NHL 13 News Post

NHL 13: Grading the Realism

01:21 PM - September 18, 2012 by RaychelSnr

True Performance Skating has revolutionized hockey gaming, but how does the rest of EA Sports' NHL 13 fare when compared to real hockey?

Read More - NHL 13: Grading the Realism

Game: NHL 13Reader Score: 8/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / Xbox 360Votes for game: 23 - View All

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# 1 onac22 @ 09/18/12 01:33 PM

Very solid write up. I agree with all that was said.

A couple of honorable mentions: The crazy rubber rebounds that fly from goalie to corner, to point, back to goalie, back to corner, to opposite point back to goalie and so on until a goal is scored.

My last improvement is a change to fighting. I'm not a big fan of running around fighting everyone in sight but the engine is old and unsatisfying to watch even on EASHL. I would rather watch the third person and see the scrap.

# 2 tvman @ 09/18/12 01:37 PM

QB mentioned that tripping penalties had been increased after the latest 1.02 tuner to help deal with all the poke checking. Was this review done before or after that tuner?

# 3 addybojangles @ 09/18/12 02:04 PM

Really good write-up!

I'm super glad you address the POINTLESS left-trigger to skate backwards - as someone who held LT maybe 80% of the time in NHL 12, I keep doing this. I just want to be facing the puck!!! Not skating backwards...

And really good points on how they addressed skating but totally left pretty much everything else out. The goalies are totally masking the mindless AI defense and the jostling in front of the net is awful. I really want to like NHL 13, and true performance skating is a huge gamechanger, but you can't neglect everything else and expect an outstanding product.

# 4 drewst18 @ 09/18/12 02:24 PM

Not often I say this about the front page articles, but very well put from start to finish. Seems like you know your hockey and aren't some random writing about a sport you know nothing about...

# 5 FBeaule04 @ 09/18/12 02:37 PM

This article is showing what most people are discovering when playing more and more games.

True Skating is great, while not perfect, it's great, but took so much effort that EA neglect almost everything else in the game.

Last year (NHL 12), we had a Ferrari frame with a Lada motor, but a brand new cupholder (Goalie Fights) and glovebox (Breaking glasses). This year (NHL 13), we have the same Ferrari frame with a Lada motor, but we got new tires for a gift.

Next year, only hope they find a Ferrari motor to put in that damn frame, and not coming on with brandnew sunshades and carpet!

# 6 RUFFNREADY @ 09/18/12 03:14 PM

Spot on in your write up, my good man! One thing i would like to mention is the tangible puck and the "USER"; dont you find if you are skating towards the puck to get it, and find that your player skates right by it for no reason? But if the cpu AI happens to do this, they never skate over or pass a puck?
cheers

# 7 plaidchuck @ 09/18/12 04:01 PM

So the consensus is skating= good everything else= the same? Kind of what I figured after playing the demo.

# 8 Vikes1 @ 09/18/12 06:00 PM

Good write up.

First off, I judge the game just on off-line play vs the AI.

I found myself agreeing with most everything except the goalies. Personally now...I know their far from prefect, but I really don't have much of a problem with the cpu goalies. But the human team goalies...seem terrible.

Even with NHL '13' weakness, I'm going to have a great year with this game. As long as I can solve my goal tender problems.

# 9 savoie2006 @ 09/18/12 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by plaidchuck


	So the consensus is skating= good everything else= the same? Kind of what I figured after playing the demo.

I wouldn't say the same, as there are some improvements throughout, but not near as groundbreaking as the Skating. The new Customize AI feature helps the lackluster AI a bit, but should be an enhancement, not a saving grace. The checking and boardplay is somehow worse in my opinion

. The new GM Brain is cool as far as what it options it gives you and it acutally shows you what players teams are willing to part with. Plus you can edit what you are looking for from type of player to ratings in certain attributes, really COOL.

# 10 pc21 @ 09/18/12 07:32 PM

The early reviews on OS was that the game was awesome and much improved from NHL 12. I fork out 59.99 plus tax and all I get is a game with an improved staking engine. EA is so sub-par. There is no real fluidity to the game as there is in say MLB 12. Line changes look like cheap cartoon movements of an era gone by; players have the same mirror image movements on the bench and the game actually struggles to load from screen to screen. I thought I was purchasing a Ferrari but ended up with a lemon. I guess Sony is so far ahead in its MLB platform that it has ruined by ability to appreciate anything less.

