NHL 15 News Post

NHL 15 Video and Screenshots - Next-Gen Hockey Player

12:14 PM - July 9, 2014 by Fiddy

EA Sports today released a new trailer for NHL 15 showing off the graphical improvements in the player models, which have been completely revamped from the inside out. EA also posted a new blog on the improvements. Check out the trailer above and the screenshots below!

Layered Player Models add a new level of detail that wasn’t possible before. In addition to the body, each player now wears individual pieces of equipment that live below the jersey. The result is skaters who now look and move like living, breathing athletes.
Dynamic Cloth technology on the jersey adds an extra layer of realism, reacting to the skater’s movements as they explode up the ice, helping bring the speed of the game to life.
Powered by the same technology that brought the most realistic representation of the athlete to EA SPORTS UFC, NHL 15 delivers groundbreaking visuals to every aspect of the skater. From the skates, to the pants, to the stick – every aspect of the player has been captured to the finest detail.
All-new user-controlled celebrations allow for more variety after putting one past the goalie. Join with teammates for a group hug or select from a slew of new individual reactions.

NHL 15 screenshot gallery - Click to view

Game: NHL 15Reader Score: 6.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / PS4 / Xbox 360 / Xbox OneVotes for game: 16 - View All

NHL 15 Videos

Member Comments

# 41 Comp @ 07/10/14 08:17 AM

Looks good from what I can see. Definitely like the emotions/celebrations.

# 42 MizzouRah @ 07/10/14 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meep316


	Yet another non gameplay video. Unbelievable. Also looking at Ovechkin's goal, it looks like we still don't have realistic net physics. In real life, they shoot so hard that the puck often rockets out of the net. In the game, the puck just dies when it hits the net, it looks so bad. This has always been one of my pet peeves with the NHL games.

I thought I read somewhere net physics were in the game this year?

# 43 GROGtheNailer @ 07/10/14 10:19 AM

Game is 2 months away and there is no real game play footage, game play seems to be also taking a back seat here, if the game play misfires, it will not matter what the game looks like.

# 44 PhillyGuy11826 @ 07/10/14 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MizzouRah


	I thought I read somewhere net physics were in the game this year?

Look at Kane's goal in the E3 trailer. Puck/net reaction looked great. The Ovechkin goal cut away almost as soon as it hit the net.

# 45 Sparkles @ 07/10/14 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gagnon39


	Alright, I'm going to have to bring up possibly the most nit-picky thing in a sports video game ever. I knew this day was coming, eventually and here it is. I've played sports video games since the very early 1990's and I'm amazed every year at how games look better and better. I recall the first game where you could actually see the players name and number on the back of their jerseys. I thought it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. Then they actually got the right fonts on the jerseys, and games started to make players actually look like their real-life counterparts. As games got more and more advanced I remember thinking, one day they jersey will be separate from the player and there will be some kind of cloth-like physics. NBA games have done this and now here it is, with NHL. Now (I know, kind of long-winded), first off let me say the game looks phenomenal. But here's the nit-picky part. If you're going to have the jerseys reacting like real jerseys they need to accommodate the fact that the numbers, letters, and logos are not the same material as the rest of the jersey. On many jerseys, such as the Blackhawks, the Indian head is quite large and is made of some heavier fabric that is used for the rest of the jersey. Not to mention all the fine stitching in the feathers (I have 9 authentic Blackhawks jerseys). It bugs me to no end, to see the logos and numbers on players backs waving with the rest of the jersey as if they were all screen-printed onto the jersey rather than sewn on. We're now getting to the point in sports video games where it is looking more and more like the real life games they represent. And when they look so good, small things like this start to stick out. Hopefully, as technology evolves this can be something that EA and other producers can implement in their games.

lol didnt notice that until you pointed it out. now every time i watch the trailers, i always cringe when i see the logos wave haha

# 46 Pezell04x @ 07/10/14 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Solarstar11


	Alright guys, every game has it's flaws. NHL 15 won't be perfect, but it's worth buying, right?

no idea because we haven't watched any gameplay yet. It's all been slowed down montages and fluttering jerseys.

# 47 PhillyGuy11826 @ 07/10/14 11:40 AM

The game was announced only a little over two months ago. It's not surprising we haven't gotten any raw gameplay yet.

The earliest raw gameplay footage I can find from 14 was uploaded on July 16th of last year & that was 94 Anniversary mode.

We have plenty of time to see non-cinematic gameplay

# 48 pm83 @ 07/10/14 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sparkles


	lol didnt notice that until you pointed it out. now every time i watch the trailers, i always cringe when i see the logos wave haha

They probably should been using few minutes to test an actual jersey in motion before creating this "authentic jersey" experience. Maybe next year.

