NHL 15 Video, Screenshots & Blog Featuring the Superstar Skill Stick

[actionhank]

Quote: Originally Posted by Russo

It's 2014. It's unacceptable to say "this is the first instalment in the next-fen series" to defend EA for a poor game. The video I posted plays like NHL last gen with a makeover. Am I really going to notice the concession stand guy or face paint on a fans face? No, worry about what's on the ice between the boards. Same with Madden, all these peripherals features to give an authentic NFL experience. The actual gameplay mechanics suck and are outdated. The problem with the NHL series is that EA has the wrong staff pitching ideas for this game whether its lack of budget or creativity, they're being lazy. I don't care about all the hours and work they put in...the end result looks dull and they need to change their thinking hats. I mean, their NHL 15 trailer has ridiculous looking hits especially the one with Kadri warping around the defenseman looking like a rag roll and the skating still looks lame (still gliding on ice) Look where FIFA is today. FIFA 14 is a spectacular game. A solid foundation to improve on where NHL 07 engine got old, and fast (like by NHL 10...)

I don't think it's unacceptable at all. The year doesn't matter. Finding a way to produce a product for two completely different systems does.
They have to make sure the things they make for the most part will still work on an older system, because there are a lot of people who don't have next-gen systems yet.
Look at it this way. What would you do? Throw out what could be 1/3 of your total sales to focus just on next-gen, or split your team up and accomplish less on both systems development?
I've played FIFA 15 on PS4 and it doesn't feel much different from what I've seen on my PC version, which didn't get the new Ignite engine.
EA's job is still to make money, so they're going to do what they can to maximize sales, and if that means waiting another year to drop last-gen systems, that's what they're likely to do. It's not an excuse, it's the reality of it all. I've been pretty critical of EA, but there are some things that i think people get too mad about.

Quote: Originally Posted by Ryan97

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zPbD2bAwStc http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6fYkBoxrDoE http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0zDIBOfG23Y Same crap different year. We have heard all of this before. They have a format that works an they will stick to it. Don't expect anything much different then we already have. We need a massive AI overhaul. It's been years since this game was even remotely challenging. Always been a great party game though. But nothing more.

The surprising part is how much of those goalie animations are still in NHL14...also, i will say, i'm so glad they got rid of the "instant stop" after scoring a goal. Lordy it looked awful.

[pm83]

One thing that concerns me is that will we ever see truly new next-gen NHL? When thinking about earlier transition from old-gen (Xbox, PS2) to next-gen (Xbox360) the leap with NHL07 was a big one. It was really a new game. A fresh core to build series for years to come.

So what's the situation now when we are on the edge of next transition? With NHL15 it seems that we will get updated NHL build on that same "old" core. Trailers we've seen have some sweet new stuff but at the same time a lot of that "old" on 'em. This can be seen when looking those linked videos of 07 to 10 for example.

To me NHL07 is still "the game" when thinking about latest releases of EA. I know it sounds odd because when you compare 07 to 14...well yeah. But there's a good reason behind it. And the reason is that 07 was truly a new game. It really hooked me from the start by it's never-seen-before-demo. Forums were filled with hyped hockeyheads talking about Canes going against Oilers in this amazing shootout. It looked new and it felt new.

With NHL15 we won't be getting that fresh new feel. And who knows how long they will build on this core now that they've made transition with it instead of creating something totally new?

[SpectralThundr]

Quote: Originally Posted by pm83

One thing that concerns me is that will we ever see truly new next-gen NHL? When thinking about earlier transition from old-gen (Xbox, PS2) to next-gen (Xbox360) the leap with NHL07 was a big one. It was really a new game. A fresh core to build series for years to come. So what's the situation now when we are on the edge of next transition? With NHL15 it seems that we will get updated NHL build on that same "old" core. Trailers we've seen have some sweet new stuff but at the same time a lot of that "old" on 'em. This can be seen when looking those linked videos of 07 to 10 for example. To me NHL07 is still "the game" when thinking about latest releases of EA. I know it sounds odd because when you compare 07 to 14...well yeah. But there's a good reason behind it. And the reason is that 07 was truly a new game. It really hooked me from the start by it's never-seen-before-demo. Forums were filled with hyped hockeyheads talking about Canes going against Oilers in this amazing shootout. It looked new and it felt new. With NHL15 we won't be getting that fresh new feel. And who knows how long they will build on this core now that they've made transition with it instead of creating something totally new?

