NHL 15 News Post

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

09:44 PM - August 25, 2014 by Steve_OS

The NHL 15 demo is available now on Xbox Live for Xbox One users. PlayStation 4 users can expect the demo tomorrow afternoon when the PSN Store updates with new titles.

UPDATE: The NHL 15 demo is now available for PlayStation 4 users. If you can't find it, click this link.

Some have had luck going to "New Demos" all the way over to the right. Games>New>Demos>New Demos (all the way over to the right) and grab the NHL 15 demo. Thanks @TheFlopfish)

The demo weighs in at 2.58 GB. Here are the details.

New York Rangers vs. Los Angeles Kings
Full game with three two-minute periods
Play in Madison Square Garden or Staples Center
Gameplay Camera Angles: Dynamic Low, Dynamic Medium, and Dynamic High
Practice Mode: Master the Superstar Skill Stick with a free skate against a goalie
Difficulty Settings: Rookie, Pro, All-Star

If you can't find it, try searching for it with Bing.

Play a few games and let us know what you think of this year's NHL title on Xbox One!

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

# 321 QuidProQuoBro @ 08/29/14 05:03 PM

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1TqHI63tok[/youtube]

Easy goal

# 322 jyoung @ 08/29/14 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThreeKing


	I hate stuff like that and the people who do it or expose it. Having said that, I hope the devs see it and fix it.

It's good to expose these AI flaws so that the developers can see them and hopefully fix them.

The more video examples that get out there, the better.

# 323 meep316 @ 08/29/14 05:55 PM

I finally downloaded the demo yesterday, played like 10 or so games last night and dicked around in practice. Here are my thoughts. Keep in mind, I didn't play NHL 14 so I don't know what aspects of that are being carried over.

The Good:

-New superstar skill stick. The unnatural swiping side to side is pretty much gone. Now, if you want to make those 45 degree cuts, and those REAL pull to the backhand/forehand moves, there is really a trick to it. It even took me a while to get down. It's actually fairly complicated, and it doesn't surprise me to see that most people don't know how to utilize it at all. Hopefully this actually gives the advantage to the more skilled players who can pull those moves off.

-I like the one touch dekes. I can see idiots spamming them, but they're probably only really effective if you can do them in combination with some of the quick pullback moves I mentioned up there^, which is good.

-Some improvement with breakout positioning. Not perfect, but better.

-AI didn't feel like it was cheating, which is actually a HUGE deal. I've always felt that the AI in NHL and Madden were the laziest, cheapest AI in videogames. In the sense that EA would just make them unnaturally fast/can whip pucks around through any defender/make weird spinoffs/check you from behind when you have all momentum going forward and lay you out/etc. I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about. Maybe on Superstar it probably gets like that, but All Star it didn't.

-Teammate AI on cycling is a lot better.

-Shots look better, although is there a new slapshot animation? Something about the wind up looks off, I don't like it.

-Lively puck

-Pre Game EDIT Lines is better, which is a huge deal for me. But it's still not good enough to not have the ability to save your online lines. They better give us the ability to do that or I'll be annoyed. Just no excuse not to have that.

The Bad:

-Goalies are still idiots

-AI still doesn't challenge at the red or blue line, no matter what strategy you use. Literally the most basic, fundamental aspect of defense in hockey is to challenge the lines. And I don't mean to necessarily step up at the line, but keep your gaps in check. Don't just give up the red line, and when they get to the blue line, keep your stick there so they have to make the extra move at the blue line to gain the zone, to maybe draw them offsides, or at the very least, force them to do something they don't want to do. The fact that no matter what, they just GIVE you the blue line, is almost a game killer. It's why I never have, and never will play against the CPU. HORRIBLE.

-The pre game BS with Doc and Eddie, could not care less. Watched it the first time, skipped it every single time after. Huge waste of time/money for them to put that in the game and hype it as some major big deal. That probably cost a lot of money for them to shoot those, money that could've gone to better legends for HUT. If they come out and say that the money isn't there for more/better legends for HUT, that will be bull****. Especially considering the endless piles of money HUT brings in. Don't let people fool you into thinking these games have small budgets or whatever. Because of HUT, these games make more money than they ever have. They probably make more money from HUT than they do game sales themselves, and I'm not saying that as a slight against the game sales. People drop HUNDREDS of dollars on HUT without even blinking.