# 49 Morry83 @ 07/10/14 01:10 PM

So stoked to see the Bauer 4500 back in the game. Little is wearing it in the screenshot and from the net cam in the trailer, Toews is wearing it as well. Although Toews isn't wearing it during his celebration which seems odd.

# 50 Simaofan-20 @ 07/10/14 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meep316


	Yet another non gameplay video. Unbelievable. Also looking at Ovechkin's goal, it looks like we still don't have realistic net physics. In real life, they shoot so hard that the puck often rockets out of the net. In the game, the puck just dies when it hits the net, it looks so bad. This has always been one of my pet peeves with the NHL games.

Watch the first trailer

# 51 meep316 @ 07/11/14 02:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gagnon39


	Alright, I'm going to have to bring up possibly the most nit-picky thing in a sports video game ever. I knew this day was coming, eventually and here it is. I've played sports video games since the very early 1990's and I'm amazed every year at how games look better and better. I recall the first game where you could actually see the players name and number on the back of their jerseys. I thought it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. Then they actually got the right fonts on the jerseys, and games started to make players actually look like their real-life counterparts. As games got more and more advanced I remember thinking, one day they jersey will be separate from the player and there will be some kind of cloth-like physics. NBA games have done this and now here it is, with NHL. Now (I know, kind of long-winded), first off let me say the game looks phenomenal. But here's the nit-picky part. If you're going to have the jerseys reacting like real jerseys they need to accommodate the fact that the numbers, letters, and logos are not the same material as the rest of the jersey. On many jerseys, such as the Blackhawks, the Indian head is quite large and is made of some heavier fabric that is used for the rest of the jersey. Not to mention all the fine stitching in the feathers (I have 9 authentic Blackhawks jerseys). It bugs me to no end, to see the logos and numbers on players backs waving with the rest of the jersey as if they were all screen-printed onto the jersey rather than sewn on. We're now getting to the point in sports video games where it is looking more and more like the real life games they represent. And when they look so good, small things like this start to stick out. Hopefully, as technology evolves this can be something that EA and other producers can implement in their games.

That's not nitpicky at all, it's the first thing I noticed when I watched the trailer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simaofan-20


	Watch the first trailer

I just watched it again. There's nothing there that refutes what I said. Also I don't know what that other guy is talking about with him saying that they cut away from the Ovechkin goal too quickly to tell, no they don't. You clearly see it hit the net and then start spinning and die, that puck isn't rocketing out of the net like it's supposed to.

# 52 MizzouRah @ 07/11/14 08:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhillyGuy11826


	Look at Kane's goal in the E3 trailer. Puck/net reaction looked great. The Ovechkin goal cut away almost as soon as it hit the net.

Ok so I'm not looney.. lol

# 53 actionhank @ 07/11/14 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gagnon39


	Alright, I'm going to have to bring up possibly the most nit-picky thing in a sports video game ever. I knew this day was coming, eventually and here it is. I've played sports video games since the very early 1990's and I'm amazed every year at how games look better and better. I recall the first game where you could actually see the players name and number on the back of their jerseys. I thought it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. Then they actually got the right fonts on the jerseys, and games started to make players actually look like their real-life counterparts. As games got more and more advanced I remember thinking, one day they jersey will be separate from the player and there will be some kind of cloth-like physics. NBA games have done this and now here it is, with NHL. Now (I know, kind of long-winded), first off let me say the game looks phenomenal. But here's the nit-picky part. If you're going to have the jerseys reacting like real jerseys they need to accommodate the fact that the numbers, letters, and logos are not the same material as the rest of the jersey. On many jerseys, such as the Blackhawks, the Indian head is quite large and is made of some heavier fabric that is used for the rest of the jersey. Not to mention all the fine stitching in the feathers (I have 9 authentic Blackhawks jerseys). It bugs me to no end, to see the logos and numbers on players backs waving with the rest of the jersey as if they were all screen-printed onto the jersey rather than sewn on. We're now getting to the point in sports video games where it is looking more and more like the real life games they represent. And when they look so good, small things like this start to stick out. Hopefully, as technology evolves this can be something that EA and other producers can implement in their games.

I don't think it's wrong to notice, buuuut, i do think it's definitely something that falls into the "More effort than it's worth" category.
The way it is now (Based on my limited understanding of 3D modeling, and texturing) is that the sweaters are essentially a fluid model that can be placed over the equipment. They have one universal way of moving from what it seems, and that corresponds to the whole thing. Then the texture of the entire sweater, and the logo and numbers is tossed on top of that collision model that reacts to hits, player movement, etc.

