While at E3 in Los Angeles this year I had a chance to sit down and get some hands-on time with EA Sports NHL 12. Over the past few years, the NHL franchise has delivered, giving gamers the most realistic and authentic NHL experienced in video games to date. The franchise has been on a roll and not even 2K Sports hockey game has been able to replicate the experience EA Sports has managed to deliver. Positive reviews, strong sales and an active EA Sports NHL community speak volumes in terms of where the franchise is at as we head into another yearly edition of the series.
Many would argue there is always room for improvement but after having spent some time with the game last year, I am left wondering what else could be done to improve the series. Well, this year, EA Sports tells us they have made over 300 gameplay refinements. I had a chance to check some of them out.
Before I had a chance to catch my breath from pushing past all the madness that is E3, I launched right into a game. But not just any game. It was an outdoors game. Yes, fans can rejoice as EA Sports NHL 12 features the ever-so-popular “Winter Classic”. It just so happens I had to re-live the Classic as I went head-to-head against one of the members of the EA Sports NHL team. I played with the Washington Capitals while my opponent played with the Pittsburg Penguins. Just like the actual Winter Classic that took place earlier this year, Heinz field was sold-out, the snow was falling rather heavily and my excitement level was elevated. Additionally, I noticed the pace of the game was a little slower. Granted the ice appeared just as it does in any other EA Sports NHL game; however, many of you may recall the ice wasn’t exactly in stellar shape during the actual Winter Classic game. In fact, during the Winter Classic game earlier this year officials were concerned with the condition of the ice due to rain and warmer temperatures. Yet as with pretty much all the features in EA Sports NHL game, things like the speed of the game are adjustable with the sliders. But for those of you who want the closest to life experience you can slow the speed of the game to snail’s pace.
In addition to being able to play the Winter Classic, NHL 12 features a full contact engine which includes breaking glass. This is not the first time we have seen breaking glass in EA Sports NHL game but this time around the breaking is much more realistic and can happen off a shot or even a bone crushing hit. You can always adjust the sliders, so you will not have to experience shattered glass with each hard hit. The breaking glass is however just a small example of how the developers wanted to make the game more interactive and authentic. Additionally the full contact engine can include knocking players into the bench or knocking a player’s helmet off. During the demo I played, the goalie and a player’s helmet flew off. Additionally when I hit a player against a team’s bench, the players sitting on the bench would back away where the hit occurred. It is these little things that make the game feel authentic and the truest to life experience we have seen to date.
Another new feature to NHL 12 is the dynamic goalie interaction. Goalies now flop around, make desperation saves, stonewall the opposition and replicate the pressure of being a real life goalie. Also, players are now able to bump into goalies and they react accordingly. At one point during the demo my goalie made a save out of the crease (much like Tim Thomas typically does), was bumped and ultimately lost his helmet as the whistle was blown. The result was pretty cool indeed but also had me questioning whether this new “dynamic interaction” could lead to some online exploits. The team at EA Sports assures us that they are testing for exploits daily as they attempt to address any potential exploits. But I guess only time will tell once the game is released if bashing into goalies will lead to some potential goal exploits.
Some other new additions include being able to jostle in front of the net for position. Big defenders can now clear out in front of the net and likewise smaller offensive players can spin away from a defender in front of the net. There is also a new stat action tracker which presents you with a shift by shift breakdown of stats and key moments leading up to your next shift. Again, it is these little things that will make all the difference in the world when NHL 12 arrives later this fall. There are many other changes on the way and at the end of the day fans of the franchise will likely be pleasantly surprised when the game hits store shelves.