# 11 savoie2006 @ 09/18/12 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pc21


	The early reviews on OS was that the game was awesome and much improved from NHL 12. I fork out 59.99 plus tax and all I get is a game with an improved staking engine. EA is so sub-par. There is no real fluidity to the game as there is in say MLB 12. Line changes look like cheap cartoon movements of an era gone by; players have the same mirror image movements on the bench and the game actually struggles to load from screen to screen. I thought I was purchasing a Ferrari but ended up with a lemon. I guess Sony is so far ahead in its MLB platform that it has ruined by ability to appreciate anything less.

In NHL's defense, it much easier to replicate the sport of baseball than it is hockey, which is probably the most difficult.

# 12 Flyermania @ 09/18/12 07:54 PM

For me, the game has improved in a lot of area. Goaltending still needs a LOT of work. But with penalties lacking for yet another year, the best I can rate this game is a "C". Penalties are such a huge part of hockey, and this game just doesn't have enough of them. Plain and simple.

# 13 xx19kilosoldier @ 09/18/12 08:05 PM

The penalty issue which has appeared for the third straight year in the NHL series rate this game a D in realism for me.

Power plays and penalty kills are an INTEGRAL part of hockey, so much so that having this aspect broken again is unacceptable. Its akin to having strikouts or base on balls not working properly in a baseball game.

So realism for NHL 13: D

# 14 CujoMatty @ 09/19/12 11:25 AM

I really like the game but the goaltending is hurting the experience for me. Lately I've been messing with sliders in order to make the game more challenging and its become very apparent that EA relys heavily on goaltending to make the game harder instead of making the AI play better. I want to lose some games but I just can't stand losing 6-2 when I've outshot the computer 42-15 and my goalie is rated 90. I understand it happens but not every other game. I find it very hard to feel like I've really earned a loss which is such an important aspect of sports gaming. If I lose at madden or MLB or basically any other sports game I generally feel like it was deserved, not always but most of the time. In NHL however alot of the time it feels like im getting jipped

# 15 Mikey88 @ 09/22/12 02:47 AM

Great write up, pretty much sums up my feelings about the game.. I dont think offline versus CPU is even worth getting into. The AI is just not good enough. Online however seems like where this game comes alive.
I still like NHL 10 more than i have the last 3 years of NHL games combined in terms of game play. Obviously, 10 wasn't perfect but it was closer to the real thing and hey there were actual penalties being called regularly! wow what a concept! I have some random thoughts...

-Anyone else feel like the ice isn't big enough? They want to bring this game up to speed with realism, make the ice feel proportionate to the real thing.

-The hitting has also gotten progressively WORSE since 10.. in 10, if you lined up a guy properly you could send him flying.. in 13, no need. just bump him lightly and he'll hit the ice.

-There was a better tradeoff in 10. When you spammed poke check or stick lift too much, you risked getting high sticking or tripping penalties. Not this time around.. Hopefully they can fix it.

And the goalies - probably the worst thing about this game as mentioned in the article. Just plain unrealistic in the way they move, the way they can go post to post in a completely unrealistic way.. EA really needs to make this part of the game as realistic as possible IMO even before the hitting.

I have to commend them at least for getting the skating down pat. Great job by them but the rest of the game needs the same amount of attention to really bring this game to life.

# 16 MetalCavs @ 09/24/12 04:06 PM

Good write up Jayson, while the skating tune up is a good bullet point for this years version of NHL , not addressing other legacy issues with this years title only will ensure that without any competition the hockey series is and will suffer the same fate as Madden. Good thing they'll always be customers that need to justify their yearly investment in the only game on the market and are willing to overlook such issues.

# 17 canucksss @ 09/24/12 05:10 PM

nice write up. but i have to disagree with your overall rating for NHL 13. it does not deserve a B-, imho. its C- for me. it could have been a B+ or even A- if the penalty issue is non-existence. to be in higher rating, goalie fatigue must be included and netplay and boardplay must be at least improved.

# 18 xcanadaman9x @ 09/25/12 02:14 AM

Would it be more realistic if you didn't play it until the lockout ends?

# 19 statnut @ 09/28/12 01:38 PM

When an AHL goalie shuts down Havlat, Nugent-Hopkins, Callahan, Fleishman, Gomez, Hagelin, etc, stopping 31 shots through three periods and OT, something is wrong. And these were a variety of shots, rebounds, slap shots from the point, wrist shots, backhanders, one-timers, etc.

# 20 Eddie1967 @ 09/28/12 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by savoie2006


	In NHL's defense, it much easier to replicate the sport of baseball than it is hockey, which is probably the most difficult.

Come on man, that is a weak excuse. Yes it may be hard but they are in the business of replicating the sport and how many years has it been now? If that's the excuse then they may as well quit. Yes the game has improved over the years and I realize it may never be perfect but when it comes to realism the game should be much farther ahead then it is right now.

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