With the help of our readers and 2K Sports, we had an opportunity to interview Ben Bishop, Project Manager of NHL 2K8.

Operation Sports:  Will 2K8 use "Cinemotion"? If so, how has it been improved?

Ben Bishop:  Cinemotion is still a part of the experience, and now you can choose between that and Traditional Broadcast in our Presentation menu. Our focus this year was more on the broadcast style though, including beefing up our commentary database and updating and improving stat overlays. We did change some of the available Cinemotion music tracks, but the style overall is very similar to what you saw in 2K7.

Operation Sports:  How has the puck physics changed this year?

Ben Bishop:  One of my favorite tweaks that may not be as noticeable to everyone right away is that pucks bounce and deflect off of sticks a lot better than they used to. In 2K7, pucks deflecting up and out of play was a rarity, but now you’re likely to see it happen a few times a game. We also worked on the ways pucks bounce off of the goalie pads, and now there are more shots that get deflected off into the corners. Collision volumes with the goalie and the net were improved too, so overall puck physics are definitely tighter and more realistic than they ever have been.

Operation Sports:  What can we expect in the way of graphics, animations and presentation?

Ben Bishop:  Each of these areas has seen significant changes for NHL 2K8. On the graphics side, we have a new player model that takes into account the new NHL uniforms that will be used by all teams in the 2007-08 season. The level of detail on the uniforms is simply amazing. Everything from the fight straps, to the shoulder patches, to the different types of material, to each of the individual stitches is included.

We also added more licensed equipment than we have ever had before, and players will now be using their correct sticks, gloves, skates, helmets, and more, and in many cases even down to the specific color patterns on their gloves. Players have different body types now too, and our goal is for you to be able to pick out certain players just based on their look. We want there to be differentiation from player to player visually, as well as with the way they play.

On the animations front, there are hundreds of new animations in the game this year. There is new shooting and passing with the Pro Stick, a variety of Superstar moves that can be used on breakaways and in shootouts, a host of new lighter check and stumble animations, and the goalies have a completely new and dynamic look that I’ll get into more below.

As for presentation, as mentioned above, we shifted focus back to a traditional broadcast style, but Cinemotion is still available as an option. Bob Cole and Harry Neale return to call the shots, and both of them spent a ton of time in the booth recording new player names and team and player analysis, and updating our database to create a better variety on all types of calls.

Operation Sports:  Has the CPU relying too much on "one-timers" been addressed?

Ben Bishop:  We worked quite a bit with the CPU offensive AI to improve this problem and to make their attack a little bit more dangerous and varied overall. We also wanted to mix in some of the new features, so now you’ll see them stickhandle and use Superstar Moves in certain instances too. Getting back to the one-timers, it now really varies from game to game. Sometimes you’ll see the CPU attempt as little as 2 or 3 in a game. Other times it might be closer to 10. Generally it ends up somewhere in the middle of that range though, and it really ends up depending on the situation, how your defense is set up, and what type of players are out on the ice.

Operation Sports:  Has there been added attributes to the player ratings?

Ben Bishop:  No, the player attribute categories have remained the same as they were in NHL 2K7, although we have a new Player Type system to categorize the players with.

Operation Sports:  Has skating momentum been tweaked at all?

Ben Bishop:  Our new skating engine in NHL 2K7 was pretty well-received, so we left much of it as is for NHL 2K8. The main changes that were made were just in getting it to co-exist with all of the new Pro Stick shooting, passing, and stickhandling. There is a slightly different feel now simply because of the enhanced controls and animations available, but for the most part, the momentum and overall feel are a lot like what we had previously.

Operation Sports:  How improved are the goalies this year?

Ben Bishop:  Goalies have been completely revamped for 2K8, and are probably the most improved (not to mention simply different) area in the game. There are a ton of new butterfly animations, and goalies slide around on their pads to block shots and get in position, which is something they could never do before. In general, they utilize the butterfly stance much more realistically. In the past, our goalies had leaned a little too much towards stand-up, but now they really feel like NHL goalies. Their logic and behavior is totally different now too. You’ll see them come out and challenge to cut off the angles on breakaways, actively guard the posts, and look around screens to try to follow the shooter in traffic.

There are many new saves and smothers available, as well. Goalies will now react to pucks behind them, ones that are trickling slowly through the crease, and also ones that are floating in the air. Of everything new in the game, the goalies are probably the most dynamic and exciting. Even after you’ve been playing the game for a while, you’re still likely to see something totally unique from the goalies every so often.

Operation Sports:  Will we see untucked/tucked jerseys this year?

Ben Bishop:  Yes, we added an option in Create Player (and when editing existing NHL players) to have the jersey tucked or untucked, along with a ton of other customization options.

Operation Sports:  Will we see tap-ins?

Ben Bishop:  I’m not sure exactly what the question is referring to here, as we still have the same ability to quickly knock in a loose puck that we’ve had in the past. With the Pro Stick, we also have several more shooting locations too so that a player can shoot a puck that’s out in front of them, close the body, or out to either side. Rebound goals are definitely still an effective way to score, so getting a shot on net when you have a clean look is always a smart idea.

Operation Sports:  Will players who rely on power and players who rely on skill make more of a difference?