-The real footage of the pre-game flyover, also does nothing for me. I know I'm playing a videogame, that just takes me out of it. It adds nothing. Doc and Eddie's actual commentary also sucks, but that's par for the course for sports game commentary, so I don't really care. I hate Doc's voice/calls so much though, I mute it whenever the Bruins play on NBC.

-Only being able to play 2 minute periods is so stupid. You can't get anything going. I had like 2 odd man rushes the entire time, and I played like 10 games. So dumb. Just give one 5 minute period, that'd be better than 3 2 minute periods. How nobody thinks of this, is just beyond me.

-Speaking of odd man rushes, they are still awful. AI teammates have no idea what to do positioning wise. I had both a 2 on 1, and a 3 on 2, that I had to just do myself with dekes, because my idiot AI teammates refused to go to obvious open space that any pee wee would know to go to in order to execute a simple odd man rush. Terrible.

-A/X being one of the buttons to change a strategy during a cutscene is one of the dumbest things I've ever seen.

-No chop puck anymore? I tried it, tapped RB, and it didn't work. Did they take that out or is it a different button? I looked at the controls and didn't see it.

-Stupid wrong side one timers like the Jeff Carter goal in one of the gameplays they released.

-Hardcore is a million times better than simulation. The passing on simulation is terrible. It's like it is even more nerfed down than before. I can't pass to space at all, not even with saucer passes. You better be able to change the passing settings for online play to be able to have more free will with passes. Simulation was almost unplayable because of how bad it is.

-The passing in general is something that needs to be overhauled. I said it when they first introduced RT/R2 passing, and I'll say it again: having to hold it down, to "charge up" a pass, is ridiculously stupid. An NHL player can snap a pass at ridiculous velocity, nobody has to rear back and "charge up" a pass in real life. The velocity of your pass should be determined by how far down you push the trigger, and that's it. You can still be in holding for a pass, as the pass would not be made until the trigger is released, but if I just tap the trigger down, I should be able to fire a strong, hard pass, with just the snap of a wrist. The way it is now, makes it very difficult to complete a true tick tack toe type of play. The AI is the main reason why odd man rushes blow, but this is also a factor.

All in all, better than I thought it would be, and I'll probably get it since I didn't get NHL 14 and it feels newer to me than it probably does to some others. But still not near where they should/could be. Still lots of issues, lots of obvious flaws that I have no idea how someone at EA doesn't stick their hand up and go "ummm what are we doing here?"

Those are my thoughts. I'm sure I have more but I can't think of them right now.

# 324 jyoung @ 08/29/14 06:14 PM

Quote:


	No chop puck anymore? I tried it, tapped RB, and it didn't work. Did they take that out or is it a different button? I looked at the controls and didn't see it.

The puck chop is now performed by holding R1/RB and moving the right joystick in the direction that you want to chop.

# 325 bigwill33 @ 08/29/14 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by QuidProQuoBro


	[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1TqHI63tok[/youtube] Easy goal

That is the one I referred to on post #30 of this very thread. Thank you for posting. This was in the game a few years ago and then removed and now it is back.

The backhand should work better than it has the past two years on this game, but no where near this good.

But this is the stuff I am talking about. You can play online and defend perfectly according to real life and then someone (in this instance usually myself, because I use a lefty and love backhanding) comes in and ruins your day with this crud. But they would never rely on such crud if it wasn't the primary way to score in this series. If realism worked best that would be what people would try and replicate to win online. Until that is the case we will all continue to suffer.

It is my hope to point out these flaws, like QuidPro has, and let EA see what is in their game. In the hope that they can fix it in a realistic manner as soon as possible.

# 326 bigwill33 @ 08/29/14 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jyoung


	The puck chop is now performed by holding R1/RB and moving the right joystick in the direction that you want to chop.

I haven't tried it in this demo yet, mostly because I hate the way it is overpowered in the past game. Is it still unrealistic where it goes through like the first 3 things it should come in contact with or has it been improved? After not using it for so long I struggle to remember to use it when I play or I would just try it myself now.

# 327 sweetjones @ 08/29/14 06:49 PM

I honestly believe they just don't know how to get the AI done correctly without "cheating" the user. That may be why it hasn't really changed in almost a decade. I think there are some REAL challenges they're faceing with developing the AI. I want the game as close as possible as the next hardest hardcore fan, but I just realized that we are expecting way too much from the Vancouver dev team. I'm just taking the game as it is. It's frustrating, because we(hardcore players) see the potential. I believe a literal "from the ground up" needs to be done. Every single aspect of this game needs to start from scratch or have some other dev eyes on it. Rethink the way the AI is controlled by the cpu. Redo the goalies from scratch, ect... I give them credit for ALL of the work they've done. How I long to be the dust on their monitor just to see how all of this works. I also give them credit for the frustrations. EA needs to correct their marketing tactics. Stop with the "For the hardcore player, we have..." BS. Just market your game for what it is. It's mainly targeted for the casual fan. Plain and simple.

