NHL 12 News Post

NHL 12 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here (360, PS3)

05:52 AM - August 23, 2011 by Steve_OS

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NHL 12 demo is available now, please play a few games and post your impressions here. The demo weighs in at 1.34 GB. Available now for 360, later this afternoon for PS3.

UPDATE: PS3 demo is available now.

What's included in the demo? Check out the NHL 12 demo announcement blog.

Game: NHL 12Reader Score: 7.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / Xbox 360Votes for game: 26 - View All

NHL 12 Videos

Member Comments

# 261 Qb @ 08/24/11 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rogie Vachon


	Can a puck carrier still push the puck ahead? Like I say,..I`ve been looking for it and haven`t really seen it on any of the videos out there.

Yes. It also seems like it was tweaked somewhat... the move itself didn't seem to give me as much speed, but the defender didn't get a slight boost to counteract it either. Not how I remember it in NHL11...

I did it when I was about even with a defender on the rush and he didn't automatically take the puck from me. I didn't blow by him, but gained about half a step which enabled me to get a shot off. To be fair, this was on Pro difficulty since it was in the HUT demo mode, so maybe on AS or SS he simply absorbs the puck as seen NHL11. Guess I need to remember to try it in a similar situation during play now game on a higher difficulty.

On a very loosely related note, the puck protect for driving to the net from wide was more effective when I tried it with Lucic and Iginla in HUT. That was something that was present early on in NHL11 but was eventually tuned out due to online abuse. Hopefully it's back to stay and it can't be tap-spammed anymore because it's a fairly standard tactic in the NHL.

# 262 adayinthelife @ 08/24/11 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rogie Vachon


	I haven`t read it anywhere,and I don`t think I`ve seen anyone doing it on any of the videos,.....at least not very much,because I don`t recall seeing it. Can a puck carrier still push the puck ahead? Like I say,..I`ve been looking for it and haven`t really seen it on any of the videos out there.

Yep, you still use L2/LT.

# 263 FBeaule04 @ 08/24/11 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonapaloma


	Damn you EA or who it is who decides that you got to have a gold membership on live to be able to download nhl 12 demo :S :P

Blame Microsoft on this one!

# 264 Dazraz @ 08/24/11 02:40 PM

First & foremost is does NHL 12 play a better game than NHL 11. Yes it does. Has it made the same strides that this years Madden has that makes it a must buy. Not a chance.

NHL 12 does nothing badly & most importantly does nothing worse than last years game. The problem is it does all too much the same. Yes we have more animations, better physics, nicer crowds & improved cloth textures, but what else. The menu, the cutscenes, the replays, the unbroadcast like broadcast cam, the commentary, the lack of stat overlays. All unchanged. It's basically a retuned NHL11 & should never be a full price release.

The worrying thing is I remember making pretty much the same comments about last years demo. I never expected a great leap forward this year, especially after 2K's decision to once again not release a hockey game, but I thought that EA would at least refresh the presentation to give the game a fresh feel.

# 265 bukktown @ 08/24/11 02:59 PM

I think that as sportsgamers we have about 1.5 years to really enjoy playing against the AI. About halfway through the 2nd version of the game you have learned all o the AI tendencies and it starts to get boring.

I can't play a season offline anymore with this series. I did that already back in 08 and half a season in 09. I still love the game every year but I understand the limitations of how I am gonna get my enjoyment out of it.

# 266 MetalCavs @ 08/24/11 03:13 PM

Definite improvements but not 60 bucks worth , well said Dazraz , as happened with their football titles with no competition EA will keep changes to a minimum with priceing at a premium , and we'll keep buying.

# 267 BFLOsOWN @ 08/24/11 03:13 PM

Thought the demo was pretty good, can't wait till it comes out.

# 268 Broncos86 @ 08/24/11 03:50 PM

If I had to base my purchase solely on the demo, I'd say I'm not buying NHL12. The gameplay is tweaked, but not $60-tweaked.

# 269 deagledan @ 08/24/11 03:54 PM

i haven't had the chance to play the demo yet, but judging from the comments, it's basically a rehash of last year's game with a few minor tweaks to make it feel "new."

i might end up getting the game because i am a panthers fan (yes, we do exist lol) and they changed their look, but like a previous poster mentioned, i'm sticking with 12 next year if it's the same deal.

# 270 tyler289 @ 08/24/11 03:55 PM

I guess I just get really peeved with the way they tout their new gameplay features like great AI, revamped goaltenders, "full contact physics"....and then I see pretty much all the exact same game as last year, with something every couple minutes that makes me say, "Wow, that seems pretty new."

