NHL 13 Thread

[bubbsy]

My main annoyance has been that playing my offline season mode, how many times will a cpu's shot deflect only to go right to a teammates stick with my a goalie completely out of position and an easy goal. Even more frustrating is how often this happens in the last few mins of the game.

[AR_Six]

Originally Posted by dobbles

are you serious? gameplay is the ONLY thing that matters. for all the modes that they offer, the game still revolves around the gameplay. it still revolves around the AI.

would you prefer people gripe about the inaccuracies of the new bauer skates and how EA got them slightly wrong? (not sure if they did just making an example).

If you'd actually read my post you would have noticed that I pointed out exactly what I would prefer - that they focus on fixing the actual structural issues, like HUT games saying you got pucks and then not, or HUT auctions taking pucks but not giving you the card you won the auction on, or players disappearing from GM mode for no apparent reason, or user-controlled team's "assistant GM" waiving franchise players without you telling it to, or 5 minute menu loading times, or that weird thing where CPU teammates seemt to freeze and jitter across the screen instead of skating once in a while. Gameplay is subjective. That stuff isn't, it's just broken.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by vektor

funny, because I don't. I won most of the games I played and the ones I lost were because of stupid inconsistencies in the A.I. Problem is the game is no fun. Winning is not fun, and losing is worse. The game literally stopped me from skating in a direction and rubber banded me to a guy in front of the net, unacceptable.

If you guys want to defend this piece of garbage go ahead, I get it. The problem is the bar is so low because EA has rights to the NHL. This game is crap, pure crap and I don't even suck, it's just not fun at all. Most people will defend it because they have the purchasers bias where they have to rationalize spending their money. If you can accept a giant leap backwards in gameplay go ahead, I'm never playing this steaming turd again. Go ahead, tell me I suck because it's the easy thing to do. I'm done here, I just hope I can save someone on the fence from buying this. Don't bother wasting your time telling me how wrong I am because I'm not coming back.

Nope, I don't give a damn about spending $60 on it, it's probably the only money I'll spend on a game all year. The game is just plain fun. You have to actually employ some strategies that exist in real hockey, like gap control, if you want to be successful. There are a few glitches here and there, but nothing to the degree you've painted it.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by dobbles

personally, i thought the demo was terrible. i felt that yet again, EA moved the game away from real hockey. i was definitely in the minority, but happy to see some others share my opinion.

frankly though, people need to realize that not everyone is going to be happy with the game, and its not just 'because they suck'. regardless of someone skill level, EA should be putting out a game that people enjoy, so skill level really has nothing to do with it.

This is just plain ridiculous, this game is so much more like the real game that to think otherwise makes me think you've never watched the real game.

[AR_Six]

Originally Posted by valo403

Nope, I don't give a damn about spending $60 on it.

Not to mention it's 60 bucks. Or less if you traded in '12. I mean come on. I understand purchaser's bias on something significant like a car or vacation property or something, but an Xbox game? Give me a break.

[Russic]

To each his own, but in my opinion to say this game is more removed from real hockey is wildly inaccurate. Further, to say the only reason people like it is because they spent money on it is absurd. I get that your mad, but you're so mad that you actually attacking the opinions of other people, while presenting your own as fact.

[dobbles]

Originally Posted by valo403

This is just plain ridiculous, this game is so much more like the real game that to think otherwise makes me think you've never watched the real game.

wow, you caught me! and to think i had spent all these years getting away with pretending to be a hockey fan!

busted!

[dobbles]

Originally Posted by AR_Six

If you'd actually read my post you would have noticed that I pointed out exactly what I would prefer - that they focus on fixing the actual structural issues, like HUT games saying you got pucks and then not, or HUT auctions taking pucks but not giving you the card you won the auction on, or players disappearing from GM mode for no apparent reason, or user-controlled team's "assistant GM" waiving franchise players without you telling it to, or 5 minute menu loading times, or that weird thing where CPU teammates seemt to freeze and jitter across the screen instead of skating once in a while. Gameplay is subjective. That stuff isn't, it's just broken.

first off, i did read your post. my statement about skates was pretty obvious hyperbole; or so i thought.

bottom line is that i think they have a lot of work that could be done on gameplay. they claimed to have spent so much time on AI this year, but in my time on the demo it was more of the same. you would prefer they work on 'structural' issues but those are always going to exist as well. the reason i think gameplay trumps everything is that even if all the modes work flawless, the game still has to rely on the gameplay. most people that are into the game will spend hours upon hours playing the actual games, but only have to do things like edit lines and use the HUT auction screen once in a while. again, thats just my opinion, but to mock someone for wanting the gameplay to be better is very juvenile.

