NHL 11 Demo to be Released August 17th

BassTek

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From the EASports NHL blog: http://www.easports.com/blogs/inthecrease/post/slug/nhl-11-demo-to-be-released-august-17th

EASports said:
13-August-2010
If you missed yesterday’s Live Producer Chat, we announced that the NHL 11 demo will be released on Tuesday August 17th in North America on both XBOX Live and PSN Home. For those in the EU, the demo will be live sometime on Wednesday August 18th. Both dates are barring any issues from Microsoft or Sony. “In the demo, you will get a first look at Hockey Ultimate Team,” commented Producer Nathan Ng during the Live Producer Chat. “What is included in your HUT will be a starter pack, with a mix of prospects and some rare cards. You will get to play through an offline tournament. In each portion of the tournament bracket you get to play will be the 3rd period of the game. If you you win, you move on. If you lose, you start from the beginning of the tourney.”

Prior to each game you will be given the opportunity to edit your lines and improve your chemistry along with applying training cards that you will also receive after each game, win or lose. You will earn pucks, however, you will not be able to purchase any card packs in the demo. They will be provided to give you an idea of how you will gain pucks in the mode with the full game.

To clarify on the rewards for playing the demo, if you play the demo or complete the tournament you will receive a pack of cards which you will receive when you start the full game. You can also earn a second pack of cards if you invite a friend to play the demo. Add these to the pack you get with the full game and you can start with three packs once you begin playing Hockey Ultimate Team in the full version of the game. You demo HUT team is only for the demo and will not transfer to the full game.

The demo will also include a look at the Battle for the Cup mode putting you in a Game Seven scenario between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Chicago Blackhawks in the third period. The score will be randomly generated and you will have an opportunity to play with either team for a chance to hoist the Stanley Cup.

I'm pumped, already have my copy pre-ordered for the 360 to get the bonus gear again this year.
 
Looking forward to NHL 11. Have anything other than real physics been mentioned? Like game play improvements?
 
Uh, i've been out of the loop. Whats this hockey ultimate team nonsense? Are they sneaking micro-transactions into sports games of all things?
 
Looking forward to NHL 11. Have anything other than real physics been mentioned? Like game play improvements?

Well lets see, the new physics engine, broken sticks, new face off system so you can tie up, shoot, deke or draw it back....if a stick does break its all user controlled in order to pass a stick to a defenseman and grab one from the bench....new quick dekes annnnd thats all i can think of
 
There is a good thread over at the official EA forums that lists and explains most of the new features. - http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/posts/list/1668761.page#7090040

Here is a quick rundown stolen from that thread:

NHL 11 New Features:

Can be drafted as late as the 7th round in Be a Pro mode
Preseason in BEAGM and BeaPro mode
Custom EASHL jerseys
Restricted free agents
Real world prizes
Ultimate Team
CHL Teams
Broken Sticks
Hustle button
Injuries in otp
Fatigue in otp
Goal celebrations
Goal reviews
New physics engine
New face-off engine
Fighting off the draw
Clown gear is gone (all the goofy flame/camo equipment from last year)
32 different goalie sets
New team intros
EASHL practice mode
50 new NHL cyberfaces and 5 real-life CHL faces.
New Dekes
Control your low and high hits

Improvements that have not been talked about yet:

BeaGM
EASHL
Be a Pro
 
Uh, i've been out of the loop. Whats this hockey ultimate team nonsense? Are they sneaking micro-transactions into sports games of all things?

Micro-transactions have been around sports games for a few years now unfortunately. I think it started in the Tiger Woods series where you could buy 'fully-unlocked' golfers with max attributes which would normally take hours of playing to unlock.

It hit hockey last year in the form of equipment and boosts that you can unlock by achieving certain tasks, or just buying them outright for a few dollars per unlock.
 
^^ Which you'll need to do to be competitive online if you don't feel like unlocking gear through acheivements.
 
Yeah micro transactions suck, and I haven't bought any of NCAA Football Games which I bought every year since they started doing it for the dynasty mode...took alot of the fun out of it.

I will just rent NHL 11 like I do with the rest of the games...I would have bought it, but not with micro transactions....
 
