Another American sports title, another scramble to find someone willing to take on a challenge containing such foreign concepts as ‘hooking‘ and ‘buttending‘. Still, with time running out we’d better get on with it, before we turn too many nouns into verbs by accident.

Predictably enough, NHL 2K8 is competent fare, yet unmistakably behind its EA counterpart in terms of flair. The crucial risk/ reward balance right-analogue shooting it gives you doesn’t translate, making it (extremely unusually) far too easy to score. Passing and movement also seem much more difficult, due to the significantly weighty players and their inextricable inability to stop or even change direction.

A pick-and-mix of mini-games have been added, focusing on ice hockey’s more enjoyable facets (that’ll be violence and more violence), but ultimately this feels like an overenthusiastic, creepy romantic gesture. The best course of action is to step away, phone the law enforcement authorities and seek competent representation. In gaming, this just means let someone else buy it.

Dave Shaw