NHL 23 Gameplay Trailer and Developer Blog Highlights Innovations and Updated Features

[Steve_OS]

EA Sports has released a new gameplay trailer for NHL 23 providing a look at the...

Written By: Steve Noah

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[tcnumba10]

Re: NHL 23 Gameplay Trailer and Blog

Any mention on goal variety on higher difficulties? It was nearly impossible to score without using a one timer on higher difficulties.

[Dsabol715]

Re: NHL 23 Gameplay Trailer and Blog

I haven't bought an NHL game in a few years...like since on my 360. I will say this looks appealing to me! I played 22 recently since its on EA Play and I was intrigued by the possibility of getting back into them,

[bibibanax]

Re: NHL 23 Gameplay Trailer and Blog

1:18.... where is the defenceman going after the check? He doesn't follow the only player in the offensive zone, doesn't look at the puck.

[VeNOM3099]

Re: NHL 23 Gameplay Trailer and Blog

Gotta admit... I'm NOT sold.

Yeah, there was a lot of good talk in the video. Things that seem like they would improve the gameplay. But if you pay careful attention, you'll see that for every "improvement" to gameplay they say they've made, they added some type of "balancing" in order to keep the offense flowing in favor of defense (or goaltending).

As for the AI goaltending having access to "more animations" that were only available to humans... When was that? LOL!

I've been playing human goalie in EASHL since NHL 13-14. We've always had limited save animations than the AI. Heck I can go to my YT channel and pull up an animation I DIDN'T GET when I was 100% in position:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6jF0_CKbPo

There you go. Where's the supposed animation I have access to that the AI goalies didn't?

C'mon EA... LIE TO ME!!!!

[tinpanalley]

Re: NHL 23 Gameplay Trailer and Blog

Honestly.. my first reaction is that these were the kinds of small but important improvements, often just in animations, that the NHL series used to try to add a few of every year from 98 - 2002. It was never that you expected the entire software to be reworked, you just wanted something other than the spin move, a little loss of balance animation, a fake shot, and all those little things made NHL better every year. Then you played Faceoff or other games to see how they did the same things. Then NHL2K came along and completely upped the game, but that's another topic for another day.
The point is, I'm liking the choice to make the in-game, on-ice elements a bit more fleshed out. I like that I saw an entire trailer that made NO REFERENCE to online features. And while I'm sure the game will still be flooded with online crap I don't play, it feels like they at least care a bit more than in the past about the on ice experience. I've been noticing and mentioning this for a while, but the very highly social network obsessed demographic is slowly starting to age into their mid-30s and spending a little less time playing than 10 years ago. And I think younger kids want the on-ice fun THEIR parents (people in their late 40s-early 50s today) will have shown them on early consoles. I think we're going to always have online features but that we're going to start seeing -- maybe -- a shift slightly away from card collecting, etc.
One can dream...

[SocialAssassin]

Re: NHL 23 Gameplay Trailer and Blog

Any mention on goal variety on higher difficulties? It was nearly impossible to score without using a one timer on higher difficulties.

There's a cheat goal even on superstar that you can exploit every time. Streak across the net, and hold the puck back and then let it go with a wrister. I'm 22-0 in my latest franchise because it's easy to score, even if it's at the highest level.

As for the video, at 47 seconds, Barabanov with a full powered wrist shot AS HE'S FALLING.

LMAOOOOOOOOOO

[Cardot]

Re: NHL 23 Gameplay Trailer and Blog

I have been a bit negative on the series since about 1998, but that "Last Chance" mechanic looks like it has potential to really add an organic feel and realism to the game. Of course it could be way over powered as well, but it is intriguing at this point.

[LoadStar81]

We'll know they're serious about "Last Chance" if it includes a version of Alex Ovechkin's famous "Simply sensational!" goal from his rookie year. Not that it should be easy to duplicate, obviously, but that's the kind of thing those types of animations should be able to do.

That said...

The prelaunch road map is alarmingly bare bones. They've teased updates to a few modes (BAP being, at this writing, conspicuously absent), and those mode updates and presentation updates are all they've said we're getting in September. Now, it is possible, in theory, that they have something big and shiny that they're trying to finalize before announcing it, and they'll drop a pleasant surprise late in the cycle.
Based on past performance, I rate that possibility as "not bloody likely."

So, as of now, we're getting two previews for NHL, for the entire MONTH. FIFA, meanwhile, has been doing two previews a WEEK.

I'm getting serious NHL 15 vibes here. That's bad. This was already a maybe, and as of today, for me, this is a pass.

Gary Bettman seriously needs to get on the horn to EA Sports and say something along the lines of, "Our license, or Rammer. Which one do you want to get rid of?"

