NHL 15 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions (Xbox One, PS4)

[skinfan31]

Re: NHL 15 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions (Xbox One, PS4)

I think this games detractors are crazy and should appreciate the fact that they have a NHL option to play. In an era where sports games are disappearing faster than I can shake a stick at, I'm thrilled to have hockey on my next generation consoles. I'm very happy both graphically, and game play wise. It looks great on my system. It's a must buy for me!!

[Hockeynut99]

Re: NHL 15 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions (Xbox One, PS4)

I think the funniest thing I read here was that if you like this game you don't like real hockey or something like that. OK. Lol. The puck physics is sweet in this game. I love the puck jumping over the stick.

[brandon27]

Re: NHL 15 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions (Xbox One, PS4)

Ive played 3 games in the demo. It's fun, I don't notice alot of difference in the gameplay from 14, it does feel a bit different though. It looks better, but it looks far from what I thought it was going to. The screenshots made the game look so beautiful, but in reality the demo is really bland and blurry. I dont know if its just poor graphically, poor resolution, an effect they actually wanted, or if its just too much motion blur combined with the new jersey movements/physics or whatever you want to call it, but it just looks... blurry. I expected it to be nice, and clear, and sharp, and bright like Madden, but it's just not. It's still an improvement, no doubt, but it's a bit disappointing to look at right now.

Hopefully the visuals improve in the retail version. I'm assuming they will be better, hopefully they just downgraded them a bit for the sake of download size with the demo? I'm hoping... either way I'm still buying it, I love sports gaming, I need hockey, and it's still fun to play.

[Glenn33]

Re: NHL 15 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions (Xbox One, PS4)

I haven't played a hockey game in about 5 years...so my opinion means nothing. That being said I thought it was a neat demo but one thing bothered me ALOT. The menu interface. My gosh. It was so sterile..so corporate. Like it belonged in a PowerPoint presentation at work and not for an exciting video game. It REALLY took me out the game.

[Keirik]

Re: NHL 15 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions (Xbox One, PS4)

Cpu passing is still far too accurate and pin point perfect. Cpu one times happen at will with power regardless of how off balance, out of position, or whatever with too high of a success. Pinball EA hockey.

[Vikes1]

Re: NHL 15 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions (Xbox One, PS4)

The more I've played, the more I'm enjoying the game. And seeing the kinda little details that make a nice difference for me over last gen. I'll be buying on the 9th.

[headzapp]

Re: NHL 15 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions (Xbox One, PS4)

Here some pics, they look nice. I don't see blurriness or bad cut scene animation. The game seems fresh to me. I'm having fun with the demo so the retail will be that much better. Maybe it's because I skipped 14. I like the menu screen. To me they made it faster with holding buttons to opens menus inside menus. I looooove the quick rotate in the edit line screen in game. That was annoying before hitting a name and then scrolling down a long list, especially in online verses. Losing a game and wanting to change up lines while trying not to make the other player wait too long. Also the noise of the menu reminds me of what was it? I want to say nhl 98 with the bloop bloop bloop noise I like it.
I wish there was board play. Like fighting for the puck, and have a ref yelling "move the puck"

[MizzouRah]

Re: NHL 15 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions (Xbox One, PS4)

The more I've played, the more I'm enjoying the game. And seeing the kinda little details that make a nice difference for me over last gen. I'll be buying on the 9th.

I'm completely with you. I'm ready to see my Blues in action!

[Hockeynut99]

Re: NHL 15 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions (Xbox One, PS4)

I'm completely with you. I'm ready to see my Blues in action!

Too bad no miller

[Smirkin Dirk]

Re: NHL 15 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions (Xbox One, PS4)

Cpu passing is still far too accurate and pin point perfect. Cpu one times happen at will with power regardless of how off balance, out of position, or whatever with too high of a success. Pinball EA hockey.

Let's see how it plays when we can lower the sliders right down

[bwiggy33]

Re: NHL 15 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions (Xbox One, PS4)

You can do it to CPU controlled teams?

