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

[Pezell04x]

I did a quick video impression.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttQ3...e_gdata_player

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4

[Moose24x]

Quote: Originally Posted by liberaluser

People are being way too generous in their evaluations of the hitting engine and especially the fighting engine. The hitting contact physics sometimes get you those nice pushing animations, but even on hardcore sim you can plow through anyone for ridiculously big hits like clockwork. The hitting is set really low and only goes down another notch in the sliders so it won't be better at release. Every year they claim to improve hitting with new technology and always fail to make it even decent. The fighting feels really clunky and not very fun honestly. Your forced into a jersey grab just like with the first person engine, which makes me think this is in many ways the same engine put into third person. I much rather be able to circle my opponent and set my own tempo in a fight. Hockey fights are exciting because of the anticipation of a showdown and not just two idiots wildly grabbing and punching each other.

I would venture that the hitting power is cranked up quite a bit in order for the demo to showcase it as the "newest feature". I know the sliders show otherwise, but the demo build is not the final/release build and they can tune it however they want to showcase certain things. If I wasn't fairly confident that this is the case, I would be quite a bit more concerned and in agreement with you that the hitting engine ISN'T as good as people are saying, but I feel it will be toned down significantly and you have to admit that the, although vastly over powered right now, the collisions simply FEEL a lot better.

As for the fighting, it's meh. For me, the fighting improvement is much more a presentation improvement than an actual gameplay improvement; I could care less how "fun" the fights actually are. I think they're a bit better now because you can at least see when you want to dodge and such, but for me, the main improvement that the new fighting engine offers is just a dramatic increase in presentation value. Seeing the other players on the ice, viewing the fight from the third person, it's help to make the immersion in the game much better, in my opinion.

[canucksss]

Quote: Originally Posted by bwiggy33

For me I just don't understand this series. What is the point of having options like All Star, Superstar, and Hardcore Simulation if there is no difference in the way the CPU plays? The defensive pressure is the most notable. It's so frustrating that this game has so many different game styles and options yet every one of them are still catered to people who are casuals. I should be forced to dump the puck in, pass to my teammates to create chances, etc. I feel none of that.

EXACTLY! In the past, the difference really is that the AI cheats at higher levels and that's it.

I really dont mind if EA would like to market this game to casual gamers. BUT DON"T SACRIFICE the true-blooded, SIM, hockey enthusiasts. PRO and AS should be for casuals and SS and HOF for more SIM enthusiasts. BUT NO.

EA for me is just "take away", "add some" and "improve some" kinda company. 13 will be my last...heck Im even skeptic for 15 in the next-gen console.

Quote: Originally Posted by actionhank

I just don't feel that there's going to be enough to keep me interested. Be a GM got pretty much ignored this year, and i don't know that sliders will be enough to address the issues i have. I was hoping the demo would alleviate any fears i might have about the gameplay not changing, and it could be fun enough for me to ignore the other problems i have with BeaGM as long as the gameplay itself was fun, but it looks like it won't be able to do that. Oh well, gives me more money to save up for a Next-Gen purchase.

When was BaGM got any attention at all? How many times did the consumers requested for a reduced # of games per season? How many times did we ask that if we can control each team so we could somehow alter the game style since all teams play the same thing?

Actually I was planning to get Xbox Live for 3 months just to see how this demo CAN change my mind and not give up 360 so i could play 14. Good thing I read these 2 posts.

I saved $25 there for Live and $60 for 14. Time to pre-order the 2nd game for my upcoming PS4

[Cletus]

Quote: Originally Posted by canucksss

EXACTLY! In the past, the difference really is that the AI cheats at higher levels and that's it. I really dont mind if EA would like to market this game to casual gamers. BUT DON"T SACRIFICE the true-blooded, SIM, hockey enthusiasts. PRO and AS should be for casuals and SS and HOF for more SIM enthusiasts. BUT NO. EA for me is just "take away", "add some" and "improve some" kinda company. 13 will be my last...heck Im even skeptic for 15 in the next-gen console. When was BaGM got any attention at all? How many times did the consumers requested for a reduced # of games per season? How many times did we ask that if we can control each team so we could somehow alter the game style since all teams play the same thing? Actually I was planning to get Xbox Live for 3 months just to see how this demo CAN change my mind and not give up 360 so i could play 14. Good thing I read these 2 posts. I saved $25 there for Live and $60 for 14. Time to pre-order the 2nd game for my upcoming PS4

I'm not surprised you had this outlook based on how you felt about 13. Honestly, I don't see the huge improvements. They "fixed" the skating but took away the hustle or speed burst or whatever they called it. In the demo I felt zero separation between skaters, I didn't notice the new strafing, I just noticed the D skating backwards as fast as I was going forwards. I'm really gonna miss this game but I just can't do it.

Honestly though, if you spend any time on the EA forums, you can see why the game is like this. The forums and the people that play it are a mess. Everyone complains about online stuff to the point where offline gets buried. The devs don't spend a lot of time there because it's like the Lord of the Flies or 6th grade with a Wild West mentality.

[liberaluser]

One thing I would recommend if you want a more realistic experience playing the demo is taking left stick checking off.

You won't accidently knock people over just by breathing on them, you can get a better range of hits depending on how fast your going, and your not losing any right stick functionality since it still isn't being used for anything but checks on it's own.

[savoie2006]

Quote: Originally Posted by liberaluser

People are being way too generous in their evaluations of the hitting engine and especially the fighting engine. The hitting contact physics sometimes get you those nice pushing animations, but even on hardcore sim you can plow through anyone for ridiculously big hits like clockwork. The hitting is set really low and only goes down another notch in the sliders so it won't be better at release. Every year they claim to improve hitting with new technology and always fail to make it even decent. The fighting feels really clunky and not very fun honestly. Your forced into a jersey grab just like with the first person engine, which makes me think this is in many ways the same engine put into third person. I much rather be able to circle my opponent and set my own tempo in a fight. Hockey fights are exciting because of the anticipation of a showdown and not just two idiots wildly grabbing and punching each other.

Its merely someone else's opinion, there is no right or wrong. Personally I feel both are improved nicely, even if not great yet. Something most have got to realize and or accept is that hockey is probably the most difficult sport to replicate in video game form. That means it likely will never be as realistic as we would like it to be, because if it was most would probably throw their controller in frustration. It's also important to remember that EA is out to make money, so they have to balance arcade/realistic to draw both hardcore and new fans.

[bwiggy33]

Quote: Originally Posted by savoie2006

Its merely someone else's opinion, there is no right or wrong. Personally I feel both are improved nicely, even if not great yet. Something most have got to realize and or accept is that hockey is probably the most difficult sport to replicate in video game form. That means it likely will never be as realistic as we would like it to be, because if it was most would probably throw their controller in frustration. It's also important to remember that EA is out to make money, so they have to balance arcade/realistic to draw both hardcore and new fans.

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.

[Pearly]

The skating feels improved, the backhand shots feel better and I'm liking the feel of the new checking, as long as the penalties end up working right and the amount of huge hits gets toned down from the demo. Goalies feel and seem better too although I only played a few games so far. It's not a huge improvement over 13 but I'm still gonna get it.

One thing that's still unfixed and that bugs me is that when you do line changes, if you have like 3 guys rushing to change, they'll step in one by one instead of, you know, some stepping over the board, etc. for a quicker change. It's annoying and has bothered me in 12 & 13.