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

[Steve_OS]

EA Sports has released a new NHL 15 video featuring the Superstar Skill Stick. They have also released a new blog and some new screenshots.

Quote:

Now, all the tools of an NHL superstar are in your hands.The revolutionary Skill Stick has evolved to give even more control to the player, featuring an intuitive right stick control scheme that is easy to use but also packed with depth. The all-new Superstar Skill Stick allows for complete fluidity when stickhandling, giving incredible control with the right analog stick. Use the Superstar Skill Stick with the right analog stick and True Performance Skating with the left to combine dekes and skating movement together. The left and right stick now act independently, allowing for more moves to embarrass the opposition. Chain moves together to keep defenders guessing. Use a stride deke to move a defender one way then turn him inside-out by chaining it together with a windmill deke. In NHL 15, there are countless ways to get past defenders and creating scoring opportunities using the Superstar Skill Stick.

[sweetjones]

hmmm. Hard to tell if the puck is glued to the stick like previous years.

[actionhank]

I understand there's always going to be a certain degree of "stuck" with puck on stick...but, hot balls. Those new dekes look light years better than the previous version. Dear EA, please make the defense equally as great.
Really like the way they actually kind of have wrist movement to make subtle puck motions, instead of the previous "stuck on the blade" way it looked.

[dukebeatsuncagain]

Man that looked awesome. On that Datsuk goal, the fact he got Anderson to commit juuustthat tiny little bit to his right, opened up that top shelf and he buried it. In past NHL games it seems like in that exact situation the goalie wouldn;t commit at all, and make the save easy. That looks awesome this year.

Also, the shots of the crowd, in the crowd, of goal celebrations....

WOW.

[shogunofharlem3]

Quote: Originally Posted by actionhank

I understand there's always going to be a certain degree of "stuck" with puck on stick...but, hot balls. Those new dekes look light years better than the previous version. Dear EA, please make the defense equally as great. Really like the way they actually kind of have wrist movement to make subtle puck motions, instead of the previous "stuck on the blade" way it looked.

I agree the wrist movement was really good looking. But I echo your please make the defense equally as great.

Offense has 7000 stick moves and angle skating moves to get around a defenseman that has a weak canned poke check and a check button. Doesn't seem to be a fair weapons match up if you ask me.

I will say,this is the game that is inching me towards going next gen. We'll see

[actionhank]

Quote: Originally Posted by shogunofharlem3

I agree the wrist movement was really good looking. But I echo your please make the defense equally as great. Offense has 7000 stick moves and angle skating moves to get around a defenseman that has a weak canned poke check and a check button.

Here's my "Dream Control Scheme" that i've posted probably way too much at this point.
"I mentioned in another thread that it would be nice if they revamped the skill-stick system to be used on defense for just about everything. Have the left trigger, or L2/LB be something you hold to activate your "stick moves" and then you could use a MLB 2K type system where different movements of the thumb stick would perform different actions. Maybe while holding LB you would move the right stick up, and depending on the speed and distance you move the stick, your on-screen player would attempt to stick lift with an equal amount of force. That combined with the player's defensive attributes could help determine the chance (along with the accuracy of your aim) of missing and getting a possible high sticking call, or just missing all together.
Then you could have things like pushing the stick down to try and disrupt reception of passes or deflections (Holding it down allowing you to try and tie the player's stick up and keep it down, but also leaving your player vulnerable to missing passes to intercept, or rebounds to clear). You could even have it so when you're next to/behind a player you would kind of roll the slick left/right and up to try and reach around the player to knock the puck loose, but then your attributes and force of the movements would affect the likelihood of you getting called for a hold.
Then if you just moved the right stick you would poke check in that direction, again, with speed and distance affecting how far and forcefully you go for the poke, and to keep the broken record going, your movements combined with your player's attributes and the accuracy of your poke determining how likely you are to take the skates out on a guy.
That level of control would make defense so much more fun. The learning curve would be steep initially, but i'm sure it was when they went from A to Slap shot, and B to Wrist shot. But with that defense would become fun, and you would practically free yourself of the buttons on the face, maybe allowing them to have something like FIFA where you can send a guy ahead to receive a pass, or call for help along the boards. Anything to let you have more control over yourself, and your team mates."

[SVCbearcat10]

Interesting that this is being hyped. It's not really different than what was in NHL 14, just looks better and more refined.

[TootSweet]

That looked pretty sweet. If they can put in some elaborate defending controlled we will be in for a treat.