key bit for online play is that they have solved (hopefully) the online “flop” strategy that a lot of people used which involved taking a defender and literally sprawling him out in the crease in order to block shots and players. Now, when you go down like that you go into a slide motion – you can’t just stay still and clog up an entire section of the scoring zone. Why people played that way in the first place is beyond me…

“It’s a sim feel…”

The words “sim” and “realism” were used an awful lot in our hour long listenfest. The team went into making this version with realism as one of its goals; whether or not they pull that off remains to be seen but it sure sounds good on paper. Everything from the way Franchise Mode works to the way the game plays is approached with some degree of realism in mind.

Take the new Pro Stick, for example. At first, a lot of people assumed it was simply an answer to what EA Sports did last year but this sounds all together different because it’s not a shooting mechanism; it’s completely separate from shooting and skating – this is all about stick-handling and moving the puck in a freeform way to get it into a position to be able to pass, shoot, etc. And it all goes back to realism. You won’t be able to use Pro Stick like a magician if you’re using Jody Shelly. Player ratings tie into everything that NHL 2K8 does.

Interestingly, designer Colin O'Hara likes the way Pro Stick works on defense just as much as its use on offense. “My favorite new feature is the new Poke Check (with Pro Stick); it completely changes the way I play the game.” Poke checking, if abused, will result in your player being put of position and maybe even drawing a hooking penalty.

It was interesting to hear O’Hara talk about the game. He’s clearly a realism maven. Only a hockey fan would get excited about a new face-off mechanic, but he’s right. Think about it – how many hockey games have realistic face-offs? In most games you press a button and pass the puck directly off the face-off for an open one-timer. This part of the game has been completely reworked, according to O’Hara. You can swipe at the puck, tie-up an opponent, and even get kicked out of the face-off circle if you’re timing is too early. The team loves to pick the brains of real NHL players and Joe Thornton gave them a ton of insight about face-offs (and other stuff) so hopefully this will translate well into how it plays.

Sticking with the realism angle, checking has been toned down a bit so that most checks are more “pushes” to get a player off balance rather than a full-on body block that rattles teeth. In order to do one of those you need to be in perfect position and use a player suitable for the task. Fighting also isn’t a focus of the game; it’s there but it’s not something the team put much time into.