Hockey Media

NHL 14 – Enforcer Engine Insight

More details have been released, as to how the Enforcer Engine will be integrated into NHL 14. They were revealed as hidden Easter eggs in the NHL 14 trailer released recently. For those who didn’t catch the Easter eggs, here’s a detailed look at what they were, courtesy of.. http://www.easports.com/nhl/news/article/nhl-14-easter-eggs

  1. All-new Third Person Presentation: Say goodbye to the first person fighting system that was introduced in NHL 10. The Enforcer Engine brings an all-new authentic third person experience that will never break you away from the on-ice action.
  2. Post-Fight Celebrations: Fights are intense. Winning a fight is electrifying. You will celebrate the thrill of winning a fight by engaging the crowd or taunting your opponent.
  3. Everyone is Live: No more first person fighting mini-game where everyone leaves the ice. Players on the ice will interact with each other, pairing off and jostling. The ref will also be a part of the action.
  4. Real Fight Damage: The black eyes, bruising and lumps you take in a fight will last throughout the game. NHL hockey can be a battle. Now you’ll have the scars to prove it.

This sounds like that the game could mean that the game may continue at times, whilst a fight is starting, which would be good, but only it if it seamless and not some kind of loading screen in between the two. Post-Fight Celebrations seem pointless. All-in brawls of yesteryear could finally make it into a video game! The days of when Steve Ott, Sean Avery and Krys Barch would take on entire teams, only without biased Boston Bruins commentary, as in the video below.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-D09wj5VtU[/youtube]

Real Fight Damage sounds like a good idea, but unless they have a lot more close-up shots of players, there isn’t really much point, as you don’t see faces of players all that much, unless they score goals or have a lot of hits/saves etc. All good ideas on paper, but it will be interesting to see how these look when the game hits shelves this September.

General

NHL ’14 – First Look

With the release of the Official Trailer for NHL ’14, EA Sports have also released some new features, that will be available in NHL ’14.

NHL 14 Features

  • NHL® Collision Physics – Developed from the same core technology that powers EA SPORTS FIFA’s critically-acclaimed Player Impact Engine, NHL® Collision Physics introduces bigger, more thrilling hits, and truer-to-life collisions. A new left-stick control scheme makes delivering a game-changing hit simpler and more rewarding than ever.
  • Enforcer Engine – There is a code in hockey, when it’s broken you have to respond. A first for the NHL franchise, Fight Night technology delivers a new 3rd person experience, physics-based punch targeting and player size differentiation to every fight, creating the most authentic and electrifying experience yet.
  • One-Touch Dekes – Experience what it feels like to be a superstar through a new, more responsive deking system controlled only with the left stick and one-button. From beginner to advanced gamers, the system allows for quicker reactive dekes and intuitive combination dekes, creating more moves than ever before.
  • True Performance Skating – Built on the breakthrough innovation that introduced physics-based skating and over 1,000 new skating animations to the EA SPORTS NHL franchise. The second year of the True Performance Skating features improved acceleration, explosive first-strides, quicker pivots and enhanced lateral skating, resulting in greater player responsiveness and unprecedented control.
  • Live the Life – The new incarnation of the Be a Pro Career Mode, now you can truly Live the Life of an NHL player. On or off the ice, every decision you make shapes your legacy as an athlete. Interact with teammates outside of the rink. Take part in media interviews. Each choice you make will affect your relationship with fans, teammates and management, influencing your skills and progression.
  • EA SPORTS NHL Online Seasons NHL 14 adds the best-in-class promotion and relegation system in the sports category to the Hockey Ultimate Team & EA SPORTS Hockey League modes. Win games and advance to the next division to face tougher competition, fall short and see your team bumped down. Teams will be able to track their progress across multiple seasons.

Courtesy of http://www.easports.com/nhl/news/article/vision-of-hockey-nhl-14

FIRST THOUGHTS

Live the Life sounds similar to the My Player mode found in the NBA 2K series. As the 2K mode based around a single player, is the best going around, it will be interesting to see whether or not EA can match the sheer superbity of their 2K counter-parts, because if they are able to, in EA’s own way, then Be A Pro could very well be the main feature of NHL ’14.

EA Sports NHL Online Seasons looks to be the same setup as in the FIFA franchise, also by EA Sports. This setup is very decent, very easy to follow, and adds just that little bit more when playing online. I hope this makes it into Ultimate Team as well, for online and single player, like it has in FIFA ’13.

Everything else just seem to be improvements and tweaks to features they have brought in from previous seasons, however I am sure that more information will come out closer to the release date of September 10th for North America and September 13th in Europe, and BoredHockeyFan.com will have all the details.