| 11 June 2009
Alex Ovechkin has officially etched his name into the sports video game hall of fame as one of the few athletes to appear on two video game covers. What's interesting about the decision is that he has now graced the cover of two competing developers' games.
2K Sports will feature Alex Ovechkin on the cover of NHL 2K10 while rival Electronic Arts will feature Chicago Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane on the cover of NHL 2010.
Ovechkin's "defection" to 2K only heats up a classic rivalry in the video game world that has a storyline worthy of an NHL bloodbath. In case you didn't know, 2K and Electronic Arts are still feuding over a deal with the NFL that gave Electronic Arts exclusive rights to produce NFL video games.
Only one NHL player before Ovechkin has appeared on two North American NHL video game covers. Jeremy Roenick accomplished the feat in 2003, appearing on NHL 2K3 and ESPN NHL Hockey. Both games were produced by 2K Sports.
Ovechkin's presence on the 2K title is more or less a call to arms by developer 2K, who has seen its NHL series literally "waived" by gamers since Ovechkin first appeared on EA's cover in 2007.
Since Ovechkin appeared on the EA Sports-produced game in 2007, EA has taken hockey games to new levels and just recently created what many consider to be the best hockey game ever made. In the Ovechkin cover game, NHL 2007, EA introduced the "skill stick," which allowed players to perform manual dekes and offered unprecedented control over shooting. In later installments, EA advanced the skill stick, introduced artificial intelligence that counteracts your play, added stronger defensive play and constructed a strong online team play game called the EASHL.
2K on the other hand has lagged behind and. while NHL 09 still sells at full retail price, 2K9 entered bargain bin territory by midseason. When EA took the realism route in 2008, 2K turned its once-prized hockey sim game play into an arcade-friendly game. A redesigned control scheme fell out of favor with fans, and the 2K series' presentation lacked the slick look of the EA produced series. The latest release of the 2K series was considered rock-bottom for the former king of video game hockey.
So who better to revamp the gimpy 2K series than Mr. Hot Stick himself? 2K plans to embrace Ovechkin's style and deliver a truly "Ovechkin-esq" experience. From the 2K press release.
"In celebration of the announcement, Ovechkin will be participating in a first-time-ever public outdoor hockey motion capture session Tuesday night at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas from 8:30-11:30pm PT...The event is free and open to the public to watch, as synthetic ice will be laid down to create a special hockey rink and 2K Sports' game producers will put Ovechkin through a number of dynamic drills to capture his signature style data for NHL 2K10."
Whether or not 2K can make up lost ground on EA in one year remains to be seen, but the buzz of having hockey's most dynamic player on the cover certainly will draw attention back to 2K. It's going to take an Ovechkin-esq effort to revitalize the 2K franchise, but at least they are headed in the right direction.
Look for NHL 2K10 to be in stores on Sept. 15 and NHL 2010 in stores on Sept. 8.
With Ovechkin appearing on the cover of the "lesser" game and the EA Sports game likely to be another "Best. Game. Ever." what's a hockey-gaming Caps fan to do?
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
