Skating and Goalies Get the Big Overhauls In NHL 13

steal!

EDIT: sorry, i want some hockey, feels like forever since last time i played any

NHL woo!

Wait people watch hockey?

I kid, but last hockey-related thing I played or even watched was Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey '98

Used to play these games yearly, haven't since the 360 launched... maybe it's time to go back.

Wow the last time I even paid any attention to an NHL game from EA was back in 99. The improvements on making gameplay match real on ice skills is quite impressive. Couple that with possibly the best telecast styled sports franchise on the market and I bet someone watching could easily mistake the game for real TV.

Edit: Dang remember when this was menu music?

It's incredible how these games have had the same poor player models for an entire generation. There's seriously like 8 fucking faces. Once you get a few seasons into GM mode and you start to draft randomly generated players it's like every other kid is an identical quintuplet.

They've still got the exact same animations for nearly every "cut scene" too. Couldn't they make at least one new one every year? By now they'd have 5 or 6 and it wouldn't be as noticeable, but no, here's dude coming on to the ice and fixing his helmet...every single fucking game you ever play ever for the past half a decade.

Edit: Also, this video is funny because the first player they mention is Dubinsky, who just got traded (like actually an hour ago) from the Rangers to the shit hole in Columbus.

When was this REAL NHL HOCKEY GAME taped?

Maybe this time the player's stats will be accurate?

JK LOL

Alex you like hockey? ... I feel like I've totally misjudged you. You are my brother and I have wronged you.

Manly tears.

Unless you like the Flyers, in which case die in a fire.

Also, Dubinsky just got traded to Columbus with some other dudes for Rick Nash.

Some of these player animations are AWFUL. I can't wait for next-gen hockey. Except not the first iteration, that one is going to bare-bones like NHL 07 was.

Looks like they're doing some good stuff. Go oil!

Man, it looks they finally addressed the cross-crease bullshit. While those saves are indeed difficult to make (I played net for most of my life), they aren't impossible. All I've wanted was the same agility and chance to make those kinds of saves that I do in real life. Looks like NHL 13 will deliver.

Hopefully.

I miss hockey too Alex...

@Blubba: Can't argue there. There was an obvious bias with many players...

@Alex Sharks fan?

Rangers got Rick Nash today in a trade for (funny enough) Dubinsky, who is shown in the beginning of this video. Super stoked for next year.

I am a Canadian, I feel obligated to watch this video.

@SmilingPig: I haven't played a hockey game in 2 years and this was my exact feeling coming into it.

@icytower38 said:

Used to play these games yearly, haven't since the 360 launched... maybe it's time to go back.

That crazy. The NHL series has been the most consistently good sports franchise out there for the past five years or so. Only the NBA 2K franchise comes close to the same level of consistently good releases.

My only big gripe with the presentation of the NHL games, is that there's way too many fucking post "clinks" when you score.

YES. Can't wait.

MIKÄ SIELTÄ TULEE!

The "chop" feature is something I have been wanting for so long. Hopefully it is actually effective and not just a gimmick.

I'm going to enjoy playing these games a whole lot more now that I don't have to manually recreate the Jets every year.

I hope there's a season next year.

This guy could not be less enthusiastic.

It's a law in Canada to buy NHL games every year.

Creativity?

@theimmortalbum: every day.

An NHL game where the Isles take the Rangers to OT?

So much for realism.

God I can't wait till the season starts up again.

This is my homepage every offseason: http://www.howmanydaysuntilhockey.com/

@Oldirtybearon:

I've played hockey for 25 years now, the last 15 as a goalie. I completely agree with you. I couldn't stand playing a goalie online because there's no way to anticipate a very obvious one timer. Even though I feel like EA has done more to make these games stand out from each other less, I'll probably still buy it.

They need to smooth out the animations, especially the acceleration after a dead stop. Next up is the spin-o-rama!

Unfortunately there will still be plenty of goal glitches / exploits that the developer will continue to overlook

Slow news day eh? HAHA such a weird time of year. Why do publishers pit AAA vs AAA every holiday but in the dog days of summer...nothing. I'm sure there are good reasons but this is the wrong thread for that.

I am buying this game purely because of the cover athlete. Voting him on every day has something to do with that too.

Even if it was knitting game, as long as it has EA logo on it, there would still be gaming "journalists" "stoked" for it.

Hey Alex, I'm pretty sure I heard a "ka-ching" sound at the end of your post.

Nice, now if we could just have someone other than Giroux on the cover...

Dota 2. You guys haven't done anything on that yet!

$60 folks.

It's time for sports to go F2P, they are already half way their HUT and Be A Pro, why just embrace it?

I hear also that at the start of the game you get to choose to play as Donald Fehr of the NHLPA or Gary Bettman of the NHL. This mode doesn't consist of much besides sitting on a beach counting your money and occasionally attending press conferences saying how poor your Millionaire Players/ Billionaire Owners are.

Also this video shows Edmonton beating Calgary so obviously the player stats are wrong. =)

I bought the hockey game last year so I won't be getting another one for a while. I might as well wait for the next-gen stuff. They certainly do a great job with these though. Ton of fun and also quite deep. When I'm playing online I see people pull stuff off that I didn't think was possible. You can get really good at these games.

Looks solid, along with FIFA these have been the best sports games. Though I agree with the above commenter that they really need to improved player's faces, in last year's game half the players looked nothing like their real-life counterparts.

too bad B dubs got traded this morning to Ohio and also lol at the "lightning's infamous 1-3-1"

Who put this up? Just wondering who at GB likes hockey

Madden.

@SmilingPig: The saddest part is I feel like Montreal really is the tougher team this year after signing Prust and Armstrong (if he stays healthy), cause the Leafs are easily one of the softest teams in the league, let alone that division. The one saving grace is that all the Weber/Nash stuff is going on over in the Atlantic.

@Hunkulese: right here buddy. and Alex put it up.

@baconbringer: Giroux is filthy. He deserves it over Pekke Rinne.

You guys are missing out. These games have been great this generation

Last NHL game I got was '09. Dunno if I should get this or just wait for the next gen stuff. I just wish they'd release a new NHL Hitz. God those games were fun.