The problem with Be a GM mode in EA’s NHL series -- whether you avoided or obsessed over it -- was that it was lonely. You’d pour your heart and soul into managing a team nobody else would ever interact with. When next year’s version hit, you flushed everything away and started from scratch. NHL 13 is the first hockey game to add longevity to that experience.
Be a GM is going online in GM Connected, which abandons the A.I. teams and trades up for real people. GM Connected functions like the EA Sports Hockey League, with up to 30 human-controlled teams, totaling 750 total possible players participating in a given league, scheduling matches.
As a member of a Connected league, you can play your position on the ice, coach them from the bench, strategize from the locker room, and manage the franchise from your office. You’ll also be able to keep up with standings and stats, make trade offers, and bid on free agents from an iOS app. You can also catch live updates to your league here, and post messages to the league blog for all participants to see -- prime for setting up matches at work and during bathroom breaks, indeed.
Datsyuk will deke with or without your control. Make the call.
Longtime series developer EA Canada is making a concentrated effort to improve the A.I. side of GM Connected, with smarter rading. Any teams left open to its computer-controlled devices will look farther into the future when poaching prospects or giving up superstars rather than making blind deals in the moment. You’ll also have a clearer idea of what they’re willing to give up in addition to what they want from you.
Streamlining the functions of Be a GM is part of EA’s larger initiative to involve more players into what has traditionally been an overwhelming, intimidating career mode. In that respect, there are now five ways you can play GM Connected. You can play against a human opponent, take on the A.I., team up with others in a cooperative game, or take advantage of two new major changes to NHL 13.
Build Your A.I. is EA’s attempt to let you play the role of a war strategist -- this is for the tactical types more so than actual on-the-ice players. Here, you can adjust multiple team variables and biases, which influences your team’s behavior.You can control how each line plays, whether they fight for possession, are prone to dumping the puck, or how many on a line will attack or hang back. All of this is adjustable on the fly, too, so if an aggressive, hit-based direction isn’t isn’t working, you can tweak it to a more efficient control strategy.
If that’s up your alley, playing the role of the team’s coach gives you control over forecheck and neutral zone strategies, line changes, as well as on-the-fly calls as you react to the changes in on-ice momentum. So if you end up with a man in the penalty box you can flip between carrying and dumping the puck depending on your PK line’s strengths.
With all of this, GM Connected empowers players, giving each of them the control necessary to dominate their league. How you use that power will determine your effectiveness on the ice, on the bench, and on your iPhone. Just remember: You're not the only one in control anymore.
Mitch Dyer is an Associate Editor for IGN's Xbox 360 team. He’s also quite Canadian. Read his ramblings on Twitter and follow him on IGN.
Source : ign[dot]com
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