NHL 12 News Post

First NHL 12 Screenshot Revealed, What Differences Do You See?

04:41 PM - May 19, 2011 by HawkeyMediaPlus

The first NHL 12 screenshot has been released. It involves Washington Capitals center Brooks Laich absolutely blowing up Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury in the Winter Classic. What differences do you see?

Game: NHL 12Reader Score: 7.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / Xbox 360Votes for game: 26 - View All

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# 41 bukktown @ 05/19/11 09:56 PM

That screenshot is a little ridiculous. I've never seen a goalie hit so hard that his helmet flew off.

Honestly my first reaction to seeing the screenshot was: 'WTF?'

# 42 SinisterAlex @ 05/19/11 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by savoie2006


	Granted, but EA has pretty muched added small details over the years and the game has indeed started feeling stale to many. Don't get me wrong,the little details are nice, but there are bigger fish to fry at this point. Who can really say at this point, maybe they have, but the Presentation, AI, and BAGM/BAP modes are in desperate need of attention. More so than goalie collision, broken sticks, and HUT.

Presentation is #1 on my list. For the love of god, please get rid of Gary Thorne and Bill Clement. They're AWFUL.

# 43 ucas005 @ 05/19/11 10:23 PM

Added hockey mullet hair? Is it just me or does it look like Fleury has his short mullet?

# 44 Spanky @ 05/19/11 10:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bukktown


	That screenshot is a little ridiculous. I've never seen a goalie hit so hard that his helmet flew off. Honestly my first reaction to seeing the screenshot was: 'WTF?'

Precisely. It looks like a scene out of "Slapshot.'' Hopefully the contact is more subtle in the game, without the mask flying off every other time.

# 45 jyoung @ 05/19/11 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bukktown


	That screenshot is a little ridiculous. I've never seen a goalie hit so hard that his helmet flew off.

Tim Thomas' helmet came off in Bolts/Bruins game 2 earlier this week.

# 46 PhillsPhan26 @ 05/19/11 11:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AtomicLegend


	We haven't even broke the surface as to what's in store for us... let's wait to debate whether or not we like these things when the game gets into our hands. I don't want to sound like a prick or anything... just saying.

You're exactly right, you just cant judge the feature from a screenshot.

# 47 stew514 @ 05/19/11 11:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AtomicLegend


	The hitting is fine BUT ONLY IF it has a counter. Currently, you get hit but you have no way of bracing yourself for the hit. It's like you guy is a styro foam block. In real life NHL, when a guy sees a hit coming, he doesn't stand there and let himself get levelled, he braces for the hit. This HAS to be in NHL 12 or else we're going to suffer through another year or unrealistic hits. I for one love the direction the game is going in terms of the real time physics engine. It allows for more dynamic game play and makes the game look and feel more realistic. Sure things can be tweaked here n there, but answer me this: If EA didn't add any new features to the NHL series year after year, and left the same old Dynasty Mode, Season Mode, and game play features, etc the same year after year, would you buy it? I would say no. I don't want the same scripted animations, I don't want the same old Dynasty Mode and Season mode, I don't want the same gameplay features in terms of penalties, post whistle scrums, etc. When I pay 70$ for a game I WANT new things added, I don't want the same things untouched just because it's "fine". Sure, Be a GM Mode needs fixing, the Sim Engine needs to be redone, but just because those need to be fixed, doesn't mean that EA isn't allowed to add stuff that's actually in the game of hockey we all love and watch like goaltender interference, nets coming loose, the Winter Classic, etc. All I'm trying to say is, the majority people want things changed and new things added, not the same game for 5 years in a row with minor tweaks.

The hitting is not fine, not by any means. Bracing for a hit is irrelevant, because even the tiny little nudges are extremely effective against even players with high strength and balance. Stupid **** like dropping your stick from a cross check to the back, the hustle, the hitting, these are all things that IMO are horribly unbalanced. The angles that you can knock people down are just absurd, you see open ice hits like that MAYBE once a game, you see 5 of them every shift in the EASHL. The penalties are horribly balance, if you nudge a guy battling for a loose puck it's interference. However, if that same player shoots the puck you have a 5 second window to level him. These are just some of the things I personally think EA did a poor job of balancing and never corrected (got worse in fact), and these things have me skeptical that something like nets off the moorings or goaltender interference will not be abused.

# 48 noda11 @ 05/19/11 11:48 PM

Weak sauce. The jerseys still look plastered on and the face is still generic. It's nice that the winter classic is in, but this doesn't really get me that excited.

# 49 Vikes1 @ 05/19/11 11:52 PM

With myself being a 95% off-line gamer, many of the concerns that the more on-line community has, really doesn't apply to me. But I do understand the concern of now being able to plow over opposing goalies, etc...

As far as the screenshot goes, with showing the goalie getting blasted, and his mask flying off...I'm thinking that's an exaggerated example...just to better show off the new features.

But anyway...for me, I'm pleased they've added things like goalie collisions, nets off moorings. If done within reason, imo...it'll add nicely to the game.

# 50 jagsrock95 @ 05/19/11 11:58 PM

am I the only one who thinks this doesn't look good? #21 looks like a zombie...nothing about this picture looks natural. Like some NCAA football screenshots you have to double take cause it looks real but this just looks like a video game even from far away...