# 328 sweetjones @ 08/29/14 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonapaloma


	If only attributes affected players. As it is now its only a cosmetical but in the end they dont do nothing A player with speed at 36 should skate like a person who never stood on skates and a player with 99 should be like the best figure skater in the world, as far as skating skill go.

This is why I dont understand the concept of sliders. Why is there a player acceleration slider, puck control slider, ect? Shouldn't the player's respective attribute control him?smh

# 329 meep316 @ 08/29/14 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigwill33


	That is the one I referred to on post #30 of this very thread. Thank you for posting. This was in the game a few years ago and then removed and now it is back. The backhand should work better than it has the past two years on this game, but no where near this good. But this is the stuff I am talking about. You can play online and defend perfectly according to real life and then someone (in this instance usually myself, because I use a lefty and love backhanding) comes in and ruins your day with this crud. But they would never rely on such crud if it wasn't the primary way to score in this series. If realism worked best that would be what people would try and replicate to win online. Until that is the case we will all continue to suffer. It is my hope to point out these flaws, like QuidPro has, and let EA see what is in their game. In the hope that they can fix it in a realistic manner as soon as possible.

Yeah the backhand was super useless in 13. I'm glad it works now, but it's definitely way overpowered.

Those 45 degree cuts being tied to the right stick and quick pulls to the backhand/forehand being more complicated might result in a bit of a breakthrough in terms of online head to head. In all of the videos I've watched of people playing, I haven't seen anyone use these moves. They're stuff that everyone does in real life, but they are somewhat complex to pull off in the game. Hopefully people who utilize these tools will be rewarded.

It's hard to tell vs the CPU because they never come at you and challenge you to give you a chance to really try out how effective they are. But I can imagine someone stepping up and faking going inside, outside, and then the quick pull to the backhand to go back inside and around them.

# 330 actionhank @ 08/29/14 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonapaloma


	Maybe in 5 years or so we'll see better and improved goalies. They seem to be behind what you can do as a player.

The problem is goalies can only seem to do one thing at a time. He can't push off the post (Ignoring the fact that they don't push off in game, they just move laterally with no effort) and simultaneously drop his pads, block the five hole with his stick, and get a glove up to make himself big, he has to drop. Then start to move. Then react to the shot. There's no fluidity, and it leads to goofy looking desperation saves, and players that never realistically go out of position, but frequently let in bonehead goals.

# 331 headzapp @ 08/29/14 09:26 PM

I don't know if it's ok to post this here, but I did try it in the demo. I was thinking with the mics if they could integrate line changes with speaking. I had the mic plugged in and I was like hmm what if... so I said offence line 1 defense line 2, but duh it didn't work.
I personally think that could be something to add. Instead of changing on the fly and looking at the screen for the lines, or even saying pull goalie.

# 332 canucksss @ 08/29/14 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetjones


	I think there are some REAL challenges they're faceing with developing the AI. I want the game as close as possible as the next hardest hardcore fan, but I just realized that we are expecting way too much from the Vancouver dev team.

Well if I am paying the whole amount then yes...I expect that they are doing their best to have a better programming. But of course they will not admit your theory if that is real. But what they were doing is that they remove some aspects of the game and then bring it back after 2-3 years. Also the modes like BaGM offline is untouch for several years now. Lack of penalties....no neutral zone....and more.

# 333 newjerseydamo @ 08/29/14 10:10 PM

Not sure just how good the game is when I can do this....

http://youtu.be/GTMRWDQLWdQ

# 334 JimmyDeicide @ 08/30/14 01:29 AM

I'm so sick of people and their "Oh poor NHL dev team they are so small and don't have the resources" argument . I say bull **** to that it shouldn't matter how big the team is the consumer doesn't need to know any of that . They are charging the same price for their game as the massive FIFA team no?
All that matters is can they deliver the final product to us on time and with what was expected.
Granted with gaming the consumer doesn't really get a say we get what they give us but can you imagine the same practices in other business?
you would expect a discount and probably be so upset with said company you would never use them again.
Its horse**** i tell ya.

