The free demo for NHL 2K9 is now live on Xbox Live Marketplace, 2K Sports announced today. The demo will only appear on Xbox 360; 2K Sports is not making one available for the PS3.
In the NHL 2K9 demo, fans can test out the control scheme, which has been simplified this year, while playing one three-minute period featuring last season’s Stanley Cup participants, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings.
Both teams are playable in the demo, with the game taking place at Joe Louis Arena, in Detroit.
The full retail version of NHL 2K9 includes a few other non-control tweaks this year, but none of them are testable in the demo. Among those changes are a Zamboni mini-game, playoff beards, a revamped fighting engine and an improved franchise mode.
NHL 2K9 will ship on September 9 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii and PS2.