NHL 14 Gameplay Video - '94 Anniversary Mode

[Steve_OS]

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GameSpot has posted an NHL 14 gameplay video showing off the '94 Anniversary Mode, which was announced last week. The video is just over 35 minutes with Tom McShea and Producer of NHL 14, Sean Ramjagsingh.

[Peter10]

Re: NHL 14 Gameplay Video - '94 Anniversary Mode

So what they basically did was taking the normal game, adding blue ice, increase the speed and turn off icing and penalties and called it NHL 94?

[GrandMaster B]

They made no dekes and a bunch of bad passes. Does Ramjagsingh know how to play his own game?

[Al_Tito13]

Re: NHL 14 Gameplay Video - '94 Anniversary Mode

So what they basically did was taking the normal game, adding blue ice, increase the speed and turn off icing and penalties and called it NHL 94?

I have to agree with you. I was hoping for NHL 94 gameplay with updated rosters. What we get is NHL 14 on blue ice, with minor arcade tweaks and few sound effects. I don't think I will play this mode for more than 1 game, as it seems quite pointless.

[xman2k]

This should be DLC or an XBLA arcade game, its too bad no online play either, bad move

[bigwill33]

This is truly pathetic to me. Right off of the bat here are the things I have noticed:

-Menus are exactly the same

-Loading screen and presentation are exactly the same

-Even after one game they were buttoning through the intros

-Sticks still go through sticks and Rammer even said they don't like how it played when they fixed it. So, no true collision detection.

-Exactly the same presentation for the 3rd+ year in a row when it comes to the game intro graphics and music. This wasn't good in the first place

-Exactly the same intros as the players take the ice. Same brick locker room that leads no where, same emotionless jump on to the ice. Same overlays and stat packages. Same commentary. Same wipes.

Then we jump into the game play. Which I know it will be hard to critique because it was not the same game mode as what will be normally played, but it was not that far from what you will get.

-Goalies still move and behave just about the same exact way as what we know.

-Rammer said there will be "ways to score" meaning glitch shots are still money

-no group celebrations on goals

And don't tell me that they are still working on things, this game is nearly finished at this point. All this mode does is sell games to causal fans and people who don't have the patience or understanding of the actual sport. If that is for you then kudos to you, but to the sim gamer or person who wants to play EASHL or Online Franchise mode this game is looking to be awful again. All that work that was done under David Littman has been erased. These boards probably have never known a bigger hockey fan and a more knowledgeable hockey persona, but for the first time on this generation of consoles I am considering not picking up an NHL game.

[believeinnow]

They made no dekes and a bunch of bad passes. Does Ramjagsingh know how to play his own game?

Try playing well when you're talking to someone else...you never play well. You can tell that they are both paying more attention to talking to each other than playing that the performance fails. What really bothers me is that this was a pretty boring 35 minutes worth of footage. They really should have cut it up.

[believeinnow]

This is truly pathetic to me. Right off of the bat here are the things I have noticed:

-Menus are exactly the same

-Loading screen and presentation are exactly the same

-Even after one game they were buttoning through the intros

-Sticks still go through sticks and Rammer even said they don't like how it played when they fixed it. So, no true collision detection.

-Exactly the same presentation for the 3rd+ year in a row when it comes to the game intro graphics and music. This wasn't good in the first place

-Exactly the same intros as the players take the ice. Same brick locker room that leads no where, same emotionless jump on to the ice. Same overlays and stat packages. Same commentary. Same wipes.

Then we jump into the game play. Which I know it will be hard to critique because it was not the same game mode as what will be normally played, but it was not that far from what you will get.

-Goalies still move and behave just about the same exact way as what we know.

-Rammer said there will be "ways to score" meaning glitch shots are still money

-no group celebrations on goals

And don't tell me that they are still working on things, this game is nearly finished at this point. All this mode does is sell games to causal fans and people who don't have the patience or understanding of the actual sport. If that is for you then kudos to you, but to the sim gamer or person who wants to play EASHL or Online Franchise mode this game is looking to be awful again. All that work that was done under David Littman has been erased. These boards probably have never known a bigger hockey fan and a more knowledgeable hockey persona, but for the first time on this generation of consoles I am considering not picking up an NHL game.

You make some valid points. It is still a preview build and who know which build they're playing. I do agree that the presentation could have used a change but with this being the "last" of this generation, I doubt they were planning on doing something new for a fading generation (yes, I know this is a bad excuse). But, in my eyes, presentation doesn't sell me on a hockey game, it's performance on the ice.

But, David Littman is still part of the NHL team, he was involved with the first NHL 14 preview stuff they did when OS guys visited EA earlier this year.

[Weapon X]

Re: NHL 14 Gameplay Video - '94 Anniversary Mode

Rammer at 23:05 "We're probably our biggest critics."

...I guess they don't venture to these boards often? Hahaha.

WX

[action937]

This should have just been a local display option rather than a mode. For instance, I could choose "Display in NHL 94 mode" when I start up an EASHL game.

[Feldman011teen]

Same exact commentary and menus. I'm sure the other modes will be untouched as well.

[CaptainSuperman]

Re: NHL 14 Gameplay Video - '94 Anniversary Mode

They made no dekes and a bunch of bad passes. Does Ramjagsingh know how to play his own game?

There were no dekes in NHL 94. 3 buttons

[Moose Factory]

Man what a let down... All this preview did was reveal all the annoying things that I hate about NHL 13 that remain untouched. Ugh. There better at least be GameFace in this version or I'm going to snap.

[Just_Cow]

Menu presentation - Sleeker in a way with the "TV" still too small (imo)
Everything else in presentation - Untouched (including broadcast -__-)
Goal Celebrations - Untouched
NHL 94 mode - Sound effects, blue ice, NHL 94 on the scoreboard that you'll only notice during intros
Speed - Will still take over the game

It's amazing how different EA Sports games have retouched things like the menus, intros, commentary, and pay attention to the little things in other franchises yet this series still looks way behind.

It's sad when arena details are STILL better in NHL 2K10...2K10!!! Then it is in the current NHL games by EA Sports. I won't get into gameplay and how the puck still looks glued on players sticks, even if this is just NHL 94 mode and it's made for fun, it's left me with a more uneasy feeling that I've had since the debut trailer.

[DJ]

Will dropping some ether on the NHL series. He's 100% correct on all points. Great post.