NHL 10 Demo Available, Post Impressions Here (360 & PS3)

[kerosene31]

NHL network has been rerunning playoff games from last year and I was watching parts of it thinking about hardcore mode.

Hardcore mode is so much closer to real hockey. 09 was pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, shoot. That really doesn't happen that often. The play is usually much more "sloppy" and things don't set up so smoothly most of the time.

I've made so many rushes through the zone where I try a pass to a winger and miss and it bounces along the boards and ends in a turnover. You see that in the NHL all the time, but rarely in video games.

[infinityBCRT]

I don't know how I feel about hardcore mode. The speed of passing should be pressure sensitive, not time sensitive. And I think the pass speed is still a tad too slow. I like the fact that the tape to tape passes are gone but your AI teammates are not smart enough to adapt to a pass thats not going where they want to go. Sometimes they'll turn in a different direction, sometimes they should be able to reach for the puck, or at least try to reach for it and they don't. Other than that its great.

I think they still need to revamp the fundamental skating engine. Its showing its flaws big time. I think the leg kick glitch video out there illustrates how bad it is. Even if they fix that specific glitch the skating in general is still very floaty when doing certain turns.

Is there the ability to do a hook anymore? They need to figure out a way to put that back into the control scheme and make it useful. The problem they've had with hooking and slashing in the past is your player slows down to a halt and he doesn't adjust to where the nearest opponent is unlike a stick lift. I think they tried toning it down because they felt people abused it, but if they do, just balance it out by giving them more penalties!

Boardplay is great although I think holding Y should hold the player against the boards and as soon as you let go of Y it lets go of the player. Also if your back is to the player its very hard to turn around and pin the player because of the way the skating engine works. Perhaps if the skating engine is fixed this won't be an issue but if not maybe hte best thing is for the game to realize that you want to pin the player and turn your player around towards the boards automatically.

Defending in the zone still needs work. I don't know why you can barely skate around while you're poke checking. I think NHL 2k6 or 2K7 had the best feel when you were penalty killing because you could skate around and aim your stick around to block passing lanes very smoothly and the animations looked great. I always felt like Brendan Shanahan when playing on the PK in those games.

Theres no reason they shouldn't copy 2K's faceoff system, it just feels better. The one that EA employs is starting to feel dated.

I think they need to revamp presentation. They should get rid of all of the cutscenes and make everything dynamic. The first year they do it it might not be great but I think it will help make the post-whistle stuff much more fun/realistic. Right now players just stand around. They should be skating to the benches or skating to the next face-off spot and the referees/linesmen (which they need to add too) should be breaking up scrums. It would also be great if you could hit someone after they score a goal or start a fight.

The post whistle stuff as it is right now is a little too dramatic. Players should be shoving each other, not decking each other, and a face wash shouldn't automatically start a fight. Fights are a little too frequent (as are offsetting minors). I don't mind the CPU automatically starting fights with CPU players but when I'm Sidney Crosby and I want to facewash someone, it shouldn't auto start a fight without prompting me to drop the gloves.

As for fighting, its soooo much better this year than any of the previous years. They finally realized that the stupid fight night control scheme they instituted was ******** and now you can just wail away with straight flicks of the stick. But the way fights start is a little dubious (at least once it seemed as though I was fighting Crosby but it ended up being Guerin when he was no where near me). Again it should all be dynamic, it shouldn't cut away to a separate mode and the other players/referee shouldn't disappear. The other players should be in scrums or standing around watching and the officials should be waiting to break things up.

I think all of those changes would make people enjoy the stuff added to this year's edition MUCH more because a lot of the new stuff this year seems like half baked ideas.

As for new stuff next year they should blow out customization and online modes. Anything that can be done offline should be able to be done with multiple offline players and/or online players. They should add teambuilder, custom content sharing, and allow custom sliders for ALL game modes online and offline.

