EA Sports NHL 2012

Any idea on how they'd be integrated in GM mode?

I think you can just move them around ala free agents and etc. So they probably won't start off in BaGM but you probably (hopefully) just have to send them to FA's list.

Cause I hate when they include the fake players in the FA list and you don't notice until you are progressed through your BaGM and playing against a 96 Overall 16yr old goalie.

All 9 Legends announced: Gretzky, Roy, Lemieux, Yzerman, Gordie Howe, Salming, Bourque, Chelios and Roenick.

Demo out now!

Yeah, I think it came out yesterday, but somehow I totally forgot!! Anyone play it yet?

Not yet for me...tonight maybe...

Although, there's something about elbowing the nerds out of the way, buying a nice, fresh copy and slamming it into the 360 that makes me warm and fuzzy, so maybe I'll just wait...

SpezDispenser wrote:Not yet for me...tonight maybe...

Although, there's something about elbowing the nerds out of the way, buying a nice, fresh copy and slamming it into the 360 that makes me warm and fuzzy, so maybe I'll just wait...

Be nice to the nerds. We bruise easily.

tim1_2 wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:Not yet for me...tonight maybe...

Although, there's something about elbowing the nerds out of the way, buying a nice, fresh copy and slamming it into the 360 that makes me warm and fuzzy, so maybe I'll just wait...

Be nice to the nerds. We bruise easily.

In fairness to nerds, they know when they see fervor in someone's eyes regarding a newly released NHL game - and they usually GTFO of the way.

I downloaded it yesterday morning, played it once. They give you a preview (again) of HUT, Play Now and Be a Pro.

For HUT you start over everytime you begin, and you can play a 4 game tournament, going from Saint John -> Vancouver -> Boston -> Team USA

Play Now is game 7 of the finals... it sims to 3rd period, so you may or may ebter the 3rd ahead or behind.

Be a Pro is a left-handed playmaking centre named Joe NHL. You play the 3rd period of a game, starting scoreless IIRC.

Gameplay seems smoother (more realistic movement, skating is nice, shooting is sweet, hits are good).

Nice to hear...!

I found that when you wound up for a slap shot (which typically stops your skating in NHL 11) that you maintain some momentum while gliding and your body moves more fluidly and the shot comes off more realistically.

As for hitting, I like that not every hit is a bone crusher. Smaller, weaker guys like Seguin are more likely to bounce off of a stronger player, whereas Chara and Horton will throw a much bigger hit. Players react differently when hit, like falling/stumbling or getting flattened.

One thing I hope they fix is the goalie contact. I was able to pound the goalie with crosschecks after the whistle and not penalties were called at all. Also I noticed if you take control of your goalie after a whistle and make him skate to centre ice, it will initiate a fight automatically.

Dash wrote:I found that when you wound up for a slap shot (which typically stops your skating in NHL 11) that you maintain some momentum while gliding and your body moves more fluidly and the shot comes off more realistically.

As for hitting, I like that not every hit is a bone crusher. Smaller, weaker guys like Seguin are more likely to bounce off of a stronger player, whereas Chara and Horton will throw a much bigger hit. Players react differently when hit, like falling/stumbling or getting flattened.

One thing I hope they fix is the goalie contact. I was able to pound the goalie with crosschecks after the whistle and not penalties were called at all. Also I noticed if you take control of your goalie after a whistle and make him skate to centre ice, it will initiate a fight automatically.

hahaha, I heard about the goalie fights. Is it easy to get used to the controls - or are they the same.

Is the skating annoying, or are you used to the slower skating immediately. I might have to get the demo afterall.

It seems they just slowed gameplay to what it should be, not too much of an adjustment. EA tweaked a lot of those things via patches and tuners last year.

Controls are same except for the jostling infront of the net.

I played a few rounds of the demo last night. Pretty good. The skating definitely has a slightly different feel to it…not really better or worse, but it's something everyone will get used to pretty quickly. I only played 4 or 5 games (and that's just one period each), but I didn't have any situations where being able to contact the goalie affected the play. I did get whistled for a roughing penalty for repeatedly running into the goalie after the whistle.

The biggest difference I noticed was in the slapshots. As was previously mentioned, slapshots behave more realistically now. The puck doesn't automatically track with you, and it's easier to be disrupted while trying to perform a slapshot. I had numerous instances where someone jostled me or got their stick in on my shot, causing the puck to fire well wide of the net. Likewise, if you hold your wind-up for a while, the puck drifts from it's location, and can cause you to fire a weaker/inaccurate shot. It's a very nice change.

I found the hitting…different. Hard to say if I like the new hitting yet. I found in some instances the animations were a little awkward. It is a welcome change to not have smaller guys bowling over bigger players though.

Anyway, as was expected, no big changes, just some tweaks. If you played NHL 11, you'll be able to step right in to NHL 12.

Played the demo last night quite a bit when I couldn't sleep. Decided to try HUT out, since I never really got into it (I'm a BaGM guy). Few kids from the Sens system are in it, including Daugavins, who is a 72 overall; Locke who is a 74 overall; and Noesen who is a 66 overall, with an 87 potential if I remember correctly (loved playing with him, just lit it up!).

Other notable (for me) players I encountered in HUT are 1st rounders Landeskog, Ryan Murphy, Nugent-Hopkins, Huberdeau (I think), Larsson, Bartschi, and Brodin. 2nd Rounder Jurco. Jeff Skinner, Shea Weber, Stamkos, Fowler and Teubert. Also got Lucic every single time. Not a fan of him in the game.

EDIT: found this link on hfboards with ratings of players in HUT: http://hfboards.com/showpost.php?p=36188681&postcount=98

^ Awesome, so excited.

Just watched the Be a Legend video, and on it, you can see the Karlsson card from HUT. His rating in it is an 83, with a potential of 91. I can also make out his stats to be 87 Skating, 80 Shooting, 86 Hands, 74 Checking, and 82 Defence. One would think his player attributes would reflect these.

Oh dear God, I've just realised how pathetic I am. Don't look at me!!

The Silfer Server wrote:Just watched the Be a Legend video, and on it, you can see the Karlsson card from HUT. His rating in it is an 83, with a potential of 91. I can also make out his stats to be 87 Skating, 80 Shooting, 86 Hands, 74 Checking, and 82 Defence. One would think his player attributes would reflect these.

Oh dear God, I've just realised how pathetic I am. Don't look at me!!

I like that they've come back with potential in numbers instead of letters. Or both would be good.