Yesterday saw a new teaser trailer from EA
Games’ upcoming NHL ‘12 skating out
onto the ice. The NHL series has so far
claimed twenty-two awards for ‘Best Sports Game of the Year’, so it’s fair to
say that NHL ’12 has a pretty big
legacy to live up to.
While previous videos have focussed on the
gameplay changes that EA is making for this new instalment, this trailer is a
much more cinematic affair. The focus is
on the campaign mode of the NHL games, "Be A Pro", in which you create your
own skater and in the words of the trailer "Become the next great legend". We’re given a glimpse of a dramatic
new entrance for your Pro and some great slow-motion shots. They look like cinematics and not gameplay
footage, but still give a sense of how the NHL team have undoubtedly refined
their new physics engine for this release.
One thing the NHL games have gotten a lot
better at over recent instalments is animating the crowd and really giving you
the feel of playing in an NHL arena; a couple of crowd shots in the trailer
suggest that they’re pushing this even further, to greatly enhance your
immersion into the game.
While it doesn’t tell us anything
particularly new and exciting about the gameplay features of NHL ’12, this new teaser trailer has definitely
increased my anticipation level for the game.
Roll on September 9th;
I’ve got a Stanley Cup to win!