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

# 341 bigwill33 @ 08/30/14 02:38 PM

On another aside, has anyone seen pucks going into the stands really at all?

The only time I see it is into the benches or when a clear goes over for a penalty. I never see a blocked shot or deflection go over. The new puck physics are great, but it doesn't really seem to allow for pucks going over the glass off of a hard object, like a blocker on a goalie. Hopefully this can be fixed because pucks go out a lot in real hockey.

# 342 Hockeynut99 @ 08/30/14 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigwill33


	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.

I like action. Because I can't see the whole ice or people behind me. It will be cool if you can turn your head back to see behind u like in real life

# 343 TDKing @ 08/30/14 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hockeynut99


	I like action. Because I can't see the whole ice or people behind me. It will be cool if you can turn your head back to see behind u like in real life

VR headset someday.. Lol

# 344 bwiggy33 @ 08/30/14 06:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigwill33


	On another aside, has anyone seen pucks going into the stands really at all? The only time I see it is into the benches or when a clear goes over for a penalty. I never see a blocked shot or deflection go over. The new puck physics are great, but it doesn't really seem to allow for pucks going over the glass off of a hard object, like a blocker on a goalie. Hopefully this can be fixed because pucks go out a lot in real hockey.

It's been this way forever and it's programmed that way for a reason. Ping pong hockey for the casuals. EA hates whistles because they think it will detract from the fun. Hell the game is made for online play. That's why there's rarely offsides. They make it a feature every year to tune the offsides logic. There's no reason to because if you're lucky you see 2 a game. Hockey to them is back and forth fling the puck to the red line and attack, then play defense, and repeat. That's why this game lacks so much realism and gets boring. There are a few sim parts, but overall it is an arcade game. It shows off the sport of hockey quite poorly. I will say this version is probably the best in my eyes just by what I've played from the demo. There is more pressure and the stick handling is much better, but then there's all of those other things that tick you off and completely ruin the game. It sucks because if they just change a few parts to the gameplay the game could be very good. The issues we all see won't be changed though because those issues have been prevalent since NHL 07.

# 345 bigwill33 @ 08/30/14 06:39 PM

I don't know, bwiggy, I saw a good bit of pucks out of play last year when playing online. Lots of shots that hit sticks on the ice and went up and over the glass and especially the pucks off of the cross bar and goalies that bounced over the glass.

It almost feels like in this demo the glass is too high on the ends or the puck just doesn't have that extra spring off of the objects it interacts with. It is way better than the bouncing basketball like puck of last year's post tuner adjustment, but needs a tad more fine tuning, imo.

# 346 jyoung @ 08/30/14 07:14 PM

Quote:


	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.

It's still using the same face off mechanics that they've been using for a while now:

http://www.operationsports.com/strat...faceoff-guide/

The only thing they've changed over the years is that they've made it almost impossible to win with the deke forward move.

# 347 Blzer @ 08/30/14 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jyoung


	It's still using the same face off mechanics that they've been using for a while now: http://www.operationsports.com/strat...faceoff-guide/ The only thing they've changed over the years is that they've made it almost impossible to win with the deke forward move.

I just never learned how to do it.

Thanks man, I'll look at it right now.

# 348 Gerg04 @ 08/30/14 10:24 PM

Finally able to sit down with the demo.

First impressions through 1 period: The commentary is HORRENDOUS. And that's being generous. Doc just sounds insanely robotic. His "SCOOOREEE" isn't even close.

Edit: I'm not a fan of Doc and/or Eddy on real games, but certainly welcomed the new team and presentation to the franchise. But this is just bad, I don't get how bad it could be after touting it as one of the biggest new additions.

And cmon EA, you can't even address the Kings as 2012 and 2014 Cup winner's??? It's these little things that disgust me and me me think not a single person developing this game knows a thing about the NHL or the game of hockey.

# 349 green94 @ 08/30/14 10:45 PM

The 2 man hug is killing me... Kills all immersion after a goal when your guy stands there waiting for one of 4 guys to embrace him. Group hugs!!

# 350 bigwill33 @ 08/30/14 10:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gerg04


	Finally able to sit down with the demo. First impressions through 1 period: The commentary is HORRENDOUS. And that's being generous. Doc just sounds insanely robotic. His "SCOOOREEE" isn't even close. Edit: I'm not a fan of Doc and/or Eddy on real games, but certainly welcomed the new team and presentation to the franchise. But this is just bad, I don't get how bad it could be after touting it as one of the biggest new additions. And cmon EA, you can't even address the Kings as 2012 and 2014 Cup winner's??? It's these little things that disgust me and me me think not a single person developing this game knows a thing about the NHL or the game of hockey.

It is very noticeable about the Kings Cup mentions, but I am certain that this is due to them recording the audio prior to June when they won the Cup.

We may be stuck with it like that for this season. Hopefully it gets addressed moving forward, but who knows?

# 351 bigwill33 @ 08/30/14 10:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by green94


	The 2 man hug is killing me... Kills all immersion after a goal when your guy stands there waiting for one of 4 guys to embrace him. Group hugs!!

