NHL 13

« NHL '13 delivers a massive update to the series that has been long awaited by fans. »

« The gameplay and atmosphere in NHL 13 is something every hockey fan should experience for him/herself. If you haven't already, go out and pick this one up. After all – unless we see some progress fast, it may be the only NHL action we get this season. »

« Yet another masterful entry in the world-beating series, NHL 13 is an exemplary ice hockey game and the perfect example of how a sports game should be done. The presentation is second to none, the gameplay is nigh-on perfect and the wealth of content on offer is genuinely mind-boggling. NHL 13 is pucking fantastic. »

« NHL 13 is by far the most complete edition yet, surpassing the stellar NHL 12 by a long shot even if the commentary has some shortcomings. »

« NHL has reached its peak with number 13. Realistic physics, brilliant ice control, a lot of scoring options, tougher opponents and goalkeepers and many different game modes. NHL 13 also has its negative sides. EA could have put new legends in the Be a Legend mode or a bit more balanced NHL moments in the game. There's no way that there are 26 challenges and certain teams are not in this mode. But with its True Skating Performance and its whole atmosphere NHL 13, and maybe NBA 2K13, are going to be my sports games of the year. »

« Reconstructing the skating and goaltending succeeds at making the game more realistic, but not necessarily more rewarding. Still, these changes will pay huge dividends down the road. The new GM connected option provides just about as much flexibility in playing a sports game as we've seen, and there are more than enough ways to keep your mind off the looming lockout. »

« This truly is the sports title of the year and there really isn't something else to ask for in this masterpiece. »

« Loaded with options benefitting both single play and online interaction, it's got just about everything a fan would truly want except you still can't make Gretzky bleed. »

« This game may or may not be fully acceptable to certain gamers. It depends on what they're used to and how flexible they are for how the gameplay feels and goes. What I'm getting to is the main addition to the game which is an all new skating engine called "True Performance Skating". Most gamers and critics probably perceive this as the most innovative addition to the franchise since the skill stick in NHL '07 that was independent of a player's body. The gameplay may take a little while to get used to, but in the end, it'll hopefully end up making the game feel and look much more like an authentic NHL playing experience. Like other sports games or video games in general have done with newer or altered controls, the game has a tutorial right from the start after a personal thank you from cover athlete Claude Giroux. It tells you all about the aspects of this new skating engine, including acceleration, turning and momentum and overall speed. You'll probably find yourself skating too hard or too fast and wind up skating into defenders and getting stripped of the puck, but this can gradually be adjusted to as you become more aware of just how fast certain players can skate. It's so realistic, it's even like real life driving physics in that the faster you’re driving, the harder it is to turn in. Another thing you'll probably notice eventually is that it becomes noticeably harder to accurately pass or even shoot the puck once you at least come close to reaching full speed. This makes for an incredible experience as it brings a con or drawback to reaching toward your player’s top speed, just like in REAL HOCKEY. it's like driving a car with tighter handling than that of those in the past. It takes some getting used to, but will ultimately provide more control than ever before once you get the hang of it. The addition of the Winter Classic mode is nice for something different and it's also nice to still see some of the remodeled or retro jerseys in the game as well. I can't speak of much more than these two new features considering that I don't have nearly enough time on my hands to play online or even a franchise/season mode, but I couldn't imagine these are disappointing either. What seems to bother some gamers the most about this game is how unrealistically challenging it is on the default pro difficulty. It is true that some gamers may feel somewhat embarrassed or under rewarded when playing on too easy of a difficulty such as rookie, but NHL 13 takes this concept a bit too far. The AI learning bar/meter is turned up all the way for at least the default pro difficulty which probably explains how superior the CPU is as far as making that perfect pass or reading the mind or playing style of the player. Even with a compromised AI learning meter which is only halfway full, you still have to be careful when it comes to at least positioning whether it be your own or one of your CPU controlled teammates. The opposition can likely make you pay for nearly every mistake your team makes and thus makes this significantly more challenging than games in year’s past but rewards you for preventing these mishaps from happening at times so it makes up the difference. I highly recommend you compromise and turn the AI learning meter down so it's only 50% full and you should enjoy a far more even playing experience, provided that you have taken the time to feel out the new skating engine either in free skate or the skating drill at first before playing a game. A crucial aspect of the game is missing in the interactive tutorials and practice modes. As previously mentioned, the faster you are skating, the harder it is not only to turn in but also to accurately pass or shoot the puck. This will cause the player to be frustrated not only because of missing your teammate's stick or the net but also because you ultimately could have potentially missed out on a good scoring chance to extend your lead, tie the game or trim the lead of the opposition. The game is also missing national anthems and interviews. There is arguably only one other downside to this game and that is the replay value. It would have more of this if you could put certain skills to the test offensively or defensively with mini-camp drills as many gamers have done in the older Madden NFL games to practice and achieve medals. However, It's so much of an improvement over a few of the last installments that it would be hard to noticeably top this game for years to come anyway. The main thing EA was seemingly boasting about in the NHL 14 trailers was the '94 anniversary mode, which kind of implies the new fighting engine and additional checking physics are nothing special which is why I don't buy the games every year. You'll probably be torn between choosing whether to buy NHL 14 or 15 if you happened to miss out on NHL 13 but you shouldn't expect anything as impressive as the true performance skating just yet. »

« I'm a big fan of hockey, I didn't get that much in NHL 12, I got this Game Yesterday. I't is the best NHL game to date till NHL 14. The New Physics engine and New skating engine is amazing. I will play this game till I get GTA 5 or COD advanced Warfare »

