How NHL 15 Will Capture the Look and Feel of Hockey with NBC Sports Broadcast Package

[Flyersfan75]

Re: How NHL 15 Will Capture the Look and Feel of Hockey with NBC Sports Broadcast Pac

Far from perfect Fiddy and Canucksss and believe me I feel your frustration especially because penalties are one area that is the same and does not get fixed year after year. I did get my offline sliders this year to play competivly for the first time in years. I think hopefully the experience could possibly get more attention and I am betting it is going to fixed slightly this year but more than likely it won't be until 2016 for a total complete package

Could you post your sliders in the slider section so I can see it.

[gator3guy]

Re: How NHL 15 Will Capture the Look and Feel of Hockey with NBC Sports Broadcast Pac

Yep exactly the same. That skating engine was in 09, the changes to hitting and puck physics were also in 09. Oh wait.

Fact of the matter is there's only so much a dev team can do when being limited to 512 megs of ram.

So two things?

The "physics" if you want to call them that are garbage anyway. It looks like a roller derby out there. Bodies flying everywhere. How often do you see someone get absolutely blown up in an NHL game? Once maybe twice? I actually thought the physics were better in NHL 13 but the kiddies couldn't take a runs from the opposite blue line in EASHL so they made the change this year.

I'm not even going to talk about the puck physics.

Don't get me wrong I play this game more than any other, but they never took it to the next level. I'm not one to get caught up in presentation, because if the game isn't fun I'm not going to play it, but you wonder what they were doing with dev time over the last few years other than building their money maker- HUT.

[XXstormmXX]

Re: How NHL 15 Will Capture the Look and Feel of Hockey with NBC Sports Broadcast Pac

I don't know if this was already posted but here's a big press release on EA's site. It probably has stuff we've already seen but may have new things. http://investor.ea.com/releasedetail...leaseID=845226

[JMD]

Re: How NHL 15 Will Capture the Look and Feel of Hockey with NBC Sports Broadcast Pac

I've never been an EA hockey guy, always played 2k. Still playing 2k10 now. This sounds promising though, I'll give it a look. Hope there will be a demo.

[SpectralThundr]

Re: How NHL 15 Will Capture the Look and Feel of Hockey with NBC Sports Broadcast Pac

So two things?

The "physics" if you want to call them that are garbage anyway. It looks like a roller derby out there. Bodies flying everywhere. How often do you see someone get absolutely blown up in an NHL game? Once maybe twice? I actually thought the physics were better in NHL 13 but the kiddies couldn't take a runs from the opposite blue line in EASHL so they made the change this year.

I'm not even going to talk about the puck physics.

Don't get me wrong I play this game more than any other, but they never took it to the next level. I'm not one to get caught up in presentation, because if the game isn't fun I'm not going to play it, but you wonder what they were doing with dev time over the last few years other than building their money maker- HUT.

Aside from the floaty puck on some of the dumps, I don't think over all the puck physics in 14 are terrible. I've certainly played hockey titles over the years with worse physics. NHL2k10 for example is pretty much bumpercar hockey yet the same people who slag on EA year in year out, rave about how great 2k10 is.

I'm not sure how the online game is as I don't play online, but with the right sliders I don't see guys flying everywhere, it's actually not bad at all, is it perfectly realistic? No, but it's a video game, if you're expecting a perfect representation of hockey from EA or Take Two, or Ubisoft or any publisher for that matter, you're going to end up disappointed in the end.

I will say one thing though that needs to be addressed is neutral zone pressure, that is the one area of the game that has sorely needed some addressing for a while now. And now that they have so much more ram to play with, they have zero excuse to not address it. Be it via sliders or making more sliders to further customize how the game plays, or AI tweaks. Either way the neutral zone issue needs to be addressed in some fashion.

[gator3guy]

Re: How NHL 15 Will Capture the Look and Feel of Hockey with NBC Sports Broadcast Pac

Aside from the floaty puck on some of the dumps, I don't think over all the puck physics in 14 are terrible. I've certainly played hockey titles over the years with worse physics. NHL2k10 for example is pretty much bumpercar hockey yet the same people who slag on EA year in year out, rave about how great 2k10 is.

I'm not sure how the online game is as I don't play online, but with the right sliders I don't see guys flying everywhere, it's actually not bad at all, is it perfectly realistic? No, but it's a video game, if you're expecting a perfect representation of hockey from EA or Take Two, or Ubisoft or any publisher for that matter, you're going to end up disappointed in the end.

I will say one thing though that needs to be addressed is neutral zone pressure, that is the one area of the game that has sorely needed some addressing for a while now. And now that they have so much more ram to play with, they have zero excuse to not address it. Be it via sliders or making more sliders to further customize how the game plays, or AI tweaks. Either way the neutral zone issue needs to be addressed in some fashion.

That's the thing you play offline. I play strictly online because I can't take the AI anymore. I can't adjust sliders. I'm at the mercy of EA and their 3 turner sets a year. If they want to have roller derby, fine, have a setting for it and give us the option to play on a sim setting or casual.

