Quick Look: NHL 14

@mrcaptain: The SEL has been in the series for a few years now. Most of the major European leagues are represented, except the KHL.

The Nickelback/DBZ joke at the beginning was killing me. SO TRUE.

I really love the NHL franchise so I am happy you guys played 51 min of it. I was expecting like ten minutes.

Looks decent, although if a game has to present you with a bunch of arbitrary mode and control options up front it should have the decency to let you know which one they think you should be using. Same with difficulty modes. Have a spine and a design philosophy!

Also: Shin Megami Tennis

Sports game history is so confusing. Sega had World Series Baseball, turned it into ESPN MLB, then MLB2K5, then like FIFA put out two baseball games per year MLB2K in spring and World Series 2K in the fall, then signed exclusive rights to MLB killing EA's franchise. Then despite no EA competition, cancelled the series in 2K12 (then randomly revived it for one final year this year on only a four month dev cycle, panned in reviews for just being a literal resell of the 2012 game. For Hockey, they skipped 2K1 for some reason, bragged about finally getting a Wii version as late as 2008, seemed to be dominating EA's NHL in review scores the way NBA and NFL2K always beat EA, then cancelled 360/PS3, made it iPhone and Wii exclusive, then canned it altogether. Meanwhile EA goes from stale to a positive NHL94 inspired comeback. EA cancels two NBA franchise games for not being good enough despite a market that would've kept buying the same crap with roster updates every year regardless. 989 Studios basketball game lasted about as long as NBA Live did, yet they cancelled around when EA did. And 989's baseball game is the most beloved of all sports games.

@drewbert@jeff@vinny This would be a great game to do for TNT on PS3!

The guy who got his throat cut was a goalie who was laying on his back to cover the puck, and is actually the guy who invented neck guards. They're mandatory piece of equipment at all levels now. Though I can't seem to see any in this game.

This actually looks pretty good. This may be the first NHL game I pick up for myself instead of just playing at a buddies house since NHL2004 ( yea its been awhile).

The fact you can play as the CHL, OHL, and QMJHL are awesome as pick up games.

Listening to these guys say things that are absolutely not true about hockey is both funny and annoying as a hockey fan.

I don't get it. The game is so fun and fast paced, they guys appear to get really into the game while they're playing it, it's well crafted and well presented, but they act like it's such a chore to start it up and play it every year. Why the stigma with the sports games? I can see how baseball and soccer's slow pace and football's complex systems requiring you to hold the controller like Gilbert Grape to play it can turn some people off, but come on, EA Hockey has been consistently amazing every year since '06.

Because they aren't into hockey at all.

Just like it wouldn't matter to me how well made/fun a FIFA or a Madden game is. I can't stand Football or Soccer. I will never play them or want to play them.

Sound Tigers for life motherfuckers!

If you're even at all into Hockey, Hockey games are really great. Just skate around and knock dudes down and start fights.

Great to see how into this Jeff and Vinny got. We need an NHL Scrub League TNT or something.

It has been there for years. At least since NHL 07. Another thing that has been there for years is the commentary. They need to update that.

Got's ta get me sum Nickleback 14

I want to see people try and play soccer on ice.

Amazing expert coverage by the Giant Bomb Sports Team as usual.

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME BASEBALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

I mean Ice baseball, excuse me.

Yeah, EB games used to be the best but then Gamestop bought them out and EB began to suck.

The menus of these EA sports games are still completely incomprehensible. They can't expect anyone new to the franchise to understand those starting control choices without giving them a shred of context to make an informed decision with.

I do love the idea of Vinny making DBZ AMV's though.

Get to those dirty areas.

Everybody get HYPE!

speaking of genesis soundhardware: Adventures of Batman Robin - KICK ASS

The Giant Bomb Sports Team logo rundown; it's good!

And now I will always refer to hockey as ice soccer.

For those of you that are interested, that wasn't Nickelback at the beginning, but Black Veil Brides singing In The End

I don't know shit about hockey and know a fair bit about football and I must say that this seems WAY more coherent as a video game than Madden does.

The menus are simpler, the controls seem looser, the rules seem easier to set, and the presentation seems solid. The sound design is good and the animation is solid and that commentary sounds almost natural.

I would totally play this video game if I gave even half a shit about hockey!

Are you serious lol...Black Veil Brides intro music....Good for them lol.

Liking the soundtrack, biffy, black rebel.

Dude! I was all jokingly thinking "man, fuck these NHL teams, where are the Swedish teams? I want HV71" and they just fucking pull it up and joke about it and I lost my shit!

Good thing they turned the rules off because I think they onside about 20% of the time. Many icings as well.

Black Veil Brides are pretty much the Nickelback of this generation

Go Mooseheads! :D

Brad humming along to Hava Nagila = priceless.

This looks really good. Not for playing or anything, I just enjoy looking at it.

Sports club!

LA Kings not a physical team? I'm going to kill myself.

The ice has an unnatural blue tint in NHL 94 mode. Nice touch.

Woo, time to get my Blackhawks championship caps!

Sports games....

I guess the realism is a nice feature for fans of the actual sport, but I really miss the arcade-style of sports game.

I was playing some Virtua Striker with a friend and while none of us cares about real soccer, a multiplayer game in that is fucking HYPE!

It's fine that arcade-style is a part of these big 60 dollar sports games, but a 10 dollar downloadable thing is something I think would be fun if it's tight.

Vinny called out the Charlottetown Islanders! I never thought I would see any sort of reference to my home province of PEI on Giant Bomb. I am giddy for no good reason.

ICE SOCCER IS NOTHING COMPARED TO ICE RUGBY.

The Dropkick Murphys song in the game is the absolute worst. How the hell did it pass QA?

"THE BOYS ARE BACK THE BOYS ARE BACK THE BOYS ARE BACK AND THEY ARE LOOKING FOR GLORY THE BOYS ARE BACK THE BOYS ARE BACK THE BOYS ARE BACK AND THEY ARE LOOKING FOR GLORY THE BOYS..."

winapig has a team?

Neck guards aren't mandatory. Also if you create or edit a goalie in the game you can have them wear one.

NHL '93 was the last game from that era that had the fighting and making dudes' heads bleed (it was the one played in Swingers). '94 removed those along with "the move" but added the one-timer, which is still the primary way to score in the game to this day.

Overall '94 is generally considered the better game of hockey and the pinnacle of sprite hockey games, but "making little Wayne's head bleed" and the left-right-left juke move thing are what people remember most from those games.

If someone was going to make a Fat Boys reference I knew it would be Jeff. BRRRRRRRRRRR STICK EM!

It is amusing how little these guys know about playing hockey, but I give them props for Quick Looking it anyway.

I love this community

All of my wuts

Winnipeg* - they were one of the original NHL teams