NHL 14 News Post

NHL 14 Official Trailer, Six New Features Announced

09:48 AM - April 15, 2013 by Steve_OS

Electronic Arts Inc. announced today the breakthrough features for EA SPORTS NHL®14 that are set to unleash the aggression, speed and skill of NHL hockey through the best technology of this console generation that EA SPORTS has to offer. Deliver game-changing hits with cutting-edge NHL® Collision Physics, built from EA SPORTS FIFA’s revolutionary Player Impact Engine. Drop the gloves with the all-new Enforcer Engine, powered by the same technology used in the critically acclaimed Fight Night franchise. Experience a new level of speed and control with the second season of the critically-acclaimed True Performance Skating engine, and dangle defenders with all-new One-Touch Dekes. In addition, fans can Live the Life of an NHL player in an all-new incarnation of the Be a Pro Career Mode, now featuring on and off-ice elements. NHL 14 will be available for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system, and the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system. NHL 14 releases on September 10, 2013 in North America and September 13, 2013 in Europe.

“We’re very proud of the history of innovation that the EA SPORTS NHL franchise has produced on this console generation, and this year we’re amplifying that innovation by leveraging technology from teams like FIFA and Fight Night,” says Dean Richards, General Manager, NHL, EA SPORTS. “This year fans will feel the speed, skill and aggression of NHL hockey like never before, powered by some of the best EA SPORTS technology to create the best game we could ever imagine.”

The NHL 14 official trailer can be found here.

NHL 14 Features

NHL® Collision Physics – Developed from the same core technology that powers EA SPORTS FIFA’s critically-acclaimed Player Impact Engine, NHL® Collision Physics introduces bigger, more thrilling hits, and truer-to-life collisions. A new left-stick control scheme makes delivering a game-changing hit simpler and more rewarding than ever.
Enforcer Engine – Powered by the same technology used in the critically acclaimed Fight Night franchise, NHL 14 will bring a brand new third-person presentation to showcase the anatomy of a fight. All players on the ice (human or CPU) remain live from the drop of the gloves to the trip to the penalty box, with no break in the action. This new technology delivers, for the first time in the EA SPORTS NHL franchise, true size and strength differentiation between players, new jostling mechanics and much more to create the most authentic and electrifying experience yet.
True Performance Skating – Built on the breakthrough innovation that introduced physics-based skating and over 1,000 new skating animations to the EA SPORTS NHL franchise. The second year of the True Performance Skating features improved acceleration, explosive first-strides, quicker pivots and enhanced lateral skating, resulting in greater player responsiveness and unprecedented control.
One-Touch Dekes – Experience what it feels like to be a superstar through a new, more responsive deking system controlled only with the left stick and one-button. From beginner to advanced gamers, the system allows for quicker reactive dekes and intuitive combination dekes, creating more moves than ever before.
Live the Life – The new incarnation of the Be a Pro Career Mode, now you can truly Live the Life of an NHL player. On or off the ice, every decision you make shapes your legacy as an athlete. Interact with teammates outside of the rink. Take part in media interviews. Each choice you make will affect your relationship with fans, teammates and management, influencing your skills and progression.
HUT & EASHL Online Seasons – NHL 14 adds the best-in-class promotion and relegation system in the sports category to the Hockey Ultimate Team & EA SPORTS Hockey League modes. Win games and advance to the next division to face tougher competition, fall short and see your team bumped down. Teams will be able to track their progress across multiple seasons.

Game: NHL 14Reader Score: 7/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / Xbox 360Votes for game: 6 - View All

NHL 14 Videos

Member Comments

# 41 stooge 1010 @ 04/15/13 09:54 PM

hopefully goalie fatigue will be in this year.

# 42 Bloop33 @ 04/15/13 10:47 PM

Well, maybe it's a good thing this "announcement" isn't that great. Last season I got extremely hyped about NHL 13 with everything they wanted to implement, and if not for the OS GMC league I'm in, NHL 13 would have been a huge waste of money.