« It is on the edge of fun because it just isnt enough gameplay and I hate the game because any loser can just play it and win and the AI pisses me of a lot »

« NHL 13 is a great game. The gameplay feels so realistic and is a blast to play. The best way to play is versus friends, as it creates some serious tension. A hockey fan's dream game. »

« I spend probably hundreds of hours playing these games every year. This one was no exception. All of the game modes from the previous games are present and really, this game hasn't changed since NHL 11. The amount of glitches can be hilarious and make this game more enjoyable. I really only spend my time playing my friend in this game because he got so frustrated playing this game. The game feels kind of inconsistent with the hits, shooting, saves, and CPU's 'trying' to help you, but instead take a stupid penalty. This game can be fun, but it's defiantly not worth $60 every year for a roster change. »

« I'm surprised so many people here who claim to know hockey can enjoy this game. The clear difference in ability between the A.I. team and the teammates on my team was enough to ruin this game for me alone. There is no logic to the physics/hitting. You can take a bigger player with all the momentum in the world into a small player on the other team and not only fail to knock him down, but watch your player go down instead. The opposite is true for the AI, which can knock down any of your players regardless of size difference or the momentum being carried by the hitter. Another huge problem for me was the passing. Passes are extremely difficult to complete, even when the receiver of the pass is wide open. The passes just don't seem to go where you want them to go. In addition, the poke check has been made to be WAY too powerful. You can't come within 10 feet of an opposing AI defenseman without him swooping in and knocking the puck away with the poke check or just knocking your man out. And if you try to make the quick pass, like I said, its usually not getting through. On the flip side, you will watch with frustration as the opposing team AI executes its passes almost flawlessly. There is no logic to the goal-scoring. I can get stoned on 5 breakaways on a row and then throw a wrist shot in from the point with no traffic and have it go in. Odd-man rushes rarely result in goals even if passes are succesfully executed. The goal outcomes often have no bearing on who outplayed who in the game, its hard to feel any sense of accomplishment for scoring or preventing goals when they seem to just go in by random luck. I had many games where I would outshoot the AI by a 4-1 margin but the score would always stay even. I could hold the AI to 10-15 shots for an entire game but they would still score 2-3 goals just from throwing the puck at the net as soon as they got into my zone. I know things like this can happen in hockey but when you thoroughly outplay the AI in every game, improve from game to game, and the scores don't reflect that, it starts to become frustrating and unrewarding. Overall I'd give this game a 4/10, positives being the graphics, presentation and fluidity of gameplay. My biggest problems were the disparity in ability between the user's players and the A.I.'s players, the completely screwed-up hitting, the over-powered poke check, lack of ability to execute passes, and the unrewarding and nonsensical goal-scoring. »

« The issue that I am having with NHL 13 is the fact that each year the franchise is taking a step backwards when it comes to gameplay. Don't get me wrong what they are trying to do with controls is a great improvement from previous titles but the issue is that the controls are janky. Passes that go off in random directions shot that are not taken even with the proper input on the controls. For a company that has so many developers you would think that a polished game would be standard but in the case of NHL 13 it looks like the developers couldn't care less about putting time and effort into their game. Another glaring issue is the physics and AI. When someone is taking a shot and another object interferes with the players stick the shot should reflect that interference but instead the shot is perfect since the stick can magically phase through objects. And finally with the AI who are the demi gods of NHL 13, whoever was in charge of balancing AI over at EA should be fired. To put my opinions on NHL 13 more bluntly, I am having more fun playing Fifa 13 than I am NHL 13, and I played hockey my entire life and hated soccer. »

« Realism, realism, realism. That is the absolute direction that Electronic Arts went with in their development of NHL 13. The game is incredible and nearly flawless with its physics engine. The gameplay itself is fast-paced and extremely well-crafted. One complaint that I have made myself is the AI however. To be successful while playing this game, it is imperative that you control the player nearest the puck at all times. AI is extremely unreliable. Skating is flawless, and the only hiccups that I find with the actual physics are occasionally with some of the bigger hits on the ice. Sometimes the players have been known to "bug-out" and it appears unrealistic. If that's the worst I can complain about, then I'd say it's a great game. The online play is often good with good servers for most of the time. Occasionally I will come across a game that is a bit laggy, but that typically is a result of my own poor Internet connection or my opponent's. You are able to use guests online in NHL 13 and many online players take advantage of this ability creating a more diverse and fast-paced game. Hockey Ultimate Team is a fun game mode however I find it marred by the fact that you are able to purchase the packs of cards with Microsoft Points which takes away from the novelty as some individuals have taken advantage of this aspect and created unstoppable all-star teams. Also, the ability earn the currency (EA Pucks) by playing single player games makes this a difficult one to take seriously. Be a Pro and Be a GM modes are both well-done in this year's version of NHL. Be a Pro allows the user to take full advantage of either starting in lower-level hockey such as CHL or OHL and moving up the ladder until you get drafted by an NHL team. All aspects of your Pro's career are at your disposal. Similarly, Be a GM mode allows the user to take full advantage of the organization's tools and capabilities. User also has control over the organization's farm system and drafting. Overall, very polished game and deserves to be tried by hockey fans around the world. Please be aware that EA has taken the liberty of forcing the user to purchase a new copy of the game in order to have the online capabilities, or you have the option of purchasing a $20 online pass if you get your hands on a used copy. »