At EA Sports’ current-gen booth at E3, I had the opportunity to check out NHL 14’s new physics and enforcer fighting engines, plus see one-touch dekes in action.
When a smaller object and a larger object they try to occupy the same space, that smaller object is going to lose. BAM! That’s NHL 14 physics in a nutshell. That’s not 100% off course; at 6’ 9”, Bruins’ defenseman Zdeno Chára is one of the tallest players in the NHL (hell, probably in the NBA), but he won’t always come out on top. If Chara is in the middle of a slapshot – and therefore, off balance – a smaller player delivering a check just might come out on top.
In another change to checking, hits can be delivered simply by using your controller’s left stick. In short, steer your player toward another and watch what happens. Long-time NHL fans who’ll inevitably use the right-stick to try to check, rest easy; you still can use the right-stick. It’s just not a mandatory action.
On the fighting side of things, the new NHL 14 enforcer fighting engine, using tech from the Fight Night series, makes in-game brawling fun. As players drop the gloves, the camera stays where it is – with a bird’s eye view of the game – and instructions pop into place. Essentially, you’ll need to actually duck and weave while waiting for the perfect opportunity to land a hit. You won’t be able to throw the right stick back and forth and pray for victory this time around, which is great to see… and when you are able to pull off a win in a fight, it’s a far more rewarding experience.
The last change the EA Canada developers detailed for me was the one-touch deke function. By holding down LB or L1, plus a direction on the left stick, you’ll pivot to the side, keeping the puck on your stick, but skilfully avoiding players who are trying to land a hit.
All up, NHL 14 is like its brothers before it: a great hockey experience. Sadly, it’s exclusively a current-gen experience this year, which detracts from the facelifts titles like FIFA, UFC and NBA Live are getting. There’s always next year, eh?
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