NHL 14 Demo Available Now For 360, Later Today For PS3 - Post Your Impressions Here

[Gosens6]

I am so ready for next gen hockey it's not even funny. I downloaded the demo last night, played a few games, and I am not impressed. For the most part, it's the exact same game as NHL 13.

Now, i'll give credit, 14 does feel a lot smoother, but it's really the only difference I notice. The commentary is still horrible, the presentation is still lifeless, and the gameplay, seems largely unchanged for me. The CPU and it's tape to tape, twitch passing it's gonna score at all costs is REALLY getting old. This is the first NHL i'm skipping since 07, it's not worth the 60 bucks at all.

After scoring a goal, where is the team celebration? Where's the crowd noise? Commentators being excited? It's stupid. These robotic manual celebrations should have never been implemented. Goal celebrations in hockey are more of a team thing, and those are nowhere to be found. EA really packed it in these last few years, if next gen doesn't deliver, 13 might be my last hockey game purchase ever.

[jyoung]

Quote: Originally Posted by canucksss

could someone confirm that even at the hardest level it's easy to enter the o-zone? is there NZ pressure or the same as the old no pressure from NZ?

The CPU forwards will backcheck a little more once you actually enter the offensive zone, but gaining the offensive zone is still a breeze.

The CPU still does not defend its own blue line, even on the highest difficulty.

[Mongo14]

I think it was mentioned but if you are challeneged to fight and refuse, you and the aggressor get 2 min roughing, thats odd

[canucksss]

Quote: Originally Posted by jyoung

The CPU forwards will backcheck a little more once you actually enter the offensive zone, but gaining the offensive zone is still a breeze. The CPU still does not defend its own blue line, even on the highest difficulty.

Thanks.....one of my biggest gripes last year and in the past. Still hoping that this would be in this NHL 14. I will look forward to some people's comments when the game is released...HOPING that EA would add this. This was their promise, I believe in 12 or 13, but somehow EA removed it or did not implement.

[shogunofharlem3]

My quick impression. Definitely smoother than 13 but the computer still cheats. I can tell when they are going to score.

So after playing a dozen periods on the demo I can say that they still cheat and that I can not dig.

[Moose24x]

Alright, I'll give my impressions now that I've had enough time to play a good amount. I'll note that I've been playing everything on hardcore simulation style.

The first thing I'll say is that, overall, this game feels like an improvement to me. The second thing I'll say is that I can't really pin point exactly WHY. Certainly, in many respects it feels identical to NHL 13, just perhaps a bit polished and smoother. At the same time, there's a sort of undefinable difference that I'm feeling that has me a bit more immersed in the action and makes it all feel a bit more organic and realistic.

Since I can't quite put my finger on what it is that I feel is making this experience better than NHL 13, I'll simply point out the things that I do and don't like so far:

+ The hitting, while obviously tuned way too high in order to showcase it for the demo, feels great and adds a lot. I feel, so far, that size, speed, etc. is all finally present in the collisions.

+ Enforcer engine adds nice depth to the immersion but, like hitting, it's tuned to a ridiculous level for now (I hope it's much less prevalent at release).

+ Overall skating feels a bit smoother, or less encumbered.

+ Pucks seem to be bouncing more, and bouncing more realistically as well. Whether it's off the stick on a pass, off the boards or off the pipes, the puck is behaving nicely.

+ Players in the offensive zone seem to be more ready to receive passes and shoot one-timers when you pass to them.

- Back skating and pivots don't feel better to me. I don't think anything was ever said about back skating, but pivots were hyped and I'm not feeling the improvement.

- Shot power seems really weak, but I'm hoping it's just the tuners for the demo.

- Offensive AI seems as stupid as usual. I haven't seen them hold the puck in yet and while they do a better job getting out of the way of their own players, my teammates aren't helping me fight for pucks or doing anything useful.

- Everything feels like it's floating a bit. I don't feel like the players are anchored to the ice at all right now.

- Kinda bummed that Michael Grabner, with a full head of steam in HUT, can be caught by a CHL d-man who was flat footed, turned and began skating backwards. One of the fastest guys in the NHL should seem like a race car to an undrafted CHL d-man that's skating backwards. Still way too little player differentiation.



That kind of sums it up for me. Overall, the skating feeling less sluggish, along with the new collisions and the immersion of the new fights has the actual gameplay feeling somewhat fresh for me. My disappointments are more related to issues that still remain unattended to, such as fast players getting caught when they shouldn't be, rather than any real disappointment with features that ARE in the game. On hardcore simulation, the game is fun and feels like a good hockey game. I'm sure hitting power and fight frequency will be toned down in the actual release and that will leave me fairly happy with the core product. I'd like to see improvement in player differentiation, load times for GM, etc.

[Therion7]

Like what they've done with the fighting but to echo previous posts I felt zero satisfaction when scoring a goal. It's bitty and disjointed in the immediate aftermath and to be honest, a little annoying. I'd rather they went back to 11's team celebrations.

Been playing a lot of Pro Yakyuu Spirits ( Japanese baseball) this year and the bells and whistles of scoring runs, belting a homer is brilliantly done, you don't really tire of seeing their selection of cutscenes, so going back to NHL's insipid offerings was jarring.

Provided penalties are sorted this year and miraculous cross-crease saves are toned down then NHL 14 will undoubtedly be the best in the series as the gameplay has reached it's zenith - that much is apparent from the demo, but as a long-time fan there's nothing fresh enough to warrant a another single player Be A GM.

Newcomers to hockey picking up the game for the first time will enjoy it tremendously, but for me personally, there's just no excitement on a game by game basis or will to win the Cup in this game engine any longer. Think I'll pass on it - unless the UK Elite League has somehow made it in unannounced.

[Moose24x]

Yes, there absolutely needs to be more fanfare over scoring a goal.

A regular goal should be met with a bit more enthusiasm and more teammate inclusion.

A big goal should be met with a lot more enthusiasm and full on-ice teammate inclusion and bench enthusiasm.

A really big (go ahead goal, playoff goal, etc.) goal should have a notably different level of enthusiasm that comes with it. Your own player should be more excited to score, and your teammates should be more excited about it too.

A game winner, especially an OT goal, should have super high intensity. In NHL 13 there was ONE celebration for EVERY time you scored in OT. Your player slides to the corner and gets dove on by a teammates and the rest pile on. That's how they celebrate EVERY overtime goal in the NHL? At least give us some SLIGHT amount of variety.