I feel EA NHL has gone way downhill ever since the NHL2k series went away. When the two competed, they really improved every year. Now, I feel they're living off the reputation gained from 06-08...

EASHL was a game-changer, but for the most part they put a new "feature" in (BAGM, board play, etc) and then ignore it to focus on online gameplay. They toss in back-of-the-box features that appeal to sim games (deeper BAGM w/ CHL, e.g.), but don't do it 100% or don't address the problems.

I hate that I don't have options anymore. I loved this game up until NHL09, and now I just don't see real significant improvements, anywhere. And don't even get me started on presentation and commentary. What used to be a strong suit has also become the weakest part of the game. No new lines recorded in what, 2 years? In NHL11 I heard about how the Caps need to go from a rebuilding team to a contending team soon. Yawn.

# 271 Armor and Sword @ 08/24/11 04:04 PM

Played the demo.

Sticking with NHL 11 for a few more years. More than good enough for me.

It feels just about the same. I don't see or feel that much difference. I am a casual hockey fan but I love video game hockey and NHL 11 will give me my fix for years to come.

I loved NHL 09 as it was my first next gen Hockey title. I thought NHL 11 was a nice upgrade and improvement from 09 in the way of physics, board play and face off's.

# 272 HeroWorship @ 08/24/11 04:06 PM

Am I one of the only people who has enjoyed the demo?

I understand some of the criticism is valid when it comes to EA Sports, and I do agree that the presentation does need a serious revamp, but I have played four games so far, and it has been pretty good. I have my pet peeves when it comes to certain features, but the gameplay does feel better, and it's nice how they fixed the physics on the hitting.

Plus, soft, one-touch passes barley work. That's realistic. I like that part. Funny, because when I first played, the players motions reminded me of NHL 95 for a few moments (a bit clunky, but smooth the rest of the way). I always buy the NHL series every year, and this year will be no different.

I can only cross my fingers that the BeAGM is better. That has been a moot point for me for a few years. They made some strides in NHL 11, but it may have been a bit overkill. I am more an offline gamer, so my hope is their is some serious improvement.

# 273 gopher_guy @ 08/24/11 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeroWorship


	Am I one of the only people who has enjoyed* the demo?*

Definitely not

I am loving it. This whole thread was pretty positive in the beginning and then turned kinda negative!

I agree with what people are saying about the presentation though. I think we all need to start beating the drum immediately for a presentation/commentary overhaul next year.

If enough people ask for it, you'd think the devs would catch wind of it. Whether or not they will listen/care is a different conversation, but we have to try

# 274 Money99 @ 08/24/11 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeroWorship


	Am I one of the only people who has enjoyed the demo? I understand some of the criticism is valid when it comes to EA Sports, and I do agree that the presentation does need a serious revamp, but I have played four games so far, and it has been pretty good. I have my pet peeves when it comes to certain features, but the gameplay does feel better, and it's nice how they fixed the physics on the hitting. Plus, soft, one-touch passes barley work. That's realistic. I like that part. Funny, because when I first played, the players motions reminded me of NHL 95 for a few moments (a bit clunky, but smooth the rest of the way). I always buy the NHL series every year, and this year will be no different. I can only cross my fingers that the BeAGM is better. That has been a moot point for me for a few years. They made some strides in NHL 11, but it may have been a bit overkill. I am more an offline gamer, so my hope is their is some serious improvement.

I'm having fun with it too.
EA hockey is always going to feel the same. The game is still very similar to it's ancestor in NHL92 and especially NHL94. I don't think that's an accident.
And it's not a bad thing. I'm enjoying all the subtle changes they've made this year.
I don't expect perfection, but I think I'll enjoy this game for the season.

But as Gagnon said, I hope the sliders can fix a few things here or there and I expect them too.

Saying that, I'll repeat realmk's thoughts in that NHL13 better overhaul their presentation in a big way. Otherwise, I'll play NHL12 for 2 straight years.
It's 2011, there's no reason why the NHL series presentation has to languish behind so many other sports games the way it does. No excuse at all.

# 275 kerosene31 @ 08/24/11 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeroWorship


	Am I one of the only people who has enjoyed* the demo?*

Not at all. The poll on the front page shows we're not alone.

People are looking for different things in games. For me, all those "little" fixes to the gameplay really add up and are what will keep me playing this game for a very long time.

Also, I think there's a gap between those of us who follow the news over the summer and those who just download the demo and come in knowing nothing (and expecting things we knew wouldn't be there).

It is those "little" things that change the game. In BAP I purposely lost the draw in the zone so I could purposely run the goalie to see what happened, and I couldn't get through to the front in time.

