NHL 13 News Post

NHL 13 Hands-On Preview with Lots of Good Info (Game Informer)

11:04 AM - May 21, 2012 by Steve_OS

Game Informer's Matt Bertz checks in with his NHL 13 hands-on preview. Lots of good nuggets in this one, as he hits on 22 things you need to know about the game.

Just a few quotes below...

Quote:


	This year speedy wingers like Marian Gaborik have the ability to fly by defenders. Going fast has its limitations. Players will get fatigued faster, and only elite players like Sidney Crosby are able to stickhandle and take accurate shots while skating at top speed. To build the new skating system, EA Canada has added over 1,000 new animations. For the first time in the series, goalies now have individual limb control. "This year we've invested more effort in AI than in the last three years combined in terms of effort," Ramjagsingh says. Much to the dismay of some fans, both Gary Thorne and Bill Clement return to the broadcasting booth.

Source - 22 Things We Know About NHL 13 (Game Informer)

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# 41 BlueNGold @ 05/23/12 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simple Mathematics


	After reading all of this info, does anyone else find it impossible to go back and play NHL 12?

It was already hard enough to play it in the first place.

# 42 Vikes1 @ 05/23/12 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkFudge


	Im not ready to fall for this mumbo jumbo again this year....last year, EA did the same thing and pumped up NHL 12 with the ALL New Puck Physics, Real Time Collision Physics, Players that behave differently and have unique characteristics and AI behaviors that should create a new and dynamic experience with every game...bla bla, etc. When I played a few games of NHL 12......the disappointing realization that this game played too much like 11, 10, 9 and 8. (with some top coats of tweaks) The truth of the matter is, I think I have had more fun with the early Sega Genesis versions of NHL Hockey than I am with these. And if that seems like too much of a stretch for some of you to believe, I will at least say this....I don't think the actual depth of the AI and gameplay variables have advanced that much since then. If you simply strip away the more detailed graphics and sound engines, the game's ability to organically read and react, articulate and translate the real ebb and flows of NHL Hockey while simulating a real human AI are just not much evolved from those days. And the dynamic immersive factor are no where near as in depth and as a game like Pro Evolution Soccer.......or even their own FIFA series! There's no distinctions between teams and/or players other than the obvious speed, checking and shooting accuracy factors. Surely we've evolved to expect much deeper levels of authenticity then just this from our hockey sims over the years....havent we?

Great post, DarkFudge.

I'm also holding back on allowing myself to fall in front of the hype train this year. Yep....it always sounds great each year. But imo, what's been delivered the last few years, was quite a ways short of what was promised. Especially on the differences between players that was hyped last year. To be fair...personally, I have seen a few flashes of what they were trying to do [separation] but imo...they've got a long way to go to really achieve it. And I'm not all that confident they'll get there for '13'. DarkFudge, you and others are so right...this is a major issue that I also believe is holding the game back from being a truly great game. If other games are achieving really noticeable player separation...NHL needs to join these other games.

My son and I play the heck outta NHL. But if '13' ends up in reality, playing nearly just like 12, 11, 10, etc...it's going to be kind of a long year playing the game. And our interest in playing NHL may start to wane.

# 43 savoie2006 @ 05/23/12 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueNGold


	It was already hard enough to play it in the first place.

Kind of, but as Fudge said I'm not gonna believe it completely until I have my hands on the game. I love hockey games too much to go almost four months without playing because of some hype.

# 44 thedudedominick @ 05/23/12 03:19 PM

This game is always a day one buy for me, and this information has me excited once again.

I am curious to see what kind of changes were made to Be a Gm, EASHL, and if the online Be a GM is just like the offline one, or if it's a stripped down version like the Madden online franchise.

I will say this though, if this game can actually get the AI down right and make players and teams play uniquely, NHL 13 might hardly ever leave my xbox.

# 45 Gagnon39 @ 05/24/12 10:18 AM

Everything sounds great but as I always do when a game makes such sweeping changes, I have many concerns.

My main concern is that it seems that everything is geared toward offense.

Being able to blow by defenders, goalies being more aggressive and making desperation saves more often and the puck bouncing off of limbs and deflecting in all give the impression that scoring will be up.

I just hope we still have 1-0, 2-1 games as well as the occasional 7-4 game.

We shall see.

# 46 Richie12 @ 05/24/12 11:36 AM

Little kid in me said "i want it now"
The long experienced adult in me said "yeah yeah heard that before, let see"

Who will win ? :-)

Hope as well they toned down CPU pass accuracy.

# 47 hollywood_cpm @ 05/24/12 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by balcobomber25


	Two things need to be overhauled for me to even consider buying this years version. One is the play of the goalies, I am sick of seeing multiple cheap goals go in against some of the best goalies in the world (i.e. Lundqvist, Thomas, Renne etc.). No matter how much you adjust the sliders the goalie play is still atrocious. The second is the GM mode needs a complete rebuild. NHL is suffering from the same problems as the Madden series: lack of competition has created lack of innovation.

It's not just goalies man. It's the difference between superstar players and regular players that this game doesn't get. If I'm playing against the Pens for example everytime Geno and Sid are on the ice I should be warry of being scored upon. Which NEVER happens. Malkin and Crosby are no more a threat than Kennedy and Cooke. This badly needs to change.

# 48 ChrisDanger @ 05/24/12 09:47 PM

I'm agreeing with the last few posts. Am I excited. Sure. Will I buy it? Yeah probably. Won't be day 1 though. NHL 12 was supposed to change the way I played the game. I guess it did in the fact I traded it in sooner than I have any other year.

EAs hype really means very little to me from now on.

# 49 gopher_guy @ 05/25/12 02:10 AM

Holy hell, the NHL series is finally moving out of the canned cut-scene stone ages.