[SpectralThundr]

Re: How NHL 15 Will Capture the Look and Feel of Hockey with NBC Sports Broadcast Pac

That's the thing you play offline. I play strictly online because I can't take the AI anymore. I can't adjust sliders. I'm at the mercy of EA and their 3 turner sets a year. If they want to have roller derby, fine, have a setting for it and give us the option to play on a sim setting or casual.

I agree, which is why the presets like Hardcore should make more of a difference. Either that or expand the range of sliders, or even add more clicks to the sliders they currently have, that have more of a drastic effect on the game play itself.

This AI Vision thing they're pushing now, sounds almost like Hockey IQ from NHL 14, and we all know how that worked out. It remains to be seen if they actually will walk the walk this year in regards to AI behavior, rather than just talking the talk like they seem to have done the last couple years in regards to AI.

That being said I think it's gotten better on last gen over the last couple years, from 12-14, the AI at least moves now rather than always just standing still, but it's still no where near where it needs to be, or where it should be. Memory limitations aside.

[Semipro91]

Thank GOD Pierre McGuire isn't going to be doing anything. I couldn't handle playing and hearing about where Steve Ott played his juniors and who his coach was.

[Schmackity]

Re: How NHL 15 Will Capture the Look and Feel of Hockey with NBC Sports Broadcast Pac

Thank GOD Pierre McGuire isn't going to be doing anything. I couldn't handle playing and hearing about where Steve Ott played his juniors and who his coach was.

Couldn't agree more. I'm sure Eddie will compensate though with a lot of uses for the phrase 'RIGHT.....THERE!' on replays.

[Money99]

Re: How NHL 15 Will Capture the Look and Feel of Hockey with NBC Sports Broadcast Pac

I hope we finally see out of town highlights.

[Pezell04x]

Re: How NHL 15 Will Capture the Look and Feel of Hockey with NBC Sports Broadcast Pac

No the whole thing wouldn't collapse at all, it would actually be the building blocks for a game to make the conversion to Gen 4.

People routinely fail to see how this is going to be a year yo year process.

I'm going to have to disagree with you. When it comes to sports games, the NHL franchise is the one I only truly care about. It's the one I've been playing since NHLPA 93 on my Sega Genesis.

Fiddy said it best - the series has been the same since NHL 09. While there may have been "innovations", the gameplay for every game has been the same. Teams play the same. Players play the same. Sidney Crosby plays like Shawn Thornton who plays like Corey Perry who plays like John Scott out of the box.

There's been a litany of problems never addressed in terms of gameplay that include but aren't limited to: AI penalties, puck physics (especially the 14 super dump in the corner).

The gameplay and presentation need a new face lift. I'm sure this subsection would be more inclined to give the NHL devs a pass if their gameplay was up to the level of The Show, but it's not. It's not even close.

[Dolphins88]

Yes the gameplay definitely needs addressed. I felt 2k3 nailed how each team and player should play differently and it was more organic. The presentation needed this but let's hope EA can reproduce organic gameplay and where playing as Sidney Crosby, Malkin , lucic, Kane or Toews actually matter in different skills set and ratings matter. Each team needs to play a different style and you should have to adjust and line match.

[Money99]

Re: How NHL 15 Will Capture the Look and Feel of Hockey with NBC Sports Broadcast Pac

Yes the gameplay definitely needs addressed. I felt 2k3 nailed how each team and player should play differently and it was more organic. The presentation needed this but let's hope EA can reproduce organic gameplay and where playing as Sidney Crosby, Malkin , lucic, Kane or Toews actually matter in different skills set and ratings matter. Each team needs to play a different style and you should have to adjust and line match.

2K3 still had the best AI I've ever seen in a game. It also was able to capture different player styles better than any game I've played.

I echo yours and Fiddy's thoughts, Pezell04x.
While I've enjoyed NHL14, the entire gameplay engine and AI needs a complete overhaul.
Seeing a big difference in player and team styles is absolutely necessary. Otherwise, next-gen NHL games will eventually feel the same as last-gen.
I'm very excited for NHL15 news and I hope it's the game we've been waiting for.
But if we continue to see 4th liners doing the same things as 1st liners, offline gamers like me will lose interest quickly - again.

[crankybaker]

Re: How NHL 15 Will Capture the Look and Feel of Hockey with NBC Sports Broadcast Pac

Good read as we are before e3 trying to grab as much info as possible.

I am very excited to hear updated commentry and support for this during the life cycle of the game to keep some things fresh, I like the idea of 5 months down the road I will hear something i havnt heard before. Look forward to hearing about some game features at e3 now.

[crankybaker]

Re: How NHL 15 Will Capture the Look and Feel of Hockey with NBC Sports Broadcast Pac

Thank GOD Pierre McGuire isn't going to be doing anything. I couldn't handle playing and hearing about where Steve Ott played his juniors and who his coach was.

But how else am I to know what Brian gibbons did at Boston college? And think about all the crosby love we are missing out on lol