NHL 15 Available Now For EA Access Subscribers, Post Your Impressions

[CheapyD]

Re: NHL 15 Available Now For EA Access Subscribers, Post Your Impressions

Sad to say it, but NHL 14 is just a better game all around. The gameplay and graphics improvements in 15 are slight, the announcers are worse, and so much of what made NHL 14 a complete package is missing.

[MizzouRah]

Re: NHL 15 Available Now For EA Access Subscribers, Post Your Impressions

This made me lol....

Anyways, doesn't seem like a ton of people playing early access. Wish we could get some more impressions. The demo has started to grow on me but I'm still not completely sold.

haha.. I have enough I'm trying to worry about then holding down buttons to gauge passing speed.

[lockjaw333]

Re: NHL 15 Available Now For EA Access Subscribers, Post Your Impressions

I started to come around to the gameplay right as my 6 hours ended. I decided to spend the last few hours trying to adjust sliders to improve the gameplay, and I really felt like I was making some headway. The sliders do actually have a noticeable effect, to the point where I was starting to enjoy it. I do feel that raising aggression really eliminates that "constant powerplay" feel to being in the O zone. Also decreasing puck control really adds to more loose pucks. I also figured out that I play infinitely better defense if I just control one play (usually the deepest forechecking forward), rather than switch players constantly. I'm able to keep him in proper position and not pull other players out of position, and the CPU plays much better controlling the defensemen than I do. This was never the case in the past, but this year I think its better to just control one player and let your team play defense. I ended up impulse buying the game at the end of my trial because I felt like I was making progress and wanted more. (apologies for the one paragraph, my browser at work doesn't seem to format properly on this forum).

[dammit100]

Re: NHL 15 Available Now For EA Access Subscribers, Post Your Impressions

I thought the "new" commentary was actually much worse than last year. It just has no flow to it whatsoever.

[Qb]

Re: NHL 15 Available Now For EA Access Subscribers, Post Your Impressions

Okay, finally got around to playing this. I played the Ducks in Anaheim with Pittsburgh. Lost 3-2 in OT. My first loss in this game... This was by far the best game that I have played so far in terms of realism and puck looseness.

I started to come around to the gameplay right as my 6 hours ended. I decided to spend the last few hours trying to adjust sliders to improve the gameplay, and I really felt like I was making some headway. The sliders do actually have a noticeable effect, to the point where I was starting to enjoy it. I do feel that raising aggression really eliminates that "constant powerplay" feel to being in the O zone. Also decreasing puck control really adds to more loose pucks.

Thanks, guys. It's good to hear some slider adjustments can improve things.

[pipelayah]

Re: NHL 15 Available Now For EA Access Subscribers, Post Your Impressions

Is it possible to make trades on menu screen or is it only in be a gm mode?

I would like to make own team but as editing is out this seems to be only way.. if you can make trades and then save the roster.

[pirateelephant]

Re: NHL 15 Available Now For EA Access Subscribers, Post Your Impressions

Wait, what!? Can you explain this?

I only saw it happen twice or so. But a player on the backdoor would catch the puck but not in a shooting position .Then when they would be at the side of the net and their stick and the puck would glitch through the net. Then the puck would shoot off super fast. It would count as a goal too.

[lockjaw333]

Re: NHL 15 Available Now For EA Access Subscribers, Post Your Impressions

Thanks, guys. It's good to hear some slider adjustments can improve things.

Yeah they do seem to have a distinct impact. For me even on hardcore the game plays too docile. There is way too much open space and the puck is possessed way too much. I found that lowering things like puck control and passing accuracy and increasing things like aggression, poke effectivess and interceptions made a huge difference in terms of making the game play a more "chippy" game of hockey. I also turned down wrist, one-timer and slapshot accuracy, and you see a lot more shots going wide and ripping off the back boards. This also helps decrease shot totals for the CPU (they really spam shots, especially on cross-crease one-timers). I also upped goalie screen effect and saw some point shot goals. The actual on-ice gameplay is better than it has been in (although fairly similar).

