NHL 16 News Post

NHL 16: Official Gameplay Balance Video, Trailer and Blog

01:02 PM - July 14, 2015 by Steve_OS

The NHL team stated two videos would be available today, and we have now received them. For many folks, this will be their first look at real gameplay in NHL 16.

You can take a look at both videos above (NHL 16 Gameplay Balance Trailer, NHL 16 Overhead Gameplay) and talk about what you like or don't like in each video.

On a personal level, I find the trailer to be more impressive just because you get a closer look at some of the actual improvements up close. In the gameplay video, even with the time stamps provided by EA, it's harder to appreciate some of the new stuff. I am a bit biased though because as someone who has played the game, I have found it's easier to get a feel for these new changes rather than watching them on screen.

Source: NHL 16 - Gameplay Balance (EA Sports)

Game: NHL 16Reader Score: Vote Now
Platform: PS4 / Xbox OneVotes for game: 0 - View All

NHL 16 Videos

Member Comments

# 41 bigwill33 @ 07/14/15 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brandon27


	Loved the upclose shots in the first video. Looks really great. The improvements look awesome in that video. Really awesome. The second video, I found it hard to really see alot of it in action. You get some glimpses, but it's so quick that it's hard to notice, it's there though. I think though, anytime you're watching a video with head to head player action, it probably takes away some of it as it should appear. Hope some more videos continue to surface. Would love to see more.

Except none of your gaming experience will be done in anything that resembles the views in the first video... so.

# 42 TheCloser @ 07/14/15 09:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snc237


	What the heck are you talkig about. Doc isn't bad in my book (loved JIm Hughson back in the day). Plus have you seen the madden announcer models! It's scary. I think the green screen is the way to go.

If "not bad" is your standard of quality then there is serious cause for concern. Just because the madden team did a poor job doesn't mean the nhl team will do a poor job. 2k did a solid job with the nba franchise. They are the leaders in sports game graphics, commentary, and atmosphere.

# 43 TheCloser @ 07/14/15 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThaLiveKing


	The commentary is done the same way in previous years, they just changed the voice

Yes and the voice sucks. Some people just don't have what it takes to do video game commentary and that's okay. They should stop wasting time and money bringing Doc and his partner in because at best, it will just be acceptable. When you do something, your aim should be to best your previous efforts. The current commentary is a significant downgrade from the ps2 commentary and even Garry Thorne.

# 44 Gangrel @ 07/14/15 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by csamuelsvt


	I asked Rammer about it on twitter, so hopefully he responds because they said it was much better and improved. It was downright cringe worthy to listen to. I heard one new line...and that was it.

After 25 seconds of gameplay you already know there's barely any new commentary in the game?

# 45 Simple Mathematics @ 07/14/15 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheCloser


	If "not bad" is your standard of quality then there is serious cause for concern. Just because the madden team did a poor job doesn't mean the nhl team will do a poor job. 2k did a solid job with the nba franchise. They are the leaders in sports game graphics, commentary, and atmosphere.

Doc is an incredible announcer in real life. He has such passion and emotion. Not sure why he's not displaying it in the game though.

# 46 Caniac94 @ 07/14/15 10:47 PM

Ray Ferraro absolutely nails his commentary. Sounds just like he does in real life. Of course he doesn't have the same excitement factor that Doc has but still.

# 47 sooner1074 @ 07/14/15 10:52 PM

Everytime I watch this gameplay vid I keep asking myself why did they show this footage? I mean out of all the videos of gameplay in your office why this one? There are no goals, no new goalie movements, no penalties, no special introduction, nothing. How is the community suppose to be excited for this?

If you didn't notice the tweaked banner in the corner, the mascot in the bottom right corner or the new goalie stance, you could say it's identical to NHL 15. Even the cutscene at the end is shot for shot the same as last year (and the one before that). And of course, Doc Emrick sounds identical to the previous installment.

I know this is a very small appetizer but after the hype and promises of e3, this left a very bad taste in my mouth.