Yeah, this is bad. Especially after Rammer promised at least 3 man hugs and celebrations. I haven't seen any more than 2 players interacting after a goal.

It looks awkward at times for sure.

# 352 Gerg04 @ 08/30/14 10:57 PM

I appreciate the tipped pucks and broken plays. Even the dumping of the puck. But there's still major issues (as we've known) with the AI. Why players don't attempt a puck just a foot in front of them is beyond me. Or my teammate will make a hit and dislodge the puck, only to skate the other direction once it's free.

I don't know; I had tempered expectations coming into this, but I've also kept up with this thread since Tuesday. I'm definitely goings to give the demo more time, but first impression last the longest and so far they've been pretty much meh overall.

As others have pointed out the bad goes all the way into the menus and settings. Why on earth do I have to change my settings each game? Why can't I just rematch at the end? Why are there 2 minute periods instead of 1-5 min 3rd period.

I'm definitely looking forward to some impressions of the retail version come EA Access. Hopefully some of this is addressed.

# 353 csamuelsvt @ 08/31/14 12:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigwill33


	Yeah, this is bad. Especially after Rammer promised at least 3 man hugs and celebrations. I haven't seen any more than 2 players interacting after a goal. It looks awkward at times for sure.

Final version hopefully will be different. I think this demo is around E3...and hopefully they've tweaked a lot of things since including the 3 man celebrations etc.

# 354 Caniac94 @ 08/31/14 01:01 AM

Just joined this forum to leave a few thoughts on the NHL 15 demo. I've played the demo on the PS4 quite a bit over the last several days, trying to get a feel for the game even though it's still just a demo. Warning: I can really get into it so this may be a lot to read so just skip if I wrote too much for ya.

Some of my opinions may be re-iterations of what others have said so I may sound a little repetitive so I'm sorry in advance. First off, some positives. I played on Pro and All-Star difficulties with the Hardcore setting. I feel like the default sliders for these difficulties, while far from perfect, makes a difference. In my opinion I feel like the flow and the skating is really there this year. It feels so much better and smoother than it did to me in NHL 13 (I never played nor bought 14). I don't really know how to put it but I feel like I have more control of a player. I'd really love to see a player's attributes, such as balance and agility, greatly affect how easy or difficult it is to control them. Obviously EA really stepped up presentation wise this year. When I first started up the demo and played it for myself I was in awe of how refreshing the presentation and the cameras are. The graphics look sharp as well so those really stood out to me. The ice and the jerseys look so much better than they did in 13. The jersey waving is really exaggerated way too much and should be toned down a little but what do you expect from EA. They add a new feature and they really wanna show it off. It is a nice and very welcome change though. I also add points for the puck and collision physics. The pucks actually react like REAL LIFE HOCKEY PUCKS. I've noticed the pucks hit the boards and they go dead after a decent bounce or two. They also spin, lay on their side, and I've seen one do some pretty unpredictable things just as EA has been saying. I don't know if I'm in the minority here but the hitting feels pretty solid. I make a check on a guy and he doesn't do all this crazy bouncing any more. It's a solid THUD to the ice and I like that. Although at times I've noticed when either I make a check or one of my guys gets hit he can have a ragdoll-like reaction in either his legs or body, so that may need some tweaking but overall I'm quite pleased.

Finally some negatives. I really don't like the goalie animations and the goalie AI. While I have scored some solid realistic looking goals I've also scored some goals that feel cheap and I've had a few scored on me that feel cheap as well. I've seen some goals that guys like Lundqvist or Quick would make a save on 10 times out of 10 and it looks so bad. The animations should be smoother too. They look too robotic, as in they don't have any real flow to them to me. Also I have rocketed off a few one-time wrist shots in the slot that would never be physically possible and this should be looked into being adjusted. Maybe I'll have to try and adjust the wrist shot power when I get the full game but this shouldn't even be an issue. Being able to celebrate with a teammate rather than just by yourself is a nice change but where are the group celebrations!? I was really exciting at the idea of doing group celebrations this year but that looks like it's just another dream for this game. This isn't a big negative for me but it seems like a majority of the goals I've scored have gone in off the inside of the post and rung around the net to the other post. I like the way it looks but it just looks very unrealistic when it happens every time I pot one in the net. Each goal should have a unique look to it instead of having the exact same animation. Obviously there have been loads of comments on commentary so I won't say much but it really is stale. I was really hoping to hear an excited Doc Emerick when I score a goal or make a big play but like many others I was let down. There's no emotion in the calls Doc makes.

I have my pros and cons about this demo but the changes are just enough to keep me excited and putting in a pre-order for this game. I really hope that the game we get on release day has some tweaks made to it for the better and if not hopefully EA make some tweaks over the year that will improve the game. I don't play online so I wasn't disappointed with the EASHL news but I was disappointed to hear about Live the Life going back to Be A Pro since I never got to try Live the Life. I expect to spend a great amount of time in Be A GM and Be A Pro. If you read all this you deserve a prize or something.