[Jet Sufferer]

Re: NHL 15 Available Now For EA Access Subscribers, Post Your Impressions

Let me preface my thoughts with the early access by saying I am buying the game because I've gotten back into hockey big time and also table hockey, I'm even playing with Coleco "pros" in NYC and elsewhere, if it wasn't for the Best Buy deal I would wait for used.

I have gotten some better play tweaking sliders but what still drives me mad and what I can't fix and what EA MUST FIX sometime before I collect Social Security is my teammates AI. Watching these professional players play like amateurs who have never touched ice before is driving me nuts, I'm looking for a button to instigate a fight with my AI teammates.

I'm not one for consipiracy theories but....this whole meme that "but the gameplay is great" ALL OVER THE INTERNET has my spider sense tingling. Amazing coincidence since so many modes are missing that all of a sudden a game that plays incredibly similar to the game I have been playing on past gen is now recognized by many as a game with "great gameplay", just too bad it's missing a few modes. That's not to say that some people don't honestly feel that way, but the constant pounding of that meme wreaks of viral marketing to me.

[adayinthelife]

Re: NHL 15 Available Now For EA Access Subscribers, Post Your Impressions

...But for now these were just some more gameplay impressions as I know several people on here have been looking for in-depth reporting of how the game actually is when played. Perhaps this week I will try and stream a game so that some of you could watch and see the issues and good things that I am noticing when playing as well.

Would you mind throwing these slider tweaks up in the slider forum? I haven't had a chance to try much tweaking/testing myself yet. Would love to try a couple people's set ups.

[Al_Tito13]

Re: NHL 15 Available Now For EA Access Subscribers, Post Your Impressions

Updated impressions after playing the full game for some time now...

Likes:
- Puck physics are way way better than before
- Graphics are great
- Presentation is good
- Hockey atmosphere is definitely there
- Slower game pace for a more realistic gameplay
- Interceptions and deflections on players, which result in more loose pucks
- Toned down deking for a more realistic gameplay
- Shot release feels and looks better

Dislikes:
- Not possible to edit players, change jersey numbers or save custom strategies
- Unbalanced gameplay, with offense overpowered compared to defense
- Sticks go through things (players, other sticks, nets, boards)
- Hitting and collisions detection isn’t good at all
- Poke checking is too restrictive, not effective enough and with no left to right control on the stick
- Even if it's better, general AI still needs work and AI players still don't use their sticks enough
- Goalies are weak in some situations and would definitely need an overhaul next year
- Even if I saw the CPU missing sometimes, there are still way too many tape to tape passes
- No new gameplay sliders and still only with a 0 to 6 scale

[Qb]

Re: NHL 15 Available Now For EA Access Subscribers, Post Your Impressions

Yeah they do seem to have a distinct impact. For me even on hardcore the game plays too docile. There is way too much open space and the puck is possessed way too much. I found that lowering things like puck control and passing accuracy and increasing things like aggression, poke effectivess and interceptions made a huge difference in terms of making the game play a more "chippy" game of hockey. I also turned down wrist, one-timer and slapshot accuracy, and you see a lot more shots going wide and ripping off the back boards. This also helps decrease shot totals for the CPU (they really spam shots, especially on cross-crease one-timers). I also upped goalie screen effect and saw some point shot goals. The actual on-ice gameplay is better than it has been in (although fairly similar).

Good stuff. You hit almost every slider I earmarked after playing the demo. Hardcore style is closer to what I'd like to see, but it's not quite there.

[Gagnon39]

Re: NHL 15 Available Now For EA Access Subscribers, Post Your Impressions

- Not possible to edit players, change jersey numbers or save custom strategies

I thought we could edit our own players jersey numbers. At least in Be A GM.

[hradekbr]

Re: NHL 15 Available Now For EA Access Subscribers, Post Your Impressions

I know this has probably been answered but I havent been keeping up as much as I usually do, is there any form of NHL Be a Pro or Live the Life? If not that might be the final straw for me

[Yzerman101]

Re: NHL 15 Available Now For EA Access Subscribers, Post Your Impressions

Can you create a player and put him in a team in the menu screen and use him in Be a gm?