# 48 actionhank @ 07/14/15 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simple Mathematics


	Doc is an incredible announcer in real life. He has such passion and emotion. Not sure why he's not displaying it in the game though.

I think it's probably pretty tough to accurately capture his enthusiasm, while still keeping up with the in-game action. A lot of real life calling doesn't exactly keep up, and they'll cut off a sentence to start another one. In-game, that always ends up either running past the actual action with entirely delayed reaction, or unnaturally cutting off.

I think if the game were setup to not call every single pass, and just note the general action on the ice (Instead of saying "Passes to Oshie, forwards it to Tarasenko, drop pass to Lehtera, SHOT ON GOAL" it would be better if they just said something like "Oshie works the puck up ice. Passes it forward, as the Blues maintain con-LEHTERA, WITH A SHOT ON THE NET, AND A SAVE BY CRAWFORD!")
It's hard to get that kind of seamless flow though.

# 49 sooner1074 @ 07/14/15 11:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simple Mathematics


	Doc is an incredible announcer in real life. He has such passion and emotion. Not sure why he's not displaying it in the game though.

It actually is more on the sound crew than Doc. They must be having a difficult time mimicking the atmosphere in the booth. Take it from me who worked in broadcasting, it's hard to get excited for something you really don't feel or hear.

Also, you have to take into consideration the whole ambiance of the crowd. It works hand and hand with Mike's calls. Ever notice the crowd is no different reacting to a game winning goal in overtime then to a first period score? If the crowd were more amped up when appropriate and banged the boards when the red light came on, then Doc's calls wouldn't be as terrible as you perceive it. So some of the blame goes to the crowd atmosphere - there is no variance.

But I digress...Hopefully, for our sake, they pump in louder crowds in the head sets and utilize an Oculus Rift for future installments. One can only hope these days.

The best option, though its hard from a legal stand point, would be to edit and use audio from previous NBC broadcasts. That way you achieve the raw energy that is sorely missed in the game and you capture the difference in amplitude from the crowd.

# 50 knich @ 07/14/15 11:30 PM

The backhand passing is horrendous AGAIN this year. No one in the NHL backhand passes as hard and as accurately as the players in this game. Also, the backhand passes are made in areas where NO NHL player would attempt such a pass. This has been a problem with the game play for years. The backhand shot is also way overdone. I also agree with most posts that this looks like NHL 15 with some paint..not even sure if the paint is fresh. This game needs consultants and/or coaches who have actually played or coached in NHL. Players are falling all over each other, look like they just got their heads cut off, failing to dump puck in situation appropriate (or at all), poor positioning, crazy passes, and there is no organized flow. AI is horrible. I hope this is an alpha version and there is a lot not put in yet.

# 51 coopsta007 @ 07/15/15 01:13 AM

After seeing both videos, this game is looking to be an early no-buy for me. When you look at other games such as Madden, NBA2k, The Show and FIFA, each of these games truly feels like a next-gen experience on PS4/XB1. Call me crazy, but for some reason, the NHL series feels like it is stuck in last gen mode. The graphics may look a little bit better, however the core gameplay, in-game sounds, game modes, etc. make me feel like I am playing on the PS 3.25 instead of PS4.

Sure, the gameplay footage we saw today was a work in progress, however this year's marketing campaign for NHL 16 is looking an awful lot like NHL 15 (no pun intended)

# 52 bigwill33 @ 07/15/15 01:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roscosuper


	Hmm... Anaheim was cpu controlled, correct? They were trailing late in this game and that is when the cpu presses the most (adjusts its strategies to do so). So, if that is the adjustment that will yield the most amount of pressure from the cpu, offline BaGM could be the same as always; a bit of a snooze-fest. Maybe this isn't the case here (I doubt it), but they did state Allstar-Hardcore; maybe Superstar will have different results, but past iterations tells us that probably won't be the case. I'd like to be optimistic, and I wish they would give us a level and a setting for a more sophisticated style of play, but I don't know, I don't think we're getting it this year.

There really has never been any contextual awareness within this game or its AI.

