NHL 12 PATCHED
NHL 12 is an ice hockey video game developed by EA Canada and published by EA Sports. The game was featured in the 2011 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). Steven Stamkos was announced as the game's cover athlete on June 22, 2011, at the NHL Awards Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. The game notably includes more interactive goalies (i.e. players can have real contact with the goalies and vice versa, and the goalies and skaters may fight each other), better physics engine, improved Be a Pro mode, and the ability to play the 2011 NHL Winter Classic. Along with several other new EA Sports titles, NHL 12 was made available three days prior the official release dates to purchasers of the EA Sports Season Ticket, a new digital program allowing users with a PlayStation 3 and/or an Xbox 360 to download and test the full version of new EA Sports titles for a three-day trial period by paying an annual fee of $24.99 or 2,000 Microsoft points.[2][3] Users who pre-ordered the retail version of the game may have received a code for a goalie boost pack, which improves certain parts of the player's goalie in the "Be a Pro" mode. Gary Thorne (play-by-play) and Bill Clement (color) return to provide commentary for NHL 12. For the first time since NHL 96, this series featured Winnipeg Jets who relocated as Atlanta Thrashers in the summer of that year.
NHL 12
Playoff is a singleplayer mode that allows the player to create a custom tournament bracket with the teams and leagues available in the game. The player can choose to play each game or simulate the outcome, all the while tracking the stats of their own team. Gameplay settings such as injuries and difficulty level can be customized.
Be a Pro is similar to Playoff Mode, but puts the player in control of a single player of their own creation, gradually leveling up the skills of their player. A variation of this mode exists, called "Be a Legend" where the player can take on the role of real players in the NHL.
NHL 12 received "favorable" reviews on both platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[18][19] GameTrailers said that the gameplay "just feels more alive," but were somewhat frustrated that they "did manage to find a technique to score a little too often," and also noted that the game "looks almost identical to last year's effort." They praised the EA Sports developers however, describing them as a team unwilling to believe that an "amazing" product is enough. The "Be A Legend" mode, however, did not get much of the same praise; GameTrailers said that the mode "feels like a missed opportunity."[10]
PlayStation Universe's Adam Dolge described it as "yet another terrific hockey game, and well worth the attention of any puck fan." Dolge mainly praised the gameplay improvements, noting the A.I. and the physics engine, which has been enhanced as well. He also praised the revamped presentation of the game. However, Dolge agreed with GameTrailers that the new "Be a Legend" mode is not well thought-out, and criticized the Be a Pro camera angle. He also believed that the Be a GM mode needed to be revamped.[20]
EA SPORTS NHL 12 authentically captures hockey as it is played on the ice with more than 300 gameplay refinements highlighted by three key innovations: Anticipation AI, Dynamic Goalies and the Full Contact Physics Engine. Anticipation AI takes NHL 12 to the next level as players will now intuitively determine their next move by reading and anticipating the play. With the Full Contact Physics Engine, size and strength matter. NHL12 continues to innovate by giving you true to life collisions and control over the battles around the crease. With Dynamic Goalies, goalies are live for the first time ever. Players can make contact with goalies as they crash the crease and goalies will battle through traffic in front of the net as they fight through screens to make awe-inspiring saves.
The franchise-style Be A GM mode also aims for the net but ends up shattering the Plexiglas. For the second year in a row, trades, free agency, and drafting all need major overhauls. AI-controlled GMs still propose boneheaded trades, above-average players in their prime still get stowed away on minor league rosters, restricted free agents (like 2011 number one overall draft pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins) sit out entire seasons, and some teams even let their highly rated prospects enter free agency rather than signing them.
With all of this in mind, I cannot help but wonder if female Hockey Hall of Famers Cammi Granato and Angela James might appear as legends in an NHL title in the future. Either way, this is a really cool move by EA and an example of the power of a little bit of inquisitiveness.
New York already had top center Mika Zibanejad signed through 2030, No. 1 defenseman Adam Fox through 2029, veteran Chris Kreider through 2027, winger Artemi Panarin through 2026 and reigning Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender Igor Shesterkin through 2025.
With Kaprizov due back before the postseason and Boldy on this heater, a Wild team that ranks just 23rd in the league in goals per game (2.93) ought to have a better chance to advance. Eriksson Ek and Marcus Johansson have been ideal linemates for the Boston College product and Massachusetts native.