I can only hope the good karma of FIFA (EA Sports' best game) will rub off on NHL 14. I won't be pre-ordering this year unless something new comes out. I'm happy for the BAP players, but gameplay is severely lacking, and it begins with goalies being worse now than the past, no real ability to play D on the game other than playing New York Rangers block 50 shots per game hockey, and AI who still play like idiots.

Sad times for EA Sports. Hope this means the PS4 version is insane.

# 43 CaptainSuperman @ 04/15/13 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bwiggy33


	Actually from what I've heard, developers have to start working on the next game only a few weeks after the one they just released. Due to the short production cycle with sports games, they have to start right away in order to add to the new version. They don't get much time in between release and starting the next game. I could be wrong but this was based on what I heard from an NHL Community Day Invitee back in 09 I think. I agree though there's definitely going to be more things added to the game, just maybe not the back of the box. They always tune the AI and whatever else, but as you said they don't talk about that stuff until a certain date due to legal reasons.

That's probably about right. They probably take a couple months off, then get together and think of ideas of what and where they want to improve the game, and off they go. But I do have a feeling that they are working on bigger improvements at the same time that the don't include in every release. Like the skill sticks, the skating, the bigger things that "changed" the series. I don't think those things were completed in just once production cycle.

Maybe they are working on some big improvement right now that they won't include until 15 or 16.

# 44 mcavner @ 04/15/13 10:58 PM

Really hoping they put a stick check in that doesn't result in a high-stick penalty half the time. Players can actually move their sticks across in hockey... it doesn't have to go up into the guy's face.

# 45 Cletus @ 04/15/13 11:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bwiggy33


	Actually from what I've heard, developers have to start working on the next game only a few weeks after the one they just released. Due to the short production cycle with sports games, they have to start right away in order to add to the new version. They don't get much time in between release and starting the next game. I could be wrong but this was based on what I heard from an NHL Community Day Invitee back in 09 I think. I agree though there's definitely going to be more things added to the game, just maybe not the back of the box. They always tune the AI and whatever else, but as you said they don't talk about that stuff until a certain date due to legal reasons.

The reason I said January was because I can't remember a patch or major tuner coming out after December. By that logic, they spend up until early or middle december fixing the game and maybe take a week off before they start work on the next season.

# 46 bwiggy33 @ 04/16/13 12:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptainSuperman


	That's probably about right. They probably take a couple months off, then get together and think of ideas of what and where they want to improve the game, and off they go. But I do have a feeling that they are working on bigger improvements at the same time that the don't include in every release. Like the skill sticks, the skating, the bigger things that "changed" the series. I don't think those things were completed in just once production cycle. Maybe they are working on some big improvement right now that they won't include until 15 or 16.

100%. Last year the Devs said that they had been working on the new skating engine for 2 years or so before they wanted to release it. They obviously didn't want to put in the system if it wasn't going to work properly in the game. There would pretty much be no way to put in game changing features without having developed them for a couple years.

That's where I get angry with NHL though. We haven't seen nearly enough game changers since 07. What I can name is Skill Stick, hitting physics (which are now no longer in the game), online features (not gameplay related though), and the skating engine. Otherwise it's been small tuning for the other gameplay elements, when IMO that should not be the case. That's basically 3 big things and one of them is being stripped in favor of FIFA's physics engine. Sounds like a waste of time by the development team. For me there just hasn't been nearly enough game changing type additions in this 7 year span, when the game clearly needs it.

# 47 bwiggy33 @ 04/16/13 12:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cletus


	The reason I said January was because I can't remember a patch or major tuner coming out after December. By that logic, they spend up until early or middle december fixing the game and maybe take a week off before they start work on the next season.

That's very very possible. MLB The Show just released what is most likely their last patch. Russell (the dev) came out and said that they are done with this years version because they have to start on MLB 14. It got released like 5 or 6 weeks ago but going off your logic of when the last patch is released that would line up. SCEA and EA are much different though so maybe me basing it off of each other isn't the best example.

