NHL 13 - Xbox 360

I was able to start playing this game Friday as part of the EA season Ticket package. After 3 days with this game I can official say its by favorite NHL Title. The new physics engine is amazing. Being able to actually skate backwards behind the net really adds to your options of playing the puck down low. Someone already gave the game a 1 star review because they weren't smart enough to figure out the hitting yet. Its really not that hard, if you are having trouble try adjusting the sliders. Either way hits in this game are better then ever.The fixes from last year besides the actually physics are far and few in between. I'm glad you don't have nearly as many broken sticks as last year becuase that just got out of hand in a hurry. Goalies are smarter like they are every year but it will only take you a day or two to find that shot that scores for you nearly every time until you up the difficulty.Be a Pro is the same as last year... Literally the same.Franchise mode is largly the same except trading is so much better now. Instead of being clueless as to why your trades are being rejected you now get helpful feedback from the opposing manager. They tell you exactly what players they would be interested in trading for on your team and who they are willing to let go. Very nice addition.NHL did learn a lesson from madden and kept their Connected GM mode seperate from the normal GM (Franchise Mode). I don't think they really needed to since NHL fans are by definition smarter then Madden fans and we would have figured it out but at least they gave us the option.All in All its the best NHL game ever made. That not saying a lot since its the only new NHL game getting made every year but it is better then last years. Is it 60 dollars worth of better then last year... Well that up to you. I for one need Hockey in my life since the lockout is looming so I paid the 60 bucks. Other may not think the changes are big enough and you really can't argue that point since there isn't a ton of new features. However as a Hockey fan I'm glad to have something to hold me over while Bettman continues to ruin the greatest sport on earth. Lets all hope the owners finally grow a brain and realize their poster boy is ruining the sport for all of us. Happy NHL Day Everyone!

This year EA finally decided to step up their NHL franchise by implementing a plethora of new features and adjusting the physics of the game. My person favorite game mode Hockey Ultimate Team has been updated, making it almost unrecognizable (this is not a bad thing) the new features were added to give it a more realistic feel from the picking of the team to what you are able to do. My personal favorite update is letting the computer auto-organize your team saving you countless hours because the computer will pick the best overall team while also taking into account how well the players will play with each other. Most of the other game modes from what I have played are the same and is completely fine with me since if it ain't broke don't fix it.Now onto the my favorite improvement on the NHL franchise and that is how much the skating physics have been improved since last years edition. Skating is a game changer and is in no way the same as last years. I clearly remember last year when skating you could turn on a dime and do endless 360's but no this is impossible because skaters actually react to how you would on real ice. Stopping is delayed since you have to dig in and when going full speed you cannot turn very well or you will lose your edge. With this addition it just adds to the realism of NHL which is something i want when playing a hockey game.Overall if you are on the edge about buying this game I highly recommended you buy it and play it a few games before deciding if it is any good because at first I was a little skeptical but now I love the game more than last years and I LOVED last years. Get out there and buy it! you won't be disappointed!

I was hoping never to have to see this day when the good folks at EA Canada got the Madden (Tiburon) treatment. But, alas with NHL 13 it happened. The Madden treatment is, "We'll give you a couple of features that you will like, but we will take away or modify a couple of features that you really liked." I believe FIFA got the same treatment after FIFA 12 was pretty much everyone's sports game of the year. I did not buy FIFA 13.First, there are some very good pros:The biggest pro. This is the only live NHL thing that we will be seeing this year.The skating is great and really adds to the realism. The control you have of your player is unprecedented. The speed makes a difference going around other players.I love the fact that you can now play the game with the Broadcast camera, which is a game-changer for me. To see a game like I see it on TV is sweet to play. I know there are legions of fans in Madden wishing for this someday. It is frustrating at first, because we are all so used to playing the game up-and-down, but once you see how much more of the ice you can see, I think you will enjoy it.Just be careful during the playoffs as the fans waving towels can shield your vision on some plays. Also, be sure to change your stick control from up-and-down to side-to-side.The game is still very deep and I love the additional NHL Moments feature that has been added. Unfortunately, this was supposed to correlate with games in the 2012-13 season, but as we know that is probably not happening.I really like the new goalie animations, while it seems like the goalies have gotten a little too good, it is because they are really good in real life. Most goalies will stop nine out of every ten shots they face. If you average 30 shots per game, that is only around three goals and that is about where I am with the game.Now, the cons:EA Canada says they made the AI better, I just do not see it and I am not alone. The checking is terrible and the other team can swipe the puck away from you way too easy with players of little ability. A kid from the OHL should not be able to barely touch Ilya Kovalchuk and watch him fall and lose the puck. Plus, the defense can pick passes off with too much ease. One thing I always loved about the NHL series was that it rewarded you for taking the body instead of playing the puck. In this year's game, you can be a traffic cone, do very little and you ended the offensive rush. There is more shot blocking, which has become a bigger talking point in the NHL, but hockey is a game where you should always play the bigger object, the man is bigger than the puck and that is the worst change in the game.While Gary Thorne and Bill Clement are excellent together in the game, it is definitely time for a change in the booth. You have been hearing from them for a little too long and they have not been re-scripted. Since, Hughson and Emrick have done hockey in the past, I would pick Chris Cuthbert. I would have Pierre McGuire as his sidekick, for no other reason than to have everyone go ape and also to find out what he would say about the kids playing junior hockey when you are playing a junior hockey game. Would he know their middle school?I don't even bother with having fighting on as it stinks.I wish ECHL teams were added, but that is really being a nitpicker. (Go Las Vegas Wranglers!)Overall, NHL 13 got the Madden treatment and that is not a compliment. The Madden treatment is one step forward, and two steps back. It is 3.5 stars for me. Certainly not terrible, but certainly not what it should be.