Multiplat NHL 17

[Gibbsy]

Who's got it? What are your thoughts?

I bought this yesterday seeing it at $48 on the PS Store Black Friday sale and thought I'd give it a go as I've always been fascinated by ice hockey but have never really watched a full game or even played a video game of it. So being totally new to the sport I had no expectations about what this game would be like and whether it's good for purists or not (all I know is that NHL 15 was very bare-bones).

My first game (the Stanley Cup re-creation they throw you into at the start) was some of the most fun I've had playing a sports VG in a long time. Really exhilarating stuff. The controls make so much sense and even though I don't understand the rules (I keep getting 'offside', usually after skating backwards over the middle line, can someone explain this?) I'm having a heap of fun.

While the game was installing I could only play the Stanley Cup quick match over and over, so I gave that about four turns and by the end I was winning nearly every face-off and scoring three or four goals a match. This was on Semi-Pro difficulty and game style #2, which is not pure arcade but the one to the right of it. I decided after this to have another go at a quick match but instead change the game style to #3 which is supposedly a bit more realistic.

The gameplay felt a bit faster and I never really had a lot of time with the puck. I'm still getting my head around when to use the L2 switch-around thing and what an R1 'saucer pass' is and why you would use it. Also fighting seems a bit pointless to me at this early stage but I will admit it is good fun knocking a bloke's helmet off. But unfortunately on this new game style I was losing 9/10 face-offs even though I hadn't upped the difficulty. Not sure what's going on there, am I not meant to be using the right stick? Or was my dude a lefty?

Sorry for all the noob questions, but would appreciate anyone who knows the game of ice hockey well to give me a couple of pointers and also recommend what game style number/half length/difficulty to play on for a realistic but fun experience.

melbournemartin Kidd Vicious Hoggy you guys were in the NHL 16 thread so just tagging if you have this game too

 

[dwwaino]

Haven't played a NHL game in few years after they went backwards a few years back but for your offside question, the puck has to cross the opposition's blue line (your offensive zone) before any of your players. This includes if you have possession in your attacking third and the opposition clears the puck outside, then you have to make sure all of your players have cleared the offensive zone before you can carry it back over.

 

[Vaple]

First year I haven't picked up an NHL game in a while due to time restraints but generally love them. There's something therapeutic in gliding around on the ice without getting off the couch.

 

[melbournemartin]

My first game (the Stanley Cup re-creation they throw you into at the start) was some of the most fun I've had playing a sports VG in a long time. Really exhilarating stuff. The controls make so much sense and even though I don't understand the rules (I keep getting 'offside', usually after skating backwards over the middle line, can someone explain this?) I'm having a heap of fun.

As mentioned by the other poster, the puck must enter your offensive zone before any of your attacking players (defensive players can be already there of course). You can enter at the same time as the puck if you are in control of it, e.g. you could be skating backwards into the offensive zone, e.g. in this ridiculous goal 2 minutes in below

I'm still getting my head around when to use the L2 switch-around thing

It's basically how you orient your body. Imagine you have the puck in the offensive zone and you are skating along the blue line trying to find a nice open shot. Without L2 your body will always face the direction in which you skate. With L2 you can orient the body say towards the goals whilst still moving side to side. L2 can also be used in shootout/breakaways to fool the goalie. Also if you are playing a Be a Pro game or anywhere where you only control a single player if you want to receive a nice one timer (where you shoot immediately upon receiving the puck) you can use L2 so you are well oriented.

and what an R1 'saucer pass' is and why you would use it.

A saucer pass goes a bit in the air rather than a regular pass along the ice. It can be used if you want to pass through traffic and over opposition sticks, but the downside is that it's quite difficult for your teammate to receive and can take awkward bouncers.

Also fighting seems a bit pointless to me at this early stage but I will admit it is good fun knocking a bloke's helmet off.

If you win a fight your lines return to full energy so particularly late in a period it can be very tactical, especially if you have used your one and only timeout. If you lose the fight you get a small energy boost but your opposition will be at full. Also these days fights can start pretty much automatically if you do a dirty hit, just like in real life, which is nice.

But unfortunately on this new game style I was losing 9/10 face-offs even though I hadn't upped the difficulty. Not sure what's going on there, am I not meant to be using the right stick? Or was my dude a lefty?

The Be A Pro mode is good for this (if you are a centre) as you will be given good faceoff tips, such as which types to use (stick lift, hold up for wingers, pass back etc) against the opposition. Faceoffs are really a combination of scissors paper rock and timing. You use the same controls for a left or right handed player, the only difference being that whether you take a forehand or backhand grip will be inverted.

Sorry for all the noob questions, but would appreciate anyone who knows the game of ice hockey well to give me a couple of pointers and also recommend what game style number/half length/difficulty to play on for a realistic but fun experience.

Online play is 4 minutes, but for whatever reason these 4 minutes seem longer than they used to.... I think it used to be 5 minutes but honestly the games feel the same length. 4 or 5 is fine. I use the simulation game style, not hardcore.

 

[Gibbsy]

As mentioned by the other poster, the puck must enter your offensive zone before any of your attacking players (defensive players can be already there of course). You can enter at the same time as the puck if you are in control of it, e.g. you could be skating backwards into the offensive zone, e.g. in this ridiculous goal 2 minutes in below





It's basically how you orient your body. Imagine you have the puck in the offensive zone and you are skating along the blue line trying to find a nice open shot. Without L2 your body will always face the direction in which you skate. With L2 you can orient the body say towards the goals whilst still moving side to side. L2 can also be used in shootout/breakaways to fool the goalie. Also if you are playing a Be a Pro game or anywhere where you only control a single player if you want to receive a nice one timer (where you shoot immediately upon receiving the puck) you can use L2 so you are well oriented.



