NHL 19 Open Beta Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here - Extended to August 3

[Money99]

Re: NHL 19 Open Beta Impressions (Xbox One/PS4)

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"Waffleboarding!"

I'm out.

[jake19ny]

Re: NHL 19 Open Beta Available Now on Both Xbox One and PlayStation 4

It has versus, eashl, one vs one etc. It's not just one mode.

Ok good. Man EA does a terrible job of informing it’s consumer lol

[bad_philanthropy]

Re: NHL 19 Open Beta Impressions (Xbox One/PS4)

Movement and stickhandling in Ones feels amazing. Best the series has ever been in terms of that element. Feels like hockey. Defending using the defensive skill stick is now incredible as your player's posture moves/adjusts and tracks the puck carrier There's a lot of subtlety and detail in the animations in how your player positions himself when defending now, and it's fantastic.

Threes feels like a totally different game from Ones. The controls feel wild and twitchy, and everything is just way too fast, and is unplayable for me.

Ones has me encouraged for 5 on 5 play. If the AI is halfway decent and we have the same robust set of sliders we've had the past few years, NHL 19 is potentially a leap forward the series desperately needed.

EDIT: Can confirm that 5 on 5 online vs is closer to Ones than Threes in terms of feel. It's not tuned exactly how I like, but 5 on 5 play feels a ton better than any title this gen. It's somewhere between the responsiveness and tightness of last gen with an upgrade it authenticity in terms of movement. Edge work and protecting the puck with body position feels tremendous, and for me the movement and the way the d skill stick has been tuned is a huge upgrade in how if feels to defend.

[Qb]

Re: NHL 19 Open Beta Available Now on Both Xbox One and PlayStation 4

Have only played Ones so far far. Holy crap does the game ever control well. It's difficult to describe, but if you've ever skated or played hockey, it feels really authentic. Don't know anything about AI or 5 on 5 gameplay, but from a the raw fundamental standpoint of skating, puck pickups, and control, it's an absolutely stunning leap forward.

You have my attention.

[bad_philanthropy]

Re: NHL 19 Open Beta Available Now on Both Xbox One and PlayStation 4

You have my attention.

Yeah, it's really weird, Ones feels absolutely amazing. It really does transmit this sense of what it feels like to be on skates and stickhandling around a rink. Probably the most authentic feeling movement I've experienced in a sports game.

That said, I jumped into a few sessions of Threes and it feels like a totally different game. The movement is twitchy and floaty, and generally unpplayable for me. I'll have to give online vs a try to see how movement is tuned there. I really wish I could just jump into a practice mode and turn passing to manual and fool around with sliders.

[Money99]

Re: NHL 19 Open Beta Available Now on Both Xbox One and PlayStation 4

Yeah, it's really weird, Ones feels absolutely amazing. It really does transmit this sense of what it feels like to be on skates and stickhandling around a rink. Probably the most authentic feeling movement I've experienced in a sports game.

That said, I jumped into a few sessions of Threes and it feels like a totally different game. The movement is twitchy and floaty, and generally unpplayable for me. I'll have to give online vs a try to see how movement is tuned there. I really wish I could just jump into a practice mode and turn passing to manual and fool around with sliders.

This has got to be a limitation on the engine then? With more bodies, it can't keep up to the animations?

[lvl]

Re: NHL 19 Open Beta Available Now on Both Xbox One and PlayStation 4

Wow I am blown away.

This is amazing. Totally different and so fluid.

Edit: It looks incredible on PS4 Pro. Leaps and bounds than last year.

[bad_philanthropy]

Re: NHL 19 Open Beta Available Now on Both Xbox One and PlayStation 4

This has got to be a limitation on the engine then? With more bodies, it can't keep up to the animations?

Nah, played an online vs 5 on 5 and it was actually great. Obviously it's not tuned as I would like it personally, but in terms of skating and movement, puck pickups and pass receptions it's leaps and bounds ahead of anything we've seen this gen. I'd personally tune acceleration down slightly, and go full manual passing, and lower puck control, but I think there's huge potential. It's all moot of course if the cpu AI is a disaster, but teammate AI is also way the heck better. Maybe that's a good sign?

I'm actually amazed that my teammates all seem to know which way to be facing at all moments. I also think there are a some quick and smaller animations (pivots and turns) implemented to make up for any lapses in positioning regarding pass reception. Like if they're not facing the right way, the game will do it's best to react to the pass. It looks really good and fluid, but feels even better.

