I reviewed NHL 2K7 on Xobx 360 last year and was deeply impressed by the dynamic presentation style the title offered. Offering a far more cinematic style of game, during ice time as well as in between, the game seemed to promise great things to come from developer Kush Games and publisher 2KSports. So this year’s edition should be even better, right?

Right?

Anyone?

Bueller?

Unfortunately for hockey fans, improvements on last year’s game are nowhere to be found, and in fact the dynamic presentation that made me love 2K7 so much isn’t anywhere to be found in this season’s game. It’s like they took last year’s game, bundled it up in some sturdy Samsonite luggage, and locked it away in storage for no apparent reason. That’s weird as hell, if you ask me.

Instead, NHL 2K8 seems to have ignored the 2K7 iteration in the series altogether and seems to be built from the 2K6 version instead. Of course, that’s not to say there haven’t been changes. As a matter of fact, there are plenty.

One new, but ultimately annoying, element is the new control scheme. Some developers never learn that once you train folks to play a game a certain way, you don’t do random, wholesale changes to that control scheme without careful thought and a darn good reason.

This year, 2KSports wants folks to use the analog sticks for just about everything. That’s fine, but the new system just never clicked for me. My hands were used to the old-style controls and fortunately Kush did put the 2K7-style control scheme back into the game. (So they DO know the 2K7 version exists! Could’a fooled me.)

Even with the 2K7 style controls restored, the game didn’t play like it LIKED being played that way, and seemed a bit sluggish. If I want a new control scheme, sign me up for the Wii or PS3 version and give me motion-control; the 360 lacks that, so let’s stick with something that works and is intuitive, please. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel if the wheel you have already works.

Sonically, the game is just fine if a bit of a staid effort. The standard ice arena music is present in full force, but the playlist is shallow and seems too familiar. Online play is solid, but I was unable to find many opponents on the network while I was there, so I didn’t have as much time playing online as I would have liked to uncover glitches and issues.

The dynasty mode is sufficient by – despite ad-copy claims – is essentially unchanged and still has some serious trading AI flaws that ought to be addressed sometime this century. While I enjoy playing my Minnesota Wild, the dynasty mode here is all a bit too invisible; it’s too easy to have plenty of actionable emails come into your GM desk from the coach, the owner and so forth, and never even be notified by the game that “You’ve got mail!”

Ultimately, NHL 2K8 isn’t a terrible game, but it does mark a steep step downward for the series. Kush Games needs to get back on the horse and, when working on NHL 2K9, use 2K7 as the basis of which to build a decent follow-up in the series. 2K8 is, at best, a step sideways, not forward.