NHL 15 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions (Xbox One, PS4)

[half-fast]

Can't manual pass. I couldnt pass one off the boards to a teammate. It went where it wanted me to pass it. That alone is a huge disappointment for me. I play all manual controls on FIFA and am generally happy with the results, and not being able to choose where I pass the puck in NHL will mean no purchase. I'm sure a slider will be in there for the full game, but I'll have to check first. How can you not bank it off the boards?

[m_maclean24]

I was able to play three games last night, I played as the Rangers each time - Hardcore Sim, Allstar. I lost my first game 1-0, won the second 1-0 in SO, and lost the final 1-0 in SO (notice I haven't scored in regulation yet). I do not bother looking for exploits to score every time down the ice, I just play hockey like I think it is supposed to be played, and hope for the best.

First of all, I am not one of those guys who plays 1,000+ games in a year, I played Be a GM last year, and got through three seasons, playing all games, and also farted around with a few of the other modes, but only to the tune of >100 games I would say. I have always shied away from online modes.

I found the "feel" of the game to be different. I know that some people are saying that the players still feel weightless, but I feel like there has been some work done in this department, and I certainly felt the weight of the players in their movements.

As far as the checking went, I found it much more difficult to lay out the CPU opponent - In my GM mode last year, I really struggled to have realistic numbers for hits, because it as the easiest way for me to thwart any offensive threat, just run them over. In my three games, that hasn't been the case.

That being said, I agree with many who have posted that the O-zone entry is a breeze again, it absolutely is - nothin has been addressed here from what I can see.

As far as the skills stick goes, I LOVE the new deking. It is a much more accurate representation of the movements of an actual hockey player. The past versions of the game, with the long arm, wind-up and whip wristers were garbage, and this has been changed.

I really hope they are doing some work on goalie animations for next year, they REALLY stood out to me as being terrible given the improvements to the player animations.

I also think the graphics and presentation are stunning - and I didn't have a HUGE issue with the commentary, hearing someone else was refreshing, but obviously room for improvement.

Also have to agree with others, in-that the AI has not really changed a tonne. I did notice some improvements, and clearly by the results of my three games, I have found it somewhat challenging, but I still see some head-scratching decisions quite frequently by AI teammates and opponents.

All of that being said, there are some improvements, but bottom line, it is OBVIOUS that you are playing an EA NHL series hockey game. Some of the legacy issues continue, but I have to disagree with those claiming it is "just a port" or NHL 14 with prettier graphics. I do feel that it is much more than this.

In summary, I think that the feel has changed, but it is still to be determined whether it has changed enough to allow for a less stagnant gameplay experience. I feel like it is a good effort by EA Canada, but there is still a long, long way to go to get to where thigns could and should be. I think I will make the dive and buy this one, but for those EASHL hardcore players who were so sorely disappointed, you may want to hold onto your $70 for another year to let things play out.

[GROGtheNailer]

So gave this game a try and since we only have the demo to analyze (which should represent the meat of the game) here is some impressions.

I like the new physics of the puck a lot, I think that is a consensus here. That directly relates to gameplay. Not going to talk about graphics. It is hard to nail down concisely how I feel about the demo at this point because I have had maybe 10 games, the 2 min periods are ridiculous though. I would rather get a 6 min final period to be honest.

I strongly suspect we are going to see some negative **** that has been in the game the last 3-4 years because it feels very similar. It is hard for me to gauge atm. The big question that needs to be answered is will the new stuff be enough to prod us over the hump of the old legacy stuff they have not touched. I suspect it will be there because they do not know how to get rid of it at this point. I do not think it is laziness, I just believe they do not know how to make it better with the current engine.

So will the new stuff be enough to counter-act the negative parts of the legacy stuff...I am not sure at this point. I will be buying the game because I love hockey, and I may or may not regret it.

The root of any issues will probably be:

It should be easier to play defense that offense which historically has not been the case with EA's hockey, I suspect weak defensive aspects will be in play here along with its equal partner: how easy it is to gain the zone. But we will see.