Ben Bishop:  Yes, and this is most noticeable with the Pro Stick. Players with high stickhandling ratings, for example, will have more range with their stick and can move the puck around more quickly and even do some fancier moves like bring the puck behind their back. Less skilled players won’t be able to move the puck as quickly and are more likely to lose it when carrying the puck through traffic. Additionally, power forwards are going to be noticeably harder to knock off the puck, while smaller players can be more easily bumped off with a well-timed hit.

Superstar Moves also have puckhandling and agility ratings thresholds based on how difficult the move is to pull off. If you try one of the more difficult moves with a scrub, you’re likely going to lose the puck or even stumble and fall down. Overall, it will really be to your benefit to know who has the puck and what they are capable of. If a player like Crosby has it, you can try pretty much anything you want, but if it’s a third or fourth liner, your best bet is to stick with the basics and pass it off, dump the puck in, or look for an open shot.

Operation Sports:  How have deflections been done this year? 

Ben Bishop:  Deflections work much like they did in 2K7. You can manually attempt one by pressing the shoot button if you have control of a player in front of the net, and the CPU players will also attempt them if they are in the right place at the right time. We did some work on the logic so that players would be more intelligent in determining the right opportunities to try them. This can be another effective way of scoring, especially on the power play if you work the puck back to the point and fire in high shots.

Operation Sports:  Can constant poke checkers, or diving poke checkers cause trips and get called this year?

Ben Bishop:  Yes, and this is another feature that has flown a bit under the radar so far. Poke checks have been integrated into the defensive Pro Stick (flick the right stick in any direction to perform a poke). However, if you aren’t careful with your poke, you can end up hooking, slashing, or tripping your opponent. This also becomes more likely to occur if you’re constantly poking when an opponent is near.

It adds a fun risk/reward system to the whole thing. In the NHL, penalties are often drawn in situations like this when a poke check is not well-timed, and we wanted to represent that here. This also helps to make defense more about positioning and strategy rather than just constant poking. Additionally, diving poke checks have been made contextual as part of the shot block mechanic, so you won’t see people diving all over the ice anymore.

Operation Sports:  Are there less flat out hits and more bumps/slow down checks this year?

Ben Bishop:  Yes, we added several new animations for smaller checks and bumps, and the appropriate stumble reactions to go along with them. This makes for less huge hits that knock a player all the way to the ice. Bigger players will also be more effective at using the body check than smaller players.

Operation Sports:  Are you adding more classic teams, to those already in the game? Like past Stanley cup playoff participants over the recent and past years, such as Anaheim, Carolina, Tampa Bay or world teams such as Team Canada '76, '92.

Ben Bishop:  No, the lineup of historic teams has remained the same this year.

Operation Sports:  Have you updated the create a team feature with more uniform options (colors, designs, logos) and the limit on how many we can make?

Ben Bishop:  Yes, Create Team has seen a pretty significant upgrade from last year. You can now customize everything from the player gloves and goalie gear style and color, to a Home, Away, and Alternate jersey, to things as small as the color of the outline on your numbers. And you are no longer limited to a selection of preset colors. We have a color picker that allows you to create pretty much any custom color you want that can be applied anywhere you want it to. There is still a limit of 5 created teams total, but the amount of customization and options you have with them has been significantly enhanced and increased.

Operation Sports:  When playing a season/franchise game, can we invite a friend in to play as coop (teammates) online?

Ben Bishop:  No, this is not something we have available this year, although you can play co-op Franchise games from the same console. And of course, you can still play online leagues and tournaments with trades, roster and line management, fantasy drafts, and more.

Operation Sports:  Can you talk about camera views? Will we see a true playable broadcast angle this year?

Ben Bishop:  Our camera angles have remained the same for 2K8. We were really happy with the addition of the Parametric Camera last year, and it seemed to be very well-received, so it is still the default view.

Operation Sports:  Did Larionov or any of the other hockey players who did mo-cap add any new input in the gameplay additions or AI code?

Ben Bishop:  Igor Larionov helped us out quite a bit during our mocap shoot, and we were able to talk to him about what kinds of moves he would (or wouldn’t) use out on the ice. We also spent time with several other NHL players over the past year in order to pick their brains about certain things, many of which ended up becoming larger features in the game. We talked to Matt Carle and Anson Carter last fall about face-off strategies and how they set up on offense. We talked to Marty Turco quite extensively about goalie positioning, mentality, and much more, a lot of which factored in heavily to the goaltending improvements we made. We also spent a lot of time with Joe Thornton going over face-offs, and this helped immensely with our new face-off system. And just recently, we have been talking with NHL 2K8 cover athlete Jason Spezza about a variety of things that we hope will come into play for NHL 2K9.

Operation Sports:  We would like to thank you for your time with this interview, is there anything else you would like to add?

Ben Bishop:  Overall, NHL 2K8 has really come a long way since last year. We wanted the game to feel like an entirely new experience, and everything from gameplay, to the controls, to the menus, to an overhauled Franchise mode (and lots more) has hopefully helped to do this.

Thanks for giving us the opportunity for a Q&A. The Operation Sports community has been very helpful over the years, and we are always keeping an eye on the forums to see what kind of feedback and ideas are out there. This year will be no different, and we’re really looking forward to everyone getting a chance to play the game and post impressions. September 11 will be here before you know it!