Say what you want about sports video games. That they barely change from year to year. That they're designed by developers with exclusive licenses and no motivation to innovate. That they're a waste of money on what amounts to a yearly graphics upgrade of increasingly stale gameplay. In some cases, this may be true.

But Electronic Arts' NHL development team has quietly been changing all of that. A few years back, as the NHL itself was dancing on thin ice, EA's hockey series was a mess of arcadey checking, unrealistic simulation, and boring features.

Now, after three significant revisions, the Vancouver-based team is setting the standard for sports video games, establishing important features that have trickled down to other franchises.

NHL 09 represents the latest example of the team's push toward hockey bliss--and this time, it may have been reached. Playing the Xbox 360 version last night, I was so impressed with the effort that I found myself racing to write about it. This isn't just a great sports game--it's a great game, period.

Here are six reasons why NHL 09 is something special:

1. Everyone is a player.

NHL 09 supports full six on six multiplayer games. Everyone on the ice can be a human--and this changes everything.

It's hard to overstate how exciting it is to play a multiplayer sports game where every player is a real, thinking opponent. With teammates choosing permanent positions before the start of the game, it adds a touch of class-based, Team Fortress-esque responsibility to what would otherwise be a test of pure twitch skill.

This roleplaying and cooperation leads to a more accurate, and thus more satisfying, hockey experience. As an offensive player, knowing that your teammates are human means that you can finally coordinate on plays that would never be possible with the AI. As a defender, knowing that your team will be cursing you out over Xbox Live if you don't stop that breakaway makes the position much more exciting.

Even playing as the goalie is fun. As the netminder, the view shifts to an over-the-shoulder perspective, giving you a realistic but challenging view of action. Goalies must stare down the ice and make sense of the action, constantly keeping their awareness high, helplessly watching as wingers move in for a flank. One loss of concentration can mean defeat. Stopping a game-winning goal in the last 30 seconds can make for a glorious victory.

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In my experience, multiplayer lag is typically indiscernible, with only minor delays for player syncing between puck drops. To make sure the game doesn't devolve into madness, an unobtrusive blue arrow points out where you should be positioning your player at any given time, mostly ensuring a game of hockey that resembles the real thing.

Add in matchmaking, a filter-based game browser, tracked statistics and support for 50-player teams in the game's persistent league, and you have an online sporting experience second to none.

2. Physics effects that make sense.

The NHL series has been on the forefront of physically-correct sporting for the past few years, but NHL 09's online excellence amplifies what was already great about it.

Late in the third period, the game all tied up, I took a shot from the point as Nicklas Lidstrom. The puck ricocheted off of a waiting Tomas Holmstrom, beating the human-controlled goalie by inches. It was a scene that wouldn't be out of place in any real Red Wings game, and therefore pulling it off in NHL 09--as lucky as it was--felt incredible.

The fact that all of that was being calculated and fed to eleven other players with minimal lag felt like a proof of concept for next-generation technology.

3. Controls that feel natural.

If you haven't played an NHL game in a while, be prepared for a revelation. Added in NHL 07, EA's "shot stick" mechanic remains one of the most unique schemes ever developed for a controller-based game.

In a nutshell, the left analog stick is used for aiming, while the right stick controls the actual in-game hockey stick. Slapshots are accomplished by pulling back on the stick and pushing it forward. Wrist shots can be rolled around the outside for a whipping snap-shot. Left-to-right motions shift the puck around for goalie-beating dekes.

The system is entirely natural, and three games later, it's still fun to experiment with.

The new controls added in 09 are also impressive in their usefulness. Being able to raise the stick of an offender just before they receive a pass is the kind of minor detail that an NHL fan really appreciates. Being able to play effective defense with the 360 degree poke-check is the kind of major detail that the series has desperately needed for a long time.

Turn the page for the final three reasons.