The Sabres squandered a 3-2 third-period lead to drop to 3-6-3 in their past 12. Buffalo also blew a chance to move to within four points of idle Pittsburgh, which holds the eighth and final playoff spot.
Gallagher scored on the fly by using Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin as a screen to snap in a shot inside the far left post. With the goal, Gallagher tied Bobby Rousseau for 24th on the Canadiens career scoring list.
The Sabres hosted their third Pride Night, with Russian D Ilya Lyubushkin electing not to participate in warmups by citing an anti-gay Kremlin law and fears of retribution at home in Moscow, where he has family and visits in the offseason. The remainder of the team wore dark blue jerseys with the Sabres logo on the front encircled by a rainbow-colored outline.
EA Sports' NHL 11 reached the pinnacle of hockey gaming last year by featuring the most enjoyable and most accurate arcade simulation of the sport ever made. So where do you go from there? NHL 12 answers that question with a range of subtle refinements and additions that improve play on the ice in a number of ways, as well as add new features like being able to skate as a number of NHL greats. This game won't be the most necessary sequel that you'll ever buy, but chances are good that you won't regret laying down the cash after spending a few games enjoying the new offensive and defensive player positioning, checking out the new CHL league support, or working a give-and-go with Gordie Howe.
The heart of NHL 12 is nearly identical to that of its predecessor. Controls involve the same precise mix of analog sticks and buttons. They remain a great balance of pure arcade twitch reactions and a simulation of hockey because you can pull off some nifty moves with the right stick yet still play a formidable game by keeping to the basics. All of the main modes of play have been brought into the new game with few changes. You can still get into quickie solo matches and play-off runs for the Stanley Cup; create a rookie in Be a Pro and skate him to stardom from the juniors to the big leagues; go online for lag-free one-off games and full seasons; head into the front office with Be a GM; mess around with the oddly compelling Hockey Ultimate Team and its card-driven game mechanics; and so forth. EA held the line here on new features. Core elements of the game are right where they were last fall, so you don't need to even glance at the manual.
The most interesting addition to the above feature list is Be a Legend, which tweaks the familiar Be a Pro mode of play by swapping out the rookie you create in that game with a youthful version of an NHL star from the past. It's certainly a nifty idea because the Hall of Famers and near misses included here come with extremely high ratings in all categories from the first moments of their rookie seasons. Anyone who got bored developing a youngster through a couple of seasons of toiling on the third line in regular Be a Pro action will like the way you take a spot on the top forward line or top defense pairing right away. When you step in with ratings in the 80s and 90s, you can be certain to make an impact on your chosen club in your very first shift. But there just isn't enough meat here. Only a handful of retired NHL greats are here to choose from, so aside from Gordie Howe, your choices are limited to players from the past couple of decades like Wayne Gretzky, Ray Bourque, and Patrick Roy. It's awfully strange to look at a list of NHL "legends" that includes the likes of Borje Salming but skips over Bobby Orr, Bobby Hull, and Maurice "Rocket" Richard. Even worse, all of these greats are locked out at the start of play aside from Jeremy Roenick.
Along with playing full seasons in the NHL and AHL, you can now take over the career of a player in the CHL, Canada's top junior hockey circuit, with three leagues consisting of teams from across the country. You can assume the role of a real player on the squad of your choice and play through whole seasons in midsize burgs across Canada like Swift Current and Peterborough. When you pick a young kid, you get to play through his draft year and try to work him up the ladder to become the top pick of an NHL club. When you pick an older player who has already been drafted, you begin as the property of an NHL team, with a chance of starting the season with the big club, down on the farm in the AHL, or back in junior with your high-school buddies. This is a huge improvement over how junior was depicted last year, where you got a shot at impressing the scouts in a handful of games in the Memorial Cup tournament before going into the NHL draft.
The third and final notable addition this year is the 2011 Winter Classic pitting the Washington Capitals against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Just like the real outdoor game held every New Year's Day somewhere in the northeast US, this doesn't mean much. It presents you with a pretty place to play a single game, but that's it. Heinz Field looks great with the snow coming down in the dark, and player uniforms pick up interesting reflections from the big stadium lights. The atmosphere is pretty amazing. You can also play the game with the teams of your choice, so you can go against the marketing bosses in the NHL's New York-based office and bring in Canadian teams. 041b061a72