EA Sports and NBC Sports Partner Up to Add NBC Game of the Week in NHL 14

[Steve_OS]

EA SPORTS and NBC SPORTS have partnered up with each other and have added the NBC Game of the Week in NHL 14, which you will see featured every Thursday to Sunday and the Wednesday Night Rivalry game from Monday to Wednesday.

You can earn up to 500 EA PUCKS which can be used towards your Hockey Ultimate Team, every time you complete an NBC Matchup.

To play NBC Matchup*:

• Select (NBC MATCHUP) in the FEATURED section on the NHL 14 main menu.

Or

• In the NHL®14 main menu, select (PLAY)
• In the PLAY section, select (QUICK MODES)
• In the QUICK MODES section, select (NBC MATCHUP)

*NOTE: Your console must have an active internet connection to receive the latest NBC Matchup.

Source - EA Sports

[csamuelsvt]

wonder if they'll finally have the NBC presentation in the next gen game? Everyone knows they need the overhaul in the presentation department

[statum71]

wonder if they'll finally have the NBC presentation in the next gen game? Everyone knows they need the overhaul in the presentation department

My thoughts exactly. I hope this is the start of something. I would love to hear Doc on commentary.

Gary Thorne is legendary and still sounds great. But the audio has really gotten old in NHL.

[Majingir]

Re: EA Sports and NBC Sports Partner Up to Add NBC Game of the Week in NHL 14

Good to see them with a partnership like this. Though wouldn't CBC/Rogers have been best route to go by since I'd assume majority of buyers are from Canada,and EA in Vancouver makes the game?

Either way, hope presentation gets changed big time for NHL15.

[SHAKYR]

I really hope they implement it well and not just as a simple cosmetic tack on.

[bwiggy33]

Re: EA Sports and NBC Sports Partner Up to Add NBC Game of the Week in NHL 14

Good to see them with a partnership like this. Though wouldn't CBC/Rogers have been best route to go by since I'd assume majority of buyers are from Canada,and EA in Vancouver makes the game?

Either way, hope presentation gets changed big time for NHL15.

Well look at it this way, EA isn't trying to make the game appeal to where it sells most. EA wants to promote and attract this game to the casual fans, especially in the US. That's what boosts their sales. Your casual US hockey fans would see CBC/Rogers and say, What is that? That isn't appealing to them. However, if they see the NBC logo they're going to look at it as it being awesome how they've integrated NBC (something they recognize) into the game. That alone can sell copies. I'd be willing to bet that many people back in the ESPN 2k hockey days bought that game specifically because it had ESPN. I know I did one year but since I was younger I was more into the graphics and EA looked way better so it appealed to me more.

People in Canada or people who are hardcore hockey fans aren't going to skip buying the game because NBC is in the game and CBC/Rogers isn't, or vice versa. The hardcore hockey fans are likely to skip for bigger reasons like gameplay. I know that is my reason with this series.

Anyway I definitely see your point but if you look at what this series has done to try and attract the casuals the past however many years, they really aren't focused on what the hardcore fans want. The hardcore players have no option but EA and if they want a new NHL game bad enough that's what they have to buy. Maybe it will change with Next Gen but I'm not banking on it. What I would like to see though is if you're using a US team the broadcast is NBC, and if you're a Canadian team it's CBC. I think that would be awesome and is appealing to everyone. An option in the visual settings menu would also be nice. That's just my .02 cents on it, but I really hope they can make the presentation so it appeals to both Canadians and Americans.

[Segagendude]

Re: EA Sports and NBC Sports Partner Up to Add NBC Game of the Week in NHL 14

I really hope they implement it well and not just as a simple cosmetic tack on.

I'm thinking that's all it's gonna be---- the NBC logo.

[The00Raven00Effect]

CBC > TSN > NBC.

Hockey night in Canada presentation package would really be something special. Does anyone outside of Canada really play this game anyways?

[phatkroger10]

Re: EA Sports and NBC Sports Partner Up to Add NBC Game of the Week in NHL 14

I saw this come up in my save data awhile back, but I couldn't figure out what it was. I'm really glad they're doing something like this. I do love Gary Thorne. He's legendary, but EA has just kind of seemingly got lazy with updating any sort of audio. I always draft/pick my favorite UND alum, but when I have to hear about "Zach Parise was picked late by New Jersey because he doesn't have ideal size." Christ, that was 10 years ago. He doesn't even play in New Jersey anymore.

