Co-Optimus

[bapenguin]

Fighting physics has never been so fun.

Read The Full Article: NHL 13 Co-Op Review

[CoopBob]

Good review. Face offs aren't all that bad but there is a strategy to them. There are 3 ways to grip your stick on a faceoff and it's like rock, paper, scissors as each is strong or weak against another. Add on top of that the fact that timing is crucial and the player's own faceoff rating factors in. I've played EASHL games where I've dominated and been dominated in the faceoff circle. In real life, a player who averages a 55% success rate is considered the best you can get.

The physics system is something they started last year and claim is something to be implemented over a 3 year plan. It has improved from older games but unfortunately with yearly releases we see only incremental improvements.

[CoopBob]

One other comment, the EASHL is a truly addicting but it suffers from the same problems any multiplayer game does. After awhile it becomes a game of who can learn how to exploit the game systems best.

[R2JUGGERNATE]

This is a good review but I have a couple questions that weren't really addressed-
1) Is the hitting satisfying and at least semi-realistic? (NHL 12's hitting system was awful - you could get decked from a stand-still one time, and then you could take a huge run at a smaller player and just get shrugged off the next time)
2) Did the defensive AI get any revamping? The last game was infuriating on how stupid your own defensemen were (they would stand next to players in front of the net but never engage them; and they were especially retarded when it came to passing the puck out of the defensive zone)

While I love playing hockey, the EA hockey games always have seemed to be about getting breakaways and then figuring out which approach angle is perfect for an inside-outside move. As soon as you can figure that out, you're guaranteed to score that way at least a few times every game. However, getting a nice cycle going with friends or adjusting your speed on a 2-on-1 in order to feed your buddy for a one-timer is always a lot of fun so I'll probably cave and pick this game up too.

[bapenguin]

Hitting seems pretty realistic to me.

I didn't play NHL 12, so I can't comment. But I haven't seen the defense do anything too stupid.

[R2JUGGERNATE]

Sweet! That's good enough for me. Now if I can only keep my poor xbox from freezing during the loading screens.....

[BigBadBob113]

Sounds awesome! I skipped over NHL '12 so I'll definitely be getting '13 within a few months for sure. I enjoyed the online teams in '11 so I'll probably enjoy it here too. With the season in jeopardy it's good to know there is an awesome new way to get my hockey fix.