Again in the NHL lockout. Once again, it is primarily about money. The other hockey leagues, especially in Europe, is pleased to join them yet so enjoy some unemployed NHL stars. Ehrhoff will join the team of Hannover Scorpions and thus enrich the DEL, Nash and Thornton are on the way to Davos, so in the Swiss National League and Jagr pulls it in his Czech homeland. NHL Power, as near as rare. Because it fits perfectly but that right now EA Sports brings the latest offshoot of their NHL series in the German stores. So skates strapped and off the ice.
Real Skateboarding?
Whether it is a real revolution gameplay of the series, such as Electronic Arts wants to tell us in their advertising copy, we may doubt me, a change in the game sense is the new physics engine True performance skating but created by default. The stick as pure direction specification is passé, now is it also determines at what speed with which explosiveness and agility with which to move the selected players will. In the distant past or sprint speed thrust generated by the so-called boost buttons hardly realistic in the current NHL 13, the whole thing gets a lot more now, however simulation character. The sequence is as simple as it is ingenious: the more you push the stick in the appropriate direction, the higher the speed of alter egos. Sprints from a standing is as accurate as possible as constant accelerations while skating, of course, everything. Always at the expense of endurance and enhanced consideration of the player values and capabilities Large, heavy players control is thus completely different from small, light - different tech-savvy than robust. By the way, the speed of hockey cracks has also its impact on other operations. The faster the virtual NHL star is on the ice road, the less controller he had the puck, the carrier will change its direction and the harder it is for the mixture of checks in defense and in attack Deke. Incidentally, in conjunction with the Skill Stick, ie the operation of the racket on the stick, the controller 13 is thus of NHL as really deep continuous. But also demanding, because is just sitting in front of the console quickly and loszuzocken on it, you can forget completely. Training and exercise is the keyword here. Or you decide to change to one of the various other control options, but then you miss the uniquely realistic part of the gameplay.
And what else? Playful especially a kind fine tuning of artificial intelligence has been made. The NHL series has been used in recent years with some very realistic acting with or CPU opponents, but in the current branch was again rotated at various Änderungsschräubchen. And the result is also quite impressive: Team members now run a tad better free, opposing defenses anticipate your moves more closely and give the goalkeeper still insurmountable. EA calls this improved AI system the way hockey IQ - meaning thereby a holistic view of the enemy by the CPU, ie, among others, that now not only the puck leading players is respected, but also the actions of the other players in the calculation incorporate and thus have a direct impact on the actions of the computer-controlled parts of the team. Especially in games against just those CPU, you notice also, that the general difficulty has moved slightly upward, and precisely on the offensive. Goals need to be even more precise, worked even harder, as ever an opponent threatens to call into pass or Schussweg. Particular praise was mentioned here that the one-timer again more importance has been given so much and he often leads to success as a still 12th in NHL
The Scope Goes Online
The Hockey Franchise NHL from EA Sports was the last years of a true scale monster: The obligatory fast game, the Winter Classic, Hockey Ultimate Team, Be a GM / Pro / Legend, the playoffs, a self-made season, the tournament mode, the comprehensive training and for the entertaining fun superficial Shootout, all depending of course on-or offline choice. So it started to fear boredom in the predecessors barely - and boredom is not an issue in NHL 13. Why? The game modes are listed without smears, but unfortunately only very marginal improvements and enhancements, including the built in mode Winter Classic event from the year 2012 or the new look of the Hockey Ultimate Team, also included in the current branch.Completely new is GM Connected and NHL Moments Live. The latter follows the trend in sports games offer the chance to experience this past highlights and replay Asked situations. This Challenge Mode offers you scenes from the history of the NHL last 30 years that you can solve it in the familiar pattern of different levels. Just a pity that the older scenarios are always projected to the year 2012 and thus this "Beautiful old time" atmosphere, which, for example, a NBA 2K can produce with his time jumps, is not offered in NHL 13th At least, should, according to plans drawn up by EA, for download are constantly creating new and highly topical events provided. Very laudable project, but we can at the present time, of course, any statements related to the quantity and quality of this service active.
GM Connected is the second major innovation. This term indicates nothing more than a slightly scaled-line version of Be a GM hidden. In its own NHL you can here, alone or with some friends, one of 30 teams playing direct, and manage. The setup is similar to this, although the offline career, as this also offers a degree of depth, but is altogether more accessible. You can tell just yet, it primarily comes to give the online game fun on the ice and that the integrated manager aspects are just a nice, but quite notable additions. Verify accurate count, we could during our test session course as not, should, according to Publisher total of up to 750 users within such a self-generated GM Connected can romp League. Considerable. Overall, this new online game mode, especially the fans, but in any case, a new, very intense way to deal with NHL 13th.
Remains to be clarified to conclude the question of which license package EA has put us to the current branch. To get straight to the point, much has been done for the last year is not here. The roster has been placed on the NHL and AHL almost up to date. Less current one is contained in the remaining leagues, especially the DEL, which are based on older data consistently well. Too bad in this context is the way that you can still only the NHL, AHL and the corresponding Canadian junior leagues, such as CHL, in all Be a - can not record modes. For DEL, National League, Extraliga, SM-Liiga and Eliteserien for known patterns only the season is offered as a long version of the game.
On the technology has its predecessor practically nothing done. And that's a shame because we come again this year to enjoy this now several years old English commentators duo whose sayings cost us now finally the last nerve. Constant repetition, partly confused and barely coherent timing analysis would be in itself an absolute "no go", the whole thing is really bad but the fact that we all already in NHL 12 - and some predecessors - know. Mute or off is as always the most appropriate instrument. So you get then the great quality of the acoustic fan support and the on-ice sounds better.