[Joborule]

Originally Posted by dobbles

first off, i did read your post. my statement about skates was pretty obvious hyperbole; or so i thought.

bottom line is that i think they have a lot of work that could be done on gameplay. they claimed to have spent so much time on AI this year, but in my time on the demo it was more of the same. you would prefer they work on 'structural' issues but those are always going to exist as well. the reason i think gameplay trumps everything is that even if all the modes work flawless, the game still has to rely on the gameplay. most people that are into the game will spend hours upon hours playing the actual games, but only have to do things like edit lines and use the HUT auction screen once in a while. again, thats just my opinion, but to mock someone for wanting the gameplay to be better is very juvenile.

What is it that you would like to see done to the gameplay if you're fairly critical of it? I'm actually curious why you think the game has taken a step in a less realistic direction also. How is 12 more realistic than 13?

[AR_Six]

Originally Posted by dobbles

the reason i think gameplay trumps everything is that even if all the modes work flawless, the game still has to rely on the gameplay.

There is no point to the gameplay if the basic structure doesn't work. This is like complaining that you don't like the decor in a house whose roof is in the process of caving in. Right now I can't even PLAY HUT because of the issues with it. Tournaments don't work, and Pucks, which are the basic point of playing HUT games, don't work either. My GM Connected league (the CP one) isn't busted yet, but I have heard horror stories and I'd rather not have my league ruined because that's the game mode I was most interested in when I bought this thing.

most people that are into the game will spend hours upon hours playing the actual games, but only have to do things like edit lines and use the HUT auction screen once in a while. again, thats just my opinion, but to mock someone for wanting the gameplay to be better is very juvenile.

I wasn't mocking. I'm saying that wanting the gameplay to be "better" is a subjective judgment. Everyone will have things they like about the gameplay and things they don't, and those lists will very rarely match up across different players.

Complaints about gameplay are, by and large, whining that you want the devs to cater to your personal preferences about how a hockey game should feel, and insisting that they spend time making tuners to accomplish that goal at the expense of others' preferences while ignoring issues that make the game non-functional at a basic level is ridiculous.

There are only so many people able to work on this at once, and they have to prioritize. They should not be prioritizing some guy's annoyance that the other team's forecheckers are able to pin his D-man to the boards too easily. They should be prioritizing making the game playable before they start worrying about tweaking that stuff.

[dobbles]

Originally Posted by Russic

To each his own, but in my opinion to say this game is more removed from real hockey is wildly inaccurate.

russ, the reason i think it is moving away is that the game continues to rely on highlight reel checks, lots of figure skating, and overpowered goalies that cover up terrible defensive AI.

they were showing last years playoffs on NHL network this summer and when watching, it reminded me just how sloppy and physical nhl hockey is. the nhl is about grinding for every inch on the ice and being patient.

conversely the nhl series has always been about finding some way to glitch the goalie, skating circles around everyone, using datsyukian dekes, hitting like scott stevens, etc.

i just feel that each year they continue to emphasize the arcade side of hockey. and while that wasn't such a big deal when they were busy adding game modes and let the gameplay sit a bit, but this year they made a big deal about how much better the AI and gameplay was. in my opinion, it didn't improve at all.

like i said, i know i am in the minority, but i just find the fan boi attitude that so many here have to be disgusting. why does everyone have to imply that because i dislike the game that i either dont watch dont, never played hockey, am terrible at the game, or that i try to play the same way as nhl 12? can't i just dislike the changes because i feel they weren't in the best interest of the series???

[valo403]

Originally Posted by dobbles

russ, the reason i think it is moving away is that the game continues to rely on highlight reel checks, lots of figure skating, and overpowered goalies that cover up terrible defensive AI.

they were showing last years playoffs on NHL network this summer and when watching, it reminded me just how sloppy and physical nhl hockey is. the nhl is about grinding for every inch on the ice and being patient.

conversely the nhl series has always been about finding some way to glitch the goalie, skating circles around everyone, using datsyukian dekes, hitting like scott stevens, etc.

i just feel that each year they continue to emphasize the arcade side of hockey. and while that wasn't such a big deal when they were busy adding game modes and let the gameplay sit a bit, but this year they made a big deal about how much better the AI and gameplay was. in my opinion, it didn't improve at all.

like i said, i know i am in the minority, but i just find the fan boi attitude that so many here have to be disgusting. why does everyone have to imply that because i dislike the game that i either dont watch dont, never played hockey, am terrible at the game, or that i try to play the same way as nhl 12? can't i just dislike the changes because i feel they weren't in the best interest of the series???