Even playing club with computer D there is no rush to get the puck up the ice to the open guy without my calling for it continually in the final moments of a game in which we are trailing. There is no drive to the net or sending 2 guys to the puck to support a tied up teammate in the corner etc.

This game just doesn't have those kinds of things programmed into it, never has, no matter what the aggressiveness and other settings are set to.

# 53 iaxy @ 07/15/15 04:22 AM

Thanks EA. You just saved me $60.
I'm trying to focus on positives, but I'm afraid my original suspicions have been confirmed.
This is NHL 15.1. Same game play with some subtle graphical changes.
The biggest showstopper for me is the lack of fluidity and convincing animations. Whilst the skating looks OK when the skater is in stride, the change of directions is again horrible to watch. The trailer sure does a good job of advertising the micro movements and control, but what's the point if the idea is not supported by proper animations, momentum and fluidity?

# 54 Money99 @ 07/15/15 07:27 AM

Doc is great live, but not so much in this series (so far).
I wonder if it's because he's not comfortable with the setting?
We all know 'that funny guy' and think he'd be great as a comic or TV star.
But the minute a camera is put in his face he becomes a stone wall.
Maybe that's what's going on with Doc here?

As far as presentation goes - and this can be said for a lot of sports games today - I still wonder how NFL2K4 could give us a weekly wrap-up show, with a virtual Chris Berman, and yet nobody else has come close to emulating it.

I'm such a nerd for stuff like that, that if NHL16 offered a weekly show, or an intermission update showing highlights from around the league, I'd buy it instantly.
NHL94 ruled for many reasons, but being able to watch highlights from around the league was fantastic.

I'm taking this latest vid with a grain of salt.
It's less than 60s long and the intent was to clearly show better defensive AI and loose puck physics.
In that regard, I think it did well to show off what the producers intended.
We saw pucks get knocked away with incidental and minor contact.
We also saw a CPU controlled defender properly defend lanes and pick off cross-crease pass attempts.

I can't say this video made me super excited for NHL16, but I do like some of the tweaks they've made.

Still, none of this matters if NHL16 will still feature last-minute heroics by the CPU, or if the CPU has 5 Crosby/Chara's on the ice every shift.

# 55 jake19ny @ 07/15/15 08:39 AM

It's looking like the game is what I expected, NHL 14 for next gen. Returned missing modes, added eye candy, and a few minor tweaks. I will still play because I miss playing a hockey game and revamped rosters and tweaks made past versions (NHL 15 not one of them) playable. I'm not sure how they can improve the NZ play and I don't know how complicated it is to do so but I wish they would. That aside 2 simple things we have asked for would go a long way and do not appear to be there
1) player seperation: watching this video I couldn't tell the difference between any of those players on the ice. They all seemed equally skilled and equal in speed. Hopefully revamped rosters will help
2) better CPU coaching AI: line matching by CPU or at least smart match ups at the end of the game. As previous poster mentioned down by one with under a minute to play and Horcoff and Jackman are on the ice instead of top guys. So sick of playing games up by one and Colton Orr is on the ice for the final minute....dumb dumb dumb.
If they had actual realistic player seperation and smart CPU coaching AI together would make games much better. I don't think we will ever see player seperation as EA prefers a level playing field for online gamers over a realistic offline experience.

# 56 TDKing @ 07/15/15 10:47 AM

Thorne and Clement were way better than Doc. I warned you guys that were clamoring for a new commentary team now we are stuck with this chopped up crap. Lol... I'm mostly done with this game until it gets new leadership. I will give it a try with ea access but doubt I'll be buying it. Thing is, imo they were so close at one point to a having a really good game if they made a few important gameplay tweaks that they absolutely refuse to do or fail to see.

# 57 actionhank @ 07/15/15 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ NEO


	I just hate to see this back in NHL 16 ">

I was hoping that would be something that got better on Next Gen. One reason play looks so odd sometimes is that players move the same way, no matter what. Wide open in the middle looks the exact same as squeezing between a player and the boards. The never really play the puck in close. There's no subtle movement in the game. It's all or nothing.

