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'{{use mdy dates|date=May 2012}} {{Infobox video game | title = NHL 13 | image = NHL 13 Cover.png | caption = The ''NHL 13'' cover, featuring [[Claude Giroux]]. | developer = [[EA Canada]] | publisher = [[EA Sports]] | series = [[NHL (video game series)|''NHL'' series]] | released = {{vgrelease|NA=September 11, 2012<ref name="Us-release" />|PAL=September 13, 2012<ref name="Eu-release">{{cite web |url=http://www.ps3-talk.de/gamedb/a/82671-nhl-13---neuer-skill-stick-trailer |title=NHL 13 - Neuer Skill Stick Trailer |publisher=ps3-talk.de |date=2012-05-16 |accessdate=2012-05-16}}</ref><ref name="Au-release">{{cite web |url=http://www.ea-anz-press.com/release.asp?i=1650 |title=NHL 13 Delivers major innovations that will change the way you play the game |work=EA Extranet |date=2012-05-21 |accessdate=2012-06-06}}</ref>}} | genre = [[Sports game|Sports]] ([[ice hockey]]) | modes = [[Single-player video game|Single-player]], [[Multiplayer video game|Multiplayer]], [[Multiplayer online game|Online multiplayer]] | platforms = {{unbulleted list|[[PlayStation 3]]|[[Xbox 360]]}} }} '''''NHL 13''''' is an [[ice hockey]] [[video game]] developed by [[EA Canada]] published by [[EA Sports]]. It is the 22nd installment of the [[NHL (video game series)|''NHL'' series]] and was released on September 11, 2012 in [[North America]], and on September 13, 2012 in [[Europe]], [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]]. The game was released on the [[PlayStation 3]] and the [[Xbox 360]], featuring [[Philadelphia Flyers]] forward [[Claude Giroux]] on the cover.<ref name="Us-release">{{cite web|url=http://wegotthiscovered.com/news/road-nhl-13-part-1-skill-stick/|title=The Road To NHL 13 – Part 1: The Skill Stick|work=We Got This Covered|author=Chad Goodmurphy|date=2012-05-14|accessdate=2012-05-16}}</ref> The game was featured at the [[Electronic Entertainment Expo 2012]], which took place between June 5–7, 2012. The [[game demo|demo]] of the game was released on August 21–22, 2012, at the [[Xbox Live Marketplace]] and the [[PlayStation Store]].<ref name="NHL 13 demo">{{cite web |url=http://www.easports.com/nhl/news/article/demo-blog |title=NHL 13 Demo Hits the Ice on August 21 |publisher=[[EA Sports]] |date=2012-08-14 |accessdate=2012-08-14}}</ref> There was a vote deciding which player would be on the ''NHL 13'' cover. Anybody could vote on the player(s) they wished to see on the cover of the game. The vote started on March 29, 2012 with 60 [[National Hockey League|NHL]] players in a single-elimination voting with two players in each match-up, and was closed on June 4, receiving over 25 million votes worldwide.<ref name="Cover vote">{{cite web |url=http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=624652 |title=EA SPORTS, NHL.com launch NHL 13 Cover Vote |publisher=''nhl.com'' |date=2012-03-29 |accessdate=2012-05-16}}</ref> On June 20, [[Claude Giroux]] was named the winner, over [[Pekka Rinne]] at the 2012 [[List of National Hockey League awards|NHL Awards]] in [[Las Vegas Valley|Las Vegas]].<ref name="Cover vote announcement">{{cite web |url=http://www.easports.com/nhl/promo/cover-vote |title=NHL 13 cover winner |publisher=[[EA Sports]] |date=2012-06-20 |accessdate=2012-06-21}}</ref> An exclusive "Stanley Cup Collector's Edition" was also released, apart from the actual ''NHL 13'' game. The Collector's Edition includes five random Hockey Ultimate Team (HUT) player packs from the two [[2012 Stanley Cup Finals]] teams; a Gold Jumbo HUT pack including legend [[Wayne Gretzky]]; and a boost pack featuring the [[CCM (ice hockey)|CCM]] RBZ stick.<ref name="Collector's Edition">{{cite web |url=http://www.easports.com/nhl/news/article/collectors-edition |title=Pre-Order the NHL®13 Stanley Cup® Collector’s Edition Today! |work=[[EA Sports]] |date=2012-05-24 |accessdate=2012-06-06}}</ref> Just like in ''[[NHL 12]]'', [[Gary Thorne]] ([[sports commentator|play-by-play]]) and [[Bill Clement]] ([[color commentator|color]]) provide commentary for ''NHL 13''.<ref name="Community Day">{{cite web |url=http://www.easports.com/nhl/promo/nhl-webcast |title=NHL Webcast |publisher=[[EA Sports]] |accessdate=2012-06-13}}</ref> This year, for the first time, two playable female characters, [[Hayley Wickenheiser]] and [[Angela Ruggiero]] have been added.<ref name="Hayley Wickenheiser">{{cite web |url=http://www.globaltoronto.com/Pages/MorningSegment.aspx?id=6442703725 |title=Hayley Wickenheiser at The Morning Show |publisher=[[Shaw Media]] |accessdate=2012-08-28}}</ref> In ''NHL 12'', users could create female characters, but there were no real-life players.<ref name="How a 14-year-old girl made NHL video game history">{{cite web |url=http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/How-a-14-year-old-girl-made-NHL-video-game-histo?urn=nhl-wp12363|title=How a 14-year-old girl made NHL video game history |publisher=[[Yahoo!]] |accessdate=2012-08-28}}</ref> On September 20, [[Gamesindustry.biz]] reported that ''NHL 13'' had posted the best first week sales in the franchise's history.