NHL 15: Hands-On Impressions

[asu666]

Nice job. I can't wait to get my hands on a copy. EA Sports seems to be making some nice progress with most of the franchises. I'm hoping NBA Live manages to recover and be a decent game this year too.

[Aggies7]

Re: NHL 15: Hands-On Impressions

This will be an interesting year for EA with the NHL franchise. Debut on Next Gen consoles. Just hope they make a good first impression. From the details I like what I have read.

[adayinthelife]

Haha, "ice powder". I guess we don't all live in snowy climates

Some good news and bad news in there, it seems. Very interested to see it in action though for the new puck physics.

My biggest question right now is how does the skating feel vs. 13/14?

[SVCbearcat10]

We must remember that this is their first release on next-gen. While we may want every little detail they coudln't deliver on last gen due to hardware constraints in this game, it's impossible to fit them in first try. I love the foundation they are building on.

Hopefully next year or the following year, EA addresses some legacy issues in all games.

[onac22]

I can't wait for NHL. I have been surviving on FIFA and now finally The Show. But next gen NHL withdraws are most definitely in full effect. Especially during the playoffs and now that there will be no hockey. But the Kings are winning. September couldn't get here soon enough.

[Wiggy]

The extended poke animation has me a little worried. I'm an exceptional poke-checker (as Im sure a lot of people online are, and many people probably hate that) and I hope that it doesn't effect my game.

Actually, of bigger concern is, the new Xbox ONE controller has AWFUL bumpers that require a completely different hand/finger stretch/angle and the pressure point is solely at the end of the button. I have a feeling I'm going to despise that controller for this game.

I wouldn''t call the animation extended. It's just different.

[jboe235]

sounds pretty good so far. Is there any update or change to goalie AI and animations? Or are they still pretty robotic?

[Majingir]

Re: NHL 15: Hands-On Impressions

Can anyone find out about the penalty situation? That's been a huge problem since NHL12, the lack of penalties called in the game, and most of the time they were called,it was like weak phantom calls.

Penalties drastically impact a hockey game,and for the video games to randomly not have much penalties,even on the max slider setting, ruins it alot.

[ianlast]

Re: NHL 15: Hands-On Impressions

sounds pretty good so far. Is there any update or change to goalie AI and animations? Or are they still pretty robotic?

+1

The goalies have been so bad for the last few years. So much warping and rubber-banding, it's like they're not governed by any kind of physics. Another thing that I've noticed, it's always seemed way too easy to score short side on goalies, yet I rarely see shots beating goalies on the far side off the wing.

It would be awesome to get authentic goalie tendencies and stances down the road, but first I want them to get the basics of goaltending right.

[TOMillr]

Just some quick questions about the controls I'd like to know more about:

- Is the annoying "speed burst" button still in the game?
- Do you still have to press a button AND use the right stick to poke check?

Btw, I've never understood why the put checking on the right stick: The original idea of the right-stick-mechanic was basically sold as "left stick controls the player's feed - right stick controls the stick".

Wouldn't it make more sense to have the right stick on defense act as the manual poke check "button"? That would free up the shoulder button (which is currently used for the poke check) to act as a "engaged in check/body contact" button.

[ianlast]

Re: NHL 15: Hands-On Impressions

Can anyone find out about the penalty situation? That's been a huge problem since NHL12, the lack of penalties called in the game, and most of the time they were called,it was like weak phantom calls.

Penalties drastically impact a hockey game,and for the video games to randomly not have much penalties,even on the max slider setting, ruins it alot.

I feel like the biggest problem is that you (and the CPU) aren't really forced to do much to trigger penalties.

Spamming the poke check button used to mean tripping calls, but they seem to have done away with that. Body checking infractions are rarely called. Hooking and slashing only seems to be called when you press stick lift from behind the player. Holding only gets called if you pin against the boards for too long.

It's really a problem in all EA Sports games. I wouldn't mind seeing some canned penalty/foul animations being triggered through some combination of player ratings and context, but perhaps I'm in the minority there.

[ianlast]

Re: NHL 15: Hands-On Impressions

Just some quick questions about the controls I'd like to know more about:

- Is the annoying "speed burst" button still in the game?
- Do you still have to press a button AND use the right stick to poke check?

Btw, I've never understood why the put checking on the right stick: The original idea of the right-stick-mechanic was basically sold as "left stick controls the player's feed - right stick controls the stick".

Wouldn't it make more sense to have the right stick on defense act as the manual poke check "button"? That would free up the shoulder button (which is currently used for the poke check) to act as a "engaged in check/body contact" button.

Yep. I have long wondered this myself, it makes way more sense. They should at least give you the option to toggle between the two configurations.

[brandon27]

Re: NHL 15: Hands-On Impressions

Sounds awesome. Looking forward to picking up a next gen system this summer and getting my hands on this game. Souding good, looking great.

[huntt26]

I really can't wait to see this game in action!

[NHLandPESFan]

Re: NHL 15: Hands-On Impressions

I would like to know:

1. Will the hybrid control scheme have all the options available in other control schemes? There is no reason this shouldn't happen.
2. There needs to be some kind of season/GM mode with multiple users.
3. In ranked online games, having guests should be illegal. This annoys the hell out of me when I go to play a game and it's against a team. A game against multiple humans is completely different than a 1 v 1 game and should be in a different category.