Pucks seems way more 50/50. It don't get the sense that if I make the defensive play that I'm at a disadvantage to gain possession any more, but I also need to see how this functions against the cpu. In my 5 on 5 versus experience there were a lot of sequences where the puck changed possession several times, and none of it had to do with incompetence or lack of urgency. In fact, there seem to be a bunch of new small animations for stripping someone of the puck from different angles (behind and to their side) that look fantastic. They seem to trigger automatically.

One other cool thing I saw that I really like is that players head track the puck. Like if you're defending with body position and the d-skill stick and are making a turn, while the player has his back to the puck carrier, he'll still watch him over his shoulder as he moves. It's looks fantastic.

Doesn't seem like goalies got much, if any attention.

Also, one concern I have is, while control feels really good overall, there might not be enough difference between big players who aren't great skaters, and smaller, great skaters. It's difficult to articulate. It's not that smaller, really good skaters don't feel significantly different (fast, agile, etc...), it's just that the spectrum between Joe Thornton and Mitch Marner doesn't feel as wide as I think it should.

[TB5XSBW]

Re: NHL 19 Open Beta Available Now on Both Xbox One and PlayStation 4

No offline Play Now and no HDR.

What a bust.

[TheBuddyHobbs]

Re: NHL 19 Open Beta Available Now on Both Xbox One &amp; PS4, Post Your Impressions Here

Xbox One X in 4k - the skin tones are EXTREMELY unrealistically dark. Most guys with face scans are hard to tell that it's even them. I'm not sure what's going on as far as skin tones. It's so far off. I hope this will be fixed. These guys don't really tan too much to my knowledge.

[bad_philanthropy]

Re: NHL 19 Open Beta Available Now on Both Xbox One &amp; PS4, Post Your Impressions Here

Playing 5 on 5 versus just makes me wish so badly I could put manual passing on, turn off all assists, tune down pass reception ease and puck control.

A huge surprise for me about Ones is how in motion it looks just like the trailer. Can't get over how good that mode looks and feels. It's not my cup of tea, but it really is the closest feeling to going out onto a lake or a city rink and playing with some friends or randoms I've ever gotten from a hockey video game.

[TheBuddyHobbs]

Re: NHL 19 Open Beta Available Now on Both Xbox One &amp; PS4, Post Your Impressions Here

Xbox One X in 4k - I really love the skating and hitting improvements. It's actually a drastic difference. Which is a good thing. Feels so much more like hockey. Goalies still need some work. Getting beat on plays they have been for YEARS. You can't spam the poke check at all anymore, thankfully. You will pay the price if you don't time it just right or from a good position. Timing and positioning are finally more realistic for poke checking. I think the game is going in a great direction if they build on what they've done so far. I might be jumping the gun, but I'm going to definitely pre-order this game. It's a breath of much needed fresh air.

[VsaTPsycho]

Re: NHL 19 Open Beta Available Now on Both Xbox One &amp; PS4, Post Your Impressions Here

When i start the game, the game crash!!! Help?
Im on Xbox

[bad_philanthropy]

Re: NHL 19 Open Beta Available Now on Both Xbox One &amp; PS4, Post Your Impressions Here

Playing defense feels so damn good. There are so many more subtle pivots and crossovers, and the way your player adapts their posture relative to the position of their of the puck, passing lanes, space, and the gap you're playing is a huge upgrade. It's just a big upgrade in small automatic animations, and the logic of when they are used is spot on.

Game still needs work animating action around the boards.

[jake19ny]

Re: NHL 19 Open Beta Available Now on Both Xbox One &amp; PS4, Post Your Impressions Here

Played a 5 on 5 online vs.....while the skating looks and feels better that’s where it ends.

AI teammates still wander

Goalies still awful....at one point my opponent had a breakaway and Lundqvist dropped to his knees while the guy was still 3-4 strides out. Guy easily ticked puck past my kneeling non moving goalie.

Passing felt like a chore

44 total penalty minutes. This happens every year. Gane starts out a trip fest....people complain and instead of actually fixing it they all but eliminate it and it becomes a spam poke fest.

Same money goals go in.

Hitting over the top

Nice to see five man celly but man did they do it lazy.

Overall I wish I could have played vs the CPU. But I’m not seeing enough to get excited at all. Once again time spent on a gimmick mode rather than fix the lingering issues with the actual 5 on 5 hockey.