A saucer pass goes a bit in the air rather than a regular pass along the ice. It can be used if you want to pass through traffic and over opposition sticks, but the downside is that it's quite difficult for your teammate to receive and can take awkward bouncers.



If you win a fight your lines return to full energy so particularly late in a period it can be very tactical, especially if you have used your one and only timeout. If you lose the fight you get a small energy boost but your opposition will be at full. Also these days fights can start pretty much automatically if you do a dirty hit, just like in real life, which is nice.



The Be A Pro mode is good for this (if you are a centre) as you will be given good faceoff tips, such as which types to use (stick lift, hold up for wingers, pass back etc) against the opposition. Faceoffs are really a combination of scissors paper rock and timing. You use the same controls for a left or right handed player, the only difference being that whether you take a forehand or backhand grip will be inverted.



Online play is 4 minutes, but for whatever reason these 4 minutes seem longer than they used to.... I think it used to be 5 minutes but honestly the games feel the same length. 4 or 5 is fine. I use the simulation game style, not hardcore.

Thanks for all the help!! I started up a franchise mode today, I picked the Boston Bruins because I like their logo/kits but they're definitely not my "team", I'd rather go through a few different saves with a few different teams and see who I gravitate to. NY Rangers and Pittsburgh have cool kits also.

I'm getting better at faceoffs again; I've been fooling around with the period length in settings to see what will get realistic stats and scores but because I don't know the game I don't know what to compare it to. I played my first pre-season game on 6 minute periods and lost to Detroit 5-3, which seems a little high, but the shot count was 38-23 their way, which by looking at the average shots pg of the top teams (around 32 or 33) seems fairly realistic.

I had a 10-min long practice skate 1 on 1 simulating shootout situations and only scored 3 times from 45 shots. I'm terrible at breakaways! Hopefully I can improve on that.

Btw, if you're on PS4 and have '17, I'm definitely up for a game tonight or some time soon. That goes for anyone here!

 

[Gibbsy]

Loving this new Franchise Mode, good mix of things to do outside of playing matches but still not too overwhelming for a newbie to the sport, as well.

I'm 4-3-0 after seven games using the Bruins in this season. I played the very first AHL game but then realised it would take forever to get through if I played both, so decided to sim those. Currently rocking four minute halves on competitive mode.

Also I just managed to score twice in a 5-on-3 against the Rangers which from a quick look online looks to be a pretty rare feat irl.

 

[Scallop Industry Thug]

The gameplay felt a bit faster and I never really had a lot of time with the puck. I'm still getting my head around when to use the L2 switch-around thing and what an R1 'saucer pass' is and why you would use it. Also fighting seems a bit pointless to me at this early stage but I will admit it is good fun knocking a bloke's helmet off. But unfortunately on this new game style I was losing 9/10 face-offs even though I hadn't upped the difficulty. Not sure what's going on there, am I not meant to be using the right stick? Or was my dude a lefty?

Sorry for all the noob questions, but would appreciate anyone who knows the game of ice hockey well to give me a couple of pointers and also recommend what game style number/half length/difficulty to play on for a realistic but fun experience.

melbournemartin Kidd Vicious Hoggy you guys were in the NHL 16 thread so just tagging if you have this game too

This is a pretty good tute on faceoffs.



I haven't got the game but I played the shit out of 15 and 16. The reviews said it was a polished version of 16 so I thought I'd wait for the series to make an upgrade. I find it a bit up and down, and not as gritty as it should be. Plus the AI and boardplay needs a massive lift. But I love the NHL series and could quite easily pick up 17 and play it for 4 months non-stop.

I found periods of 8-10 minutes resulted in realistic scores and stats.

When I got back into the series in 15 I was turning over the puck constantly. So I went into practise mode with my 5 dudes and just practised working the puck around with only the CPU goalie on the ice.

In terms of sliders, this board has some really good pointers.

 

[JT_the_Man]

Played the absolute shit out of 16, really fun game.

 

[giggler99]

Will this be worth getting? Or should I go cheaper and get NHL16? Need my Hockey fix on the PS4

 

[Gibbsy]

Will this be worth getting? Or should I go cheaper and get NHL16? Need my Hockey fix on the PS4

I highly recommend it. It's only like $48 on the PS Store right now, you won't get it any cheaper. Plus the game is fully featured compared to the last two which were a bit more bare-bones

 

[giggler99]

I highly recommend it. It's only like $48 on the PS Store right now, you won't get it any cheaper. Plus the game is fully featured compared to the last two which were a bit more bare-bones

I have a $50 JB voucher I'll use it up to buy it.

 

[GoalSneak07]

Currently pushing through HUT. If anyone plays that hit me up, keen to trade some double cards etc for my sets and collections.

 

[treefingers]

This is seriously fun. First hockey game I've played since NHL 05, which I loved as a kid.

I cannot defend for the life of me, does anyone have any tips?

 

[treefingers]

Scored this rip snorter online today. definite fist pump moment.

 

[revo333]

Bump.

Can find a thread on NHL 18.

It's $14 now online PS4.