# 48 CaptainSuperman @ 04/16/13 12:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bwiggy33


	100%. Last year the Devs said that they had been working on the new skating engine for 2 years or so before they wanted to release it. They obviously didn't want to put in the system if it wasn't going to work properly in the game. There would pretty much be no way to put in game changing features without having developed them for a couple years. That's where I get angry with NHL though. We haven't seen nearly enough game changers since 07. What I can name is Skill Stick, hitting physics (which are now no longer in the game), online features (not gameplay related though), and the skating engine. Otherwise it's been small tuning for the other gameplay elements, when IMO that should not be the case. That's basically 3 big things and one of them is being stripped in favor of FIFA's physics engine. Sounds like a waste of time by the development team. For me there just hasn't been nearly enough game changing type additions in this 7 year span, when the game clearly needs it.

Well I imagine that they aren't a very big team being just a sports franchise that has already established itself with previous outings. I'm sure once they found their winning formula, they trimmed some fat so to speak, and are just going forward with guys to improve what's there, along with bring some new features to the table.

So the only other viable option would be releases every other year. But the problem with that is now your team is working on a title for two years, and people are gonna expect a lot of progression and a very different title. If you get a game two years later that feels like the one you have now, you're gonna lose your fan base. And what if you come out with a game that feels TOO different, or maybe some of the features aren't welcome? You just spent two years working on something nobody wanted.

# 49 cheechoo98 @ 04/16/13 02:32 AM

The new decking system will be great - because that's what they had in the 2K series. It was really good.

You basically moved the LStick in a different position, (12, o'clock, 2 O'clock, 3 o'clock, 5, 6, 9 o'clock etc ) and pressed a button, X, so each player had 8 dekes 'in their pocket' in the offensive zone.

PLUS it was dependent on either neutral zone or offensive zone, therefore each player could have another 8 possible dekes In the neutral zone. Very easy to pull off and made the game look and play so good.

PLUS++ it was dependent on the player's deke rating. So not all players had so many dekes.

PLUS+++ it was dependent on the global Human/CPU deke sliders. So you could limit or show all the rare dekes possible.

That's one of the gameplay aspects that 2K did so well, it's what made it so much fun to play.

- hasn't EA been touting a new physics hitting engine for the past 3 yrs? As in 'you'll never see the same hit animation twice!' LIE.

- and I hope the A.I. is fixed, they need an A.I. strategy like the 'Regroup' one that was in the 2K series as well... That way, your wingers would skate to open ice on a rush, instead of following their same path - you know what I mean with NHL13

# 50 fiddlerpaul @ 04/16/13 10:05 AM

For me it's all about realistic gameplay, whether it's expressed through the animations or the AI. I like the sound of the skating improvements and hitting engine.
One thing that would be huge is if the AI would show a little creativity on defense as you're skating down the wing. As it is, they always just stay near the center of the ice and don't challenge you. Too predictable. They should occasionally run you into the boards or something.

# 51 Fiddy @ 04/16/13 10:16 AM

siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh

Fifa engine etc? cant wait to see all the whacky animations that hockey brings to the table with this.

i like the online seasons type stuff. good to see they copied that from Fifa as well.

other than that, yaaaaaaaawn. same game, new year, and ill still buy it. LOL

# 52 predator828 @ 04/16/13 10:24 AM

Remember when, i think after NHL 2010, the dev team told us they were moving towards a completely physics based engine for everything, and that they should achieve that within 3 years? Well, i guess we're still working on hitting physics 4 years later, and there is no mention of better puck or goalie physics, and skating physics could still use a boost.

also, just let me create the hartford whalers. thats all i ask. its all ive been asking for ages. how hard is it to insert "Whalers" or "Nordiques" into the stupid create-a-team team name list? why hasnt that list been changed in 5 years? who is in charge of that?

