[Ruffy]

Quote: Originally Posted by bad_philanthropy

A couple videos, and I'll preface this by saying I like a lot of the mechanics and what EA has done with the game. Take a look at passes one and three in this sequence and the way the puck changes directions off the stick. Since the AI is able to make so many impossible passes it negates the need for the AI to provide support in the d and offensive zone. Here is Shawn Thornton looking dominant one on one and successfully doing a little dangle. This should probably never happen. Player differentiation needs to be better. Shawn Thornton again showing off some amazing hands gathering a rebound, getting it to his forehand before rifling a perfect pass. Second part of the vid, how does the Panthers player get so much power and accuracy on the pass from that position.

Some decent points but any game....especially NHL will drive you insane if you slow mo replay every action.

Breaking down the gameplay frame by frame is difficult for any video game but especially sports games....at some point the AI makes the puck warp to the stick etc. People who play the show cry of the suction into the gloves on grounders etc.

I can't imagine the type of programming code it would take or type of physics engine refinement for the pucks and sticks to react exactly like they should. If they could I would agree some of your points are quite valid.

The Thornton "dangle" is not much of a dangle...the toe drag just created him a little space. I have been playing with a bronze team in HUT vs the CPU and the harder dekes that I attempt in that mode are not pulled off by everyone.

I plan to try this out more at the NHL player level to see if it is the same.

What i am enjoying is the player separation...even in the opening game I felt a huge difference when Stamkos had the puck opposed to Killorn or Filpulla. Bigger players felt slower but sturdier....agile players felt speedy and nifty to me.

So far this is the best NHL to date.....sure it has some issues.....which for some will be game breakers....but this is a damn fun iteration of the game.

I'm 40 and have played and officiated hockey since I was 7. Played every version of hockey from Coleco Vision, Atari, Activision, NES, Genesis, PS1, PS2, PS3 and now PS4. Sports games and gaming in general has come a million miles in my lifetime.

I wouldn't give it a 9 or 10 out of 10 but its a hard 8 at worst.