I have been a fan of the NHL series since '09. I have struggled through it all since '09 in hopes that it would only get better as it is a perennial sports game. I loved NHL '11 I really thought that it was the step to the perfect hockey game of the 7th gen consoles.
When NHL '12 came along it's first month had my hopes rising sky high as I was having a lot of fun playing HOCKEY, not just another wannabe game. Albeit the hip checks were a little over the top, after the first week people stopped being as childish as they were at launch with it and just played hockey. Then the big mean EA update monster started eating away at the playability of the game. More and more of the lines between it being a game and it being hockey started to blur with each update. Like a cancer EA kept chewing away at the vitals of the game that made it like a good hockey experience.
After the announcement of NHL '13 I found myself getting a little of my excitement back. "Hell yeah a new hitting engine" I thought "That should fix all the troubles I was having in 12". Hitting is a major part of controlling the possession of the puck for either team in hockey. Hitting plays a major role in crowd excitement and overall morality of the teams. "Wow and new skating engine... look at how realistic it looks" yet another thought with the new videos coming out hyping the game up to enthusiasts of the series.
Well out comes the demo. I played it. I liked it. I finally at that moment felt like EA listened to the fans who lent our voices to EA in hopes they would listen as they seemed to have little clue as to what hockey meant to us as a whole. Game released and I start playing online to get leveled up for EASHL (club for those who don't know EASHL). Game is nothing like the demo. Poor hitting, terrible turning, virtually no way to score on these now superman like goalies. I think to myself "You know it's probably just the low level of my player. I'll level up and see how it goes."
2 months later and 800 games later I finally, through painstakingly glitchy and non-hockey like games I achieved legend 3. Take into account that I was in the top 50 LW's in '12 so I am no slouch on the game what so ever. The game after updates has gotten a little more manageable, but is far from a shadow of what '11 and '12 felt in comparison. I started playing other games and letting NHL '13 collect dust until June of 2013. I get back into the game and play with some familiar faces and decide "Well it's not great but it's the only hockey I got right now". I play for a bit longer and give up after a nice streak of frustration in august. I decide to wait for '14, although I was hesitant to buy it at all as the trailers seem to point that it's just an patch of '13 with some FIFA physics thrown in.
Here it is kiddos the moment of truth. What do I think about the latest installment of NHL '14 after 3 months of playing it?
Fail with a capital 0. Outside of the newly updated ambient sounds of a real hockey rink and a good tweak to the hitting physics this game fails to capture the realism promised(once again).
Hockey play is dominated over easier glitch goals (both on computers and humans alike). The gap between a casual game and club is so wide it's like playing two different games sometimes. While you can score a little easier in some areas, the most realistic scoring plays and angles are next to zero in comparison to twitchy movement to confuse the cpu. I am taking a long break from EA's sports series until I am well assured that they have taken their heads out of the money pile long enough to realize their fanbase is beginning to despise them. I know more than a few people who play angry more than neutral or happy and yet the only reason they keep playing is the monopoly EA has over the majority of their sports games. FIFA is the only one I play that I can think of that has at least some competition.
Let's not mention that EA's servers are becoming some of the worst with constant failed loads into games, drops from games, and signing you out of EA network constantly at times. (YES I have all my port forwarding correct and run at 50mbps so NO it is not on my end). Everyone I play(ed) with have all the same problems.
Some of you will bash me for this, some of you will praise me for this. At the end of the day the game is mediocre overall. Too much time spent on gimmicks and the fundamentals dwindle in the wake of shiny new things.
Thanks to anyone reading this as this is my first review on N4G hopefully not the last.
CanadianGamer writes : Canadian YouTube user S7Haxorz released a comparison video for the E3 released trailer of NHL 15. In the video, he reproduced the trailer with NHL 14 in a side-by-side comparison of the old graphics engine VS the new one.
The comparison shows the impressive amount of details that the next-gen version of the NHL game features.
Of course, gameplay is the key but still, it's always nice to see what the new consoles have under the hood :)
I personally would buy the systems if they just recased the 360/PS3 and called them X1/PS4 for a higher price. It's all about the gameplay.
Ii want to see what the WiiU can produce when pushed to the Max! As for PS4 I was blown away when I saw this trailer. I used to hear that WiiU is not too much weaker than PS4 but this trailer made me realize that there is a major difference in power! https://m.youtube.com/watch... Hyrule Warrior's looks sad compared to Kingdom Under fire 2 but I'll still buy it!
