NHL 15 Available Now for PS4 and Xbox One - Post Your Impressions Here

[jyoung]

Re: NHL 15 Available Now for PS4 and Xbox One - Post Your Impressions Here

Computer passes cross ice for a one timer in the slot every time. And every time they score. This is just dumb. You know its coming but you cant stop it because they just pass it to whoever your ai teammates are "defending".

I even have all of my defensive lines set to "collapsing," and I still notice that my AI player's coverage of the slot and the crease is awful.

Something has definitely changed in the PS4 defensive AI, because "collapsing" defense still works like it should on Xbox 360.

[Drakar]

Re: NHL 15 Available Now for PS4 and Xbox One - Post Your Impressions Here

I even have all of my defensive lines set to "collapsing," and I still notice that my AI player's coverage of the slot and the crease is awful.

Something has definitely changed in the PS4 defensive AI, because "collapsing" defense still works like it should on Xbox 360.

I had to increase Human pass interception to even get the slightest chance of blocking the pass while I am in the passing/shooting lane. The CPU still manage to fight that small gap and pass the puck with the precision of surgeon. The game has been setup for the younger kids who really like over the top fast hockey style. My sliders have most of the attributes tone down (passing, shooting, speed) to make it a better representation of what hockey is.

[jyoung]

Re: NHL 15 Available Now for PS4 and Xbox One - Post Your Impressions Here

This is a good example of the kind of defending I've seen regularly so far:

<iframe width="540" height="304" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/r-7ExtQU18k" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

That was from my first game with the retail version. Gáborík just stands there and completely ignores the guy he's supposed to be defending.

[jake19ny]

Re: NHL 15 Available Now for PS4 and Xbox One - Post Your Impressions Here

I have spent the past few days since release complaining about all the missing modes and features. We all know about it and are mad as hell so the last thing I'm going to say about that is I can live with no season mode by playing BeaGM just please patch in full roster control and player edit. That's the last I mention it. On to game play. I have now spent a few days in BeaGM and have played 4 games. I really like the improvements and if you tweak sliders you can tone down the glue like passes. I find lowering pass accuracy, reception ease, and puck control to one for both sides loosens up game play a lot. I find most sliders either to a lot or very little but I'm sure I can tweak them to find a setting I like and I'm close. There are four major flaws that continue to bug me though in every game played no matter the settings.

1) This is by far the worse and its been mentioned. The CPU/Teamate AI of the defense is just horrid. If I control a Dman and chase the puck carrier into the corner my CPU teammate defender follows me right in as well leaving a guy camped right in front of the net...If he does not leave, as soon as the puck is past towards the slot he skates away leaving the guy open. Also when I control a Dman and skate backwards with an on coming forward, if I play it well and close him off he just does this little spin around on a dime while my guy floats away.

2) No penalties called. I know some of you are getting them and we have this discussion every year. Some guys get them and some of us don't and we never figure out why that is but Add NHL 15 to 14 and 13 where the CPU just doesn't take penalties. In 4 games I have had 3 power plays (11 min periods) The CPU has had a decent amount against me, about 12 but I can still crush a guy away from the puck and have nothing called as well as boarding. I get away with that 9 out of 10 times. Also gone seems to be the ability to bait the CPU into a penalty after the whistle which I used to manage at least once a game in NHL 14. The penalty sliders seem to do nothing for me.

3) We all complained about the suction action on the boards when you hit the pin button the past few years but now its the opposite....Its almost impossible to pin somebody along the boards and having some of the board play would really add to the experience.

4) Why is it so damn easy to score on an empty net? The CPU pulls their goalie and seems to stop playing. my last game it was a 6 on 4 since they pulled the goalie on a power play and I found myself able to skate from behind my net straight up the ice over the line and score. Funny I have shot accuracy on 1 and miss the net from right in front several times a game but when the nets empty its like there is a magnet dead center and the puck laser beams into the net every time.

These things can all be fixed with tuners I hope (Except penalties because we have been waiting 3 years for that fix and will never see it)

[jyoung]

Re: NHL 15 Available Now for PS4 and Xbox One - Post Your Impressions Here

3) We all complained about the suction action on the boards when you hit the pin button the past few years but now its the opposite....Its almost impossible to pin somebody along the boards and having some of the board play would really add to the experience.

It's not just the boardplay that feels hard to trigger. I've also seen a lot of body checks just "whiff" right through players, too:

<iframe width="540" height="304" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/lTeGS4D8uF0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Robyn Regehr is rated something like 89 checking in this game, but he can't move Paul Stastny off the puck, despite trying three straight times in this clip.

You also see the crazy pass assistance kicking-in here, as the opening pass was supposed to go to the guy wide open in the slot, but instead, the game auto-corrected the pass and sent it straight to the covered defenseman at the point. The puck is traveling on a straight line path to the defenseman's stick before it gets intercepted.

[Drakar]

Re: NHL 15 Available Now for PS4 and Xbox One - Post Your Impressions Here

Yep Jyoung. I have seen it over and over again last night. The CPU AI get bump you off your skate with almost no momentum when you are in the offensive zone and you will skate at full speed and it will bounce like you just hit a rubber mat.