I disagree with this. You're getting all 30 arenas this time out, not 1 generic with just a different center ice logo slapped on. You're getting NBC commentary and presentation, complete with outside arena shots, greenscreening of Doc and Edzo and Ferrero between the benches. 2 refs and 2 lines men finally in an EA NHL game. Refinements to an already solid skating engine from 14, better looking and behaving puck physics that have never graced this series. better crowds and crowd reactions to what's happening on ice among other presentation enhancements. If that isn't enough to make it feel fresh from last gen, then people really need to lower their expectations.

What did people honestly want them to do this gen still needing to put out a game on 360 and PS3 at least for another year? Toss out everything and start over? On a limited budget compared to Madden since that is their flagship and always will be.

I'm really starting to get the idea that people just do not look at current sports game development realistically at all. They have this pedestal or heights that their expectations are at going into this gen without really understanding that the hardware itself is already ho hum compared to a high end PC in the first place. Never mind the realities of how much these games costs to produce and market at this point.

[pm83]

Quote: Originally Posted by SpectralThundr

I disagree with this. You're getting all 30 arenas this time out, not 1 generic with just a different center ice logo slapped on. You're getting NBC commentary and presentation, complete with outside arena shots, greenscreening of Doc and Edzo and Ferrero between the benches. 2 refs and 2 lines men finally in an EA NHL game. Refinements to an already solid skating engine from 14, better looking and behaving puck physics that have never graced this series. better crowds and crowd reactions to what's happening on ice among other presentation enhancements. If that isn't enough to make it feel fresh from last gen, then people really need to lower their expectations. What did people honestly want them to do this gen still needing to put out a game on 360 and PS3 at least for another year? Toss out everything and start over? On a limited budget compared to Madden since that is their flagship and always will be. I'm really starting to get the idea that people just do not look at current sports game development realistically at all. They have this pedestal or heights that their expectations are at going into this gen without really understanding that the hardware itself is already ho hum compared to a high end PC in the first place. Never mind the realities of how much these games costs to produce and market at this point.

Those are all very good additions to solid core and I'm really glad that for example presentation will be top class because it will add a lot for authentic feel. However they don't have that fresh impact to gameplay itself (expect likely puck physics if it's executed well) and that's all what matters the most.

The shadow of 07 glides on the ice no matter how many layers new player models have or how many officials there are. Skating, passing, receiving, shooting, saves for example still feel the same. And I'm not saying that they are executed badly but they definitely could be better. It would been great to see them bring totally new versions of those aspects on the table.

I also understand that resources are limited for the team and truly feel pleased that there will be a hockey game on next-gen also. However I can't help the feeling that team took an easy route, route that we've already seen just because this route won't disappoint their biggest crowd. So instead of pushing series towards more realistic approach they chosed to still balance between arcade and sim. And I totally understand why. But just because I understand it I still can say how I feel of the series and on what direction I would loved to see it going.

I'm also an offline guy. Trying to tweak the game as close to real deal as it can be done with what they've giving us. Been like that since 2k3. And I'm happy that people enjoy the game and can have sim-experience with it. But for me EA's route has been getting very old and to be honest more I play this series, more I see how far it is from an actual game.

[JimmyDeicide]

I only hope on next gen they are able to fill in the animation blanks like they did with Fifa 14 on next gen and that will make skating look and feel better and give us that tighter control that playing defense needs .

That will go a long way to making the game feel different but looking at the E3 vid didnt look positive.

