NHL 10 Demo Available, Post Impressions Here (360 & PS3)

[Plzhelpme]

Re: NHL 10 Demo Available, Post Impressions Here (360)

Can you list the sliders.

Skill Level
Game Style
Period Length
Game Speed
Auto Backskate
Penalty Time Scaling
Post Whistle Rules

Fatigue Effect (Human/CPU)
Fatigue Recovery (Human/CPU)
Injuries (Human/CPU)
Puck Control (Human/CPU)
Player Acceleration (Human/CPU)

Created Plays
AI Learning
AI Difficulty Adjustment
AI Face-off Difficulty
AI Fight Difficulty

Pass Assistance
Manual Passing
Pass Speed
Saucer Pass Speed
Pass Accuracy (Human/CPU)
Pass Interceptions (Human/CPU)

Shot Accuracy (Human/CPU)
Shot Power (Human/CPU)
Slapshot Accuracy (Human/CPU)
Slapshot Power (Human/CPU)
Onetimer Accuracy (Human/CPU)

Hitting Difficulty
Aggression (Human/CPU)
Hitting Power (Human/CPU)
Stick Lift Effectiveness (Human/CPU)
Poke Effectiveness (Human/CPU)

Goalie Passing
Goalie Cover Puck Frequency (not sure I want to keep this one)
Goalie Screen Effect (Human/CPU)
Goalie Reaction Speed (Human/CPU)

[RealmK]

Re: NHL 10 Demo Available, Post Impressions Here (360)

You guys are killing me?!?!?
I'm in a Wisconsin hotel (12 hours driven today, 8 more hours tomorrow until we arrive in Winnipeg) and I'm dying to have access to my 360.

Anyway, I'm loving what I'm hearing.
RealmK, it really sounds like your geeked about the puck physics and style of play.
Love hearing that.

I have a few questions:

1. How are the one-timers. In some of the gameplay videos it seemed that not every one-timer was money. If the puck was in the skates our outside the wheel house it resulted in a non-shot or something inaccurate.
2. I've heard some guys mention that if you try to line up the CPU, they'll implement a 1-on-1 move. Do all the CPU players do this? So will Talbot be able to execute these moves as well as Crosby?
3. Detroit is nearly 100% puck possession. They are loathe to give up the puck and even their 3rd and 4th lines have the skill to retain the puck.
Pittsburgh also plays this to a degree, but their 3rd and 4th lines will dump and chase a lot more than the top 2 lines. Basically, can you tell a big difference between Pittsburgh's and Detroit's defensive/offensive strategies?
4. I know I've been harping on this for 2 years. But is there a more noticeable difference when the CPU handles the puck with Crosby or Malkin compared to Cooke and Kennedy? Will they complete more low-percentage passes? Are they harder to contain or knock off the puck? Will they try more finesse plays?
5. Lastly. Realm, how could you play more with the Pens? Shame on you!

Thanks guys!

Hank, I'm very tempted at this point after putting an absolute metric asston of time into the demo today that NHL10 is EA's version of NHL2k3. IMO it's that damn good. As for your questions
1 With one timers you need to be spot on pretty much else you either fan on the shot or end up taking a weaker shot.

2. From my experience its only the more skilled CPU players who will do a one on one. I've only seen guys like Hossa and Sykora and the like do it when I'm lining them up. Better players seem to be better at doing it imo.

3. When playing against Detroit I notice that if I stand them up at the blue line well enough, they'll cut back towards center ice and regroup. Pittsburg on the other hand dumps alot more from what I've seen today. Thats not to say the Pens don't regroup as well, the Crosby line tends to do it more than the other lines though.

4. To a degree yes, the AI will try and play to the players attributes more and I've found it a tad harder to knock guys like Staal off the puck vs someone like Hal Gill for example. I do still think CPU passing is too tape to tape on the whole, mostly when the're already set up in your defensive zone but I'm figuring the sliders in the full version should help to tone that down a tad.
5. Eh I play with both, I was on a pens kick during those early impressions posts :wink:

[Bumble14]

Re: NHL 10 Demo Available, Post Impressions Here (360)

Am I the only one who couldn't stand the demo? I am a big fan of the new pinning mechanics, scrums, and harcore mode, but I just can not stomach the same animations, presentation, awkward puck physics, robo goalies, and automatic cheese goals, any longer.

Seriously, EA needs to revamp the way the game looks because the overall package is starting to feel really stale. Would it hurt to throw in some new broadcast presentation with new stat overlays and cool pop ups ala 2K? Why are goalies still invincible? I can not even count the number of times both Osgood and Fleury made impossible saves on plays they were clearly beat. Also, anyone else notice you can still cut in front of the net pretty easily and score that easy cheese backhand upper corner goal?

I feel like EA had a chance this year to take an already amazing game to the next level by polishing up all the little issues we've been complaining about for the past two years. Instead I feel like they added some cool new gameplay mechanics on top of an already fading coat of paint.

I'm sure I'll still pick the game up because of how much I love the shot stick controls, I am just a little disappointed as I was expecting a lot more from this game.

[Vikes1]

Re: NHL 10 Demo Available, Post Impressions Here (360)

I played the demo quite a bit today, and I'm very pleased with how things turned out gameplay wise. Very pleased.