They act like its no big deal. Well i hope it bites them in the arse this time big style.
I couldn't give a rats if it gets canceled at this point, some humble pie might do them good but i doubt they would even bat an eyelid.

# 335 m_maclean24 @ 08/30/14 01:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyDeicide


	I'm so sick of people and their "Oh poor NHL dev team they are so small and don't have the resources" argument . I say bull ** to that it shouldn't matter how big the team is the consumer doesn't need to know any of that . They are charging the same price for their game as the massive FIFA team no? All that matters is can they deliver the final product to us on time and with what was expected. Granted with gaming the consumer doesn't really get a say we get what they give us but can you imagine the same practices in other business? you would expect a discount and probably be so upset with said company you would never use them again. Its horse** i tell ya. They act like its no big deal. Well i hope it bites them in the arse this time big style. I couldn't give a rats if it gets canceled at this point, some humble pie might do them good but i doubt they would even bat an eyelid.

Right on...I think as with any other product in the world if you really want a good discount you could choose not to buy the game. That's 100% discount - especially if you don't care if it is cancelled.

# 336 2kguy @ 08/30/14 02:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by venga


	{PS4} Please stop saying graphics are "great" or even "good" : this is definitely 720p w/smoothing filters ! Only NBC presentation is 1080p. First i thought i was still on PS360. This is EA...

I would really like some clarification. Other games on my PS4 looks razor sharp and next-gen. For some reason the NHL 15 demo to me looks washed out and somewhat fuzzy / out of focus.

# 337 bigwill33 @ 08/30/14 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m_maclean24


	I am wondering, what camera/settings do you use when you are playing the demo?

I have been using the dynamic low with auto zoom off the most. But I can use anything that shows up and down attack. I tried the broadcast stuff for a moment and I just can't get my mind to work with the views to work the controls properly after being conditioned for the past how many years this other way.

My main issue is that I like a very low camera that is close to the ice. But I like a good zoom so that I can see what is in front of me, but I like to see a lot of the ice for passing too. So when I am deep in the offensive zone if I cannot see the points then I am handicapping myself. I need to see passing lanes and I would like to pass to spaces better if possible.

There is no great camera for how I would like to play. When I shoot from the point I would like a zoom for the scramble in front. Sometimes it is so hard to find the puck on low if it is near or behind the goalie. I also cannot see the puck on the boards in my low D zone. Making dump-ins by the CPU a challenge at times because I cannot see exactly where the puck is or if it is hopping around.

# 338 canucksss @ 08/30/14 02:24 PM

for my sake, i've tried many times the Demo and still not finding the NZ defense others are saying and the penalties are so few unless I commit it intentionally.

sigh! can't wait for the early access impressions so i could move on and look forward to other games like nba 2k15 if NHL15 is just a port in terms of gameplays and BaGM offlin mode.

# 339 Blzer @ 08/30/14 02:31 PM

The demo is fine even though this game hasn't changed much in seven years, but the demo itself aggravates me.

I can't change any sliders, can't keep any settings, three minutes per period seriously feels like three minutes in all, and for the life of me I can't score in a shootout nor can I win any face-offs.

I actually am curious about the latter. How in the hell do you win a face-off? I might be 0-for-ever so far in the demo, and in NHL 09 (which I own) I couldn't win many either.

# 340 bigwill33 @ 08/30/14 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by canucksss


	for my sake, i've tried many times the Demo and still not finding the NZ defense others are saying and the penalties are so few unless I commit it intentionally. sigh! can't wait for the early access impressions so i could move on and look forward to other games like nba 2k15 if NHL15 is just a port in terms of gameplays and BaGM offlin mode.

I think that 2 minute periods is not enough to get a feel for much. Penalties especially.

But in regards to penalties; you won't see many unless you are hitting the buttons that cause them. I call the lift stick button the "penalty button". That and poke checking cause the most penalties for a human. Other than going around and just hitting people for no reason you won't see much. There just are not that many penalties programmed into the game still. And you have to be super aggressive or have players with bad ratings to see them occur.

As for the CPU taking them. Once again you have to give the AI a reason to take one. Play keep away, set up in their zone for a long period of time and make them get tired and scrambling out of position. With 2 minute periods that is hard to accomplish. That and the fact that most people just come flying into the zone and make a move and shoot. That does't give the CPU a chance to take a penalty or the desperation.

All of that doesn't take away from the issue that the sliders really don't work in this series, historically speaking. And increasing the penalty slider doesn't seem to increase the likelihood of penalties being called for most people.

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