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91ƵNHL 1891Ƶ 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.

91ƵNHL 18,91Ƶ 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.

91ƵOur goal this year is really to capture the speed, the skill and the creativity that you91Ƶre seeing in the new NHL with all those young player coming in,91Ƶ game producer Sean Ramjagsingh said in an interview.

It91Ƶs 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.

91ƵBut now you91Ƶre seeing those kids pulling those moves off at high speeds strategically to create new passing lanes or to get shots off in traffic. So they91Ƶre part of the sport, you see them every night as part of the highlight package.

91ƵSo for us, we saw that and used it as an inspiration for 91ƵNHL 18,91Ƶ bringing those moves into the game.91Ƶ

Ramjagsingh says the special moves are 91Ƶeasy to learn how to pull off, but difficult to master in the right situation at game-speed.91Ƶ

91ƵNHL 1891Ƶ 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 91Ƶ 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.

91ƵThe way our game was developed, the code itself wasn91Ƶt meant to handle more than 30 teams,91Ƶ said Ramjagsingh, who has been with EA Sports since 2000 and was first involved with the franchise with 91ƵNHL 09.91Ƶ

Developers headed down to Las Vegas to take pictures of T-Mobile Arena from just about every angle to be able to recreate the Knights91Ƶ new home. Edmonton91Ƶs Rogers Place had previously got the same treatment.

91ƵFor 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 91Ƶ 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.91Ƶ

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press





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