# 53 darknmild @ 04/16/13 05:44 PM

I guess all EA games have issues. Going back to Madden and NCAA threads.

# 54 canucksss @ 04/16/13 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ


	No mention of improvements to CPU AI or Be A GM = same old, same old for EA NHL.

exactly my thoughts. same old game with different cover perhaps?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zobitembois


	Looked good and sounded good.........like in every video game commercial.

always good commercial but somehow fail miserably in the final product. I HOPE im wrong about this with NHL 14.

Quote:

Originally Posted by soxnut1018


	Looks interesting, but I need to seem improvements to AI and presentation.

yea....i'll not buy NHL 14 unless i see the improvements regarding these 2 points you mentioned.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GROGtheNailer


	I am bummed out nothing was mentioned on improving the defensive aspects of the game which is a large percentage of the game, or should be. I am surprised they leave this out each year.

after nhl 13, i stopped being surprised about the effort of EA. i will just resort to not buying it if i see the comments of some people here in OS that i highly respect.

# 55 Dougie_G_93 @ 04/16/13 11:13 PM

Geeze some guys act like EA is proposing a new revolutionary free health care system. It's a video game, and the best thing to do is rent before you go and plop down $60, which is what I did this year. In their first release they aren't going to go over every aspect that is new. Hopefully they correct the glaring flaws that have gone uncorrected for years

# 56 Gotmilkman24 @ 04/17/13 10:48 AM

All I want to throw in is that this looks good. Not great, but I'm sure there is more to come. However, some of you guys should stop complaining.. I mean go ahead if you want EA to have less devs for this game.. but this game needs as much support as it can get being that its on a low budget. I do know though that this little trailer release.. isnt everything they have. I'am excited for the new BaPro mode.

# 57 Money99 @ 04/17/13 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dougie_G_93


	Geeze some guys act like EA is proposing a new revolutionary free health care system. It's a video game, and the best thing to do is rent before you go and plop down $60, which is what I did this year. In their first release they aren't going to go over every aspect that is new. Hopefully they correct the glaring flaws that have gone uncorrected for years

People get ticked off easily over this game because it's the only one to choose from.
If EA can't get it right, then there's no hockey game to be played.
That's the position I've been in since NHL10. And really, the last EA hockey game I really enjoyed was NHL07.

NHL14 is basically NHL 08.0.6.

# 58 bwiggy33 @ 04/17/13 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gotmilkman24


	All I want to throw in is that this looks good. Not great, but I'm sure there is more to come. However, some of you guys should stop complaining.. I mean go ahead if you want EA to have less devs for this game.. but this game needs as much support as it can get being that its on a low budget. I do know though that this little trailer release.. isnt everything they have. I'am excited for the new BaPro mode.

Stop Complaining? Most of us are not complaining. Some of us have strong opinions on this game because we are tired of seeing the same problems with the game year after year. This game has been pretty much untouched in major areas since 07, and it is being echoed by many many long time fans of the series. I have played this game since NHL 98 (Ages 7-23), I think I and many others have the right to express our opinions or as you say "complaints" with the game. Technology is improving with video games, and many of us expect more from the NHL series due to what other games such as MLB The Show have done. May I also add the many opinions that people are sharing, are extremely productive and not attacks at the developers.

I think we all know that the game has a much lower budget than most other EA games. We also know that the NHL team has less staff members. However, after 7 iterations of the series this gen, many people still expect more to have been accomplished. At minimum much better AI to play a dynamic and less repetitive game. I can deal with things like physics and skating not being perfect, in fact I don't expect that. What I do expect after 7 years is a much more dynamic and less repetitive AI, as well as a strong differentiation between teams and players. Those two areas are key for replay value with this game. I think that is the frustration with many people who have played the series year after year on this gen.

I do agree with you though that there are going to be more announcements. It's so early with information that it's kind of unfair to speculate that nothing else has been done to improve the game. With the track record of the series the past few years, many people aren't optimistic that the problem areas, will not be improved. You really can't blame people for that.

