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

[bigwill33]

Quote: Originally Posted by bwiggy33

I fully agree. There is no doubt that hockey is the hardest to replicate. There are just too many little things that happen during games that are hard to recreate without making the game boring. I would honestly be happy if they just re-programmed the AI so that I was provided a challenge. The fact I can carry the puck in the zone and enter scoring areas with ease is why I get so frustrated with the game. It's no fun. Improvements to the AI would do this game wonders, in fact it would almost make the game fresh again. I still cannot comprehend how a game style called Hardcore Simulation cannot provide a challenging game.

They reworked the AI going into last year and that is how broken it still is. They added all those strategies that barely work they way they are meant to. Ask anyone that plays a club or OTP game with CPU players on their team in a game (especially on defense), the positioning and logic is a complete joke. Humans just cherry pick at the boards near the far blue line and wait for the homerun pass. Walk in at an angle as the defense gives you the zone and then idle near the slot and watch them get flat-footed as you accellerate and blow past them for the same short side goal, over and over.

And how does a goalie come of a post from a deke that an attacking player makes that is nearly on the side of the net near the goal line? I probably have 500 out of my 1200 club goals by doing that alone. And everyone can say what they want about cheesing. My team sets up the most beautiful plays and one touch passes, cross creases, drop passes, and behind the back no look dishes, and sure tap-ins are miraculously saved by a CPU goalie, while these glitch shots and cheese goals constantly go in. Where is the logic in that? What is the point of trying the realistic or pretty play when stepping over the blue line in transition and dumping a slow moving shot along the ice give a goalie the most problem. Then he either gets beat 5-hole or kicks a rebound right to an attacker that should be getting tied up by the defense (that is standing around doing nothing unless they are blocking me from getting back on defense from my LW position to break up a breakaway that they let up).

Don't get me started again on the holding in front of the net that should be a penalty that EA thinks is a tie-up. I mentioned that on page 4 already. Or how it is pointless to poke or hit players with the puck because it somehow usually winds up going to the next guy on the other team rather than being loose or a 50-50 puck. Usually in such a manner that it works out better than if the guy had passed the puck himself.

All of this has been in the game for years now. None of this stuff if any different in this demo. But hey, NEW AND IMPROVED FIGHTING! Yay!

[@legendm0de]

My impressions, I'm so torn by this demo, I need to get my hands on the game and put the fixins & seasoning on it anyway.


Obviously hitting is overdone in the demo, same as 13' out of the box. It needs to be toned down by alot, players don't go falling out of control on every decent hit thrown their way. Alot of times they braces themselves, or avoid the hits, take the hit and stumble, Things that actually happens sort of often in NHL13, which is why i respected their effort in improving the contact in that edition. Big hits were rarer, and little bit special when you got to connect on one. I'm sure when i get my hands on 14' I'll find the right balance for the whole issue of hitting. Just going to be a long 1 month to wait.

Other issues, The players have far to much ability skating and the demo, appears to have ruined the skating enhancements we got in 13 in my opinion. I mean chara is pirouetting all over the ice spinning and all kind of crap. Lol really? They need to make sure, the full version, we can get the skating alot more under control. Near the boards, players skate with to much ease just all over the ice, one word to sum up the skating right now in this demo version unfortunately is: Arcade.

Skating is an issue I'm concerned they won't be able to correct (to my liking) for the retail copy but I'll remain hopeful.

This game is phenomenal, and those are the only two issues I truly have. AI in the neutral zone is much improved, the defensive stances and goalie improvements are very welcomed. Contact is a dream come true right now as well, aside from being overdone, it's presence is wonderful and I'm sure when we get our hands on the game we can adjust the contact to our liking as I mentioned above. NHL 13 was the goat, and now NHL 14, has been an excellent follow up so far. OH YEA AND I LOVE THE NEW FIGHTING

[jb1]

For the most part I liked NHL 13, I played through a whole 82 game season before losing interest in the playoffs and trading it in. The three main issues I had with 13 were the fact the games felt repetitive, different teams didn't feel different when playing them (which I don't see changing unless we can control all 30 teams in Be a Gm), the number of penalties (more so at release) and that the AI wouldn't start fights.

14 to me feels like the same game as 13, albeit a more smoother version of it with impoved hitting and fighting. I'm pleased that the AI will now start fights although I feel there are too many right now and there needs to be an option to turn a fight down. EA also need to have another look at who is fighting and in what situations (i.e 1 goal down late in the 3rd period).

I still have issues with the general gameplay in that there is little or no effort needed to gain the offensive zone, they might aswell just take the dump puck controls out! There are still two issues (or maybe they are supposed to be this way?) with the goalies that resulted in me scoring the majority of my goals last year. For example

Spoiler

weak low angled shots continue to lead to the goalie giving easy rebounds for the incoming opposite side winger and the goalies still over commit and slide too far across their crease when I use a left winger to pass to a left handed player (or rw to rh) in the slot who can regularly place the puck back where the goalie just came from an easy goal.

