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

[FBeaule04]

Quote: Originally Posted by born_bad

I wish the devs had the time and resources to actually make this look and feel like a new game year to year, but apparently they don’t.

I completely disagree with that statement for one reason. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Most of the criticism about NHL 11 wasn't the look when game is on, but the game itself. It's also everything around the game, the lack of presentation, the same menus, the exact same intro and cut scenes.

If EA would have come on with a game that feel brand new, most people would have scream like crazy that again, EA is working on things that they shouldn't and not give enough time on thing we're asking for years. AI was a problem in NHL 11 and they work on that. Goalies animations and reactions was a problem, they work on that.

I understand people that want a brand new game each year, but like in real life, if my wife is having lapses on various aspect of our couple life, I don't want her to get a new hair cut, a new set of boobs and some new shoes! I want her to work on what's not right and fix it!

The only place we're I'll agree EA is doing a lazy job is over the presentation, but the way the game play, why change it all if for 2 years, it's not been what really bugs people playing the game?

Just my two cents.

[blinkfan77]

What pisses me off is that the Bruins won the damn Stanley Cup and EA didn't see fit to at least give ONE new player a real face?

I'm sitting here seeing Boychuk, Seidenberg, MARCHAND (really EA? You couldn't give one of the best rookies and a huge impact player on our team a face?), Thornton, McQuaid, Peverley, Kelly, Campbell alllll have fake faces. I understand 4th line guys and bottom pairing D-men, but there's no excuse at all to leave Marchand, Peverley and Seidenberg should have fake faces.

I'd even go one step further and say that if they made the effort to make a badass looking Shawn Thornton it would add a TON to the game for me. Seeing authentic faces adds a HUGE amount of realism to me.

It's a shame it's not more important to the designers. And trust me, I understand it's a 9 month cycle and they can only do so much, but still. If you can't improve on ONE face for the Stanley Cup champs, that's unacceptable.

[Russo]

Might as well call this NHL 11.5. After playing for 5 minutes, I thought to myself 'Is this NHL 11?' Ya, dont fix whats not broken, but why 60$ for updated rosters and new 'collision' system which BTW they really dropped the ball on. The hits are ********. Lucic 360'ing in the air from a little shove, bodies are flying everywhere, really unreal. I like the new puck physics, the puck is more fluid and more unpredicatable. Goalie collision are unoticeable as should be but whats with the AIRPORT type arena announcer? What gate do I board at?

prob buy it, but this shows it was last ditch effort by EA before new generation consoles, LIKE WHERE'S ONLINE FRANCHISE?

[FBeaule04]

Quote: Originally Posted by blinkfan77

What pisses me off is that the Bruins won the damn Stanley Cup and EA didn't see fit to at least give ONE new player a real face? I'm sitting here seeing Boychuk, Seidenberg, MARCHAND (really EA? You couldn't give one of the best rookies and a huge impact player on our team a face?), Thornton, McQuaid, Peverley, Kelly, Campbell alllll have fake faces. I understand 4th line guys and bottom pairing D-men, but there's no excuse at all to leave Marchand, Peverley and Seidenberg should have fake faces. I'd even go one step further and say that if they made the effort to make a badass looking Shawn Thornton it would add a TON to the game for me. Seeing authentic faces adds a HUGE amount of realism to me. It's a shame it's not more important to the designers. And trust me, I understand it's a 9 month cycle and they can only do so much, but still. If you can't improve on ONE face for the Stanley Cup champs, that's unacceptable.

It's just a demo, give them a break! If that's the case when the retail goes on the market, then, feel free to bash them, because it will be deserve.

The NHL Dev. Team, like I stated in one messages earlier in the month, is just like Alexandre Daigle. They could, but for some reasons, there's a lack of effort that made us think they only do it for the money, not the love of producing a sports game that is as detailed we expect it.

You know, they had the CHL last year, and I can't count the numbers of juniors teams uni's that weren't correct. Montreal Juniors never, ever, ever, wear black pants, not even when they wore the black uni's. They always wore the burgundy pants. EA's came out with the Juniors with the black pants!

EA should know pretty well that perception is stronger than reality. And all these little misses makes us perceive the NHL Dev. Team as a lazy bunch overall.

[tyler289]

Played a couple games on Superstar/Hardcore and it was challenging and an improvement, but honestly, the game still feels like NHL 10.5.

There are few real faces in the game, no momentum or physics, and the commentary, goaltender animations and honestly most of the game is about 3 years old.

Felt the exact same. That's fine in MLB the Show, which plays like real baseball.

This plays nothing like real hockey, nor does it look like it. The NHL series has gone from trying to be authenic and realistic to catering to the online EASHL crowd, which doesn't really care about commentary, presentation (literally nothing looks improved here. Honestly, it got WORSE with their new after-goal sequence. Terrible. Absolutely terrible.), authenticity, BAGM or any of that stuff.

I'm as big of an NHL fan as they come, but I wouldn't have gotten this game unless Amazon offered the free shipping and $20 credit.

EA NHL has taken a significant step back over the last two years. IIt used to be one of the best sports games out there. Now it's falling in line with other mediocre EA Sports products. Failing to have strict attention to detail. They throw in new features like "new goaltender desperation saves" but then it turns out it's the same exact terrible animation from 3 years ago. And goalie fights? THAT's a big feature?

Very disappointed. The days when their "Sports game of the year" graphic actually meant something are long, long, long gone.

I hope the retail is much better, but I doubt it will have the things I really want fixed. But I can play with 10 legends and HUT! Great...

[FBeaule04]

Quote: Originally Posted by Russo

Might as well call this NHL 11.5. After playing for 5 minutes, I thought to myself 'Is this NHL 11?' Ya, dont fix whats not broken, but why 60$ for updated rosters and new 'collision' system which BTW they really dropped the ball on. The hits are ********. Lucic 360'ing in the air from a little shove, bodies are flying everywhere, really unreal. I like the new puck physics, the puck is more fluid and more unpredicatable. Goalie collision are unoticeable as should be but whats with the AIRPORT type arena announcer? What gate do I board at? prob buy it, but this shows it was last ditch effort by EA before new generation consoles, LIKE WHERE'S ONLINE FRANCHISE?

That's funny. You ask why 60$ for a roster update and new collision system, but state few lines after that that you'll probably buy it.

You answered yourself right there. Because people who don't like the effort are buying the product. That's why they ask for 60$ for the game, 25$ for the Season pass and some more for DLC.

I agree, there's many times EA shows us they are lazy, but for myself, I've been so pissed off about the lack of intelligence in their definition of AI that I'm happy with this demo effort.

As nice and clean a game can be, if the AI isn't playing like it should be, the game is garbage. If the AI was the same in 12 than 11, I wouldn't have buy it because that's the only answer to make a company understand your point.

[Redskins_Hokies]

I am happy broken glass is very rare

[Qb]

Quote: Originally Posted by tyler289

I hope the retail is much better, but I doubt it will have the things I really want fixed. But I can play with 10 legends and HUT! Great...

Sorry to be the one to tell you, but it's only nine legends.