NHL 12 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here (360, PS3)

[mkharsh33]

the problem I have with the "coast to coast" ease of gaining the offensive zone: that is not even close to real hockey!!!!!!!!!!

to blow that off as a "no big deal" is like a team pressing you in a college basketball video game, for example, and you being able to beat it every time by just dribbling your way through... that looks nothing like a real college basketball game.

question: if that is totally unacceptable in a basketball game, why in the hell is it acceptable for a hockey game? sorry, but this is a HUGE issue for me, not some small thing. again, it doesn't resemble anything close to what i see in an NHL arena... not trying to be debbie downer, guys, but this aspect alone makes this game near unplayable...

[Jattbreed]

I know it's the demo but has EA updated any of the equipment? Like the sticks are old now, at least have the Reebok 11k stick, the one that guys like Crosby and Datsyuk have.

Can't wait til the retail comes out. I hear everybody saying "well it's just the demo, wait until the retail version comes out, it'll be 10x better and it'll all be fixed"

Well, we'll see.

[Vikes1]

Quote: Originally Posted by mkharsh33

the problem I have with the "coast to coast" ease of gaining the offensive zone: that is not even close to real hockey!!!!!!!!!! to blow that off as a "no big deal" is like a team pressing you in a college basketball video game, for example, and you being able to beat it every time by just dribbling your way through... that looks nothing like a real college basketball game. question: if that is totally unacceptable in a basketball game, why in the hell is it acceptable for a hockey game? sorry, but this is a HUGE issue for me, not some small thing. again, it doesn't resemble anything close to what i see in an NHL arena... not trying to be debbie downer, guys, but this aspect alone makes this game near unplayable...

Yeah Mk, I'd say it's a fundamental weakness in the gameplay.

I don't expect total realism, but I'd like to at least have the basics pretty much covered. And everyone, and anyone being able to pull a Bobby Orr...is not having the basics covered, imo.

I dig the game a lot, and play as much as I can. And will be in line on 9/13. But I do believe the game deserves to have this coast to coast stuff pointed out. On the higher playing levels...it's just not right.

[Lordofthething]

Quote: Originally Posted by Jattbreed

^Yeah, I just had Skinner go coast to coast against Chara and Seidenberg with a tie game with 20 seconds left. I went right to the slot, went right then left, then wrist shot opposite corner and scored. Man, it felt amazing....... ............. .............. Until I did it again with Hall....then Tavares....then Perry.....then Nugent Hopkins. Takes away that special feeling.

Obviously with the players you mentioned you're going coast-to-coast on pro in HUT...have you tried playing "play now" on all-star or superstar? Pro is intended to be easy....just saying.

[Lordofthething]

Quote: Originally Posted by RealmK

I know alot of guys want online franchises but eh. That's another new mode/feature I'd never touch to be honest. Blow out the presentation, make sure the CPU isn't ******** on signing guys in the offseason and have the sim stats realistically reflect real life and I'd be content.

I agree, the only thing I would add is some sort of goalie fatigue. I remember a few years ago if your goalie got fatigued a little zzz would show up beside his name. Goalie management is a big part of coaching...and speaking of coaching it would be cool if you could hire/fire coaches....last time I checked, that was a big part of being a GM.

[Jattbreed]

Quote: Originally Posted by Lordofthething

Obviously with the players you mentioned you're going coast-to-coast on pro in HUT...have you tried playing "play now" on all-star or superstar? Pro is intended to be easy....just saying.

On All Star/SS the same thing I can go with Kelly and do the same thing except the shot doesn't go in. Point is this, I shouldn't be able to gain the slot that easy and get a shot.

[BlueNGold]

Got to play 2 play now games of the demo at a friend's tonight and yeah, it's nothing groundbreaking and has the same look and sometimes feel of NHL 11, but I really like what they've done to the gameplay.

There's a lot of nice little touches I noticed in just 3 periods and a shootout, and my biggest complaint from last year - the AI (something I really tried to emphasize in my post in the wishlist thread), is a lot better. That alone makes the game good for me. I'd much rather they work on how the game itself plays than try to reinvent the wheel, at least for this year. Because really, the biggest thing that gives a sports game "replay value" is a well-playing, smart, and challenging but fun game. The Show is a perfect example of that. A game like that keeps me coming back to play it because I can enjoy the gameplay and get a good, fun experience out of it almost every time. And I'm not even a baseball fan.

Anyways, there still are things that aren't where they need to be. The one that sticks out most being the fact that it's too easy to enter the offensive zone. I'd like to think some slider changes will help this and hopefully that's that case because I like what I've played and wish I could play the demo more.

Really as long as there isn't any Be A Gm-killing issue and they've addressed the frustrating issue with teams mismanaging their cap to the point that really good players are left in free agency and never get signed, I think I'll be getting the game.

[Therion7]

Quote: Originally Posted by Jattbreed

On All Star/SS the same thing I can go with Kelly and do the same thing except the shot doesn't go in. Point is this, I shouldn't be able to gain the slot that easy and get a shot.

It's a valid point. However, in singleplayer, I would find it to be a risky tactic as on the higher difficulty the CPU would punish you if your defenceman tries a Bobby Orr and was caught out of position after a turnover.

All depends on your playing style I suppose. You can do it, but I try not to. Like you said, it's not how real hockey works 99 percent of the time. Similarly, I've scored a few curve shots to test out things in 12, but I'm not going to be using them in games, because I feel cheap - even against the CPU.