[onac22]

I really hope that this skill stick is actually rating based. If Ea van has payed attention to FIFA like they say the. There should be some star rating that determines the skill level of stick moves a player can bust out. I really don't want to play another year in which dan "carbomb" Carcillo can dangle through the other team. From the sounds of it now carbomb can even chain skills together? That doesn't fly for me. Ea pitches it as if every player in the league can bust all of these skills out. But it looks good.


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[SpectralThundr]

Quote: Originally Posted by pm83

Those are all very good additions to solid core and I'm really glad that for example presentation will be top class because it will add a lot for authentic feel. However they don't have that fresh impact to gameplay itself (expect likely puck physics if it's executed well) and that's all what matters the most. The shadow of 07 glides on the ice no matter how many layers new player models have or how many officials there are. Skating, passing, receiving, shooting, saves for example still feel the same. And I'm not saying that they are executed badly but they definitely could be better. It would been great to see them bring totally new versions of those aspects on the table. I also understand that resources are limited for the team and truly feel pleased that there will be a hockey game on next-gen also. However I can't help the feeling that team took an easy route, route that we've already seen just because this route won't disappoint their biggest crowd. So instead of pushing series towards more realistic approach they chosed to still balance between arcade and sim. And I totally understand why. But just because I understand it I still can say how I feel of the series and on what direction I would loved to see it going. I'm also an offline guy. Trying to tweak the game as close to real deal as it can be done with what they've giving us. Been like that since 2k3. And I'm happy that people enjoy the game and can have sim-experience with it. But for me EA's route has been getting very old and to be honest more I play this series, more I see how far it is from an actual game.

At the end of the day it's a hockey video game, should the passing and shooting feel different every year? How do they go about doing that when like you said yourself, "they have a solid core".

So the idea that they should throw out everything that works and start from scratch on a new hardware revision doesn't really make all that much sense. You don't throw away years of work and refinement, just to start over. Ice is still going to be white, you're still going to have red lines and blue lines on the rink, players are still going to wear their proper uniforms as they have in years past.

The way to freshen it up is to bring in a new commentary team, they did, have them free form the commentary from scenarios rather than read from the same ol play by play script that they used through a generation or two of consoles, all signs are pointing to that they did this as well. Rework the presentation package, they did this, they're using NBC swipes, graphics, new shots of the crowds on goals and the like. Brand new authentic for the most part arenas down to the seat colors and numbers around the arena where appropriate, granted it's not perfect. (the bench issue is a niggling annoyance) I mean really what else can they realistically do to make it fresh when you're still playing video game hockey?

I'd assume there's new animations as well, you'd think there would have to be with how they reworked hitting, physics, and the layering system where pucks react to a players uniform and deflect and move in a more realistic manner than before.

[CelticHeart]

Quote: Originally Posted by SpectralThundr

At the end of the day it's a hockey video game, should the passing and shooting feel different every year? How do they go about doing that when like you said yourself, "they have a solid core". So the idea that they should throw out everything that works and start from scratch on a new hardware revision doesn't really make all that much sense. You don't throw away years of work and refinement, just to start over. Ice is still going to be white, you're still going to have red lines and blue lines on the rink, players are still going to wear their proper uniforms as they have in years past. The way to freshen it up is to bring in a new commentary team, they did, have them free form the commentary from scenarios rather than read from the same ol play by play script that they used through a generation or two of consoles, all signs are pointing to that they did this as well. Rework the presentation package, they did this, they're using NBC swipes, graphics, new shots of the crowds on goals and the like. Brand new authentic for the most part arenas down to the seat colors and numbers around the arena where appropriate, granted it's not perfect. (the bench issue is a niggling annoyance) I mean really what else can they realistically do to make it fresh when you're still playing video game hockey? I'd assume there's new animations as well, you'd think there would have to be with how they reworked hitting, physics, and the layering system where pucks react to a players uniform and deflect and move in a more realistic manner than before.

good god 400 dollars for new arenas and new commentary and some phisic?