# 58 bigwill33 @ 07/15/15 01:16 PM

You know how in hockey you often see players extend their arms to impede another player's momentum? There is nothing like that in this game.

Playing defense I always watch a puck carriers chest in a 1-1 situation. If he and I both have help I try and close the gap nearest the blue line and keep my stick on the ice. If he makes a move or a loose puck deke I match his body, all while staring at his chest because it won't lie or deceive me in which direction his body is going to go. Often they skate into me and I body up on them and ride them out of the play, usually off of the puck. Sometimes they try and drag the puck through me and I can get my feet moved fast enough to usually stop it, but even if I miss I have their body. As long as I don't impede them without the puck for more than a second nobody is calling interference because that is how you are taught to play defense.

None of that is replicated within this franchise's hockey experience.

The counter, as a puck carrier, is to sometimes chip it around your defender along the boards and sort of slingshot yourself by them as they backpedal. This is a controlled dump for a common zone entry in hockey.

This is also nowhere to be seen in the NHL.

In these pictures that DJ Neo has captured to show how bad the warping is and sticks going through the boards, is a perfect example of how defenders would extend an arm to shove a puck carrier or transition their weight. Knocking a puck carrier off balance opens them up for a poke check or stick lift, or even a stick pin down (which EA has no concept of).

Until they figure out a way to add these important subtleties to this series this game will just resemble something that is not true hockey. I can't even think of an analogy. Players that just bump into each other or completely crush each other with hits is not the way hockey is played. There is a method to contact. It is to establish space and momentum, not just to keep the puck away from the net.

Hockey is a game of angles and winning space to gain an angle is vital. In EA's hockey you skate straight up the boards and look for passing lanes towards the middle, every time.

Often the most simple of passes in real life are the hardest to make in this game, for some reason. Seeing a guy skating 4 to 7 feet in front of your guy and trying to get him the puck is an adventure. These are passes I can make with ease in real life. But if you need to backhand a pass up the boards, or out of the zone, without transitioning your weight as you really would, then EA seems to think that this is amazingly easy to perform. Apparently all guys have wrist and forearms of the hulk.

The physics in 15 are pretty wonky, too. Pucks don't go out of play off of sticks, goalies, or anything like you would normally see when in the offensive zone. I have also seen pucks that are passed from the defensive end out of the zone hit the boards in the neutral zone and then take off with even more momentum. As if the boards pushed the puck forward with even more force than it came into the boards with. Then the puck outraces everyone for an icing because of this slingshot physics that apparently NASA gave EA?

Point is, this game is lacking a lot of things. And with how behind they were after taking a year off on next gen from releasing a game to putting out a half-finished product in NHL 15, EA is struggling just to get all of the modes and features that were in last generation's iterations. Everything that I have mentioned should have been started to be addressed by now with where this game was 5 years ago. Instead they spin their wheels and focus on HUT or other parts of the game that don't fix or address their legacy issues.

The fact that they keep "refining" the skating should be a red flag, not a selling point. They can't seem to grasp the one concept that is uniform throughout the sport. They can't model different strides or skating styles based on individual players, either. I am glad that they are trying to fix these issues, but at the same time we are stuck with antiquated goaltender animations, a lack of true contact and neutral zone play, and a face-off system that hasn't been touched in half of a decade. Not to mention, pages and pages of things that have been taken out of this series that we don't know if we will ever get back in.

# 59 Splitter77 @ 07/15/15 01:16 PM

the skating animation at 43 sec by jackman is just pathetic

# 60 kyussmanchu @ 07/15/15 04:02 PM

I said it after the fiasco called NHL15 last year, I'll say it again.

The entire DEV team needs to be re-assigned to new projects (or fired. Sorry, but if you release piss-poor products year after year, you deserve it) and the NHL franchise should get shipped off to a whole new DEV team and get re-built from the ground up.
Take a year or two off and give the fans the game they have been asking for. It's not rocket science!

Sorry, but until this happens, we are going see the same game year after year. They have gotten complacent and lazy in regards to innovation and instead focus on useless features like goalie fights and Youpee!
I hate to be negative, but what real choice do I have?

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