[savoie2006]

Quote: Originally Posted by infinityBCRT

I don't know how I feel about hardcore mode. The speed of passing should be pressure sensitive, not time sensitive. And I think the pass speed is still a tad too slow. I like the fact that the tape to tape passes are gone but your AI teammates are not smart enough to adapt to a pass thats not going where they want to go. Sometimes they'll turn in a different direction, sometimes they should be able to reach for the puck, or at least try to reach for it and they don't. Other than that its great. I think they still need to revamp the fundamental skating engine. Its showing its flaws big time. I think the leg kick glitch video out there illustrates how bad it is. Even if they fix that specific glitch the skating in general is still very floaty when doing certain turns. Is there the ability to do a hook anymore? They need to figure out a way to put that back into the control scheme and make it useful. The problem they've had with hooking and slashing in the past is your player slows down to a halt and he doesn't adjust to where the nearest opponent is unlike a stick lift. I think they tried toning it down because they felt people abused it, but if they do, just balance it out by giving them more penalties! Boardplay is great although I think holding Y should hold the player against the boards and as soon as you let go of Y it lets go of the player. Also if your back is to the player its very hard to turn around and pin the player because of the way the skating engine works. Perhaps if the skating engine is fixed this won't be an issue but if not maybe hte best thing is for the game to realize that you want to pin the player and turn your player around towards the boards automatically. Defending in the zone still needs work. I don't know why you can barely skate around while you're poke checking. I think NHL 2k6 or 2K7 had the best feel when you were penalty killing because you could skate around and aim your stick around to block passing lanes very smoothly and the animations looked great. I always felt like Brendan Shanahan when playing on the PK in those games. Theres no reason they shouldn't copy 2K's faceoff system, it just feels better. The one that EA employs is starting to feel dated. I think they need to revamp presentation. They should get rid of all of the cutscenes and make everything dynamic. The first year they do it it might not be great but I think it will help make the post-whistle stuff much more fun/realistic. Right now players just stand around. They should be skating to the benches or skating to the next face-off spot and the referees/linesmen (which they need to add too) should be breaking up scrums. It would also be great if you could hit someone after they score a goal or start a fight. The post whistle stuff as it is right now is a little too dramatic. Players should be shoving each other, not decking each other, and a face wash shouldn't automatically start a fight. Fights are a little too frequent (as are offsetting minors). I don't mind the CPU automatically starting fights with CPU players but when I'm Sidney Crosby and I want to facewash someone, it shouldn't auto start a fight without prompting me to drop the gloves. As for fighting, its soooo much better this year than any of the previous years. They finally realized that the stupid fight night control scheme they instituted was ******** and now you can just wail away with straight flicks of the stick. But the way fights start is a little dubious (at least once it seemed as though I was fighting Crosby but it ended up being Guerin when he was no where near me). Again it should all be dynamic, it shouldn't cut away to a separate mode and the other players/referee shouldn't disappear. The other players should be in scrums or standing around watching and the officials should be waiting to break things up. I think all of those changes would make people enjoy the stuff added to this year's edition MUCH more because a lot of the new stuff this year seems like half baked ideas. As for new stuff next year they should blow out customization and online modes. Anything that can be done offline should be able to be done with multiple offline players and/or online players. They should add teambuilder, custom content sharing, and allow custom sliders for ALL game modes online and offline.

That's a great first post, very objective and well written. Welcome to the forums.

[MizzouRah]

Quote: Originally Posted by ocho cuatro

I was initially disappointed with the lack of improvements in the presentation dept. But the more that I play the demo, the less I notice - b/c the gameplay is SO freaking good. This title has achieved something remarkable - it accurately reflects the fast paced, chaotic nature of hocky. Every game feels totally unique and less "scripted" than any other sports game I've played. However, I'd still like to see better crowds and post-goal celebrations, but those won't stop me from playing this game for a long, long time.

Well said.. you can tell they spent all of their time on game play.. just seeing how great the board play is tells me they didn't want to half a$$ it.

I hope unique arenas and such make the cut next year though.

[MizzouRah]

Quote: Originally Posted by infinityBCRT

Theres no reason they shouldn't copy 2K's faceoff system, it just feels better. The one that EA employs is starting to feel dated. I think they need to revamp presentation. They should get rid of all of the cutscenes and make everything dynamic. The first year they do it it might not be great but I think it will help make the post-whistle stuff much more fun/realistic. Right now players just stand around. They should be skating to the benches or skating to the next face-off spot and the referees/linesmen (which they need to add too) should be breaking up scrums. It would also be great if you could hit someone after they score a goal or start a fight. The post whistle stuff as it is right now is a little too dramatic. Players should be shoving each other, not decking each other, and a face wash shouldn't automatically start a fight. Fights are a little too frequent (as are offsetting minors). I don't mind the CPU automatically starting fights with CPU players but when I'm Sidney Crosby and I want to facewash someone, it shouldn't auto start a fight without prompting me to drop the gloves. As for fighting, its soooo much better this year than any of the previous years. They finally realized that the stupid fight night control scheme they instituted was ******** and now you can just wail away with straight flicks of the stick. But the way fights start is a little dubious (at least once it seemed as though I was fighting Crosby but it ended up being Guerin when he was no where near me). Again it should all be dynamic, it shouldn't cut away to a separate mode and the other players/referee shouldn't disappear. The other players should be in scrums or standing around watching and the officials should be waiting to break things up.