I'm really hoping to hear Doc Emrick in NHL 15. Only one problem.... he'll have so many phrases for 'pass', there will have to be two discs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbsgtf986qQ

[Dougie_G_93]

Re: EA Sports and NBC Sports Partner Up to Add NBC Game of the Week in NHL 14

CBC > TSN > NBC.

Hockey night in Canada presentation package would really be something special. Does anyone outside of Canada really play this game anyways?

Um yeah.

That hockey is Canada's game crap really toasts my oats.

Millions of Americans love hockey just as much as canadians.

[SpectralThundr]

All this is going to be is a logo on the menu screen, I hope people aren't getting their hopes up the game will have NBC and (god I hope not, NBC really?) presentation, some other hockey related network? Sure but if I have to listen to Pierre DoucheCanoe McGuire or Eddie Oilslick while I'm playing NHL, and I generally don't turn commentary off, I may as well not buy it. .

EA's had a partnership with ESPN for years now, they've barely done much to cross promote in the actual games. Reason for this is EA has always had identity issues, and would never put anyone's brand on equal footing with their own in a product, even if it would ultimately make the game better.

I've been complaining for years now in general across sports games about presentation in particular in that there really isn't enough spent there, time wise or budget wise. The script for the play by play has not changed since 07, sure they record new lines but the over all script in how the game unfolds is always the same.

There's zero franchise awareness integration in NHL when it comes to presentation, the commentators barely talk about your season, and if they do, they often reverse dialog and say the wrong thing. Like often Thorne will call a team on the PK accidentally on the PP. for example. There's never a mention of up coming games or opponents. Never any mention of rivalries or the point standings beyond some generic one line of dialog.

As good as I do find the game play to be finally getting, this is unforgivable in this day and age, because other games, even 10 year old games have shown that so much more can be done to reward that franchise player who likely buys the game every year.

Online makes money, we get that. If you eventually drive your yearly repeat buyers away however because you think you're too powerful a company to listen to the customers and at least throw them a bone. Those customers are eventually going to get fed up and stop buying every year.

[jyoung]

Re: EA Sports and NBC Sports Partner Up to Add NBC Game of the Week in NHL 14

I hope this is the beginning of an NBC-themed presentation overhaul for NHL 15.

Mike Emrick and Eddie Olczyk -- commentary
Pierre McGuire -- between the benches
Liam McHugh -- intermission reports, studio updates, post-game show

And of course, all the NBC music and graphic overlays.

Make it happen, EA!

[emericaridr11]

Re: EA Sports and NBC Sports Partner Up to Add NBC Game of the Week in NHL 14

CBC > TSN > NBC.

Hockey night in Canada presentation package would really be something special. Does anyone outside of Canada really play this game anyways?

haha, hope you really didnt mean this
Hockey runs my life, living in Colorado.... dang Grizzlies!

this is pretty cool I guess.....

gotta say I assume everyone likes their Announcers...... I would KILL to have my boys in there, Mike Haynes and Peter Mcnab (of course who knows them fools though muah)

[Dougie_G_93]

Re: EA Sports and NBC Sports Partner Up to Add NBC Game of the Week in NHL 14

haha, hope you really didnt mean this
Hockey runs my life, living in Colorado.... dang Grizzlies!

this is pretty cool I guess.....

gotta say I assume everyone likes their Announcers...... I would KILL to have my boys in there, Mike Haynes and Peter Mcnab (of course who knows them fools though muah)

I especially like when Colorado's opponent scores....

And Haynes practically whispers..... scores... LOL

[Arrowhead21]

Re: EA Sports and NBC Sports Partner Up to Add NBC Game of the Week in NHL 14

I just played the NBC matchup 4 times on superstar and lost them all in the shootout or last minute of the game. these offline superstar matches are complete stupidity. dominate the game all you want. The computer will find a way to even the score and win in the end, unless you fire fifty one timers per period. its honestly pathetic the way the game plays under these conditions.