NHL 15: First Gameplay Video Emerges

[jayenomics]

Quote: Originally Posted by OSGuy321

A lot of guys on here work for EA and are paid shills, so you have to take with a grain of salt. Be aware of that. As far as gameplay goes I tend to agree... The AI imo looks dreadful. Funny how EA put in a copyright claim to block the video. Somehow if it was favourable copyright wouldnt of mattered. Funny how that works.

The AI was on sim, not hardcore, so there is a huge difference there.

I'm not paid or an edorser of EA, but unlike you keyboard warriors, I understand what goes into making a product. It's hard. You are never going to get everything right, and you're never going to please anyone. If there are some improvements from last year, which I can already see there is, then that's a step in the right direction. I don't ever expect them to fix everything, but with the tweaks they are putting in, and some of the things they have changed, the game is going to be much better than 14.

[Qb]

I didn't find the video all that impressive, but that's nothing new for me. None of the early NG footage blew me away, but when I first played the games, the difference was striking (and not just visually). More than anything, I'm having a hard time getting past the gigantic puck shadow. It makes everything look bad!

Quote: Originally Posted by OSGuy321

A lot of guys on here work for EA and are paid shills, so you have to take with a grain of salt. Be aware of that.

This is laughable. Just stop.

[jaateloauto]

Quote: Originally Posted by pm83

Oh geez! Same robotic goalies with absolutely none seperation in styles. Is it really that hard EA? I mean 2K brought us humanlike and great range of styles in year 2007...7 years ago! 2K8 goalies are still the best we've seen and it just shouldn't be like that. I am really ****ing disappointed right now. Presentation and crowd looks great. And well that's all. Same promises every year. "It's probably played on rookie level". Nah. It just sucks.

Quote: Originally Posted by bwiggy33

Don't even worry about them. Just as they think we all sit here and "nitpick" the game or bash it, they sit here and talk like there's nothing wrong with it but a few things here and there. It's great they enjoy the game, but just because they enjoy it they seem to think we have to as well. We're the dumb guys for pointing out the flaws that are there, but just aren't important to them. People hate on us for bringing up the same topics time and time again, but the same people hating on us comeback with the same exact posts they've said before. You are absolutely correct in saying the goalies are horrid yet again and that is easily seen in those two minutes of gameplay. The same split save animations from point blank shots, the same suction when goalies cover the post, and the same non fluid and unnatural butterfly movement around the crease. I don't care if it's just two minutes of gameplay, the goalies are the exact same and it's easily seen. People who don't see it just don't want to see it. They're not going to magically change on All Star or Superstar hahaha. I didn't expect them to change though because it wasn't on their list of improvements.

Disclaimer: I haven't seen the footage, if anyone has a mirror I'd appreciate it.

#1 issue with this game since EASHL was introduced has been that the goalies are awful. That's been what, 5 years? When will EA decide to do something about the goalies?

NHL 2K had goalies since 2K8 that are god mode to anything EA has been able to produce, only putting in minor effort to them year after year. And difficulty doesn't matter, the goalies will act the same way from rookie to superstar. Animations and their approach isn't going to suddenly do a 180.

Brushing it aside because 'you only saw 2 minutes of gameplay' is a ridiculous thing to do. And yeah, I haven't bought NHL 14 because they haven't done anything about the goalies.

[bad_philanthropy]

Quote: Originally Posted by Qb

I didn't find the video all that impressive, but that's nothing new for me. None of the early NG footage blew me away, but when I first played the games, the difference was striking (and not just visually). More than anything, I'm having a hard time getting past the gigantic puck shadow. It makes everything look bad!

Couldn't agree more. The FIFA footage last year didn't impress me, but when I played it I was blown away by the fidelity improvement in animations, ball physics, control and overall feel. Wasn't perfect, and still reeked of some of FIFA's legacy issues, but it didn't resemble the overly fast, ping-pong impression I got from the E3 videos.

Similarly, I saw the same arcady thing from the NHL 14 E3 videos (complete with horrible puck shadow), and I knew it would be much better once I got my hands on it and messed with sliders.