# 355 Madwolf @ 08/31/14 02:48 AM

Impressions:

Presentation:
Good - The presentation on the game so far is pretty amazing. The views from outside the stadium, to the announcers pre-game. All really stunning work, and it really helps pull off the feel of the game. I will be skipping those details a lot once the game is in full swing, but I love the work they put into it. I really think Eddie and Doc breath new life into the commentary in the game. It was weird at first not hearing Gary and Bill, but I adjusted very quickly. The NBC presentation is also very well done.

Bad - The sometimes get quite behind a play. The calls also don't always match up well to the intensity or importance or the lack of either in the game. This is a bit forgivable though since at the end of the day it's still a video game, and they had to pre-record all of these sound bites.

Graphics:
Good - The game is visually stunning. It's the best game I've played on my PS4 so far. The arenas are really polished, and the fans look fantastic. The crowd definitely feels more real than in any other sports game I've played so far. It puts Madden to shame.

I really love the way the ice looks. During a replay I forgot I was looking at a video game for a second.

Bad - The sweaters look amazing, but the way they flutter is a bit much. They feel like they need some more weight to them. As others have said, they give off a tissue paper vibe. The faces look amazing, but some of the face scans don't look exactly like the players. Probably has to do with the shape of the faces. There is still some clipping that goes on, especially with the goalie and the net and the refs.

Sound:
Good - The game sounds fantastic. I love hearing the skates on the ice. The stadium music, and goal sounds make you really feel like you're watching the game on TV.

Gameplay:
Good - The game definitely feels different from past-gen on the sticks. The players feel a lot more weighty, and have better momentum to their movements.

The puck behaves more normally, and getting those rebound goals is so satisfying. It's really night and day from NHL 14. This makes scoring goals a lot more life like as well. There are some crazy things that happen that result in goals by forcing the goalie out of position. Really fun and it feels realistic.

The players collisions are both good and bad, but mostly good. Watching guys trip and get mixed up is pretty fun, and adds to the game.

The computer is definitely smarter with the puck. They spread it out and keep it away from you better. They're a lot better with this when they pull their goalie too. I caught myself chasing the puck in order to have a shot at the empty net, not realizing that this was no longer NHL 14, and that they wouldn't give it up nearly as easy.

You really have to be careful with your passes this year. They're a lot less likely to go through skates, sticks, and legs than in past-gen. Sending it at someones skates is a sure fire way to lose the puck.

Bad - Some of the problems from past gen are still around. The AI just doesn't seem all their at times despite many of the improvements. You'll make a hit, or get hit, and have a team mate next to you who won't go after the puck, or you'll make a hit, and switch guys on accident and your last controlled player closest to the puck will seem completely oblivious to where the puck is.

The AI still stacks up at the blue line, and they don't dump it in when they should. I would like to see this logic reworked a lot.

The board play seemed a lot harder to engage so far. I've played quite a few games, and the suction being reduced is a good thing, but it also seems really hard to engage at times. I really hope board play is reworked next year.

Final verdict: Overall I'm very excited for the game. It's made a lot of very good strides towards a promising future. NHL 15 isn't perfect by any means, but it's a great building block for the future.

# 356 meep316 @ 08/31/14 04:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gerg04


	I appreciate the tipped pucks and broken plays. Even the dumping of the puck. But there's still major issues (as we've known) with the AI. Why players don't attempt a puck just a foot in front of them is beyond me. Or my teammate will make a hit and dislodge the puck, only to skate the other direction once it's free. I don't know; I had tempered expectations coming into this, but I've also kept up with this thread since Tuesday. I'm definitely goings to give the demo more time, but first impression last the longest and so far they've been pretty much meh overall. As others have pointed out the bad goes all the way into the menus and settings. Why on earth do I have to change my settings each game? Why can't I just rematch at the end? Why are there 2 minute periods instead of 1-5 min 3rd period. I'm definitely looking forward to some impressions of the retail version come EA Access. Hopefully some of this is addressed.

This stuff drives me CRAZY lol. Sooooo annoying.

# 357 merchant1874 @ 08/31/14 04:58 AM

I dont understand how some people think this game is "the best looking they have played on PS4" and others like me feel like they are playing a PS3 game because if the 720p "blurring".

Why is there a discrepancy?

# 358 Smirkin Dirk @ 08/31/14 05:00 AM

The game looks amazing on broadcast view.

# 359 StoneColdSwede @ 08/31/14 06:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hot Kidd


	The game looks amazing on broadcast view.

I started off on the default camera angle and it felt like I was playing NHL 10 all over again.

Once I changed to True Broadcast it was like a whole new game for me. Not changing back.

# 360 Smirkin Dirk @ 08/31/14 07:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StoneColdSwede


	I started off on the default camera angle and it felt like I was playing NHL 10 all over again. Once I changed to True Broadcast it was like a whole new game for me. Not changing back.

Same.

It's just a matter of adjusting the controller muscle memory to the side on view.

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