The probelm I have is it doesn't seem to matter who I'm shooting it with. I can take a slap shot with Weber and then the same shot with an AHL guy and they seem to be close to the same speed. I don't mind top players being able to rip shots but not every player should be able to blast rockets off like they do now. hopefully this gets adjusted before or soon after release.
That's probably because Weber has an 82 shot in HUT, which is what I hate about it.
In the HUT Tournament, I just lost to Team Canada, 3-2.
Team Canada had 3 shots on goal, all low wristers from far out.
Well played EA
That's why I can't play the CPU. They can't beat you the honest way. The game has to be rigged. All but one of the goals I've given up have been deflections. The CPU never forces passes no matter who has the puck, and every time the defenseman at the point gets the puck he shoots it.
I don't like the player speed
Toews should be faster than Chara
I think that's shades of NHL 12 coming back. Remember when the AI would get those superhuman speed bursts to get to a puck or chase down someone? Last year they took it out and it was a breakaway fest.
I like how passes sometimes actually get through defenders now
I think that has to do with toning down the poke checks (thank god). I just hope this isn't another year of pucks going through defenders in perfect position.
My thoughts on the demo:
I always thought NHL 13 was a beta. It had a nice foundation, but was really rough around the edges. I think they smoothed some of the edges this year. The skating was the biggest fix in my book. Playing hundreds of games in EASHL as a defenseman, there was nothing worse than getting caught in the "mud" animation with three poke check spamming forwards coming at you. That appears to be eliminated for the most part. The strafing is very useful and long overdue. The hitting feels good, but is overpowered in its current state. The CPU AI does a better job of staying between the puck and the goalie this year, but I wish they would challenge puck carriers at the blue line more. It's still too easy to gain the line.
It will be interesting to see how EA tries to balance the game. They are horrible in this area. Poke checks, body checks, shot power, etc. From one year to the next they're either overpowered or nerfed. They never seem to find a happy medium.