NHL 15 Video, Screenshots & Blog Featuring the Superstar Skill Stick

[johnnyg713]

This game is shaping up to be sports game of the year.

[nddurst]

Re: NHL 15 Video, Screenshots & Blog Featuring the Superstar Skill Stick

This all but confirmed my biggest concern. Every defender shown being deked around in the video were all basically just skating backwards, staring at the puck. No type of stick checking, no use of the arms/body, nothing. It's apparent that defense has largely ignored. Hopefully I'm proven wrong.

It's great to include offensive skill stick moves, but when the defense has been left impotent it's not going to result in a good balance of gameplay.

[Money99]

Re: NHL 15 Video, Screenshots & Blog Featuring the Superstar Skill Stick

This all but confirmed my biggest concern. Every defender shown being deked around in the video were all basically just skating backwards, staring at the puck. No type of stick checking, no use of the arms/body, nothing. It's apparent that defense has largely ignored. Hopefully I'm proven wrong.

It's great to include offensive skill stick moves, but when the defense has been left impotent it's not going to result in a good balance of gameplay.

I'm usually a half-empty type guy when it comes to EA's hockey series, but in this case, what you saw was a result of the team wanting to showcase the skill stick - so that's probably why the dmen looked like Brendan Smith.

Hopefully dmen are given more tools as well, but for this video, I think the point was to showcase mainly the offensive tools at ones disposal.

[nddurst]

Re: NHL 15 Video, Screenshots & Blog Featuring the Superstar Skill Stick

I'm usually a half-empty type guy when it comes to EA's hockey series, but in this case, what you saw was a result of the team wanting to showcase the skill stick - so that's probably why the dmen looked like Brendan Smith.

Hopefully dmen are given more tools as well, but for this video, I think the point was to showcase mainly the offensive tools at ones disposal.

Haha. Brendan Smith. How'd you know I was a Wings fan?

You might be correct about this video. However, I've yet to see anything encouraging about defensive tools from any of the videos/trailers so far. I hope I'm wrong.

[jyoung]

Re: NHL 15 Video, Screenshots & Blog Featuring the Superstar Skill Stick

So still no defensive skill stick? The game's current stick checking system could really benefit from a fuller range of control using the right joystick.

As it currently is in NHL 14, you're basically at the mercy of animation roulette whenever you poke check or stick lift, as your stick could end up going in any direction, which often leads to unnecessary tripping and slashing penalties.

Putting body checking on the right joystick is a waste, since you don't need any kind of user direction input to throw a hit.

[bigwill33]

Re: NHL 15 Video, Screenshots & Blog Featuring the Superstar Skill Stick

This game is shaping up to be sports game of the year.

Based off of what? The combined 2 mins of real gameplay footage that has been seen or the fluff and repetitive interviews that are out there?

I'll wait for the demo to see if it's anything more than a port with some graphical upgrades and shoddy AI and glitch fest to score again. If you can get any discernible info that clears up the questions surrounding this series from these hype trailers then you are a better detective than I could ever be.

[bigwill33]

Re: NHL 15 Video, Screenshots & Blog Featuring the Superstar Skill Stick

Didn't basically same thing happen last year too(not just for NHL,but also other games like Madden,NBA,MLB and stuff?)

It did, even for The Show. It seems to be the new way of marketing for the next gen sports games.

And why wouldn't it be? There are hardly any games out for these systems and no competition for any sports other than the NBA franchises. So they can release nothing until around release and still sell their products cause if you like the sport you are stuck with limited options.

Bad for us, the consumers, great for EA, 2k, and SCEA.

[bigwill33]

Re: NHL 15 Video, Screenshots & Blog Featuring the Superstar Skill Stick

So still no defensive skill stick? The game's current stick checking system could really benefit from a fuller range of control using the right joystick.

As it currently is in NHL 14, you're basically at the mercy of animation roulette whenever you poke check or stick lift, as your stick could end up going in any direction, which often leads to unnecessary tripping and slashing penalties.

Putting body checking on the right joystick is a waste, since you don't need any kind of user direction input to throw a hit.

Not to mention that in years past of this game the defender could not play the puck on a loose puck deke animation because the puck was not truly loose. No telling if this has been improved yet.

Nothing like watching some kid spamming the one touch dekes while you are positioned perfectly on d and watch as he gets positioning on your player because the puck is tied to his animation that you cannot seem to disrupt in any realistic manner.

[Aggies7]

Re: NHL 15 Video, Screenshots & Blog Featuring the Superstar Skill Stick

Video looks awesome but as I have stated before hard to make a comment as everything is shown in slow motion. Still no game speed videos.

Don't get me wrong what was shown was great but I have my doubts it will look like that in real speed.

[Gagnon39]

Re: NHL 15 Video, Screenshots & Blog Featuring the Superstar Skill Stick

Dang, that looked ridiculous. I'll try to maintain realistic expectations.

[m-dogg]

Re: NHL 15 Video, Screenshots & Blog Featuring the Superstar Skill Stick

All EASHL Defensemen are getting the shakes right now.

nothing like knowing what the skater is going to do, guessing right, but still having a low percentage chance to successfully stop it. All conjecture at this point of course, but its been this way for years online, so its hard to see it changing any time soon...

[SpectralThundr]

Re: NHL 15 Video, Screenshots & Blog Featuring the Superstar Skill Stick

Didn't basically same thing happen last year too(not just for NHL,but also other games like Madden,NBA,MLB and stuff?)

It did, but don't let reality stop the haters from spewing their yearly hate. Personally I'm looking forward to the game dropping so they crawl back under their rocks for another 12 months.

On topic, I like that the puck appears more loose in the actual subtle puck movements with the stick itself, rather than glued on in years past. It may be more refinement than anything but it looks leaps and bounds better and more realistic than the previous gen. Less robotic and clunky as well animations wise, also a plus.

I do hope that the defensive tools are effective in breaking these dekes up, be it a well timed check, stick lift or poke that could create an odd man going the other way. That to me would make people really have to think about it, if the AI is smart enough to read and anticipate plays like they're touting, trying a fancy side step or one touch, just to have an AI defender bat the puck away to a forward looking to break out would be pretty awesome to see the CPU pull off with some consistency.

[johnnyg713]

Re: NHL 15 Video, Screenshots & Blog Featuring the Superstar Skill Stick

Based off of what? The combined 2 mins of real gameplay footage that has been seen or the fluff and repetitive interviews that are out there?

I'll wait for the demo to see if it's anything more than a port with some graphical upgrades and shoddy AI and glitch fest to score again. If you can get any discernible info that clears up the questions surrounding this series from these hype trailers then you are a better detective than I could ever be.

Everyone has an opinion. Mine is that this game looks absolutely phenominal. Sorry.

[ericromain]

the same movements that we see at least ten years, I do not know what you're excited about, a part of that the saga of marketing...with bim bum bam trailers continues, when we see some real gameplay video we can talk about real improvements at this moment it is all marketing.

The Tavares and Kane dekes have perfect pro-hockey form, it was like watching an instructor at hockey camp. I love it.

Why does the puck 'dribbling' in place look so much different? Is it the wrist action, or are they just handling it more/faster? What ever it is, looks great.

[hawley088]

Re: NHL 15 Video, Screenshots & Blog Featuring the Superstar Skill Stick

now lets just hope I cant pull these moves off with Zdeno Chara