I still have concerns over the number of penalties although at least I saw an elbowing call in the demo that I don't recall seeing once in 13.

Presentation bugs me aswell, the fact they keep taking things out (presumably to cater for the online crowd who press X ten times a second?), I was annoyed that we lost the 3 stars and the goal celebrations are horrible plus the cut scenes look the same. It's quite annoying to see that guy on the bench who looks like the lead guy from GTA IV after every game, doesn't matter who wins he seems to jump ship to that team to celebrate!

I know we can't tell from the demo but there seems to have been little effort put in to improving Be a GM which is a shame, I just hope it's a lot faster and doesn't feel like moving in quicksand when trying to get to the next day. For me Be a GM needs a total overhaul for next gen but that's for another thread.

Still, I know i've moaned a lot but it is overall a solid game, it's just frustrating to think how much better it could be. This demo hasn't done anything to make me think I must buy this game but at the same time hasn't totally put me off either.

[Money99]

I really notice a difference between Simulation and Hardcore Simulation.
The hits, speed and shots are all toned down considerably. Looks a lot more like real hockey.

Last night, in one of my games against Boston, Krejci made a great little deke to get around one of my defenders.
I also noticed that I was able to slip a pass by Boston's 'lesser' dmen, but up against Chara or Seidenburg, my success rate was a lot lower.
I hope this is the case for the final version as well.

I guess my greatest concerns at this point is how the final version plays, and how all the tuners, patches and updates will affect the game.
Will we get a playable NHL14 on September 10th, only to get something entirely different after the first update?

I'm definitely picking up NHL14. I swore I wouldn't, but I've enjoyed the demo, but even better, my kids are ga-ga for this game. They keep pestering me to play the NHL94 mode.
Even if I grow bored/frustrated with this game, I think having the ability to play with my boys will justify the $60 purchase.

[bwiggy33]

Quote: Originally Posted by Money99

Even if I grow bored/frustrated with this game, I think having the ability to play with my boys will justify the $60 purchase.

To me, this is would be the best way to play it. I don't have kids, but the only time I have consistently enjoyed playing NHL the past 4 years is with my friends. The game is North South with very few whistles and that's what makes playing with another person fun. The NHL dev team does it right in that area. When playing against the CPU not so much.

[Dolphins88]

I didn't notice much difference between 13 and 14 albeit fighting which happens too frequently now and wrong players. Fighting is much better though w 3 rd person view. Gameplay is where this game needs attention. There needs to be more player ability separation. There should be noticeable differences in skills, speed, size, hitting, shooting , etc. the puck needs more variability resulting in more organic gameplay. Team differences and line matching... Ex chara on ice against Toews , etc.. Boston plays hard forecheck, Chicago speed, skill, LA speed and hitting.. I wish sports gaming would take that turn in making the gameplay more organic, player separation, strategy. Nba 2k and show r best we have do far.

[Dolphins88]

Quote: Originally Posted by Dolphins88

I didn't notice much difference between 13 and 14 albeit fighting which happens too frequently now and wrong players. Fighting is much better though w 3 rd person view. Gameplay is where this game needs attention. There needs to be more player ability separation. There should be noticeable differences in skills, speed, size, hitting, shooting , etc. the puck needs more variability resulting in more organic gameplay. Team differences and line matching... Ex chara on ice against Toews , etc.. Boston plays hard forecheck, Chicago speed, skill, LA speed and hitting.. I wish sports gaming would take that turn in making the gameplay more organic, player separation, strategy. Nba 2k and show r best we have do far.

I think Ea needs to do address this in NHL and madden.. Add more ratings for players and make them actually mean something. If they want to make a hockey or football game for casual game make an arcade version.

[adayinthelife]

Quote: Originally Posted by Dolphins88

I think Ea needs to do address this in NHL and madden.. Add more ratings for players and make them actually mean something. If they want to make a hockey or football game for casual game make an arcade version.

I agree with most of this. I think if they grew the rating scale to 0-100 and had those ratings mean something, that would be a great start. Add in the same type of thing when it comes to sliders and I just feel like that would be enough to satisfy both sets of people, without creating 2 totally separate games. They put out that 3 on 3 arcade game, that's not the answer IMO.

There's a market out there that wants to play something that is a blend of realism and video game-ism and that's who the games are made more for. I'm not too happy about that only because I'd love a more realistic hockey game. At the same time, I can actually see their side of things because I prefer a game like Madden to something ultra realistic simply because I'm not a huge football guy the way I am a hockey guy.