NHL 14: The '94 Anniversary Mode, Fighting Video, Achievements and More - Wiggy's Blog

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NHL 14: The '94 Anniversary Mode, Fighting Video, Achievements and More Stuck

Posted on July 12, 2013 at 06:20 AM.

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There's been a good deal of news about NHL 14 over the last few days, with some new features announced as well some old ones being fleshed out.

Let's get to it, shall we?

NHL '94 Anniversary Mode

As they had hinted at for several months now, EA announced a special mode in NHL 14 that pays homage to the 20th anniversary of NHL '94. Widely considered to be the best "retro" entry in the series -- although, I think I could make a case for a couple of other years as well -- NHL '94 had a simplicity of gameplay and presentation which resonated with gamers at the time, and it still does today.

The mode in question will allow you play with an NHL '94 style of presentation (in the current-gen engine), featuring blue ice, star indicators, old-school organ music and simplified controls (which have been in the game for a few years now). Curiously, the reveal trailer also emphasizes no penalties, which is a strange, because turning them off was just an option in the older games. I would hope that you could play with them on if you wanted.

Click here to watch TSN's "Cabbie" take on Martin Brodeur in the NHL '94 mode.

This is certainly a fun diversion to include in this year's game, but it's hard to get that excited about it when it's just some retro presentation overlay. The press release or trailer didn't specify, but it would be neat if the sliders in the game tried to mirror the NHL '94 action as much as possible, as that would create some kind of distinct feel. From what I can tell in the above footage, the mode just looks like normal NHL 13 or NHL 14 with the same announcers, score overlays and general gameplay. Not exactly showing all that much creativity, honestly.

I also agree with some commenters that EA's time might've been better spent elsewhere, but then again, this mode probably was cooked up fairly easily and is just another way to enjoy the game. To that end, I think it's a decent addition, even if it really isn't all that substantive.

Read the press release here.

Fighting Gameplay Video

For those that haven't seen the fight engine yet, the above trailer for the NHL '94 mode includes a few clips of in-game fighting, but there was also a video on TSN (up in Canada) showing Martin Brodeur and host "Cabbie" going toe-to-toe in some NHL 14 fights.

Watch the clip here.

I've talked about NHL 14's fighting before in my hands-on from E3 2013, but this footage gives you a good sense of what to expect. There's a real chess match with the pushing and pulling, and you sometimes want to go for quicker punches to knock your opponent off balance. A well-timed dodge is key in the fight, though, as I was able to land consecutive bombs when I timed it right.

The new fighting is definitely going to be a crowd-pleaser, and I'm interested to see how the community reacts to it when they get their hands on the game.

Achievements

The achievements for NHL 14 have also been released, and you can view them by going here. Based on the list, we can extrapolate a few things about this year's game. First, there are several achievements around the new EASHL relegation and demotion feature, with teams being rewarded for winning division and league titles as well as being promoted to the next level.

For the Be-A-Pro mode, being dubbed "Live the Life," there are several achievements geared around getting your "likeability" completely full, and this applies to fans, teammates, management and family. Take from that what you will. There is also an achievement for gaining $50 million in the mode, indicating that signing and negotiating contracts will be a focus. Finally, there is an achievement for pre- and post-game interviews, so that should be entertaining.

Some of the new fighting achievements revolve around defending teammates and beating on players when they are in a "pulled down" state. Conversely, there is an award for fighting your way out of the downed state.

NHL 14 Wallpapers

EA has released a series of box cover wallpapers, if you're so inclined.

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Comments

# 1 riichiieriich @ Jul 12

My god that Cabbie guy is annoying.

# 2 13whitebread @ Jul 12

They should of spent time in other areas. New announcers somebody who currently does NHL announcing although I know clement still does buy get rid of Gary. " IF ITS IN THE GAME IT'S IN THE GAME EA SPORTS" We'll Gary is not in the NHL anymore so either get rid of him or change the logo of EA sports. Presentaion is another area with absolutely no playoff presentation and still no skating with the cup. Like I said EA getting by on the cheap. Am I still buying it? He'll YEAH I love hockey best sport on the planet. Lets go EA get of the snide.

# 3 Simple Mathematics @ Jul 12

They should have worked on AI again. Make the goals more realistic. Improve goalies (which hopefully they did), improve BaGM, make powerplays and penalty kills more realistic by setting up in the zone, and improve the presentation. We want group goal celebrations. Please get rid of those individual goal celebrations they look awful. The Stanley Cup celebration should be user controlled. Make it so different buttons do different things like raise the cup in the air, kiss the cup, pass it to a teammate. The Stanley Cup celebration should last as long as you want it to. The user should be the one that ends it by pressing start or something. Then it should end with a picture. Then maybe have a parade with the cup.