Author: Zox

Second Look at NHL 13 Hockey IQ

EA Sports released another video today going over a feature that looks to be a big improvement to NHL 13.  They are calling this Hockey IQ but it is just more realistic player movement and awareness.  Right now they are so confident in Hockey IQ that they are calling it, “the best AI ever seen in a hockey game.”  Whether or not that is true remains to be seen.

Last week we took a first look at Hockey IQ at E3.  In this week’s video, we get a few more details and some more gameplay footage.  Check it out below.

NHL 13 Demo Release Date

release date of nhl 13 demo

Now that the Stanley Cup has come to an end, the one question that we keep getting asked via Twitter and Facebook is, “When is the NHL 13 demo coming out?”  In order to answer that we decided to do some research and look into the previous 3 NHL demo release dates.

NHL 12 demo release date – August 23, 2011
NHL 11 demo release date – August 17th, 2010
NHL 10 demo release date – August 20th, 2009

So with those dates in mind, we are looking at a demo release date for NHL 13 of around August 20th.  Of course this is not set in stone and it could change but history generally serves as an accurate guide.  As always, when we get the official word we will be the first to pass it along to you.

Road To Glory Playbook Trailer

Road to Glory mode in NCAA Football 13 will see some significant changes.  The big one that everyone is talking about is the implementation of reaction time, which changes the view of the game and slows it down temporarily.  That has debuted to mixed reactions so far.  Other less buzz worthy features include the ability to practice with the scout team, new high school fields, playcall improvements that focus more on your athlete, and new legend goals.

How everything will be implemented and the final result still remain to be seen.  I guess we will all find out on July 10th.  Check out the trailer below.

NCAA Football 13 New Hot Route Screenshots

Earlier this week we reported on some of the new hot routes in Madden 13.  Those same hot routes will be incorporated into NCAA Football 13.  You can now hot route your running backs to wheel routes, swing routes, and block and release routes (also known as blue routes).  Wide receivers and tight ends can no longer run slant out routes, instead they have been converted into whip routes.

I realize that for the less football savvy gamers out there, these terms could be somewhat confusing so I decided to put together a few screenshots of all of the new hot routes in NCAA Football 13.

Running Back Wheel Route
Running Back Swing Left
Running Back Swing Right
Slot Receiver Whip Route
Wide Receiver Whip Route
Running Back Block and Release Route (Blue Route)

EA Sports Hockey IQ Details

One of the big announcements from EA Sports this week that was largely overlooked is the addition of a new feature in NHL 13 called Hockey IQ.  If this new feature works as advertised, it will be something that everyone can get behind, since everyone wants a more realistic game.

Essentially Hockey IQ is just making every player on the a little bit more aware.  The developers spent more time on NHL 13’s AI then the past 3 years combined.  A similar feature was announced last month for FIFA 13 so it looks like this new technology is being shared amongst many EA Sports games.

The most noticeable changes come in the increased awareness of goalies.  In previous NHL games, the goalies would only be aware of the player with the puck and would be oblivious to everyone else.  This year everything has changed.

Check out the video below and let us know what you think in the comments section.

New Hot Routes in Madden 13

madden nfl 13 new hot routes

Shopmaster over at MyMaddenPad.com has been gathering some fantastic information from the EA Sports developers live at E3.  Today he confirmed that their will be plenty of brand new hot routes making their way into Madden 13.

Those hot routes include running back swing routes, running back wheel routes, block and release routes (aka the blue routes), and whip routes.  The standard hot routes that we have been forced to play with for years got old very quickly and many of them were never realistic to begin with.  When have you ever seen a running back run a fade route in the middle of the field?

With the addition of the brand new physics engine, the ability to disguise defensive coverages, and now brand new hot routes, Madden 13 will feel like a brand new game for the first time since it moved to next gen consoles.  This is absolutely something to be excited for.

Note: The Madden 13 team ratings have come out.  If you haven’t already seen them, they can be found by following this link.