The new default control scheme is just as hard to get used to as it is to describe. Shooting and passing used to be on the easy to use face buttons, but not any longer. They are on the bumpers (or L1 and R1 on the Playstation). It’s a less comfortable button for two of the most used activities in hockey and the move makes little sense. Additionally, if you want to take a slap shot you have to hold down one of the triggers while shooting.

The reason for the move is probably because of the new options available on the right analog stick. While on offense, you can move the stick right to left if you want to move the puck right to left. It’s an interesting idea, but the response isn’t as smooth as it needs to be. Because of this new option, the shooting and passing buttons had to be moved away from the thumb using the right stick.

The other thing you can do with the right stick involves defense – swipes and poke checks. Again, the response isn’t as clean as it should be, and the player was better off when these functions involved simple buttons.

The other control addition are superstar moves. By holding down the trigger and pressing a combination of face buttons you can make your player perform some pretty sweet and wonderfully animated moves. There are plenty, like a quick spin, shooting through the legs or a fake whiff. They look great, and they’re fun, but some of them take a while so it’s a bummer you can’t pull them off without getting your clock cleaned. Their best use is during a shootout or if you find yourself with a lot of room.

You’ve also got two speed bursts to choose from, a short burst and the longer, more sustained burst that we’re used to. They don’t feel very different in speed, one is just shorter. There’s no harm done with that change, but the same can’t be said for moving the icon passing command over to the back button. It’s one of the hardest to reach buttons on any controller, but you’ll need it when you’re in the offensive zone and trying to move the puck.

The silver lining to all the control changes is a big one: You can change them back to last year’s scheme.

One very cool change is the way you play face-offs. You’ll use the right stick to position the stick before the drop, and when you see the puck drop, you let go. If you come from a different angle than your opponent and time it better, you’ll send the puck toward your team. It simply feels more realistic than ever, even when you get tied up.

In other good news, the game looks better than ever. It looks a little better every year, and this time you’ll notice it almost everywhere. The way uniforms move, the way the ice changes and takes a beating over the course of a game, and the players themselves - the animations and their symmetry. NHL 2k8 looks as good or better than any sports game we’ve seen.

And that makes the following fact hard to accept: Checking is too over the top. It looks great, it feels great to do it, and the reaction from the bodies involved as they collide is awesome to watch. It’s just far too easy to take a guy right off his feet. And it doesn’t matter how big the check-er is versus the check-ee – it’s still easy even if you’re outsized. It’s an exciting change, and it makes for great trash talk, but it’s almost comical after a while.

Franchise mode is still the deepest around, and includes collective bargaining negotiations. It’s much more complex than most players will probably appreciate or find interesting, but if you want to you can spend a lot of time flipping between screens and hammering out the details. As with seemingly any franchise mode in any sports game, the computer makes weird moves. Some very good players are taken off teams and put on waiver for no apparent reason. And player improvement seems needlessly complicated. Players earn points after games, but figuring out how they apply to the player’s future could have been communicated more clearly.

The biggest drawback to NHL 2k8 is the new controls. Even if you want to grow into them, it’s not worth it. Fortunately, you can turn them off and get on with your day, so there’s not much downside. 2k8 still plays a smooth, exciting and fun game of hockey, with online play and visuals that just keep getting better.