NHL 14 Available Now - Post Your Impressions Here

[slickdtc]

So I ended up getting NHL 12. And I know this isn't the exact place, but I have to vent.

This game is damn fun, a much tighter version of NHL 11. But holy cow, the bugs/flaws are annoying! Lag, settings not saving, at times it feels like the CPU takes control of my players... It's like I'm playing an old NHL 2k game. Nothing game crippling, but it's gonna forever piss me off as long as I have this game. Thank goodness I really dig the gameplay otherwise I'd say I was on the money with sticking with NHL 11 so long. If I hadn't lost my data and the Flyers didn't overturn their whole roster in the past few years, I'd probably go get NHL 11 back. Alas...

[CanuckJ]

I'm enjoying the game so far, I'm playing as Calgary so I suck because i have a crappy team but I like the challenge. I feel the game kind has super goalies this year, my team could let in 1 or 2 goals but I can't get anything past any goalie on any team, I've had a few bright moments but it's tough, still trying to tinker with sliders to get the balance I'm looking for.

I did some digging because I really want to use the flames 3rd jersey. EA can't release the jersey code until the sabres do a official unveil of their crappy 3rd jerseys, I found this article http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-pu...6078--nhl.html

Basically it says sabres will wear their 3rds vs. detroit on the 24th of this month which is 8 days away, from what I understand once that happens EA can release the code, who knows if thats the case but at least now we have a date for the sabres 3rd.

[Matt_350z]

After two months of trying to get the game to play how I want it to(mostly sim), I think as of right now- I'm done with it.

I don't need, nor do I expect the game to be a 100% replication of the real life game. At times though I really wonder if EA's development team even ever played hockey(I know Littmans background), or even watch the intricies of the game.

The game has so many little things that annoy me- from not having penalties called consistently(if at all), to the mind numbingly dumb teammate and opposing CPU AI, to the puck physics, the random CPU strategy adjustment that every team has on the fly to keep games close. Every game for me feels the same no matter which two teams I use.

It's a host of things. I hope and am happy some of you enjoy it. It's just not my cup of tea. It really saddens me as a huge hockey fan that this is all we have.
More so when you look at how great other sports games are right now with their total packages(MLB: TS, FIFA, and NBA2k specifically). Baseball is the only other sport besides hockey that I truly love, so it looks like it is going to get almost all my free gaming time now.

NHL is just too inconsistent, and two flawed for me to even bother with it.

Pro's-
I like the skating
The controls are great
Online plays relatively smooth
HUT is fun in terms of building a team

Con's
AI is awful all around
Sliders seem to do little to nothing most of the time
Puck physics
Presentation is awful
Player faces are laughable at times
Hate the actual gameplay in HUT
The game is just stale, stale, stale

Summary-
I hope EA realizes they need a major overhaul for next gen systems, though I have my doubts much, in anything I dislike about the game will be addressed.

[bdp514]

Much better than '13. The magical sucking your player into the boards is annoying. As is a defender turning his back and skating away from the rebound. But you get used to it and play accordingly. If anything, it keeps me on my toes a little more. After some experimentation with the sliders I've found a balance that suits the way I play as well as my skill level and yields realistic stats and fun game play. The goals usually feel earned and mistakes are punished (harshly on defense). I also like that unlike previous years occasionally I can dominate the flow of play and still get stymied by a hot net minder and visa versa. I've had wide open shoot outs and grind it out defensive struggles and the occasional blowout. Are there shortcomings, for sure. But for me at least this is much better than '13.

[Dsmonty]

Hello, please help. I haven't played since nhl2012. I only play offline GM,
With the problems I have read on here regarding player progression, would I be better off getting 2013 since I cannot get the updates from xbox live ?
or is there a way to get the 2014 updates without xbox live. Thanks in advance, i am an older guy and only like the gm mode on the games . I do not know which one i should get. Is the 2014 game off the shelf any good as far as GM and prospect progression?

[Matt_350z]

Another thing that drives me crazy is why even bother having offensive and defensive setups, plays, and strategies if the CPU AI can't account for it/them almost all of time?

This literally drives me up a tree. It seems like such a waste to even bother having them in the game if the AI doesn't know what to do.

[DarthRambo]

Quote: Originally Posted by Matt_350z

After two months of trying to get the game to play how I want it to(mostly sim), I think as of right now- I'm done with it. I don't need, nor do I expect the game to be a 100% replication of the real life game. At times though I really wonder if EA's development team even ever played hockey(I know Littmans background), or even watch the intricies of the game. The game has so many little things that annoy me- from not having penalties called consistently(if at all), to the mind numbingly dumb teammate and opposing CPU AI, to the puck physics, the random CPU strategy adjustment that every team has on the fly to keep games close. Every game for me feels the same no matter which two teams I use. It's a host of things. I hope and am happy some of you enjoy it. It's just not my cup of tea. It really saddens me as a huge hockey fan that this is all we have. More so when you look at how great other sports games are right now with their total packages(MLB: TS, FIFA, and NBA2k specifically). Baseball is the only other sport besides hockey that I truly love, so it looks like it is going to get almost all my free gaming time now. NHL is just too inconsistent, and two flawed for me to even bother with it. Pro's- I like the skating The controls are great Online plays relatively smooth HUT is fun in terms of building a team Con's AI is awful all around Sliders seem to do little to nothing most of the time Puck physics Presentation is awful Player faces are laughable at times Hate the actual gameplay in HUT The game is just stale, stale, stale Summary- I hope EA realizes they need a major overhaul for next gen systems, though I have my doubts much, in anything I dislike about the game will be addressed.

Thank you for saving me $65!

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[The Amaizen Blue]

Just bought the game on Black Friday. First impression, waaaaaaay too many goals being scored on both sides of the puck. My goaltenders have been worse than the CPU's, but I'm able to score just as many goals as the CPU. In my 2nd BeAGM game, I traded goals twice in 2 minutes. Final score: 7-6

Goaltenders will stop most point blank shots, but point shots are a sure goal every time. Can anyone recommend some good tuner/slider settings? I can't play like this. Goals are fun and all, but I don't even have to try and it's frustrating seeing "NHL" goaltenders let in softies every 2 minutes.