Four of our writers check in today with their own take on the NHL 11 demo. Check out their impressions after the jump.

What part of the demo impressed you the most?

Jayson Young - The offensive AI is outstanding. Not just in the offensive end, but in the neutral zone as well. The way your teammates find the open spaces on the ice by constantly repositioning themselves is something I have never seen before in a hockey game.

Christian McLeod - The new physics engine, specifically puck physics. I have been complaining about the NHL series' "robo goalies" since the series first made the jump to the 360 with NHL 07. The new puck physics eliminate the magnetic puck to goalie syndrome that seemed to be the root cause of robo goalie, which results in some very organic looking and feeling goals. I'm also digging the overall polish on the graphics. I put NHL 10 in for comparison's sake, and the NHL 11 demo looks glorious in comparison. Plus, I am loving that the camera angle seems slightly lower this year. It may be my imagination, but it seems more true to the camera angles of the games last gen when compared to the last three years on the current-generation consoles.

Justin Pacheco - I was impressed by how much they let you do. You get the standard one-period game, plus a really solid look at the Hockey Ultimate Team mode. On the gameplay side of things, I like everything. I like the surprise of a broken stick and the new checking seems a lot more realistic than before. Also, I'm absolutely in love with the board play and faceoffs. However, some of these are improvements from NHL 10, which I never ended up buying and playing for an extended period of time for various reasons. So I might be overly impressed since I'm essentially going from NHL 09 to NHL 11.

Juha Leskinen - I like the overall feel of the game. Skaters feel like they have mass now -- no more floating on the ice. Physics seem to work very well but I long for some more "ooomph" when I check someone. Maybe the controller's rumble/vibration should be upped a bit?



What areas seem like they still need some improvement?

Jayson Young - I'm not 100 percent sold on the new physics engine. While the collisions feel very lifelike, it's still too easy to grab the puck and go on a one-man skating exhibition, weaving circles around the entire AI defense.

Christian McLeod - Honestly, this is a tough question, and I like to think I'm tough on games. To give an honest answer, I'm going to have to be extremely picky and say that I'm upset that authentic goalie masks do not appear to be in the game. Yeah I know, that's a lame answer, but this demo is that good.

Justin Pacheco - I don't like the Hockey Ultimate Team interface. It seems like there should be a better way for me to see my players and their attributes. The commentary also seems a bit stale but that's hard to judge from a demo.

Juha Leskinen - Like mentioned before, HUT's presentation and menus seem a bit messy. Maybe I just need more time to get used to them.

After playing the demo, what is your excitement level for NHL 11?

Jayson Young - I was excited to see what the new physics engine would do to the game, but I left the demo feeling like the developers were right when they called the new physics a "three-year renovation" process. The hitting has definitely changed for the better, but the skating seems to me mostly the same as it was in NHL 10: too "arcade-like"

Christian McLeod - First, I have to disagree with my colleague Jayson here -- the new skating physics are perfect, and you can really feel the differentiation between a star like Zetterberg and a scrub that you end up with in the Ultimate Team demo. As far as my anticipation? It is through the roof. Exploring the demo menus I can't even believe how much content this game is going to deliver. Ultimate Franchise, revamped Be a GM, new tweaks to the EASHL, tons of customizable sliders and the best hockey gameplay I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Being from Hockeytown, it goes without saying that I am a fan of the sport, but I honestly think that based on the demo alone NHL 11 could do for the NHL what NHL 94 did for it 17 years ago -- make the game relevant to a whole new demographic. The demo was exceptional, so unless EA totally botched the final product, we could be looking at a potential greatest sports video game ever created.

Justin Pacheco - Maximum excitement. I am pumped for this almost as much as I am for F1 2010 and NBA 2K11.

Juha Leskinen - 9.7/10. The game looks better, feels better. By the way, in the "HELP" section the game mentions the following: "Dressing room will show the matchup taking place" if you go online and your EASHL clubmates are already playing a game. (Spectator Mode for your own club?)