[13whitebread]

Re: NHL 23 Gameplay Trailer and Developer Blog Highlights Innovations and Updated Fea

Yeah not seeing much here forever hopeful for the final product but it seems very cut and past but again it’s way to early to tell for sure

[The EVHL]

Re: NHL 23 Gameplay Trailer and Blog

I have been a bit negative on the series since about 1998, but that "Last Chance" mechanic looks like it has potential to really add an organic feel and realism to the game. Of course it could be way over powered as well, but it is intriguing at this point.

They can add as many "organic" animations into the game as they please, but that will all go out the window when the AI wants to do something so they'll break physics, do the moonwalk, slam their face into the glass, make a 270 degree 0-turn lawnmower escape, sprint down the wall, have it poked 9 times to have it continuously bounce to their skate where they'll pick it up flawlessly in-stride without a slip of momentum each time, then wiggle/jirate at full speed a few times, then find a guy unexplainably open on the backdoor because your AI D decides to drift to the outside of his man for zero reason which will be capitalized on with a 469 mph backhanded pass off the wiggle into some weird backhanded puck pickup animation which will fail but bounce through your goalie's five hole.

I wish I was just being edgy/ridiculous in this post, but this is actually a realistic representation of playing this game offline for the past 7 years and the devs haven't found a reason to attempt any sort of improvement.

[MJ200]

Re: NHL 23 Gameplay Trailer and Blog

They can add as many "organic" animations into the game as they please, but that will all go out the window when the AI wants to do something so they'll break physics, do the moonwalk, slam their face into the glass, make a 270 degree 0-turn lawnmower escape, sprint down the wall, have it poked 9 times to have it continuously bounce to their skate where they'll pick it up flawlessly in-stride without a slip of momentum each time, then wiggle/jirate at full speed a few times, then find a guy unexplainably open on the backdoor because your AI D decides to drift to the outside of his man for zero reason which will be capitalized on with a 469 mph backhanded pass off the wiggle into some weird backhanded puck pickup animation which will fail but bounce through your goalie's five hole.

I wish I was just being edgy/ridiculous in this post, but this is actually a realistic representation of playing this game offline for the past 7 years and the devs haven't found a reason to attempt any sort of improvement.

agree. The game has to be scrapped and redone. There is no way they can fix this from where the game is. Especially in 1 years time.
Either a new company has to come in here an make a new game, or EA has to start from the ground up and go from there.
How this game is right now, its not fun to play even if they turned it into full NHL Hitz mode.

[nuttyrich]

Re: NHL 23 Gameplay Trailer and Developer Blog Highlights Innovations and Updated Fea

How many times are we going to fall for the same gimmicks, same thing with Madden all these X factors and stuff like that it's not needed people should know who the star players are.

Graphics look like they haven't been upgraded in about 5 to 6 years.

The so-called new animations have people slapping the puck into the net while they're diving into the floor over and over again it happens every now and then.

Luckily once again since I have gamepass ultimate I will get a 10 hour free trial but probably just like Madden this year I only played about 35 minutes and I already knew it was garbage.

By the way last year NHL 22 got about 35 minutes also.

At this point just give us a remastered NHL 2004 :-)

[Broncos86]

Re: NHL 23 Gameplay Trailer and Developer Blog Highlights Innovations and Updated Fea

Until they fundamentally change some of the player movement, the game is a pass for me. I'm tired of seeing players suddenly slow down, dodging a check, simply by gliding. Having the AI do their stupid puck handling in the neutral zone as you chase them down, and they're able to stop, move, dodge, wiggle/spazz, etc.

Until the game can actually emulate the NHL in some way, no thank you. The game is just a series of rushes back and forth, and any attempt to play actual hockey is thwarted by terrible passing controls, bad player movement, and idiotic AI teammates.

You're better off giving the puck to your best player and just puck handling all the way up the ice.

[CgyFlames]

Re: NHL 23 Gameplay Trailer and Developer Blog Highlights Innovations and Updated Fea

Gary Bettman seriously needs to get on the horn to EA Sports and say something along the lines of, "Our license, or Rammer. Which one do you want to get rid of?"

Why? Gary and the rest of the NHL executives and owners don’t play the game. The NHL, like every other business, is in the licensing game for a payout. Until another company offers them more money than EA is for an exclusive license (EA’s isn’t) why would they bite the hand feeding them a nice check every year? The license isn’t contingent on sales.

BTW Rammer was promoted so he is still over the series but not directly. Not in 23 but in 24 you’ve got the best chance in a decade for serious changes. Not saying you will but fresh blood increases the chance.