# 51 The Visualizer @ 05/20/11 12:35 AM

3 thoughts:

#1) This is a pretty unimpressive screenshot to open the marketing campaign with. Why are there only 3 players on the ice? So the other 8 players and goalie are in the corner huh? Player models look unchanged. I know it's only 1 screenshot and it's purpose is to "cleverly" show off new features, but cmon guys you could have done better.

#2) The positive, Goalie collision detection will be a nice addition. If I had any hair left to pull out I would do it everytime I skate in on goal in NHL11 and barely clip the goalie with my skate and the puck flies off my stick into the corner. I have faith that it won't be overdone as the dev team has done a really good job of tuning everything in NHL11 except for body checking which is ridiculously overpowering.

#3) The negative. From the shot that mask doesn't look anything like Fleury's, so it more than likely means not only will authentic goalie masks not be in this year, but we cant even get knockoff versions for at least the starting goalies in the league. Don't give me that BS line you use every year about you can't put this "artwork" in the game. Real masks need to find their way into the game sometime this decade...

# 52 SinisterAlex @ 05/20/11 12:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stew514


	The hitting is not fine, not by any means. Bracing for a hit is irrelevant, because even the tiny little nudges are extremely effective against even players with high strength and balance. Stupid ** like dropping your stick from a cross check to the back, the hustle, the hitting, these are all things that IMO are horribly unbalanced. The angles that you can knock people down are just absurd, you see open ice hits like that MAYBE once a game**, you see 5 of them every shift in the EASHL. The penalties are horribly balance, if you nudge a guy battling for a loose puck it's interference. However, if that same player shoots the puck you have a 5 second window to level him. These are just some of the things I personally think EA did a poor job of balancing and never corrected (got worse in fact), and these things have me skeptical that something like nets off the moorings or goaltender interference will not be abused.

Because players see the hit coming and brace themselves for it in real life....

So if we had the ability to brace our players in NHL 12, you wouldn't see guys getting levelled every two seconds.

Anyway this topic isn't for debating hitting, so I'm just going to leave it at that.

# 53 actionhank @ 05/20/11 01:38 AM

I feel like it's a staged picture to show off features, and i'm glad the net coming off and goalie collisions have been added.
My only fear is that you have to check the goalie to get contact. Because Laich definitely appears to be checking (I also wish they would get rid of that animation with some different ones...).
I'm holding out hope though.
I hope EA comes out big this year!

# 54 Caps2cup05 @ 05/20/11 02:03 AM

Not to be a negative nancy, but, why would EA lead off a marketing campaign with a picture that only features one player facing the screen and that player has a generic face? What better way to say "here are 2 more features. None of the old stuff has been fixed."

Will created players still glow red/orange?
Will BAP actually include the OT loss point?
Will XP in BAP work properly?
Laich is executing the same horrible checking animation we've had this entire generation. Have the animations been updated at all?
Also he appears to be crosschecking the cross bar while force-pushing Fleury into the third row. Does that mean physics/collision detection haven't been touched?

I don't know what I was expecting... In this day and age the old problems should have been fixed with a patch 5 or 6 months ago. The fact they were not proves EA is unwilling or unaware. I don't think I've ever looked at the "first screen shot" of a game and been so disappointed.

# 55 anpc @ 05/20/11 03:43 AM

Why there's only 4 player on the ice?
Stupid EA released another idiot screenshot.

# 56 Scotty_Hockey @ 05/20/11 04:52 AM

I have to say I laughed a little when I saw this screen shot. I'm all for goalie interference but I don't remember the last time I saw a player cross check a goalie, much less knock his helmet off in the process.

And I know I know, I'm sure they just over dramatized it to show off the feature. Sort of like with hitting...wait.

If some EA executive were to ask me, "Hey Scotty, how would you best depict our new goalie interference feature to the world?" This would be more like it.

# 57 stew514 @ 05/20/11 09:22 AM

I just feel like if this is the big thing they wanted to drop, they have to be redoing goalies. I just fear that they ignore other important areas of the game, like skating, shooting, checking, and also the hilariousness of poke checking the puck only for a player to pick it up right away again.

I hope they introduce some type of stick tie up by holding the A button, I'm anxious for more info but this screenshot has done little to make me think the game will be improved.

# 58 Bumble14 @ 05/20/11 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by heater41


	Anyone happen to notice the amount of players on the ice? Are we looking at arcadish hockey where you can play 1 on 1 / 2 on 2 with goalies, etc?

Doubt it, but I was actually thinking the same thing. This may explain the over the top hit on Fleury. Maybe an NHL Hitz type mode integrated?

# 59 DJ @ 05/20/11 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vikes1


	With myself being a 95% off-line gamer, many of the concerns that the more on-line community has, really doesn't apply to me. But I do understand the concern of now being able to plow over opposing goalies, etc... As far as the screenshot goes, with showing the goalie getting blasted, and his mask flying off...I'm thinking that's an exaggerated example...just to better show off the new features. But anyway...for me, I'm pleased they've added things like goalie collisions, nets off moorings. If done within reason, imo...it'll add nicely to the game.

I'm trying not to read too much into a single screen, so I won't get too worked up about thinigs. It does look nice and I like that we are going to have the Winter Classic.

Be A GM improvements are going to be my main focus this year, along with presentation. As an offline guy, this game has grown very stale. I hate to say that b/c I like hockey and I like the NHL series, but really outside of adding some real-time physics and minimal BAG changes, it's getting harder and harder to find reasons to update your game every 12 months.

# 60 JKidd10 @ 05/20/11 12:18 PM

Good they are adding stuff we already had in the past NHL games

Soooooo excited.

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