Critics be damned, because last year's NHL 07 was hot. The easy to learn dual analog stick controls made it immediately accessible to even clueless hockey n00bs, while the high definition visuals ushered in a new era for EA's historic franchise. This year's edition, aptly titled NHL 08 includes all of its predecessor's greatest features as well as some necessary tweaks that may leave the competition scrambling to find its missing teeth.

At this stage, the grossly unfinished product, due this fall, offers a glimpse of where the final product will take everyone. It starts with the Skill Stick, the innovative feature mapped to the right analog stick. This year, gamers can make their opponents look foolish by sliding the puck between his or her legs and then stepping around them, leaving their mystified adversaries scrambling to recover. EA also plans to improve shooting to give offensive players a chance for the game winning goal.

Of course, in order to score, one must actually put a player in position, achieved by mastering the left analog stick, which controls player speed. In this year's game, gamers can actually control a skater's velocity, bursting from a starting position or slowing down/speeding up to dupe a defensemen looking to deliver a bone-jarring hit. To do this, simply tilt the analog stick a little to walk up to the puck, or push it all the way up to really get moving.

Beyond that, players can perform crossovers and turns to change direction. This freedom of movement offers players unprecedented control over a team, and eliminates some of the frustrations generated in previous hockey efforts.

Naturally, EA plans to boost the artificial intelligence, a promise developers make with each new sports video game. It also hopes to achieve silky smooth 60 frames per second gameplay, which would make the action flow more realistically. The company remains mum on NHL's online features, but did say that the final version will include 30 practice drills.

It's still too early to pass judgment, but thus far, NHL 08 appears ready to give 2K Sports' NHL 2K franchise something to worry about. Expect detailed impressions, and plenty of bone-rattling hits, in the near future.