Cheap NHL 15 Coins Online Sale - NHL 15 is the first EA foray into Hockey on the current generation

In 1992, the NHL introduced the “instigator” rule, handing an extra two-minute minor penalty to a player who starts a fight. Here in 2014, many video game fans think the book should be thrown at video game maker Electronic Arts for their efforts on the latest version of their wildly popular NHL franchise. But will EA’s reportedly awful effort on NHL 15 really cause its long-time fans to abandon ship? NHL 15 is EA’s first foray into Hockey on the current generation. Last year’s game was not earth shattering, but thats okay, it was still an amazing package, was filled to the brim with modes and features. Had they just brought that experience over to the current generation with some improved graphics, I knew I would have been pretty happy with it. And that was not unreasonable since Madden and FIFA came to current generation systems mostly unscathed. EA even told us they would wait a year to get NHL on current generation systems so that they could do it right.

 

The intro to the opening game, a Game 7 Stanley Cup matchup between the Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers, looks like something NBC would have broadcast on my television last June. From the outdoor shots of the city to Mike Emrick and Eddie Olczyk overlooking the ice in the announcers booth, this was the first time the attempt at a studio-style presentation in the NHL games has nailed it spot on. And then the game started, and it felt like you expect an NHL game to feel, albeit with some subtle new enhancements to how things operate. When you couple the presentation with things like improved player collisions and puck physics, the initial impression that the game has taken a step forward into the current generation of hardware. It hasn’t. In fact, the NHL series may have regressed considerably.

 

The AI plays, for the most part, how the AI should in a sports game. It makes the right decisions with the puck and knows how to exploit mistakes made in the defensive zone. It’s apparent that EA worked on the AI for playing games against the CPU, and it has paid off with how they perform on a game-to-game basis. Visually, NHL 15 looks absolutely stunning. The arena designs, for the buildings that EA Sports secured the rights to (sorry, Blackhawks fans), look pretty spot on, aside from the banners in the ceiling. The biggest drawback regarding the arenas is that many teams don’t have accurate goal horns, which can prove to be a bummer to the diehard community.

 

Perhaps my biggest AI-related frustration comes from my AI teammates, who don’t seem to display much situational awareness in either end of the ice. In the offensive zone, I have been frequently dismayed to see players unwilling to come for the puck when I try to kick it along to them from a player engaged at the boards. No matter how quickly I switch to the player closest to the puck after kicking it in their direction, the default movement by the AI is to move away from the puck-presumably to drop back on defense, as though “reading” that a turnover has occurred-so instead of maintaining possession in the offensive zone, I have to quickly adjust and switch to a defense mindset. Point defenders are also hit-and-miss with how well they hold the zone, so you’ll still see instances where a pass back to the point results in the puck leaving the zone and either an offside call or the need to regroup and get back onside; a familiar issue to NHL veterans. Missing is a fan-favorite season mode and "Battle for the Cup" or "NHL 94 Anniversary" mode. While you can play single games online, there is not yet an online team play option or a Connected-GM mode as there is in Madden. Also missing is the ability to play in the real NHL's most popular regular season game, the Winter Classic (or new Stadium Series). All the games you play will have to take place indoors.?

 

With the startling amount of missing content, kneecapped modes, and uneven gameplay in NHL 15, either EA Sports isn't giving EA Canada the same level of resources as its other sports franchises or the development team is woefully incapable of negotiating a console transition. If the publisher doesn't care to put a winning effort into its NHL series, hockey fans have no reason to jump over the boards and buy the game. As the action on-screen plays out, the crowd follows the action by cheering or booing accordingly. Everything from the anticipation of a breakaway goal to a bone crunching hit charges up the crowd. Get pinned up against the boards and you will hear and see fans pounding on the glass. What you won’t hear however are any kind of chants, whether it be for the home team, the goalie that made a big save or the enforcer that just cleaned someone’s clock. The admission is highly noticeable, especially after mounting a 3rd period comeback late in a game.

Back to Cheap NHL 15 Coins Online Sale