Regarding gameplay, anything we see is pretty useless. We'll only know if the generational jump is successful for NHL when we get it in our hands.

For visuals I think it is worthwhile to critique the horrible looking numbers, glitchy jersey fabric, and some clunky legacy animations at this point.

[capnbuh]

Quote: Originally Posted by pm83

Oh geez! Same robotic goalies with absolutely none seperation in styles. Is it really that hard EA? I mean 2K brought us humanlike and great range of styles in year 2007...7 years ago! 2K8 goalies are still the best we've seen and it just shouldn't be like that. I am really ****ing disappointed right now. Presentation and crowd looks great. And well that's all. Same promises every year. "It's probably played on rookie level". Nah. It just sucks.

I really wish NHL 2K8 wasn't buried by reviewers for its controls. (which were highly underrated) Basically killed 2K Hockey.

The interaction between the shooter and the goalie is a key building block for a realistic hockey experience. At least it is to me. I can understand why EA wouldn't touch their goalies because it would drastically change the "feel" of their games, which are commercially and critically successful.

If anything, the goalies have regressed over the years, as the developers occasionally add some new desperation saves for them to use inappropriately.

I will buy it because it's the only hockey game available but I'll reserve the right to be grumpy about it. I was sort of expecting a new experience on my $500 console. *shrug*

[Aggies7]

Unlike Madden I hope we haven't seen the whole presentation package that is coming this year.

Really would like to see intermission reports and highlights from other games (like back in the 90s).

[Gerg04]

Quote: Originally Posted by The Amaizen Blue

If only we could get the guys from MLB The Show to make an NHL game... That series has nailed gameplay AND graphics.

Ive been saying ot for a while we NEED SCEA to bring back the NHL Faceoff series!

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

[m_maclean24]

I just want to give my two cents on what I have been noticing here on this forum. First and foremost, for those who have the time and dedication to do things like the Roster Revamp, etc. my accolades and appreciation go out to you.

Having been an observer of the forum in the past, and rarely posting, I have to say that there is an awful lot of negativity, and in addition, a clear lack of understanding as to what is plausible for a team the size of EA Canada in Burnaby to complete on a year-to-year basis.

I feel that some of the members here need to realize that EA has been hearing what is being asked for by the community. They have consistantly been adding, albeit piece by piece, things that the community is asking for.

With regards to the jump from last gen to current gen consoles: I find it pretty unrealistic for people to expect that all of a sudden since we have a new console, EA is going to fix every issue with the game. I am the first one to admit that there are major areas EA needs to find a way to fix their product, beginning with opposition and teammate AI. I would agree that it needs to be scrapped and built from the ground up. What irks me though, is that people seem to forget, or ignore the fact that this is a HUGE undertaking.

I realize that people are turning to the fact that EA Canada skipped last year on the current generation of consoles for NHL, and they have been quite upfront with their reasons why. They wanted to be able to use the technique and experience from the teams that did work on releases for the new consoles last year. Let's be upfront here - this is basically a diplomatic way of admitting that they didn't have the man-power to work from the ground up on their own.

For those who say EA has not made an effort for years to fix issues with the series, this is just a blatently ignorant statement. For anyone who follows Rammer on Twitter, it is clear that this team puts in many, many hours on improving this game on a yearly basis. In the past number of years we have seem moves in a positive direction, be-it the new player-player physics engine, skating physics, fighting engine, goal reviews, the list goes on - all while using DATED hardware.

The fact that this is the first iteration of the game on a new console, it should come as no suprise if NHL 15 is not perfect. The amount of change that has been implemented from 14 to 15 is immense, as can be seen by the improvements to crowd, player modeling, detailing, etc. I have confidence that the gameplay will be following suit in time.

To those who complain about things like player likeness and ask for face scans for players...think about this for a moment. In order to get a face scan of a player, you must meet with said player. The logistics of this alone make for a difficult venture for a production team of this size and budget.

I'm sorry for the long winded post, but the lack of common sense among some of the members here truly suprises me.