NHL 16: Official Gameplay Balance Video, Trailer and Blog

[desi1751]

Re: NHL 16: Official Gameplay Balance Video, Trailer and Blog

Does anybody no if the change line menu is going to be fixed? Example you cud not pokecheck unless u waited for it to disappear

[brandon27]

Re: NHL 16: Official Gameplay Balance Video, Trailer and Blog

Loved the upclose shots in the first video. Looks really great. The improvements look awesome in that video. Really awesome.

The second video, I found it hard to really see alot of it in action. You get some glimpses, but it's so quick that it's hard to notice, it's there though. I think though, anytime you're watching a video with head to head player action, it probably takes away some of it as it should appear.

Hope some more videos continue to surface. Would love to see more.

[bigwill33]

Re: NHL 16: Official Gameplay Balance Video, Trailer and Blog

Loved the upclose shots in the first video. Looks really great. The improvements look awesome in that video. Really awesome.

The second video, I found it hard to really see alot of it in action. You get some glimpses, but it's so quick that it's hard to notice, it's there though. I think though, anytime you're watching a video with head to head player action, it probably takes away some of it as it should appear.

Hope some more videos continue to surface. Would love to see more.

Except none of your gaming experience will be done in anything that resembles the views in the first video... so.

[TheCloser]

Re: NHL 16: Official Gameplay Balance Video, Trailer and Blog

What the heck are you talkig about. Doc isn't bad in my book (loved JIm Hughson back in the day). Plus have you seen the madden announcer models! It's scary. I think the green screen is the way to go.

If "not bad" is your standard of quality then there is serious cause for concern. Just because the madden team did a poor job doesn't mean the nhl team will do a poor job. 2k did a solid job with the nba franchise. They are the leaders in sports game graphics, commentary, and atmosphere.

[TheCloser]

Re: NHL 16: Official Gameplay Balance Video, Trailer and Blog

The commentary is done the same way in previous years, they just changed the voice

Yes and the voice sucks. Some people just don't have what it takes to do video game commentary and that's okay. They should stop wasting time and money bringing Doc and his partner in because at best, it will just be acceptable. When you do something, your aim should be to best your previous efforts. The current commentary is a significant downgrade from the ps2 commentary and even Garry Thorne.

[Gangrel]

Re: NHL 16: Official Gameplay Balance Video, Trailer and Blog

I asked Rammer about it on twitter, so hopefully he responds because they said it was much better and improved.

It was downright cringe worthy to listen to. I heard one new line...and that was it.

After 25 seconds of gameplay you already know there's barely any new commentary in the game?

[Simple Mathematics]

Re: NHL 16: Official Gameplay Balance Video, Trailer and Blog

If "not bad" is your standard of quality then there is serious cause for concern. Just because the madden team did a poor job doesn't mean the nhl team will do a poor job. 2k did a solid job with the nba franchise. They are the leaders in sports game graphics, commentary, and atmosphere.

Doc is an incredible announcer in real life. He has such passion and emotion. Not sure why he's not displaying it in the game though.

[Caniac94]

Re: NHL 16: Official Gameplay Balance Video, Trailer and Blog

Ray Ferraro absolutely nails his commentary. Sounds just like he does in real life. Of course he doesn't have the same excitement factor that Doc has but still.

[sooner1074]

Everytime I watch this gameplay vid I keep asking myself why did they show this footage? I mean out of all the videos of gameplay in your office why this one? There are no goals, no new goalie movements, no penalties, no special introduction, nothing. How is the community suppose to be excited for this?

If you didn't notice the tweaked banner in the corner, the mascot in the bottom right corner or the new goalie stance, you could say it's identical to NHL 15. Even the cutscene at the end is shot for shot the same as last year (and the one before that). And of course, Doc Emrick sounds identical to the previous installment.

I know this is a very small appetizer but after the hype and promises of e3, this left a very bad taste in my mouth.

[actionhank]

Re: NHL 16: Official Gameplay Balance Video, Trailer and Blog

Doc is an incredible announcer in real life. He has such passion and emotion. Not sure why he's not displaying it in the game though.

I think it's probably pretty tough to accurately capture his enthusiasm, while still keeping up with the in-game action. A lot of real life calling doesn't exactly keep up, and they'll cut off a sentence to start another one. In-game, that always ends up either running past the actual action with entirely delayed reaction, or unnaturally cutting off.