Oddly enough that's pretty much exactly how I would describe a lot of the gameplay changes to this years NHL.

I couldn't score and couldn't prevent scoring chances for a few days due to the habits of previous iterations, mainly the idea that you could just crush anyone at the blueline or pull the same move over and over again on offense. As soon as I started playing the game with patience defensively (controlling gaps, bumping the puck back etc.) and grinding out cycles to get scoring chances (both high and low cycles, as well as pulling up on the rush to find the trailer) I had much more success. The effectiveness of the poke check is another shot of realism, the puck is spending way more time bouncing around then ever before, just like it does in the real game. There are still issues for sure, the systems don't always work and the AI gets mixed up sometimes, but overall this is way more like a simulation than it is an arcade version of hockey.

[Flash Walken]

Dobbles,

here is why everyone is implying you dislike the game because you on't watch or never played or are terrible etc is because this is the third game in a row where you've gone off the deep end mere days after release about how broken and crappy the game is.

Now, I can understand the resentment towards certain aspects of the game that don't operate like well oiled components of a machine, but, pretty much everything you say here:

they were showing last years playoffs on NHL network this summer and when watching, it reminded me just how sloppy and physical nhl hockey is. the nhl is about grinding for every inch on the ice and being patient.

is what I feel the game has improved upon the most.

I've had one blowout game so far. The rest have been incredibly tight checking, tooth and nail dog fights with precious little in the way of showtime hits and arcade-esque tape to tape passes.

They've addressed your biggest issue with the series: the ratings system, which you went on about for years.

At this point, I think you're just whining.

[Russic]

Originally Posted by dobbles

russ, the reason i think it is moving away is that the game continues to rely on highlight reel checks, lots of figure skating, and overpowered goalies that cover up terrible defensive AI.

they were showing last years playoffs on NHL network this summer and when watching, it reminded me just how sloppy and physical nhl hockey is. the nhl is about grinding for every inch on the ice and being patient.

conversely the nhl series has always been about finding some way to glitch the goalie, skating circles around everyone, using datsyukian dekes, hitting like scott stevens, etc.

i just feel that each year they continue to emphasize the arcade side of hockey. and while that wasn't such a big deal when they were busy adding game modes and let the gameplay sit a bit, but this year they made a big deal about how much better the AI and gameplay was. in my opinion, it didn't improve at all.

like i said, i know i am in the minority, but i just find the fan boi attitude that so many here have to be disgusting. why does everyone have to imply that because i dislike the game that i either dont watch dont, never played hockey, am terrible at the game, or that i try to play the same way as nhl 12? can't i just dislike the changes because i feel they weren't in the best interest of the series???

We'll have to agree to disagree. I've never played a hockey game that felt more sloppy and grinding than this one. I played an online game against Silentsim the other night and for whatever reason we could not get it into hardcore mode and were stuck with default. I was blown away by how arcade-like it felt. To me it reminded me of previous years when it was simple to skate, you went everywhere 120% without consequence and it didn't matter how hard you passed or where you were facing when you did it. That's just a single mode though and not a fair representation of the whole game.

I would totally understand somebody critiquing the game because it feels far too sluggish and realistic, I just don't see how somebody can get down on it for being too arcade-like. You probably watch more hockey than I do so I wouldn't imply you don't get the game.

I have a buddy who didn't watch a single episode of The Walking Dead past episode 1 because he couldn't get past the fact that Rick didn't try to drive the tank he got stuck in (apologies if the reference makes no sense). My point is he's so focused on plot points that most people brush off he's unable to enjoy many things.

I often wonder if we have similar things going on with people who hate this game. Every year it seems something that most consider to be a minor nagging issue direct some folks into a deep, dark place. What's more, these people buy the game almost every single year, expecting things to suddenly cater to their preferences. The game is highly touted in critic circles as well as casual gamers. Even the split in this thread is probably 80/20, which I feel reflects the critic ratings of about 80-90. I don't see a trend away from what the game is... people are really responding to it positively.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

.
I've had one blowout game so far. The rest have been incredibly tight checking, tooth and nail dog fights with precious little in the way of showtime hits and arcade-esque tape to tape passes.

Completely Agree with this.

Playing the game on hardcore and it turns into an absolute dogfight for every inch. Tape to tape passes become rare, the game is physical yet nobody gets laid out, the game becomes really sloppy, and you really need to cycle to create an opportunity.

