The Student Newspaper of Saint Peter's Prep

The Petroc

The Student Newspaper of Saint Peter's Prep

The Petroc

The Student Newspaper of Saint Peter's Prep

The Petroc

NHL ’14 Worth it or Not?

NHL 14 Worth it or Not?

With the new school year comes all of the new video games. This year the highly anticipated EA Sports NHL series came back better than ever. NHL 14 now has the anniversary mode. The player(s) play with the controls and graphics from NHL 94. Also Ultimate Team is back and better than ever. New controls to make gameplay more realistic were added this year as well.

The biggest new control is the one-touch deke. Unlike the old NHL games where the player had to tap multiple buttons and move the stick only one button has to be pressed and deking is even easier. So when coming in on a fast break all the user has to do is tap L1 on the PS3 or LB on the Xbox to pull off a move and try to take it in on a breakaway. Also new to the controls is the skating performance. The skating is much better than it was in previous games making NHL 14 look much more like an NHL game you would watch on TV. Back Skating is easier you no longer have to hold down a button to back skate the player does it automatically. The hitting in the game is very much like Madden 25 where no hit is ever the same and there is always a new way to hit someone to knock them off of the puck.

Something that everyone loves about NHL is the fighting. NHL 14 fighting is new. It is no longer from the view of the fighter but is now from the regular overhead view and now there is an uppercut option, if timed correctly, could knock the opponent out in one punch.

NHL 14 introduces new and old game modes that are very popular in other sports video games. In this version of NHL there is an Ultimate Team section. In the Ultimate Team section you receive a pack of cards with below average to average players and you try to develop your team to a level that enables you to buy or receive better players. You can showcase your team by entering tournaments and playing online or offline matches. If you win these games you will receive more points, but if you lose the game, you can have points taken away. All of this will result in having created a great team and competing in the extremely challenging five star tournaments. If your team demonstrates themselves to be better than the teams in the five star tournaments, they will be matched up against the best players in the world and see their strength against the other teams. This all leads to the ultimate goal, having one of the best teams in the world!

An additional feature in NHL 14 is the “Live the Life” mode, which enhances the “Be a Pro” mode.  “Be a Pro” lets you create from scratch your minor league player with the ultimate goal of making it to the NHL and winning a Stanley Cup.  “Live the Life” allows the created player not only action on the ice but off the ice as he talks to the media and participates in events that encourages unity and team spirit amongst the players.  If the player is successful with these measures, he can receive endorsements from some of the top national sports companies. Once he performs at his highest level on the ice, he can become the face of the franchise and lead his team to the Stanley Cup. NHL 14 offers so much competitive play that it challenges the mind, while working the controller tests your reactions skills.  Yes, NHL 14 is definitely worth the purchase!