[ggazoo]

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I'm a bit underwhelmed by the demo. I dunno... it doesn't feel "next gen". Even graphically... maybe I was expecting too much, but it's not the huge leap that I was expecting.

[GROGtheNailer]

One thing to everyone who is put off with the AI, try All-star hardcore settings, post your thoughts on that setting if you wouldnt mind.

[kerosene31]

Quote: Originally Posted by GROGtheNailer

One thing to everyone who is put off with the AI, try All-star hardcore settings, post your thoughts on that setting if you wouldnt mind.

That's what I was on and the AI felt like last year. Good skaters can still skate circles around the zone. Hardcode mode makes passing harder, so it kind of encourages puck hogging.

I was using the same moves from 14 (and 13). Skate in over the wing. If the D is slow, blow past them. If not, hit the brakes and either cut into the slot or dump the puck back to your D and try again. I know some people would say "don't play that way" but it is tough not to, especially on hardcore. This zone entry works almost every time as long as your player is a decent skater (often even if not).

I'm not even sure if it is the AI or the skating engine (maybe both), but the entire CPU 5 man side is always a step behind and slow to react.

[lockjaw333]

Skipped NHL 14 due to the minimal amounts of improvement (and sometimes steps backwards) from year to year. I also only played EASHL from 09-12 because I always found playing offline against the CPU mind numbingly horrible. EA NHL has always had the worst AI of any of the major sports games IMO.First impressions of the demo after playing a handful of matches over the last few days: feels 95% the same as NHL 13. Goalies are identical (terrible), skating is slightly different, faceoffs are the same (was cool the first year implemented, now its stale), physics are just as ridiculous, and the AI is perhaps even worse than I remember. They refuse to dump the puck in, instead choosing to skate in circles in the neutral. They make ridiculous centering passes when the lanes are covered (that still seem to get through), they make inhuman cuts and turns, and they generally don't play in any way that remotely resembles hockey.Skill stick is more nuanced (people think its worse because you can't whip the puck side to side like its on a string anymore), and the default speed of the game is slower and much more realistic than in the past. NBC presentation is well done as well, but they ruin it with the SAME EXACT cutscenes theyve had in the game for 5 years. That's about all the good I can say about it.Still see the same awful backhand stab wristers and one-timers. The puck phsyics to me seem just as bad as always. The puck reacts the same way in certain situations that I'm used to...popping up off blocker saves, rolling up goalies shoulders, bounces like a tennis ball on dump-ins, and worst of all rocketing off poke checks and warping to other CPU controlled players. The puck may behave slightly different but its still bad.Game is obviously lower resolution, probably 720p. Definitely doesn't look high res. And Rammer claimed both consoles will "run at 60fps". I'm not even sure the regular gameplay runs at 60fps, and the cutscenes certainly are at a lower framerate.Overall a pretty pathetic effort for a 2 year dev cycle (which in reality was probably 1 given the size of the NHL team, but still). I've always found offline vs the CPU horrendous in the past, and its still bad. And given the fact that this is pretty much all the game has given removal of EASHL, I feel like there's no reason to buy it. This is the type of effort that makes me think this series might not exist in a year or two.

[jake19ny]

I played a few games already (Ps4) and I was going to post each detail good or bad but decided I can sum up my impressions in short. The graphics and presentation are an outstanding much needed improvement. The gameplay had subtle changes but for the most part is not much different than NHL14. The subtle changes are for the better and as usual I'm hoping sliders will make the game better (we shouldn't have to always battle with sliders). two biggest disappointments 1) Goalies were bad and make the same bone headed mistakes they have made for years. On one play I attempted a pass with Kreider from the side of the net to the slot area and the pass went right at Quick who was a good foot off the post allowing the slow pass to hit his pad and enter the net.....lame. 2) three games 1 penalty total. I know its hard to tell with just 2 minute periods so maybe I'm worried for nothing but this has been a problem for years. Overall I managed to tweak sliders enough to enjoy 14 so I'm sure I can do it again. If the offline season mode is indeed absent this may end up being a trade in after a month or two. Playing a whole season as my team is always my favorite and I like to control all the teams and rosters so it will be pointless to keep for so long.