Thank you

# 50 jake19ny @ 05/25/12 11:28 AM

I know we have all been burned by EA's promises related to the NHL series, but they are not just promising something big like in the past, but are really putting out a lot of detailed information this time. . Seems like they are actually trying this to improve the game finally, not just some gimmicky rehashed roster update. If this fails to deliver on what they are saying it would almost mean certain death for EA, a company that took a beating last year. They know the NHL series fans were out for blood after NHL12. I think they are shooting for the moon this time and It sounds good so far and I hope they have it right. There is a lot of info already and the end of the article states thats all EA would let them discuss at this time meaning there is more info coming perhaps.....I feel like we have more information on NHL 13 at this point then we had on NHL 12 right up to its release date. I'm looking forward to hearing and seeing more.

# 51 Gagnon39 @ 05/25/12 11:40 AM

More than anything, I want a good update to Be A GM mode. Everything else for me is secondary. I'd buy NHL 13 if it had the exact same gameplay but a better GM mode.

# 52 Simple Mathematics @ 05/25/12 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gagnon39


	More than anything, I want a good update to Be A GM mode. Everything else for me is secondary. I'd buy NHL 13 if it had the exact same gameplay but a better GM mode.

I like where your head is.

But they also have to improve gameplay. There is no point in getting the game if playing the actual game sucks.

# 53 plaidchuck @ 05/25/12 09:07 PM

Problem is they know they dont have to update offline stuff because they can put out a game that is essentially a roster update and still will make money off DLC sales from all the little EASHL kiddies.

# 54 johnnyrocks @ 06/05/12 12:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hollywood_cpm


	It's not just goalies man. It's the difference between superstar players and regular players that this game doesn't get. If I'm playing against the Pens for example everytime Geno and Sid are on the ice I should be warry of being scored upon. Which NEVER happens. Malkin and Crosby are no more a threat than Kennedy and Cooke. This badly needs to change.

I think EA has already announced this saying that shooting while going top-notch speed will decrease but Crosby and Geno which indicates that there is a huge difference between average, superstars and beyond normal players.

Even drafts will be a lot different meaning that Lower overalls on lower players which shows a huge difference!

# 55 Vikes1 @ 06/05/12 02:14 AM

I'm kinda concerned about something I read in one of the previews...where one of the CD guys had said that it's still too easy to just skate through the zones.

Of course '13' isn't a finished product, and game level/sliders could change things...but dang, I was really hoping to read that the opposite was the case for the coming game. I guess I was hoping to read something like..."Sharp clean passes headed up ice are far more important now than in past games." "Otherwise, chip/dumping the puck in, was your other choice most times." Or something like that.

# 56 AllJuicedUp @ 06/05/12 05:14 AM

Yeah, I have major reservations that the cpu dmen will actually be aggressive and backskate correctly so they close the gap at appropriate times. Or that the general strategies will enable you to clog up the neutral zone if you so choose and try to force other teams to dump and chase.

Or hell, that puck control wont be jacked up so people can just tank their way through like normal.

We have been told time and time again that those things have been improved, and yet its still easy as hell to gain the zone in 12.

All that said, the top end speed (and low end speed for dmen backskating/turning around/etc) were tuned to the extremes for the community day event, and we've already been told they wont be so exaggerated come release. Also, I believe the physics engine was not in the build they played (since they were testing/showing off skating exclusively and didn't want other things to get in the way). Both of those factors I'm sure played a large part in the ease of gaining the zone and lack of neutral zone play (not to mention, I'm sure jumping in as a forward and skating straight ahead was easier to get used to for the community day guys than playing defense... always a longer adjustment time on D).

So in the end, I wouldn't put much stock in what the community day guys said in terms of neutral zone play, for the sheer fact that they were playing a build designed to gain the zone easily. That said, I have my own reservations regardless, just because of the games track record lately.

# 57 bwiggy33 @ 06/05/12 03:48 PM

Guys for some reason I actually think it may be different this year. I know that some of those guys who went to the community day said it was still too easy to enter the zone, but I guess my question is "Were they able to mess around with the new strategies and settings that they have added?" Now that they've added neutral zone trap and other defensive settings, hopefully they will work like they should instead of hardly doing anything in NHL 12.

I'm really hoping that they have added numbered slider strategies like in NHL 2k where you set the number for dump and chase, pressure, etc. The higher the number the more the team plays the certain style. This would allow us to have each team replicate their real life counterpart. If EA doesn't want to set these that way, I know I will just to try and make this game play out the way I want to. This is just wishful thinking but I just think this may be the year that they actually have the strategies, forchecks, backchecks, PP's, and PK's actually play out the way they should when a certain strategy is set. Hopefully this is the case because this alone could make the difference in how good this game can be. It's the exact feature that this game was completely lacking since 07.

# 58 Dragoulios @ 06/05/12 09:12 PM

Why summer feels so long now after all this information? Man, couple of weeks ago I was like "Yippee, summer is coming up!" and now I am just waiting for NHL13. Damn!

# 59 Yeats @ 06/05/12 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackXEyes


	okay don't judge NHL 12 by its first season play 2-5 seasons you should see cpu learn so fast depending on your cpu strategy adjustment , ai learning, aggression,cpu difficulty adjustment cause after 3 or 4 season i noticed the cpu has just killed me winning went from 9-0 win ratio to 2 - 7 in a loss ratio be a pro & be a nhl pro: 2-3 seasons be a gm: 2-4 seasons thats straight playing season usally takes weeks or months

Now you're just trolling.

# 60 BlueNGold @ 06/05/12 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yeats


	Now you're just trolling.

I don't think he's trolling. His posts just make no sense.

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