NHL 13 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here (360, PS3)

[peter21]

Re: NHL 13 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here (360 Now, PS3 Later Today)

I'm loving this game at the moment. I'm been using the true broadcast camera and it feels great!

I only have one grief that can be fixed easily. When using the true broadcast cam, the controls set to always up, aiming the shot with the left stick is still camera relative and it feels weird that way. You can try this in free skate and setting the control and camera to what I said.

Yeah, I was struggling with broadcast mode a lot with shooting, faceoffs, etc. I'm just so used to overhead, this might be a tough transition for me. As another poster said, I may just use broadcast mode for coaching in one of the GM leagues.

[Qb]

Re: NHL 13 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here (360 Now, PS3 Later Today)

Not sure, but from a preview I read on another site, I think it's just things like how each line will play and things like that. Each of the 30 teams is set up differently.

If you click the right stick on the pregame edit lines screen, it will bring up your strategies. You can play with all the new settings, including the bias settings for individual lines. It reminds me of the setup in old 2k games, which is exactly what I used as an example when discussing the topic with them when I was there. Unfortunately we can't save them in the demo, even from one HUT game to the next. But that won't be an issue with the full game.

Basically what I'm trying to say, is that the sliders have been adjusted to really display the changes made to the game.

So once we get the full game, we can adjust sliders and make them how we're used to playing at, and game will be great.

If you change the game style the sliders will change. It sounds like you were looking at default; normal puts almost every slider in the middle, while hardcore moves a few by a click or two and puts pass assist to zero (by far the biggest difference).

Yeah, I was struggling with broadcast mode a lot with shooting, faceoffs, etc. I'm just so used to overhead, this might be a tough transition for me. As another poster said, I may just use broadcast mode for coaching in one of the GM leagues.

I've been playing on side-scrolling cameras with relative controls for years and I'm still having trouble with it on true broadcast. It also has some "blindspots" when moving the puck up ice, just as a real broadcast does. But it looks so damn good I want to stick with it.

[MizzouRah]

Re: NHL 13 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here (360 Now, PS3 Later Today)

Wow.. this is sports game of the year territory.:P

Ok.. a bit premature. But.. the new skating engine is all of that and then some. The game really feels like a hockey game. Put it on AS and I've seen a little bit of everything, loose pucks, dump and chase, penalties, scrums, offsides, teams being pinned in without being able to give up the puck, breakaways, etc..

What an excellent job they have done this year - especially where it matters most, gameplay and AI. My teammates finally have a hockey sense! Can't wait to see the full product!

Added: Player differential is much improved as well as the lighting!

[RealmK]

Re: NHL 13 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here (360 Now, PS3 Later Today)

Really like the broadcast feel this year too. Show a replay, talk a little bit about it, show the player on the bench looking up at the screen. Or the camera cuts of guys talking to the coach between periods, then panning to the crowd, the replay angles and the net cam even though there's some pretty bad jaggies goin on there.

The game has a pretty good "broadcast feel" to it this year. Shame I can't play on that new camera to save my life.

[Stormyhog]

Re: NHL 13 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here (360 Now, PS3 Later Today)

Like some others have said I have noticed as well the PS3 version is somewhat blurry. When I first booted it up I noticed it right away like a hazy effect. The game for me has been smooth no choppiness at all in all the games I have played. Really impressed with the demo love the skating.

[The Visualizer]

Re: NHL 13 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here (360 Now, PS3 Later Today)

Really like the broadcast feel this year too. Show a replay, talk a little bit about it, show the player on the bench looking up at the screen. Or the camera cuts of guys talking to the coach between periods, then panning to the crowd, the replay angles and the net cam even though there's some pretty bad jaggies goin on there.

The game has a pretty good "broadcast feel" to it this year. Shame I can't play on that new camera to save my life.

have you tried switching the controls to "ALLOWS UP"?

made a big difference for me

[Vikes1]

Re: NHL 13 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here (360 Now, PS3 Later Today)

If you click the right stick on the pregame edit lines screen, it will bring up your strategies. You can play with all the new settings, including the bias settings for individual lines.

Thanks Qb! I didn't know that.

And I completely forgot about being able to set the "bias" settings for each line. That's very cool.

I saw to me anyway, a very neat thing while playing with the Devils. I setup with the 1-4...and as the Kings headed into center ice...there was a picket fence of Devils waiting for them! Man...that looked great. And sure as heck, they started dumping the puck in! Pretty neat to feel as though the strategies seemingly work. And the AI seems to adjust to it.

[RealmK]

Re: NHL 13 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here (360 Now, PS3 Later Today)

have you tried switching the controls to "ALLOWS UP"?

made a big difference for me

Yeah I tried that right off the bat. You're still using up and down to deke, I don't think there's any getting used to that for me really.

[RealmK]

Re: NHL 13 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here (360 Now, PS3 Later Today)

Thanks Qb! I didn't know that.

And I completely forgot about being able to set the "bias" settings for each line. That's very cool.

I saw to me anyway, a very neat thing while playing with the Devils. I setup with the 1-4...and as the Kings headed into center ice...there was a picket fence of Devils waiting for them! Man...that looked great. And sure as heck, they started dumping the puck in! Pretty neat to feel as though the strategies seemingly work. And the AI seems to adjust to it.