The last couple years the hockey world has seen the rise of advanced hockey statistics (Corsi, Fenwick, PDO). While not everyone in the "hockey world" is convinced of advanced hockey stats and their relevance in the game, you cannot deny their presence and the debate these so-called advanced stats create in the game’s analysis. Which is why EA's NHL series needs to include advanced hockey stats, pronto!
putting stats into a video game wouldn't make NHL any better. NHL 14 is just a silly game. It's so fun to play online and I win most of my games, but even I can admit that a lot of the scoring in NHL 14 feels lucky. I'm not opposed to in-depth stats, but all that would do is give you more things to complain about, "I out-shot my opponent 10-1 when it came to quality scoring chances and i lost 5-2."
NHL 14 is a good hockey game, but sometimes it takes little to no skill to win games. In versus, the computer controls 5/6 players on the ice. You have very little control over what the AI does for you when you're not in total control over the player. The AI standing on the blue line on defense and letting the puck carrier fly right by him for a breakaway/quality scoring chance is very un-realistic (just one example of how clue-less the AI can be).
If i want my 8th gen hockey game to BE realistic (as the author puts it) I don't only want in-depth stat reflection... I want competent AI and completely eliminate the "ice-tilt" feature where momentum sways back and forth between teams. Sure, a lot of people say momentum plays a huge rule in real-life NHL (and i agree that it does), but when im playing a VIDEO GAME I want it to be more about skill and something that i can control. The momentum system EA Sports has in place right now is entirely unfair and makes very little sense.
Ever play really tight defense on somebody, poke checking their sticks, stick lift them and check them like 3 times and they're still maintaining possession of the puck (even though they're getting absolutely bullied)? That's momentum taking any skill that should be required, out of the game. Back-hand goals that float in, 5-hole wrist shots from the blue line goals, goal-line shots that score... These are all goals that should be rare to obtain, not the norm.
Rant over. To sum up that wall of text: I want better AI. I will play NHL 15 regardless, because i'm a huge hockey fan and love playing club with my friends. I just wish EA didn't monopolize the franchise and we could get some healthy competition. HUT is an addictive nightmare.
Hey, thanks for the comment. I agree that the inclusion of stats will not make the game more realistic and I kind of admit that at the end of the piece. Having more in-depth stats may make the game more unrealistic and prove to be counter-intuitive to my point. That said, I think that if EA were to include those new stats in their game it would probably force them to tighten up the relatively weak computer A.I. as they would have better stats to gauge what they are doing wrong.
I guess my point is that EA should attempt to make the stat sheet at the end of the game an accurate reflection of what transpired in the game, and also make that stat sheet seem as similar to a real life hockey stat sheet as possible. I think the fancy stats I allude to would help make that possible, but I don't know.
Regardless of what happens, though, I am like you-- I am going to buy the game. I am too much of a hockey fan. Thanks for the comment and the helpful criticism. :)
Advance stats!? How about Ea allowing ppl to see even basic stats that the game is obviously keeping track of. For ex. TURNOVERS!!! When I play, especially with my be a pro the coaches advice at the end of every period of every game coaches advice is "watch your turnovers" and it seems to negatively effects my grade but no where in the game am I allowed to see how many turnovers I've actually commited! Turnovers are a basic statistic that is essential to be aware of so that a player might improve upon. Simple or advanced statistics, more is absolutely necessary.
Couldn't agree more! Thanks for the comment. The stats at the end of each game (the stats the game keeps track of) don't make any sense or don't reflect anything of significance. EA can do better.
yes this shouldve have been in the series by now but, whoever the creative director is of the series seem so unorganized. I mean since 07 they have added new features, taken out useful features(defensive stick in 08), and reintroduced feautres that were in past games.
I mean what the heck is going on over there? I know its a small team with a small budget but, it seems that since 2k opted out that they just become a team with no big plan for the game which leads to a frustrated fanbase which the series has
Michael, Ray, and the best of the worst for the week of April 7th!
I haven't played an NHL game since the Mega Drive. Do you still just charge around frantically hacking just to get into fights?
I would like to see Nhl hitz make a return.
I agree. I mean they nhl nhl arcade but its far out of reality but fun.
review is trash..
i was upset they didnt do a port for ps4/xbone. heres to hoping they really step up the graphics for next gen. im gettin sick of seeing the same 3 people in the crowd and the not up to par player models (nothing like fifa or madden) i mean come on EA just because your the only hockey game available doesnt mean you can rest on your laurels