I think if the game were setup to not call every single pass, and just note the general action on the ice (Instead of saying "Passes to Oshie, forwards it to Tarasenko, drop pass to Lehtera, SHOT ON GOAL" it would be better if they just said something like "Oshie works the puck up ice. Passes it forward, as the Blues maintain con-LEHTERA, WITH A SHOT ON THE NET, AND A SAVE BY CRAWFORD!")
It's hard to get that kind of seamless flow though.

[sooner1074]

Re: NHL 16: Official Gameplay Balance Video, Trailer and Blog

Doc is an incredible announcer in real life. He has such passion and emotion. Not sure why he's not displaying it in the game though.

It actually is more on the sound crew than Doc. They must be having a difficult time mimicking the atmosphere in the booth. Take it from me who worked in broadcasting, it's hard to get excited for something you really don't feel or hear.


Also, you have to take into consideration the whole ambiance of the crowd. It works hand and hand with Mike's calls. Ever notice the crowd is no different reacting to a game winning goal in overtime then to a first period score? If the crowd were more amped up when appropriate and banged the boards when the red light came on, then Doc's calls wouldn't be as terrible as you perceive it. So some of the blame goes to the crowd atmosphere - there is no variance.


But I digress...Hopefully, for our sake, they pump in louder crowds in the head sets and utilize an Oculus Rift for future installments. One can only hope these days.


The best option, though its hard from a legal stand point, would be to edit and use audio from previous NBC broadcasts. That way you achieve the raw energy that is sorely missed in the game and you capture the difference in amplitude from the crowd.

[knich]

Re: NHL 16: Official Gameplay Balance Video, Trailer and Blog

The backhand passing is horrendous AGAIN this year. No one in the NHL backhand passes as hard and as accurately as the players in this game. Also, the backhand passes are made in areas where NO NHL player would attempt such a pass. This has been a problem with the game play for years. The backhand shot is also way overdone. I also agree with most posts that this looks like NHL 15 with some paint..not even sure if the paint is fresh. This game needs consultants and/or coaches who have actually played or coached in NHL. Players are falling all over each other, look like they just got their heads cut off, failing to dump puck in situation appropriate (or at all), poor positioning, crazy passes, and there is no organized flow. AI is horrible. I hope this is an alpha version and there is a lot not put in yet.

[coopsta007]

Re: NHL 16: Official Gameplay Balance Video, Trailer and Blog

After seeing both videos, this game is looking to be an early no-buy for me. When you look at other games such as Madden, NBA2k, The Show and FIFA, each of these games truly feels like a next-gen experience on PS4/XB1. Call me crazy, but for some reason, the NHL series feels like it is stuck in last gen mode. The graphics may look a little bit better, however the core gameplay, in-game sounds, game modes, etc. make me feel like I am playing on the PS 3.25 instead of PS4.

Sure, the gameplay footage we saw today was a work in progress, however this year's marketing campaign for NHL 16 is looking an awful lot like NHL 15 (no pun intended)

[bigwill33]

Re: NHL 16: Official Gameplay Balance Video, Trailer and Blog

Hmm... Anaheim was cpu controlled, correct? They were trailing late in this game and that is when the cpu presses the most (adjusts its strategies to do so). So, if that is the adjustment that will yield the most amount of pressure from the cpu, offline BaGM could be the same as always; a bit of a snooze-fest.


Maybe this isn't the case here (I doubt it), but they did state Allstar-Hardcore; maybe Superstar will have different results, but past iterations tells us that probably won't be the case.


I'd like to be optimistic, and I wish they would give us a level and a setting for a more sophisticated style of play, but I don't know, I don't think we're getting it this year.

There really has never been any contextual awareness within this game or its AI.

Even playing club with computer D there is no rush to get the puck up the ice to the open guy without my calling for it continually in the final moments of a game in which we are trailing. There is no drive to the net or sending 2 guys to the puck to support a tied up teammate in the corner etc.

This game just doesn't have those kinds of things programmed into it, never has, no matter what the aggressiveness and other settings are set to.

[iaxy]

Re: NHL 16: Official Gameplay Balance Video, Trailer and Blog

Thanks EA. You just saved me $60.
I'm trying to focus on positives, but I'm afraid my original suspicions have been confirmed.
This is NHL 15.1. Same game play with some subtle graphical changes.
The biggest showstopper for me is the lack of fluidity and convincing animations. Whilst the skating looks OK when the skater is in stride, the change of directions is again horrible to watch. The trailer sure does a good job of advertising the micro movements and control, but what's the point if the idea is not supported by proper animations, momentum and fluidity?