NHL 13 Hands-On Preview with Lots of Good Info (Game Informer)

[gopher_guy]

Holy hell, the NHL series is finally moving out of the canned cut-scene stone ages.

Thank you

[jake19ny]

I know we have all been burned by EA's promises related to the NHL series, but they are not just promising something big like in the past, but are really putting out a lot of detailed information this time. . Seems like they are actually trying this to improve the game finally, not just some gimmicky rehashed roster update. If this fails to deliver on what they are saying it would almost mean certain death for EA, a company that took a beating last year. They know the NHL series fans were out for blood after NHL12. I think they are shooting for the moon this time and It sounds good so far and I hope they have it right. There is a lot of info already and the end of the article states thats all EA would let them discuss at this time meaning there is more info coming perhaps.....I feel like we have more information on NHL 13 at this point then we had on NHL 12 right up to its release date. I'm looking forward to hearing and seeing more.

[Gagnon39]

More than anything, I want a good update to Be A GM mode. Everything else for me is secondary. I'd buy NHL 13 if it had the exact same gameplay but a better GM mode.

[Simple Mathematics]

Quote: Originally Posted by Gagnon39

More than anything, I want a good update to Be A GM mode. Everything else for me is secondary. I'd buy NHL 13 if it had the exact same gameplay but a better GM mode.

I like where your head is.

But they also have to improve gameplay. There is no point in getting the game if playing the actual game sucks.

[plaidchuck]

Problem is they know they dont have to update offline stuff because they can put out a game that is essentially a roster update and still will make money off DLC sales from all the little EASHL kiddies.

[johnnyrocks]

Quote: Originally Posted by hollywood_cpm

It's not just goalies man. It's the difference between superstar players and regular players that this game doesn't get. If I'm playing against the Pens for example everytime Geno and Sid are on the ice I should be warry of being scored upon. Which NEVER happens. Malkin and Crosby are no more a threat than Kennedy and Cooke. This badly needs to change.

I think EA has already announced this saying that shooting while going top-notch speed will decrease but Crosby and Geno which indicates that there is a huge difference between average, superstars and beyond normal players.

Even drafts will be a lot different meaning that Lower overalls on lower players which shows a huge difference!

[Vikes1]

I'm kinda concerned about something I read in one of the previews...where one of the CD guys had said that it's still too easy to just skate through the zones.

Of course '13' isn't a finished product, and game level/sliders could change things...but dang, I was really hoping to read that the opposite was the case for the coming game. I guess I was hoping to read something like..."Sharp clean passes headed up ice are far more important now than in past games." "Otherwise, chip/dumping the puck in, was your other choice most times." Or something like that.

[AllJuicedUp]

Yeah, I have major reservations that the cpu dmen will actually be aggressive and backskate correctly so they close the gap at appropriate times. Or that the general strategies will enable you to clog up the neutral zone if you so choose and try to force other teams to dump and chase.

Or hell, that puck control wont be jacked up so people can just tank their way through like normal.

We have been told time and time again that those things have been improved, and yet its still easy as hell to gain the zone in 12.

All that said, the top end speed (and low end speed for dmen backskating/turning around/etc) were tuned to the extremes for the community day event, and we've already been told they wont be so exaggerated come release. Also, I believe the physics engine was not in the build they played (since they were testing/showing off skating exclusively and didn't want other things to get in the way). Both of those factors I'm sure played a large part in the ease of gaining the zone and lack of neutral zone play (not to mention, I'm sure jumping in as a forward and skating straight ahead was easier to get used to for the community day guys than playing defense... always a longer adjustment time on D).

So in the end, I wouldn't put much stock in what the community day guys said in terms of neutral zone play, for the sheer fact that they were playing a build designed to gain the zone easily. That said, I have my own reservations regardless, just because of the games track record lately.