Pass assist is one of my biggest gripe with the game. Definitely 3 steps backwards on next-gen. I am hoping they will fix it very soon.

[jake19ny]

Re: NHL 15 Available Now for PS4 and Xbox One - Post Your Impressions Here

As far as the hitting goes raise up your hit assistance slider to 5 or 6. Last year its was off the charts with the hitting so we all lowered it last year. I raised it up and it helps a lot and is not overboard. I was hoping it would help with the pinning but it didn't.

[DJ]

Re: NHL 15 Available Now for PS4 and Xbox One - Post Your Impressions Here

It's not just the boardplay that feels hard to trigger. I've also seen a lot of body checks just "whiff" right through players, too:

<iframe width="540" height="304" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/lTeGS4D8uF0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Robyn Regehr is rated something like 89 checking in this game, but he can't move Paul Stastny off the puck, despite trying three straight times in this clip.

You also see the crazy pass assistance kicking-in here, as the opening pass was supposed to go to the guy wide open in the slot, but instead, the game auto-corrected the pass and sent it straight to the covered defenseman at the point. The puck is traveling on a straight line path to the defenseman's stick before it gets intercepted.

Was that goalie human-controlled? I love how he just looks back at the puck as it slides past him, as if to say, 'oh well, this is going to be a goal.'

Ideally you'd have that goalie dive and cover up the puck as it's coming towards him, since it deflected off a defender. Instead he goes automatically into a save animation and once that puck hits his pad, there's zero reaction to the puck. That's not good.

[jyoung]

Re: NHL 15 Available Now for PS4 and Xbox One - Post Your Impressions Here

Was that goalie human-controlled? I love how he just looks back at the puck as it slides past him, as if to say, 'oh well, this is going to be a goal.'

Ideally you'd have that goalie dive and cover up the puck as it's coming towards him, since it deflected off a defender. Instead he goes automatically into a save animation and once that puck hits his pad, there's zero reaction to the puck. That's not good.

The goalie was AI controlled Dan Ellis, whose ratings are in the high 70s and low 80s.

You can see why the real-world Predators let him go for good a few seasons back.

[MichaelAngeloTMNT]

Re: NHL 15 Available Now for PS4 and Xbox One - Post Your Impressions Here

If you're a fan of Hockey or the NHL, buy this game. Don't punish yourself because the things that were left out. The gameplay is incredible, prb would have game of the year all of the Modes were put in. Buy the game, play it for a few months and then trade it in. Worth trying just for the gameplay.

[jake19ny]

Re: NHL 15 Available Now for PS4 and Xbox One - Post Your Impressions Here

Another note on hitting and penalties. I noticed in NHL 14 if the CPU hit me often 20+ a game I would get 3-4 power plays a game if it were in the single digits I would have 1 or none. So far no matter what sliders I try the CPU on hits me about 6-7 times a game. Not Good

[Smirkin Dirk]

Re: NHL 15 Available Now for PS4 and Xbox One - Post Your Impressions Here

These things can all be fixed with tuners I hope (Except penalties because we have been waiting 3 years for that fix and will never see it)

I think that board play is a whole new mechanic. It's a back of the box feature.

And its a game mechanic that belongs in NHL 2007.

[Drakar]

Re: NHL 15 Available Now for PS4 and Xbox One - Post Your Impressions Here

board play was perfectly done since 2005 in NHL2k5. It's not complicated. No excuse for the suction cup gameplay they gave us.

[robinson]

Re: NHL 15 Available Now for PS4 and Xbox One - Post Your Impressions Here

It's very disappointing, especially playing as the Blackhawks.

Also, I don't know how many of you guys know this as you're probably enjoying your team's completely "rebuilt stadium." But Chicago's stadium is terrible. It's one thing to not have the United Center's naming rights but it's another to just cash it in and not even remotely try to make it look like the UC. No banners, nothing. It's awful looking.

Yea, they better get 'permission' to cutandpaste a pic of the stadium. Rocky always does everything above and beyond. Someone with connections should ask Rocky/front office to get something done about this. If they cant use the united airlines symbol & name, so F what, but get the stadium like all the others. Also, the words Chicago stadium are way better then the name of the team around logo on ice. Do they need 'permission' from united airlines to write the words Chicago stadium, give me a F... whhhat.

The crowds noise are better, but still way off. They go up 1 notch each yr, ut they need to go up 100 notchs in crowdnoise & then dial it down a hair if needed. They need to do overkill on the crowdnoise to make it realistic.

Also, need to have the rinks filled or not full of people based on real attendance stats. Road teams that have a good/better following have moar fans in other teams stadiums...

[robinson]

Re: NHL 15 Available Now for PS4 and Xbox One - Post Your Impressions Here

How do they go through testing the game, and not realize that the winger always takes the faceoff on the PK???? How does this get past anybody??

Yea, saw that too. It might be that there just have an auto thing where who has more energy in the fatigue level is who takes the faceoff? It doesn't make sense. Would be nice if they had an option in team settings (like how edit lines work) to pick who takes faceoffs & from which side of rink.