In the demo I cannot tell if it changes or not. What I've tried doing is pausing the game at the beginning and switching sides then editing and then switching back to the team I wanted to use. With 2 minute periods it's extremely hard to tell if the strategies stick with that method. At any rate though, in the full game you should (if it's exactly like how it was in 13 and 14) be able to edit each and every teams strategies and line strategies.

In the demo try this. If you have two controllers move one to each side. Then adjust the strategies from there for both teams. Start the game when you're done. When you finally get into the game press the start button and move the controller of the team you don't want to use to the middle of the controller select so it's not on either team. It's possible the strategies will remain how you set them before starting the game. Personally I have not tried this though. I haven't got around to it. I'm just assuming you could assign a controller to both teams as if you were going to play 1 v 1. Whether the strategies stick is another question.

EDIT: I just attempted this and it works.

[bwiggy33]

Re: NHL 15 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions (Xbox One, PS4)

Sorry for the double post gentlemen but I think I am on to something in regards to easy zone entry. I'm messing around with the strategies as I described in the post above. I no joke just had three instances where a dman stepped up at the blue line and crushed me to get me off the puck. I was in such shock that I couldn't even see it coming or anything. I'm not sure what setting or slider is doing it but I'm trying to nail down which one or what ones they are. As of now I'm thinking the settings affecting this area are Neutral Zone, D Pressure, and D Strategy. I'm just thinking something in those three settings is making the D be aggressive at their own blue line. I'm trying to really narrow it down. I'm still a bit unsure of what the NZ slider does.

Here are the settings I have for the Rangers, who are the CPU in the game I am playing.

Forecheck: 2-3 (Always leave this setting at 2-3 otherwise you will see one player forecheck and everyone else hang out in the neutral zone)

Neutral Zone: 1-4 (just messing around with this to see how each one reacts)

NZ: I left it on 3 clicks *Changes during the game depending on situation

OFF Pressure: Standard * Changes during the game depending on situation

D Pressure: Normal *Changes during the game depending on situation

D Strategy: Tight Point *Changes during the game depending on situation

PK: Large Box

PP: Shooting

PP Carry: 3

For all of the D pairings I have them as the exact same for now. I'm just playing around with it. Here they are:

Hold line: 3 clicks

Cycle: 7 Clicks

If anyone wants to try and test this stuff out go for it. I think it would be a huge help. The problem is the 2 minute periods is just so short. Plus you have to redo the settings before every single game. I seriously think I may be on to something with this though. For some reason these strategy sliders seem to work way better than last gens. I don't ever remember seeing anything like what I just saw tonight, in last gen. Hopefully I'm not getting over hyped for nothing but I did just see things with this game I've never seen before from a Neutral zone/defensive pressure aspect.

I just noticed something new as well. So obviously some of these strategies change on the fly mid game. This is all tied to the CPU Strategy Adjustment slider. In game I noticed the Rangers had changed up how they played at the very beginning of the game. So after period 2, I switched to the Rangers side and looked at their strategies. Sure enough they had changed since the start of the game. Most of the strategies went towards a less pressure approach so I was gaining easy entry and wasn't being pressured in the O zone.

Since we don't have access to the CPU Strategy slider in the demo it will be very difficult to test this stuff out because of how fast the strategies can change in the demo. Now it's just making me want the game. I want to figure this out because with the couple examples I've seen tonight, some of the stuff that has pissed us off for so long may actually be fixable or at least partly fixable.

[decefay]

Re: NHL 15 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions (Xbox One, PS4)

i have ONE gripe with this....after a goal in the nhl the players hug and congratulate each other all i want is this and this game is complete for me!

[Vikes1]

Re: NHL 15 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions (Xbox One, PS4)

I'm completely with you. I'm ready to see my Blues in action!

Glad your digging the game, Mizz! Yep, I´m looking foward to getting a Wild GM mode going.

[Splitter77]

Re: NHL 15 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions (Xbox One, PS4)

Anyway, sorry to be long winded. I just was playing and these things come to my mind. I keep checking my mailbox everyday for that paycheck from EA or the contract offer to work on the game... no luck yet. Hahaha. Peace!

nice write up again.
ha. maybe ill give you some $$ for saving me the $400+ i wouldve spent on a ps4 and this game.