# 59 canucksss @ 04/17/13 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gotmilkman24


	All I want to throw in is that this looks good. Not great, but I'm sure there is more to come. However, some of you guys should stop complaining.. I mean go ahead if you want EA to have less devs for this game.. but this game needs as much support as it can get being that its on a low budget. I do know though that this little trailer release.. isnt everything they have. I'am excited for the new BaPro mode.

http://youtu.be/ZCb6Rlpv9Fg - look at 3:55 (EA Sports Hockey IQ) - at first this was working perfectly in my offline game, but after the patch, there's not even presence of neutral zone defense from AI. Defense became non-existence....do not suggest HOF mode because all the program does is make all players juiced-up.

http://youtu.be/P0iLGMBRhIg - look at 1:09 when Ram is talking about EA TEAM AI (IQ), it was there at the beginning but after the patch it was removed. WHY? PERHAPS MANY cry-babies are saying "this is difficult...remove TEAM AI.... coz i cant rush" kinda statements.

please dont suggest to try the sliders....ive tried cycloniac's and mk's, these guys devoted so much of their time to have a great sliders. but because ea removed the defense aspect in this game even the great sliders of these slider gurus cannot help this game, IMO.

that's why i am "COMPLAINING". these are only several factors why it irates me after spending $$$. dont say "why not rent it first" coz this EA TEAM AI was IN the game before EA decided to remove it post patch.

# 60 archibalduk @ 04/17/13 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bwiggy33


	Stop Complaining? Most of us are not complaining. Some of us have strong opinions on this game because we are tired of seeing the same problems with the game year after year. This game has been pretty much untouched in major areas since 07, and it is being echoed by many many long time fans of the series. I have played this game since NHL 98 (Ages 7-23), I think I and many others have the right to express our opinions or as you say "complaints" with the game. Technology is improving with video games, and many of us expect more from the NHL series due to what other games such as MLB The Show have done. May I also add the many opinions that people are sharing, are extremely productive and not attacks at the developers. I think we all know that the game has a much lower budget than most other EA games. We also know that the NHL team has less staff members. However, after 7 iterations of the series this gen, many people still expect more to have been accomplished. At minimum much better AI to play a dynamic and less repetitive game. I can deal with things like physics and skating not being perfect, in fact I don't expect that. What I do expect after 7 years is a much more dynamic and less repetitive AI, as well as a strong differentiation between teams and players. Those two areas are key for replay value with this game. I think that is the frustration with many people who have played the series year after year on this gen. I do agree with you though that there are going to be more announcements. It's so early with information that it's kind of unfair to speculate that nothing else has been done to improve the game. With the track record of the series the past few years, many people aren't optimistic that the problem areas, will not be improved. You really can't blame people for that.

FWIW I agree 100% with the above. I'm in a similar position too, having played the game since NHL 98. For me, NHL 04 and 13 have been the most fun to play of the series to date. Since NHL 06 I've tended to buy the game every other year because I don't find there are enough changes year on year to warrant spending £40 annually. However, I personally felt there was little difference from NHL 09 through to NHL 12 and so NHL 13 is the first game I've bought since NHL 09 (although I play the demo every year to check it out).

AI is the big thing for me. I felt NHL 13 was a refreshing change because the devs appeared to be looking at developing the AI, tactics, goalies, etc and of course the brilliant skating engine. However, what has been announced so far is a real disappointment for me. I really wish the game was more of a simulation and less of an arcade game. Obviously there needs to be a balance between the two in order to keep the game enjoyable, but there are some simulation aspects I think are really missing. Board play is a huge omission from the game. What percentage of an average game in real life is spent battling along the boards? An awfully higher percentage than in NHL. And there seems to be only one or two board play animations in game (and much of the time it seems to kick in at the most unrealistic times). It's elementary things like this I wish EA would spend time fixing.

I'm still waiting to see what further announcements will be made, but from previous experience, I'm not holding my breath.

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