The problem is, to really model the way a logo is sewn on, and nameplates and numbers are stitched on, and more stiff, you would have to essentially paste another "solid" model layer to represent that, which i would imagine would eat up a lot of GPU power in applying the physics reacting between the jersey, and then the outside forces like pucks, and moving over the players pads and body.
I think it's something that could definitely be done, but in terms of what you get back with looks, i don't think it outweighs the time spent programming it to move like it should, affect the "fabric" around it, and fix the bugs that would be found.

That's just my take on it. I think it's like playoff beards. Something that could be done, but would A. Be a massive development time hog, and B. Not really return that much. If players could grow playoff beards, every player model would have to either get a "drawn on" zone where beard grows during the playoffs, or a generic face which would look terrible, when you have guys like TJ Oshie swapping beards with Jumbo Joe. I think it would be nice if they added beards as an option, like in MLB The Show, and gave realistic looking beards to guys who traditionally have them like Thornton and Oduya, maybe even have it randomly turn the beard on and off for a few months at a time or something for a little variety. But, playoffs beards seems like another good idea, but one that's hard to execute, and not as important as some of the more pressing issues.

# 54 giantsharks @ 07/11/14 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpectralThundr


	actually when Kane scores around the 1:04 mark in the first sizzle trailer with the overlay of commentary from Doc, the puck does come back out of the net pretty quick after. on a good goal. When you go out of your way to hate every year however I can understand how the little details could be missed.

The puck actually doesn't come out at all, just bounces around the net which actually looks pretty good for that backhand goal. The goal in the newest trailer with ovi you can see the puck fluttering straight down instead of out. I know you hate people nitpicking and seem to defend ea on every front but cmon, what do you expect when all they've show us is fluff, touting extremely authentic this and every detail that and there are extremely simple things that are just wrong. Fact is we haven't seen enough of anything yet so those simple mistakes are glaring, looks good but ea does this every year and the game has been stale for like four years if not more.

# 55 giantsharks @ 07/12/14 12:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpectralThundr


	I dunno it looked like it came out to me but I only watched it again once. Again, I get some of the complaints, especially in regards to AI and actual gameplay. But when it devolves into "well the fabric on the numbers should be different it's not authentic being all one surface" Or "it's too dark in the upper bowl" when it's obviously done that way to keep a solid frame rate. That I start just eye rolling and thinking wow, how entitled as gamers have we truly become? There are people though, and meep is a prime example that every year around this time, it's one bitch post after another and then you don't hear from them at all for 10 months til the next version is about to come out. At some point it's like obvious agenda is obvious. I get it, EA's done some scummy things over the years and continues to do scummy things. But they actually seem to have a team in the NHL team that at least TRIES to put out a good product with the obviously smaller budget they have compared to a Madden or an NBA2k. I'd like to think they would at least get a few breaks here and there rather than a constant stream of hate every year, if people realistically looked at the hardware specs of the last gen machines and applied that logic to why the series somewhat stagnated, its very easy to see why. At the end of the day I enjoy playing the game even with it's warts, it still to me is the best hockey product in video game form. NHL2k3 is about the one single game that could still give it a run imo. Other than that? it's not even close.

You cant say people are entitled just because they want more authenticity from the game. As time goes on and the systems get more powerful you should expect more from them and of course they have the best hockey game, they are the only hockey game! i respect that you like it, thats fine but no need blast people that want more from the game. I honestly think that they're trying and its not a lazy thing but maybe fresh eyes need to be working on this game. I understand theres not gonna be huge differences made year to year, but honestly the differences for the past 4 years have been so small, the difference between 10 and 14 is barely anything and that gets so frustrating. I dont wanna hear about budget, logic would say madden and nba have bigger budgets but how much bigger? how much bigger does the show have? How much bigger budget does any game thats put out thats higher quality then the nhl series? If its honestly specs like you think it is, then this game should be amazing because the specs on ps4 and xb1 should be good enough, or maybe ill wait for ps8

# 56 giantsharks @ 07/12/14 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpectralThundr


	I hope you do wait for PS8, you'll likely still be disappointed. And like many have NO idea about the perils of software development at all, on a 10 month yearly cycle vs hardware and what can be realistically done with the limitations of said hardware. Things like expecting different fabric for numbers vs the jerseys themselves IS nitpicky, I hate to burst your bubble. They were up against it last gen spec wise. Period. 256 megs is NOTHING to play with. That they even got the skating engine to the point they did last gen was actually amazing given the circumstances. But no, it's so much better to be a group of negative sallys year in year out and then wonder why EA doesn't bother to engage on OS anymore in regards to NHL.

