Part of what I love about hockey is the physical grind players have to go through and its effect on the abilities of the players. Gretzky was famous for being able to avoid hits, and that was part of how he managed to keep his performance at such a high level all throughout his career. Apparently that’s what EA Sports loves about hockey too.
In the upcoming entry to their ongoing series, EA will add a new first-person fighting engine (questionable), factor in intimidation based on physical play and pressure (yay), allow more choices along the boards, such as shielding the puck (okay), and add post-whistle scrums (questionable).
However, despite all of the focus on physical play, one small detail excited me the most: “players will be able to lift a leg to fake a shot on goal”. Now that’s authentic.
Here are some screenshots, courtesty of EA:
Don Tam is a game enthusiast who currently resides in Toronto. He currently owns a two-year old PC, a Xbox 360 Pro and a DS Lite (black). His favourite games include Gears of War, Rock Band, Civilization IV, and pretty much anything Blizzard caresses with their gentle, godly hands.