At first I thought the gameplay speed was a bit too sluggish. But the longer I played, the more I enjoyed it. I'm really liking the passing on normal and hardcore. Man...I missed on a ton of passes. Seemed much more realistic actually having to accurately aim your passes. I can see myself having great fun with this years game.

[bad_philanthropy]

Re: NHL 10 Demo Available, Post Impressions Here (360)

Actually you can, its called the saucer pass.

I'm definitely optimistic about sliders solving this, though I think the default manual passing speed is a little odd. I'm sure you've been to your share of NHL games and the immediacy and speed at which these guys can fling the puck around to each other in my opinion doesn't seem to be well represented on the default configuration. It was definitely too fast last year.

As far as the saucer pass goes, it still doesn't really leave the user with a pass comparable to the standard pass that the cpu uses when it is set up inside the zone. At least it seems that way to me. And it isn't a hard pass along the ice, which is what I think is needed.

[Bumble14]

Re: NHL 10 Demo Available, Post Impressions Here (360)

I played the demo quite a bit today, and I'm very pleased with how things turned out gameplay wise. Very pleased.

At first I thought the gameplay speed was a bit too sluggish. But the longer I played, the more I enjoyed it. I'm really liking the passing on normal and hardcore. Man...I missed on a ton of passes. Seemed much more realistic actually having to accurately aim your passes. I can see myself having great fun with this years game.

The game plays great on hardcore- with a ton of play happening in the neutral zone. I like the slower pace as well, it feels more like hockey.

I just wish EA would have removed robo goalie and added some more organic ways to score goals. I feel like we are going to have another cheese fest on our hands come September.

[born_bad]

Re: NHL 10 Demo Available, Post Impressions Here (360)

I only had time to play 2 games (3rd period of the Cup) and I was disappointed. Sure, the board play was a cool addition, but aside from that, it looked exactly like 09. I'm not just talking about the graphics, although that didn't look improved at all, but the same exact cut scenes since NHL08 again? Really?

It just looked way too much like 09 for me to feel like it was a new game. When I get more time I'll play some more to see if there are more subtle improvements, but my initial reaction was - this is 09 with some board play animations.

[bad_philanthropy]

Re: NHL 10 Demo Available, Post Impressions Here (360)

I think it's worth mentioning that the overall teammate and opponent AI in BAP is way improved.

[onlybygrace]

Re: NHL 10 Demo Available, Post Impressions Here (360)

Well...I got the demo and must say that this game is good as is...

but with the proper sliders will be the best game ever.

Really great job EA.

[Vikes1]

Re: NHL 10 Demo Available, Post Impressions Here (360)

I think it's worth mentioning that the overall teammate and opponent AI in BAP is way improved.

I messed around with BAP myself, for 3-4 games. I thought it was a lot of fun and very rewarding. I didn't score...but getting the couple of assists I got felt great. I've never really spent much time with the BAP mode, but that may very well change this year.

[onlybygrace]

Re: NHL 10 Demo Available, Post Impressions Here (360)

Realm...did you mean to say that the saucer passes are harder on hardcore???

Gonna go play some more...

[Redshirt_EA]

Re: NHL 10 Demo Available, Post Impressions Here (360)

Can anyone answer the question about the broadcast camera? Is it the same as last years or did they actually make it a broadcast camera view?

Same.

[Redshirt_EA]

Re: NHL 10 Demo Available, Post Impressions Here (360)

Well thanks for following through with the screen shot!
And if I am going to find some positive, then at least VL4's face looks better than it did last year.
If you cannot make anymore changes, does this mean that the game has gone gold?

Yep, we've been hands off for final certification (internal and with first party) for a while now.

[Redshirt_EA]

Re: NHL 10 Demo Available, Post Impressions Here (360)

what the hell EA? how could you not see this? the leg lift should be limited to once every 5 seconds or something. PATCH!!!!!!!

I have to look at this more myself, but it looks a lot like the guy recorded the video playing on rookie, where you can skate through the other team like that with or without the leg kick.

Seems like someone trying to stir the pot to me, I do not think this will be exploitable and we will follow up on it to make sure that it isn't. No argument that it looks absurd and that alone is reason to make a fix.

[RoyalBoyle78]

Re: NHL 10 Demo Available, Post Impressions Here (360)

Hank, I'm very tempted at this point after putting an absolute metric asston of time into the demo today that NHL10 is EA's version of NHL2k3. IMO it's that damn good. As for your questions
1 With one timers you need to be spot on pretty much else you either fan on the shot or end up taking a weaker shot.

2. From my experience its only the more skilled CPU players who will do a one on one. I've only seen guys like Hossa and Sykora and the like do it when I'm lining them up. Better players seem to be better at doing it imo.

3. When playing against Detroit I notice that if I stand them up at the blue line well enough, they'll cut back towards center ice and regroup. Pittsburg on the other hand dumps alot more from what I've seen today. Thats not to say the Pens don't regroup as well, the Crosby line tends to do it more than the other lines though.

4. To a degree yes, the AI will try and play to the players attributes more and I've found it a tad harder to knock guys like Staal off the puck vs someone like Hal Gill for example. I do still think CPU passing is too tape to tape on the whole, mostly when the're already set up in your defensive zone but I'm figuring the sliders in the full version should help to tone that down a tad.
5. Eh I play with both, I was on a pens kick during those early impressions posts :wink:

WOW, 2K3 my favorite Hockey ever