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㽶ƵֱNHL 18㽶Ƶֱ video game looks to reflect young guns

Made-in-Vancouver hockey title looks to capture skills of Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews and more
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A screen shot from the EA Sports video game NHL 18 is seen in this handout image. EA Sports.

A new generation of talent led by Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine has not only energized the NHL, it has forced video game developers to up their game.

㽶ƵֱNHL 18,㽶Ƶֱ the made-in-Vancouver hockey title out Friday, features an array of slick moves including one-handed dekes, puck flips and between-the-leg shots and passes.

㽶ƵֱOur goal this year is really to capture the speed, the skill and the creativity that you㽶Ƶֱre seeing in the new NHL with all those young player coming in,㽶Ƶֱ game producer Sean Ramjagsingh said in an interview.

It㽶Ƶֱs not just a tribute to the young guns. Ramjagsingh reels off a list of moves including the (Peter) Forsberg tuck and the (Pavel) Datsyuk flip.

In the past, Ramjagsingh had been reluctant to include such glitz because he felt hard-core fans would think they were too rare or arcade-like. The new generation of player has changed that.

㽶ƵֱBut now you㽶Ƶֱre seeing those kids pulling those moves off at high speeds strategically to create new passing lanes or to get shots off in traffic. So they㽶Ƶֱre part of the sport, you see them every night as part of the highlight package.

㽶ƵֱSo for us, we saw that and used it as an inspiration for 㽶ƵֱNHL 18,㽶Ƶֱ bringing those moves into the game.㽶Ƶֱ

Ramjagsingh says the special moves are 㽶Ƶֱeasy to learn how to pull off, but difficult to master in the right situation at game-speed.㽶Ƶֱ

㽶ƵֱNHL 18㽶Ƶֱ features the fledgling Las Vegas Golden Knights. You can play as the real team or build it from scratch yourself. You can also create a 32nd team in another city 㽶Ƶֱ your own expansion franchise, complete with logo, name and everything else associated with a new franchise.

The arrival of the Knights forced developers to revamp some of the game framework.

㽶ƵֱThe way our game was developed, the code itself wasn㽶Ƶֱt meant to handle more than 30 teams,㽶Ƶֱ said Ramjagsingh, who has been with EA Sports since 2000 and was first involved with the franchise with 㽶ƵֱNHL 09.㽶Ƶֱ

Developers headed down to Las Vegas to take pictures of T-Mobile Arena from just about every angle to be able to recreate the Knights㽶Ƶֱ new home. Edmonton㽶Ƶֱs Rogers Place had previously got the same treatment.

㽶ƵֱFor us building an arena in the game is almost like building an arena in real life, in terms of the way that we build it 㽶Ƶֱ looking at the schematics of it, building the geometry out and then putting the textures in to make it look (like) the right colour, the right fabrics inside the arena.㽶Ƶֱ

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press





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