Archive for the ‘NHL’ Category

Following in the footsteps of the NCAA and Madden franchises, EA Sports’ NHL 14 is going to cover vote route once again to determine who’ll be the face of their game.

EA Sports has teamed up with NHL.com for the 6-week long campaign, and here is how it’ll work out, schedule-wise:

1. Round of 60 (April 22-28): Teammate vs. teammate. One representative from each team plus two wild card selections advance (wildcards selected by EA Sports)
2. 32-Player Leaderboard (April 29 – May 5): Fans vote for their favorite 16 candidtates; top 16 vote getters advance
3. 16-player Bracket (May 6-26): Weekly round-by-round, single elimination playoff bracket decides finalists
4. The Finals (May 27 – June 2): Winner takes the NHL 14 cover.

And here are the 2 representatives for each team:

Here’s the trailer.

Head over to the NHL 14 Cover Vote and  get voting!

So we got this Tweet from one of our followers:

Yes we can Shaun, YES WE CAN. We took ALL of the gameplay footage from the trailer, and converted them into GIFs. So let’s delve into them:

Read the rest of this entry »

If you haven’t seen the new NHL 14 trailer, head over to our previous post and give it a watch. While the trailer didn’t explain what’s actually new in the game, here are some notes that should get you more informed on EA Sports’ vision for this year. NHL 14’s big focuses this year are three things: “big hits, real fights, and unbelievable speed and skill”. That actually sounds like 4 things, but you get the point. Here’s the official features list:

• NHL^® Collision Physics – Developed from the same core technology that powers EA SPORTS FIFA’s critically-acclaimed Player Impact Engine, NHL^® Collision Physics introduces bigger, more thrilling hits, and truer-to-life collisions. A new left-stick control scheme makes delivering a game-changing hit simpler and more rewarding than ever.
• Enforcer Engine – There is a code in hockey, when it’s broken you have to respond. A first for the NHL franchise, Fight Night technology delivers a new 3rd person experience, physics-based punch targeting and player size differentiation to every fight, creating the most authentic and electrifying experience yet. (See the GIF below of Lucic)
• One-Touch Dekes – Experience what it feels like to be a superstar through a new, more responsive deking system controlled only with the left stick and one-button. From beginner to advanced gamers, the system allows for quicker reactive dekes and intuitive combination dekes, creating more moves than ever before.
• True Performance Skating – Built on the breakthrough innovation that introduced physics-based skating and over 1,000 new skating animations to the EA SPORTS NHL franchise. The second year of the True Performance Skating features improved acceleration, explosive first-strides, quicker pivots and enhanced lateral skating, resulting in greater player responsiveness and unprecedented control.
• Live the Life – The new incarnation of the Be a Pro Career Mode, now you can truly Live the Life of an NHL player. On or off the ice, every decision you make shapes your legacy as an athlete. Interact with teammates outside of the rink. Take part in media interviews. Each choice you make will affect your relationship with fans, teammates and management, influencing your skills and progression.
• EA SPORTS NHL Online Seasons – NHL 14 adds the best-in-class promotion and relegation system in the sports category to the Hockey Ultimate Team & EA SPORTS Hockey League modes. Win games and advance to the next division to face tougher competition, fall short and see your team bumped down. Teams will be able to track their progress across multiple seasons.

And now, for some trailer GIFs:

5:42 AM: What’s going on, we’re up to cover the launch of NHL 14’s trailer and exclusives. I heard from my insiders at EA Sports (lol, I sound like Adam Schefter) that a trailer and more info will be released at around 6:00 AM so let’s see what’s doing. In the meantime, here’s the screenshot that EA released on Friday featuring the Leafs and the Canadiens:

6:02 AM: Nothing yet, killing the F5 button right now.

6:03 AM: It is here! Impressions later:

6:10 AM: Alright, so after a few watches, looks like EA Sports went with the ol’ real life / gameplay trailer, which I’m personally not a fan of. Show off your game as much as you can is my opinion. However, I see what they’re trying to do with their editing, and it looks alright.

6:12 AM: The gameplay doesn’t look much difference other than the more detailed crowd. Especially fans rocking throwback jerseys which is pretty cool. Is that in previous versions of NHL? I don’t remember.

6:30 AM: We also just put up a new post explaining the 6 new features in NHL 14, so give that a read.

Alright, so your thoughts?

As we announced earlier, the NHL team over at EA Sports just released their first screenshot, featuring the Dion Phaneuf of the Toronto Maple Leafs laying one into Montreal Canadiens center Tomas Plekanec. More info will be released on Monday, so be sure to follow us on Twitter at @Franchise_Mode.

If you’re a fan of EA Sports’ NHL franchise, be sure to check out Franchise Mode on Monday, as we’ll be announcing the first few details about this year’s game, as well as a trailer for the game.

However, sometime later today, there should be some screenshots coming out from the NHL team, so we’ll put it up on here, and on our Twitter as soon as we get it.

We’ll be covering all of the moves here, so let’s get started.

Rob Flick to the Boston Bruins

 Scott Hannan to the Sharks

Jerred Smithson on the Edmonton Oilers

Jussi Jokinen to the Penguins

Ben Bishop to Tampa

Flyers trade for Steve Mason

The Blue Jackets have acquired Marian Gaborik from the Rangers