The PERILS of software development? thats being a little dramatic. i said before i dont expect a ton done year to year but after four or five years i expect a little more. I agree the skating engine is the one thing i do like about the game. And i guess i will just bow down to you and your superior knowledge of operating systems, i guess ea was dealing with a different operationg system then other people because i played a lot of quality games on ps3. We are all a bunch of negative nancys and you know everything and we should just expect crap from ea and be happy with what they give us.

# 57 Money99 @ 07/12/14 07:19 PM

I'm kind of hoping the jersey flapping will be toned down by release.
It's nothing that's going to prevent me from buying the game or enjoying it, but it reminds of MLB2K8(?) which had the jersey's flapping so much that it was like the game is being played in the middle of a hurricane.

I recall the first Fight Night Beta having extreme giggling as well. James Toney's moobs jiggled and bounced so much, I was hoping there was a 'manzier' reward.
By release, it was really toned down to the point it barely was recognizable.
So perhaps the same thing will happen with NHL15 as well.

# 58 CaptainSuperman @ 07/12/14 10:18 PM

Did someone say 10 is no different from 14?

After playing the 14 demo I couldn't even go back to playing 13 it was so different.

More authenticity? From a goalie net? That has absolutely 0 impact on gameplay? If it goes in, it goes in, there is nothing a net can to do impact gameplay. You try getting a goalie net to act the way it really should. There are so many more things in hockey to bring over into the game world than there are in baseball (The Show) and basketball (NBA2K). Contact from equipment, the puck, other players, the net, and the boards. Physics for a flat puck, which I'm sure is a lot harder than for a round baseball or basketball.

People constantly and yearly complain about everything, and it's not like it goes unheard. They are trying to make skating as great as they can, or have you not noticed the changes over the past 2-3 years? The hitting is still being worked on and fine tuned, but they are going in the right direction. You can't expect it to be perfect just because they said it was something they were adding that year. They seem to be trying to get puck physics right this year with the hire of that physicist or scientist, whatever. They are taking a step in the right direction with the 3 separate layers for players. But no, everyone dismisses all of it simply cause it's not perfect out the gate and year 1 into the next gen.

So yes, the lot of gamers seem to have become entitled. I'd rather them work on and fix gameplay before working on pointless graphics, but because so many people complain year after year, we get new commentary and crowd, more player faces, and the like before gameplay improvements. And the likes of those who have complained about the graphics who are complaining yet again this year, will also, in time, complain that they didn't also work on the gameplay. Well, EA hears all the bitching and tries it's best, but it seems more people care about aesthetics than real gameplay.

# 59 pm83 @ 07/13/14 01:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptainSuperman


	So yes, the lot of gamers seem to have become entitled. I'd rather them work on and fix gameplay before working on pointless graphics, but because so many people complain year after year, we get new commentary and crowd, more player faces, and the like before gameplay improvements. And the likes of those who have complained about the graphics who are complaining yet again this year, will also, in time, complain that they didn't also work on the gameplay. Well, EA hears all the bitching and tries it's best, but it seems more people care about aesthetics than real gameplay.

I'm pretty sure a lot of gamers have been asking EA to fix retreating AI because it's been one of their biggest problems of the series when talking about gameplay and they haven't delivered. A lot of gamers have been asking about replacing robotic and they-are-all-the-same goalies (which been there for ages) but they haven't delivered. Instead they've been focusing on aspects that look good but have no effect on gameplay itself.

One thing that bothers me year after year is the "it's authentic" talk. When they say that jersey will move like real one and give authentic experience then I'm assuming it will do that. When they say that arenas look authentic I'm assuming that they will be really close to real ones. But what we've seen so far is not authentic. You have to understand that fans will notice stuff like benches on the wrong side, banners at the wrong place, printed logos on a jersey, wrong colour hair on a certain player etc. If EA markets their game with "it's authentic" then it should be no surprise if they have complaints about things that are not authentic as promised.

To be honest I think it's a little bit naive to say that EA is trying it's best. EA is a big company that wants to sell as many products as possible with certain sum of money to been put for the work. I'm sure that team will try to do good work with resources that have been given to them though. And yes there are some really good ones along this year like lifelike-broadcast, updated arenas, improved puck physics and seperation between upper and lower body. I'm personally happy for the improvements but will still continue to point out errors (with my own style) if I see one. Because critic drives for changes.

# 60 meep316 @ 07/13/14 02:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpectralThundr


	actually when Kane scores around the 1:04 mark in the first sizzle trailer with the overlay of commentary from Doc, the puck does come back out of the net pretty quick after. on a good goal. When you go out of your way to hate every year however I can understand how the little details could be missed.

On the backhand? No it doesn't. It hits the back crossbar and then flips down off of the post and stays into the net in a canned, cheesy pre-rendered animation.

« Previous 1 234 Next »

More Links

NHL 15 Video and Screenshots - Next-Gen Hockey Player