I'm going to play a bunch more games tonight to see what else is there. I don't think you can play 2-3 games and really rate all those little things.

Anyway, I pre-ordered today. Since '09 this game has easily been worth $60 for me.

# 276 Splitter77 @ 08/24/11 04:29 PM

its way too similar to nhl 11.
the only thing that would make me buy nhl 12 is if that sim engine actually got fixed.

# 277 blueduke @ 08/24/11 04:31 PM

At the risk of sounding like an echo chamber I'm really enjoying the demo. The goal variety, puck physics, and AI make this a blast to play. Only gripe and it's a small one is it's a little to easy to bring the puck in the offensive zone. I'm sure sliders will help this. This is the best demo EA Sports has put out imo

# 278 Flyermania @ 08/24/11 04:39 PM

I wasn't expecting too much from the NHL 12 demo, and that's pretty much what I got. There are subtle changes, but there are still some glaring gameplay issues that still haven't been addressed (way to easy to enter the zone, poor teammate AI, goalies not covering the puck, etc.).

Let's not make excuses about the time of the development cycle...this is EA we are talking about. Their resources are top notch. What it comes down to is priorities, and for the past 2-3 versions it's quite clear that the priority is on online play (EASHL, HUT, etc.). This is the new cash cow for them and they spend a lot of time and resources on it.

As a result, the offline game suffers because it doesn't get the attention it deserves. EA doesn't need to gut the core gameplay or reinvent the wheel...it just needs to dedicate some time and resources to it. Instead they try and crank out several tuner sets to band-aid things after release and that never works out either.

This series has gone up-and-down in quality over its history, and the current trend is for the online aspects. For this predominantly offline gamer, it makes my decision to pass on NHL 12 pretty easy.

# 279 cheechoo98 @ 08/24/11 05:12 PM

Re: the new in front of the net play...

I did play one game as Chara (locked on LD - in a PLay Now.. pause, goto Control Settings, Choose Sides, Press SQUARE to cycle thru positions) ) and i didn't really notice the effect too much .. kept pushing R-Stick etc...

yeah, the game is a better version of NHL11 for sure.. a 'refined' edition of it..

I did score some nice goals on wristers from different spots.. which i guess is what we were use to in 2K...

I do give NHL12 a thumbs up, i guess... i'm just still bitter, we had that shot chart, replay from anywhere for so long in 2K, and our beloved series died... i just think.. what if.. what if.. it was received better... the sports gaming media did 2K hockey a huge disservice... where would 2K be from 2005 'til NOW??!?!!??!?! I can't imagine the possibilities... we'd be waaay beyond this NHL 12 Demo...
and, EA is just gettin' this s$% (puck physics, weight etc... ) in the gamen now... in 2011/ 2012..

Screw EA! but they will still get my money, so I am definitely a sucker.. LOL!!!!!

# 280 CCPiper @ 08/24/11 05:14 PM

Here are some things that I noticed:

Pros:

- Love how much better skating looks/feels.

- As mentioned before, puck physics are WAY better.

- Love that the puck is live on slapshots, because now it's much harder to pull off slappers in a crowd. It's also a bit harder to slap it whenever you're going sideways and then the player turns his body like in NHL 11, 10, so on.

- Goalies seem to react better on longer shots.

- D-men try to force people outside.

- Checking is way more realistic and feels way more natural than NHL 11.

- Goalies are WAAAAYYYYY less predictable on breakaways, which is a big game changer to me.

- Love the feel of the live goalies. I got a goaltender interference penalty called against me that negated a goal.

- Helmets come off at a realistic rate it seems.

- Still haven't seen the glass break, lol.

- Presentation is improved a bit.

- Haven't seen goalies do any really questionable/stupid things yet.

- Thomas plays like Thomas.

Cons:

- For one, some people like that they still included the sounds on replays, but I don't like how it was implemented. First off, I think that the sounds should ONLY occur on replays that are in real-time, not on replays in slow-mo. Also, on replays where they use the sound effects, they have to use the crowd noise that happened DURING the play that they're showing for it to sound realistic.

- It's still too easy to pass it cross crease, and it's still too easy to get a perfect shot off of a cross crease pass as well.

- Deking is still way too easy. They need to make the puck live on dekes like they made the puck live on slapshots. This is what would make the deking realistic. As of right now, the puck is glued to your stick movements.

- It's still way too easy to get full power on wrist shots if your momentum is going the other direction.

- Had a goalie fight in my first game/period. Should be much harder to initiate, in my opinion.

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