Noticed the same thing playing around with the settings. I really love that AI teammates don't just stand around in predetermined positions and will actually actively forecheck rather than making the player do all the work. It's led to some really great scoring chances on turnovers.

[Vikes1]

Re: NHL 13 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here (360 Now, PS3 Later Today)

Noticed the same thing playing around with the settings. I really love that AI teammates don't just stand around in predetermined positions and will actually actively forecheck rather than making the player do all the work. It's led to some really great scoring chances on turnovers.

Agree 100%, RealmK.

Also, at first I thought the puck was more loose this year. But no...it's a heck of a lot more loose! This, along with what you mentioned RealmK, has in deed created situations that just weren't like this in '12'.

I'm seeing the puck rolling more on it's side now...and some pretty strange bounces, that really make things interesting. And quite a bit more of the puck being blocked and/or hitting the players.

Maybe the coolest thing of all is...that the majority of us on the board seem very pleased with what they see outta the demo. It'd sure be a bummer if the opposite were true for good reason. Good job so far, EAC!

[SinisterAlex]

Re: NHL 13 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here (360 Now, PS3 Later Today)

Just saw something neat happen just now.

I hammered Sykora with Doughty and injured him. What was cool was seeing him literally holding his knee and moving in pain on the ice. His facial expression was spot on.

Just something I thought I'd share.

[franch1se]

Re: NHL 13 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here (360 Now, PS3 Later Today)

i really SUCK at this game. Just opened up my HUT and got some good players.

Forwards

Malkin
Perry
Zetterberg
St. Louis
Nugent-Hopkins

Defense

Weber
Seabrook

Raask as goalie

[Shortyman96]

Re: NHL 13 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here (360 Now, PS3 Later Today)

Has anyone else noticed what seems to be the removal of Goalie contact? They seem to have gained their shield from NHL 11 once again. I think it's there somewhat, just alot harder to even make contact.

[SinisterAlex]

Re: NHL 13 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here (360 Now, PS3 Later Today)

Has anyone else noticed what seems to be the removal of Goalie contact? They seem to have gained their shield from NHL 11 once again. I think it's there somewhat, just alot harder to even make contact.

I've noticed that as well. You can still hit them, but they don't leave the goalie stance animation that they're usually in. Hopefully it's just a demo thing.

[LionelHutz]

Re: NHL 13 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here (360 Now, PS3 Later Today)

Flame me if you will, but I really don't like this demo. I kept trying to like it, I beat the HUT and played it for about six hours today, but it just doesn't feel right.

I know one-timers were an issue for a long time with these games, but now it seems just impossible to score on one. I have played probably 50 periods and haven't scored a single one. What seems to work for me is to just get in the opposing end, deke a bit and take a weak shot. That or slap it from just over the blue line. It reminds me of playing games like NHL Breakaway 98 in that way.

In the shootout what works is a wind up for the slap shot then quick left or right deke and wrist shot. It seems to work too well.

What is up with not being able to hit the goalie anymore? It was a big deal for NHL 12 and it's pretty much gone. In fact it's really hard to finish any check after the whistle, and pretty damn near impossible to start a fight at any time other than on the faceoff. It was always fun to get a couple of cheap shots in, and if the other team did that at least you could stand up for yourself in a fight.

The sound is glitchy. If the away team scores on you at home, the crowd is very quiet. Then once the puck is dropped all of a sudden they're super loud. With no transition whatsoever. Before any replay it plays the WHOOSH should like when the EA Sports logo transition occurred last year but there is no logo transition. There is still that kid in the crowd yelling "LOOK THERE HE IS" every 30 seconds or so. It's been grating on my nerves since 08. The announcing is the same recycled garbage since god knows when.

When there is a PowerPlay (oh wait I mean the HONDA POWER PLAY) the score for the team on the PP stays yellow and is hard to see.

When the ref is skating around to announce a penalty or something other players bounce off him and it looks very weird. NBA 2K11 had this with all on-court people but it was fixed for 12. It's very distracting.

What's up with the empty arenas in HUT?

The icing glitch still exists where a missed pass will cause an ice even if the pass was barely missed, and on the other hand if the icing is on the other team you can just stand around and wait for it to cross the line and touch it for the ice. These really should be waved off and it's been an issue for a long time.

I have seen a few times where after checking someone, they hit the ice, bounce in the air and hit the ice again. It also is ridiculously easy to hit someone at centre ice into the boards head first. And the glass still shatters arbitrarily for no real reason. The glass breaking hits never looked good since they were introduced.

The goalies move way to quickly, it made me laugh out loud a few times with the desperation saves and glove high saves. Nobody moves like that.

Sticks still go through the boards all the time and the goalies still go through the posts constantly. The goalies still will get a penalty for grabbing the puck then rotating their stick outside the trapazoid.

I wasn't expecting too much from this year's game to be honest but there is such a lack of polish and so many nagging issues from the past that I just can't justify spending another $60 on the game. If one of my friends picks up the retail copy I'll re-evaluate then, and really want to know what everyone else thinks. From the past posts it is almost unanimous praise so maybe it is just me...