The only real issue I have with gameplay is that they made some superhuman goalies with their cross crease saves, even then I wonder if that is another EA thing where they have a new feature (goaltending animations) turned up to 200% and that it might be brought to a more reasonable state when they update the game.

[kobasew19]

HUT: So apparently I'm not getting any pucks for my games played. Anybody have a solution to this?? Sidenote, I hope they go back to players having careers in NHL 14, and also have training cards applied not just for one game. Getting a 5+ all is so pointless now and it eats up one of your rare cards in our pack.

HUT 12> HUT 13

[Max Cow Disease]

I'm loving this year's iteration and am heavily invested in HUT for the first time.

I strongly disagree with those who criticize the goal-scoring in this year's game. As a few have mentioned, games feel extremely tight for the most part and the importance of cycling the puck/rubbing guys out along the boards etc. seems noticeably more prominent. This is due partially to the strength of the poke-check this year, which necessitates the development of at least a decent passing game. I've lost a couple of games in which I'd out-shot the opponent by 30-12 or whatever, but I'm revelling in that, because it finally feels as though getting "pucks to the net" is a vital strategy in the game. In years past, it was about aiming for those few truly money goals that always went in, but it seems like you have to work for it this year, and the result is significantly more realistic.

When I look at footage of real hockey and compare, it's hands-down the most realistic game yet in terms of replicating the physics and flow of an actual game, if you ask me.

[Diverce]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Completely Agree with this.

Playing the game on hardcore and it turns into an absolute dogfight for every inch. Tape to tape passes become rare, the game is physical yet nobody gets laid out, the game becomes really sloppy, and you really need to cycle to create an opportunity.

The only real issue I have with gameplay is that they made some superhuman goalies with their cross crease saves, even then I wonder if that is another EA thing where they have a new feature (goaltending animations) turned up to 200% and that it might be brought to a more reasonable state when they update the game.

I think a lot with the goalies has to do with what happened in nhl 12. One timers were a goal 99.9% of the time. They are pretty quick though. I had a 3 on 0 1 game and I passed it across and the goalie dived and saved it. The rebound came to the guy in front and I shot it, goalie got back and saved it again, and the rebound went to my guy standing to the side of the net and the goalie stacked the pads and saved it again. All I could do was laugh.

But I agree. Playing GM Connected I find the games are all a matter of throwing it at the net and hoping for the best. You can get some nice plays, but it's more lunch bucket hockey. And I love it. G.M.C is pretty intense I feel like I'm watching a real game cause I don't know if my goalie is going to let in a softy, or if my d will pick up the puck, etc. I'm having a lot of fun with this year's iteration.

[dobbles]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

here is why everyone is implying you dislike the game because you on't watch or never played or are terrible etc is because this is the third game in a row where you've gone off the deep end mere days after release about how broken and crappy the game is.
...
They've addressed your biggest issue with the series: the ratings system, which you went on about for years.

At this point, I think you're just whining.

ok the first part is just plain untrue. if you really want to go back, i was 100% behind 09 and 10. and because i had no reason to doubt 11 i was positive before launch. however, i did sour on 11 as i felt it was a step back from 09 and 10. so i was negative post launch of that game. that took a good month to even happen. because i didnt like 11, i was weary of nhl 12. however, if you remember, i was VERY positive about the demo last year and thats why i went ahead and got the game. i mostly enjoyed 12 and played it up until a couple months ago in gm mode.

so in 4 years of getting the game i was happy 3 of them. this is the first year i was even dismissive of the demo. so to try and act like i am never satisified is just an ad hominem attack. i thought i could expect better from you, but i guess not.

for the second point, the ratings system was a very minor issue i like to rant on. however, they still really didnt fix it. as usual EA went back to the way it used to be and proclaimed it was 'new.' there does seem to be a little better bandwidth in overalls, but my biggest issue has always been that for nhl'ers there is little difference in the individual ratings. for instance, iginla's wrist shot accuracy would only be a few points more than 80% of the league and i dont think that accurately represents the high end skill level.

that makes me think of one thing i totally hated about the demo. they spent all summer talking about the new skating engine and the AI changes would 'showcase top end players' yet my stacked HUT team in the demo would regularly get blown by the CHL team in the first round as far as skating skills and stick skills. i felt very little difference playing them and playing the nhl teams in the other rounds.



jobo - i will put together more of my specific thoughts later. i gotta run now.

[KTrain]

Is it just me or does the CPU have a much easier time scoring in the last couple of minutes of the game?

Seems I'm always going to OT or losing because of a late period goal.