2K Games has slid a demo for NHL 2K8 onto Xbox Live.
It slams into the net at 1GB, and will give you a frozen taste of what to expect from the yearly update to one of the most consistently acclaimed ice-hockey series out there.
This year developer Kush is all about new bits and pieces. It has finally taken the plunge and mapped stick commands and movement to the right analogue stick, and added famous Superstar Moves that you can pull-off to impress your friends. Goalies have been revamped too, following criticism from 2K7, and should now behave more realistically than ever.
You can also get your hands on the new video capturing Reelmaker feature for NHL 2K8, which is currently being offered as a Live download costing 400 points (GBP 3.40 / EUR 4.65).
It all adds up to what 2K Games is rather unsurprisingly promising to be the best game in the series to date. NHL 2K7 scored highly with us because of its safe and polished approach, earning 9/10. We can only hope for more of the same, and that the glitzy new analogue stick controls don't fluff up a good thing.
NHL 2K8 will be released on PS3, 360 and PS2 in October.