Since this month has been pretty hectic so far with the releases of NHL 12, FIFA 12, and the BF3 Open beta, it's been hard to write previews/reviews, but I'm getting around to the Be A Pro mode in NHL 12. Hockey's always been one of my favorite team sports and, over the last several years, has become my all-time favorite sport all together. When NHL 12 received its release date I was excited. I already knew they were going to come out with another game this year, just wasn't sure when. So, when more and more details started coming out I was way more excited to see what they did. NHL 11 was a great game, BUT it lacked in several areas, which 12 seemed to have listened to its fans and corrected a lot of them. There are some areas in which I'd still say need improvement, but, overall, 12 is definitely the best hockey game I've ever played and definitely one of the better sports games I've ever played.
I don't know what it is, but it seems to me that every EA Sports game I play has below average passing, whether it be NHL or FIFA, both games have reflected this to me. I understand not every pass is going to be perfect, but how many passes that aren't even close to their target in these games is just astounding. Seemingly "easy" passes turn into a counterattack by the other team. It does get annoying and frustrating after a while of experiencing this. Fortunately, though, these passes don't happen as often as they did in NHL 11.
Another thing I think EA Sports games lack is commentating. Both in FIFA and NHL they're good, but I think they could be a lot better if they worked on them more. It seems EAS just reuses last year's commentating and only add a few lines to the new year's release. I don't know about everyone else, but I enjoy listening to the commentators and what they have to say and how they react to different plays. It adds one more piece of realism to the game and provides for a little more excitement.
The all new mechanics to the game are great, but they lack in precision. What I mean is that the accomplish the overall goal of what real hockey players do, but it's not anywhere near how precise they are done in real hockey. For instance, when checking an opponent along the boards, sometimes you'll be in the middle of actually flicking the hit stick when they all of a sudden turn their bodies and there's absolutely nothing you can do to avoid checking them from behind and subsequently getting a penalty, whether it be a minor, double, minor, or major/game misconduct penalty. This gets frustrating as I don't mean to play as a dirty player. I like performing clean checks and only fighting if I think it's necessary to help my team win. Checking isn't the only are the precision lacks. Besides passing, when interacting with other players (teammates or opponents) it doesn't always feel "fluid" or "real." I love the direction they're going with the interactions, but it definitely could use some tweaking.
There are a few other things I felt could be worked on so I'll just throw them all together as I don't have much to say on each one. They definitely improved the players' AI, but they lack a huge amount to even be considered competent. When bringing the puck down one of the wings, one of your own teammates will bring it upon themselves to block your path even though there's no one in your path and you're at about the same spot as your teammate. It makes no sense to skate in front of you, which causes you to get checked or to lose the puck and the coaches say it's your fault. Another "AI" issue I saw is the way your teammates DON'T move when on the forecheck (offense). Normally, players would move around to try to get position on their opponents, but in this game, they barely move at all. Sure, they might battle for position in front of the net a lot more now, but they don't do much else. I found that this constant "battling" in front of the net leads to too many of your teammates blocking your shots and that's frustrating as well. They should have the ability to know when you're in front of them and the net to move enough so you have a clear enough shot to get it on net or at least to hit the goaltender. The last issue I can think of is when after the play stops and the referee blows the whistle, one of your teammates can very easily just bump into the goaltender and he goes flying, causing your team to get a penalty almost every time. I love the new goalie interactions, but this is just too ridiculous. This does not happen very often in real hockey so it shouldn't be happening anywhere near as much as it does in NHL 12.
I know it seems as if I'm bashing NHL 12, but I'm really not. They are some flaws in the game, but those aren't the only parts of the game so there are a lot of positive features as well. A good majority of the game remained the same so there really isn't much need to learn the controls if you played 11. With all the tweaks they did implement, there have been some pleasant ones as well. The new shooting mechanics are a nice, realistic addition as now you can actually score in a more realistic way such as balancing on one skate and wrapping a shot around a player/goalie to score. On breakaways, or if you're a player who can deke well, you'll notice the ability to be able to move the puck in ways you've never seen before, but they actually do it in real life hockey so it's awesome to see some of these things come into play with NHL 12. I had a goal where I was impressed by how it actually played out like a real play rather than something set in stone in a video game. I came from the side of the goalie, had an opening, started to deke around the one defenseman that was in my way and my player actually wrapped his stick around the goalie to get the goal. It was beautiful to see, actually. The checking mechanics are, for the most part, a lot better this year as well. Although some checks don't play out as "real" the majority of them do. I love how they made your own player interact with the check as well as the player you are checking. If you're a smaller player and, no matter how hard or big of a check you dish out, your player reacts in a realistic manner, such as if you try to check Chara with a smaller player, you're not likely to check him off of his skates, but you're more likely to fall down as a result. Even on huge hits where you do lay someone out, you can fall down, too, and I think that that makes for a challenge in itself as you can take yourself completely out of a play if that happens. Sometimes I think your own player takes a little long to get up and back skating, but the checking mechanics more than make up for that. I didn't really notice any difference in how the puck reacts, but I also didn't really think it needed much tweaking as the puck mechanics were pretty decent last year. Deflections aren't always 100% accurate so it's exciting to see some narrowly miss or deflect way off target. Some go in and you have no idea how, but that's just hockey, unpredictable.
Even though I just started my own Be A Pro, I just go out of the Juniors and made it into the NHL drafted by the Colorado Avalanche starting the 3rd line. Not too shabby for myself, I must say. Playing in the Juniors was another cool addition they added. it was a good way to practice and get ready for the NHL. If you're ready, you'll play on a NHL team. If not, you'll be sent back down to the AHL to get ready. I like the new game & shift goals they set for you. It's something to play for throughout the game and the time period they give you. It does need to be tweaked in a few areas, but nothing major that makes it a disappointment or just in the way.
Although there are more flaws and good things about this game, they are way outside the scope of this blog post. As I experience more and more, I will post updates as I can. Definitely check out this game; it's worth getting and playing.
As always,
Happy Gaming!
GeNiO
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