Yeah micro transactions suck, and I haven't bought any of NCAA Football Games which I bought every year since they started doing it for the dynasty mode...took alot of the fun out of it.

I will just rent NHL 11 like I do with the rest of the games...I would have bought it, but not with micro transactions....

just remember forking out 10$ to play it online if you are planning to while renting.
 
^^ Which you'll need to do to be competitive online if you don't feel like unlocking gear through acheivements.

Just in certain modes, ranked games don't have gear bonuses.

I can't wait for the demo! NHL is my most played game pretty much every year.
 
So, what do you guys think of the demo? $60 for a roster update or major improvement over NHL 10?
 
]|[ Mar']['in ]|[;1036102314 said:
Originally Posted by USMC2Hard4U
Ultimate Hockey Team is the Detroit Red Wings
QFT

Lawlz ... it's kind of true though, the team has made the playoffs for the last 20 years, if there is any team to beat, it's the Wings. But I'll still cheer for my home town boys the Sabres til I die even if their management team is a joke
 
So, what do you guys think of the demo? $60 for a roster update or major improvement over NHL 10?

The first match or so I was convinced it was just a roster update. Finally I started giving some more consideration over the course of an hour or so. I have to say, the game is a good improvement over 10, but not earth-shattering.

Pros:

I've seen a lot of complaints over the "slower" pacing in this years game. However, I don't really believe that it's worse because of it. If anything, this years game feels much more like real hockey. It may in fact be a tad slower, but If you've ever really watched a game it's much more realistic. The new checking and physics system take some time to get use to, but it's actually quite cool to see it in action. Watching a defensemen take a slap shot from the point only to shatter a sprawling offensemen's stick is as cool the first time, as the 20th. I also love the new face-off system. It seems redirections are more frequent, and the CPU does a much better job of sending the puck toward the net. I've scored quite a few awesome goals because of this. If you are able to pull off some new dekes (L1 or LB) it can be spectacular as well.

Hockey Ultimate Team, also looks to be an interesting concept. But more-so something to do after you finish a dynasty or be-a-pro.

Having Junior A hockey teams is AWESOME!

Cons:

No new goalie animations, or commentary (that I can recall) which is a letdown. I've heard a lot of the same stuff for 4 iterations of the game now, and it's starting to wear thin. Sometimes physics can get a little wacky, I've had players smash themselves into the boards and sprawl out across the ice.

Overall:
A buy for me, but then it normally would be so that's not very fair ;)
 
Have played the demo a bit. It feels more like tinkerings than improvements. Those changes can easily be done with a patch I think.

Hmm.... I am more leaning to "pass". Maybe I will spend money on Lego 10211 instead!!
 
I thought nhl 10 was rubbish, it took way too long after the whistle to get the next faceoff going, I still prefer to play 09. A great mix of real play and fast arcade action. I am concerned 11 is going to add more slowdown and nonsense.
 
I think I preferred the pace of 09 better too, but a slower and more realistic game hasn't prevented me from enjoying 10. They patched the long wait after the whistle and the only issue I really had with it is the glitch wrister being too easy to pull off. It's pretty easy to defend against though so it's not a game breaker if your D knows what to look for.

I like what I see so far in the demo of 11, but the real test will be how it plays online in EASHL/OTP as those are the main modes I play. Ultimate Team could be a fun distraction for when nobody else from your team is online, hopefully the 'pucks' aren't too hard to earn because I won't be paying for card packs.
 
I thought nhl 10 was rubbish, it took way too long after the whistle to get the next faceoff going, I still prefer to play 09. A great mix of real play and fast arcade action. I am concerned 11 is going to add more slowdown and nonsense.

As someone who actually plays hockey, I like the slower, more realistic pace and greater attention to smaller details that seems to be the trend with EA's newer releases of NHL. It's still way faster than trying to get through a game of Madden.

There's always the option to adjust the sliders to suit your own personal taste but it's nice to see the default settings embrace the fact that hockey is a thinking man's game... not a rush up the ice over and over and over again to set up the famous one-timer as many times as you can.
 
As someone who actually plays hockey, I like the slower, more realistic pace and greater attention to smaller details that seems to be the trend with EA's newer releases of NHL. It's still way faster than trying to get through a game of Madden.

