Thread: NHL 11 News

Originally Posted by THE Power Down Guy

i'd prefer my guy not look like a retart with a stupid ass gold helmet, flame skates, and camo gloves...how about getting rid of that garbage?

I think EA Sports will add more garbage equipment if anything..

I mean, who wouldn't want to wear a Cowboy hat or Gas Mask when they're playing hockey? What about some foam fingers for the glove and roller blades instead of ice skates?

I know for sure that EA Sports probably won't mention this at all at E3 next week. These boosts/gears were a nasty surprise in NHL10 =x

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And all the new info so far really sounds like defensemens are ****ed.

The new deke system serves as the equalizer to the new checking system. In NHL 11, puck handlers have more inventive ways of beating defenders than ever before. The right analog stick is packed with new moves like the toe kick Pavel Bure made famous, bouncing the puck off your skate, and the Pavel Datsyuk technique of keeping square to the goal during a deke to preserve a shooting angle. If the defender's sliding on the ice in front of you, simple lift the puck over his outstretched body and jump over him in tandem. The new physics system also allows puck handlers to get off the last minute shots in the midst of being checked, and superstars like Alexander Ovechkin can even shoot or pass while lying on the ice.

Hrm.....

Oh well. Too early to make assumptions... but still. =/

The easy way to make me a happy customer is to ban glitchers/cheaters.

Originally Posted by TooCool

I think EA Sports will add more garbage equipment if anything.
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The easy way to make me a happy customer is to ban glitchers/cheaters.

I think they will steer away from gimmick equipment. Seriously was there any praise for it? They had to make a regular helmet have 3 slots with a patch.

We all know banning wont happen. They all buy the games and the gold equipment and that = $$$.
Posted via Mobile Device

First part of TooCool's post is ****ing hilarious!

Originally Posted by Boozehound

They had to make a regular helmet have 3 slots with a patch.

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Did this actually happen? ive been trying for ages to wear a decent regular helmet but i dont wanna loose the boosts...

NHL Network Online - Los Angeles Kings: NHL11 - Behind the Scenes

I found a thread on GameFAQs and someone posted a link to gamespot. He said he played NHL 11 and its "demo" or whatever at some Vancouver community event. Unsure if hes bsing or not... but I'll post it anyway. If you want to click the link, go ahead. But I'll copy and paste for your convenience.

1st Blog:
nick0091's Blog: NHL 11 Body Checking Physics and New Dekes

Hello heavy hitters, I want to give you guys my impression of NHL 11 new body checking physics.

First let me give you a brief run down:

-No animation, every hit is unique.

-More realism. (Momentum is a huge factor.)

-10 times more fun!

Much like the skill stick reinvented the why you control and shoot a puck in a hockey game. The new physics engine is reinventing hitting. With the new engine you can't simply avoid a hit by turning your puck like in NHL 10 or previous games. If you are skating full speed and hit someone in the back, say lights out.

First off if you are standing still you most likely aren't going to throw a very good hit just like in real life, but if you're moving the opposition better have their head up. The great thing about the hitting engine is there is no "magnetism" to the hit. You can skate and hit all at the same time, but you don't get pulled towards a player like in previous years. You may not always flatten a guy, you may just nudge him. These hits are good because they slow the opponent down usually enough for another player to catch them. The nudging or clipping hits are good because make like real life, you may avoid most of the hit, but it's going to slow you down. This forces more loose puck battles, and more playmaking opportunities.

The hitting isn't over powered by any means though. The lack of "magnetism" also means hitting requires more skill than previous years. (At least on default settings.) So if someone is a good offensive player and someone on the opposition team is just trying to run players all game. Well that defensive player better go pick up his jock strap. The hitting requires a little more skill than previous years, but gives a much more satisfying hockey experience. This leads me into the next topic, NHL 11 deking.

I should note that I personally never had much of an issue loose puck deking in NHL 10 or previous years. I know many gamers found it too hard, but I was never in that "boat". So now that you know where I stand let me talk about the new offensive tools you can work with.

This year there is a new variety of offensive dekes, and some are very creative and useful. Let me start off with my personal favourite Deke. Remember when that defenseman went down the block a shot or cutting you off from walking out in front? Although you could always just skate around them before, now there is an even easier way. Now you can actually flick the puck over him and jump over him as well. This Deke alone should create a lot of neat goals and good scoring plays. The dekes in general seem to be a bit more effective. I wouldn't say to the level of NHL 09 or 08, but more effective than NHL 10. So basically loose puck Deke fans, expect some cooler dekes and more effective dekes.