Lots of good things in your post, particularly these snipits.

[Scottdau]

Quote: Originally Posted by infinityBCRT

I don't know how I feel about hardcore mode. The speed of passing should be pressure sensitive, not time sensitive. And I think the pass speed is still a tad too slow. I like the fact that the tape to tape passes are gone but your AI teammates are not smart enough to adapt to a pass thats not going where they want to go. Sometimes they'll turn in a different direction, sometimes they should be able to reach for the puck, or at least try to reach for it and they don't. Other than that its great. I think they still need to revamp the fundamental skating engine. Its showing its flaws big time. I think the leg kick glitch video out there illustrates how bad it is. Even if they fix that specific glitch the skating in general is still very floaty when doing certain turns. Is there the ability to do a hook anymore? They need to figure out a way to put that back into the control scheme and make it useful. The problem they've had with hooking and slashing in the past is your player slows down to a halt and he doesn't adjust to where the nearest opponent is unlike a stick lift. I think they tried toning it down because they felt people abused it, but if they do, just balance it out by giving them more penalties! Boardplay is great although I think holding Y should hold the player against the boards and as soon as you let go of Y it lets go of the player. Also if your back is to the player its very hard to turn around and pin the player because of the way the skating engine works. Perhaps if the skating engine is fixed this won't be an issue but if not maybe hte best thing is for the game to realize that you want to pin the player and turn your player around towards the boards automatically. Defending in the zone still needs work. I don't know why you can barely skate around while you're poke checking. I think NHL 2k6 or 2K7 had the best feel when you were penalty killing because you could skate around and aim your stick around to block passing lanes very smoothly and the animations looked great. I always felt like Brendan Shanahan when playing on the PK in those games. Theres no reason they shouldn't copy 2K's faceoff system, it just feels better. The one that EA employs is starting to feel dated. I think they need to revamp presentation. They should get rid of all of the cutscenes and make everything dynamic. The first year they do it it might not be great but I think it will help make the post-whistle stuff much more fun/realistic. Right now players just stand around. They should be skating to the benches or skating to the next face-off spot and the referees/linesmen (which they need to add too) should be breaking up scrums. It would also be great if you could hit someone after they score a goal or start a fight. The post whistle stuff as it is right now is a little too dramatic. Players should be shoving each other, not decking each other, and a face wash shouldn't automatically start a fight. Fights are a little too frequent (as are offsetting minors). I don't mind the CPU automatically starting fights with CPU players but when I'm Sidney Crosby and I want to facewash someone, it shouldn't auto start a fight without prompting me to drop the gloves. As for fighting, its soooo much better this year than any of the previous years. They finally realized that the stupid fight night control scheme they instituted was ******** and now you can just wail away with straight flicks of the stick. But the way fights start is a little dubious (at least once it seemed as though I was fighting Crosby but it ended up being Guerin when he was no where near me). Again it should all be dynamic, it shouldn't cut away to a separate mode and the other players/referee shouldn't disappear. The other players should be in scrums or standing around watching and the officials should be waiting to break things up. I think all of those changes would make people enjoy the stuff added to this year's edition MUCH more because a lot of the new stuff this year seems like half baked ideas. As for new stuff next year they should blow out customization and online modes. Anything that can be done offline should be able to be done with multiple offline players and/or online players. They should add teambuilder, custom content sharing, and allow custom sliders for ALL game modes online and offline.

This is a great post. I enjoyed reading it, thanks

[BobLobLaw]

i agree with the faceoff thing finally someone mentioned it we definately need better faceoffs so that it takes more skill to win them and the wingers have to go in and help and clean wins happen but theyre rare

sorry for horrible punctuation and such but i am lazy

[TeamLogo]

Quote: Originally Posted by MizzouRah

I hope unique arenas and such make the cut next year though.

People say there aren't unique arenas but I don't understand what they mean. I don't have any recent games but I see the United Center clear as day in screen shots. Is that the only one that's the real thing? Do you say arena and mean pregame stuff or missing details?