There's always the option to adjust the sliders to suit your own personal taste but it's nice to see the default settings embrace the fact that hockey is a thinking man's game... not a rush up the ice over and over and over again to set up the famous one-timer as many times as you can.

I guess it all depends, I think a good sports or racing game adds that perfect element of arcade feel mixed with realism. To me, frustration added to make a more 'realistic' game is a major downfall of a lot of games in the genre.
 
I guess it all depends, I think a good sports or racing game adds that perfect element of arcade feel mixed with realism. To me, frustration added to make a more 'realistic' game is a major downfall of a lot of games in the genre.

i will have to disagree...the more arcade mixed in to the game can get frustrating, for example in madden when a running back magically breaks out of 3 defenders tackling him at once and then since everyone is breaking on the ball, the running back blows by everyone and scores an 80 yard TD....that is frustrating. Realism is much more challenging than frustrating. Which is why I will play Madden for a month, get bored with it and then NHL takes over my life
 
The question is, should I get this game for PS3 or 360. I had it on the 360 last year, but may change it up and go with the PS3 version.
 
I guess it all depends, I think a good sports or racing game adds that perfect element of arcade feel mixed with realism. To me, frustration added to make a more 'realistic' game is a major downfall of a lot of games in the genre.

I do think it is personal preference...for me I want more realism...I want to feel like I am actually watching/playing a real hockey game. Some people can't put themselves in a game, but I can...I feel like I am actually just watching a hockey game...(while controlling it)...its weird, I know but the more arcadish that it becomes, the less I can actually view it as anything but a simple arcade game...


The question is, should I get this game for PS3 or 360. I had it on the 360 last year, but may change it up and go with the PS3 version.

I think it really just comes down to which controller you like best...I like PS3's better, so thats what I get the majority of my games for. :)
 
The question is, should I get this game for PS3 or 360. I had it on the 360 last year, but may change it up and go with the PS3 version.

I'm switching to 360 this year. Never had luck with the in-game voice chat on PS3 but maybe they'll fix it this year.

One bonus on PS3 is that you can have multiple accounts. If you are hardcore about EASHL you could have one account for your main player on a serious team and another account for a fun/casual team.
 
Game came out yesterday, so far I am enjoying it. Gameplay is definitely different from '10 online but that could be due to everyone playing like a rookie. Also nice to see that you can unlock the third boost slot on gear and all of the +5 boosts via EASHL/OTP this year.
 
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For those of you deciding between 360/PS3, it seems the PS3 still has issues with voice chat during club games. For those not familiar with the issue, it means teammates will randomly have garbled chat, or not hear each other at all until the game dumps you back to the lobby.

I can't believe they are still having this issue after three years, main reason I went 360 this round.
 
so if you refuse to buy add ons, are you just gonna be left in the dust online?
 
so if you refuse to buy add ons, are you just gonna be left in the dust online?

Assuming you mean EASHL and online team play, not really. It's debatable how much the boosts help, but the majority of your stat points are gained from leveling up with player cards. The boosts just allow you to tweak a few stats an extra +1 to +9 points (out of 100) on top of what you earned in game . Although the positional boost packs do bump your rookie up quite a bit, they are pretty much obsolete once you get your veteran player card. Assuming you play your position properly and get good teamplay grades you should be able to level up fairly easily without bumping up your stats.

If you really want the boosts and slots, the majority of them can be unlocked in a few hours by creating an offline be a pro character. Set the game to rookie, set all the difficulty sliders (shot accuracy, power etc) to full for human and 0 for CPU. Sim the games and intervene in the last 5 minutes, score a couple goals, rinse and repeat 40 times as the majority of unlocks require 40 games played. It's pretty boring but it's better than supporting EA and their micro-transactions. Another option is to pay a few bucks for the positional boost packs to get you started, then unlock things as you go since all the +5 boosts can be gained that way.

If you meant for Hockey Ultimate Team, I suppose those who buy a lot of packs outright will have the advantage but the players you get are all random. Still a guy that buys 50 packs with a guaranteed rare player will have the advantage over a guy who buys none.
 
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