I don't know how else to talk about the hitting engine other than this: It's more fun, it's more realistic, and every defensive fan of hockey should be as excited for this as for the skill stick back in NHL 07. With the new dekes it should be an even more exciting battle between defence and offense.

Feel free to ask me any questions regarding the hitting physics or deking and I will do my best to answer.

2nd Blog:
nick0091's Blog: NHL 11 New Faceoff System and Broken Sticks

Hey hockey fans, EA has listened to our requests, complaints and demands; they have decided to overhaul their faceoff system! I'm just here to break it down for you guys and answer as many questions as possible and to the best of my ability.

The new faceoff system focuses a lot more on skill and technique than simple timing and attribute. (Although both still play a role.) The new system allows the user to win (or lose) face-offs in a variety of ways. Let me go over some of the new ways to win a faceoff:

-Tie ups and battles: Face-offs in the past have been too clean to win. This year you have the option to tie up the opposing player which leads to a few different **** of winning the draw. You can now tie up the player and attempt to kick the puck back, or even tie up the player and your winger can swoop in and pick up the puck. This leads to a bit more of a grind and battle in the faceoff circle, much like real life.

- Regular wins: You can still attempt to win face-offs cleanly, but now you have to get ready to do it on your forehand or backhand. You have to set your stance and get ready for a quick snap backwards. The thing is though; if the opponent is smart he can read your stance and try to take advantage because he may know what you're doing.

-Dekes: As I said previously your stance can slightly give away what you're attempting to do, but that's where dekes come into play. If your opponent sees you getting ready to win a faceoff on the forehand, he may assume you're trying to win it back and try to tie you up or charge you on the draw. Well if he guessed this he may be wrong! You can actually just tap the puck ahead on the draw and jump around the player. While this is a risky move, it adds a lot of variety to face-offs and always keeps the opposition thinking.

-Shooting: You can shoot off the draw! So if you only have a second or two left and want to try to get a quick shot on net you now can.

There certainly are a lot more tools at your disposal now centres. This means at every face off there is a lot more to think about and a lot more to do. (That includes you to wingers.) I'll be honest with you guys, you may need to play a few games to get a hang of the new faceoff system. I know it took me about 4 or 5 games until I was around 50%, but once you get a hang of it, you'll never want to go back to the old system.

So picture this, you line up against Scott Nichol one of the best faceoff men in the league. You start taking the draw and CRACK! Your stick is broken! This leads me into the next topic broken sticks.

I know us fans have wanted this for a while and I'm happy to say this feature is done right. I'll just quickly go over what you can do once your stick has broken.

Option 1: Play without that stick.

Yes you can just play without it. This is a good idea if you don't have time to do anything else and just want to lay the body. When you don't have a stick you can still kick the puck ahead or pass it. This should lead to some interesting plays and some funny plays. This was a real life play: Dominic Moore and Jason Blake on the Toronto Maple Leafs had a breakaway when Moore broke his stick he just kept going by kicking the puck and eventually kicked it over and Blake just missed the net. Now imagine having that happen in NHL 11, hey it's possible!

Option 2: Go to the bench.

You have no stick and you think you have time to go grab one from the bench. This is an interesting scenario can your team afford you gone for that time, will it cost you a goal? This is a risky and strategic move that will make a lot of players panic.

Option 3: Ask for one!

That's right another player can actually give you a stick. If you're a defenseman and you have no stick, the hockey thing to do is for a forward to hand his stick to the defenseman. This should lead to more team communication and is just plain cool to see your Bauer stick in someone else's hands.

NHL 11 sure has a lot of new things you can do with the stick work. Between a new faceoff system and broken sticks; you don't want to miss these features come Sept.7th.

If you have any further questions about face-offs or broken sticks, feel free to ask.

Originally Posted by KingsOvAllKings

Did this actually happen? ive been trying for ages to wear a decent regular helmet but i dont wanna loose the boosts...

Yes it did on the 360 anyway. Its a ccm helmet in the middle row.
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Thanks TooCool, it was a great read.

Originally Posted by TooCool

NHL 11 sure has a lot of new things you can do with the stick work. Between a new faceoff system and broken sticks; you don't want to miss these features come Sept.7th.

I haven't heard about a release date yet, EA doesn't even have it listed on it website either.