<ref name="NHL 13 sales up despite lockout">{{cite web | url=http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2012-09-20-nhl-13-sales-up-despite-lockout|title=NHL 13 sales up despite lockout |publisher=[[GamesIndustry.biz]] |accessdate=2012-09-22}}</ref> == Cover == [[Claude Giroux]], forward and, at the time, [[Captain (ice hockey)#Alternate captains|alternate captain]] of the [[Philadelphia Flyers]], was named the official cover athlete of ''NHL 13'' on June 20, 2012.<ref name="Cover vote announcement" /> The cover athlete was announced after a public vote which had been going on for over two months on the [[Internet]].<ref name="Cover vote" /> Giroux became the first Philadelphia Flyer to appear on an EA Sports ''NHL'' video game cover since [[Eric Lindros]] in ''[[NHL 99]]'',<ref name="First Philadelphia Flyer on cover since NHL 99">{{cite web |url=http://philly.sbnation.com/philadelphia-flyers/2012/6/20/3104724/philadelphia-flyers-claude-giroux-nhl-13-cover |title=Flyers C Claude Giroux Will Grace The NHL 13 Cover |last=Van Vibber |first=Ryan |date=2012-06-20 |accessdate=2012-06-21}}</ref> as well as the first Philadelphia Flyer to appear on any ice hockey video game cover since [[Jeremy Roenick]] on ''[[ESPN NHL Hockey]]'' in 2003. With this, the Philadelphia Flyers have more cover athletes than any other team. == Features == All modes and features from ''[[NHL 12]]'' remain in ''NHL 13''. The following new features are included:<ref name="Gameplay features">{{cite web |url=http://www.easports.com/nhl/features |title=NHL 13 features |publisher=[[EA Sports]] |work=easports.com |accessdate=2012-06-06}}</ref> * '''EA Sports Hockey IQ ([[Artificial intelligence|AI]]):''' Makes CPU-controlled players and teammates smarter by reacting to everything on the ice, not just what they see in front of them. Skaters will be more easily able to prevent scoring opportunities. For [[goaltender]]s, Hockey IQ opens up for a lot of new different types of desperation saves as they are better able to identify "potential" scoring threats. As part of Hockey IQ, there are over five times as many strategy options in ''NHL 13'' compared to previous titles of the current generation of the ''NHL'' series to replicate the real-life plays in the [[National Hockey League]] (NHL). Also, players can now develop their own plays and implement them for the computer AI in gameplay. According to Dean Richards, [[general manager]] of the ''NHL'' series, the development team spent more time on the AI development in ''NHL 13'' than in the past three years combined.<ref name="Community Day" /> * '''True Performance Skating''', a new skating engine based on physics, makes the player skating more dynamic and realistic with over 1,000 new animations created using [[motion capture]]. The engine is divided into three parts: explosiveness, top-end speed, and momentum. Explosiveness refers to how quickly a player can accelerate when gliding, being in a stationary state or how far a player can skate quickly. Top-end speed means that the players can skate as quickly as in real-life in their top speeds. Momentum is part of the physics; for example, a player skating at top speed may not turn around as quickly when carrying the puck as compared to when skating at normal speed or just gliding. Also, a player skating at top speed has his shooting and passing accuracies decreased. Momentum also means that players have a harder time recovering from mistakes. The new animations, combined with the Skill Stick features, allow for a lot of new plays and dekes that can be pulled off. True Performance Skating is [[tagline]]d "Every Stride Matters". * '''Improved rating system:''' In ''NHL 12'', each player's overall rating is based on that player's role in the team (playmaker, enforcer, defensive defenceman etc.). In ''NHL 13'', however, the player's overall rating is based on that player's skill in their position (i.e. forward, defenceman, or goaltender). For example, in ''NHL 12'', [[George Parros]] (at that time playing for the [[Anaheim Ducks]]) was rated 81 overall (out of 99) based on his role as an [[enforcer (ice hockey)|enforcer]]. In ''NHL 13'', Parros' overall rating has been lowered down to 69 as determined by his skill as a [[forward (ice hockey)|forward]]. EA Sports stated that this was "a fan-requested change". Based on their attribute values, the players are now also given [[Star (classification)|5-star ratings]] for these six categories: shooting, puck skills, senses, skating, physical, and defense. Further, the teams' overall ratings for offense, defense and goaltending are now also 5-star based ratings instead of out-of-100 ones.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/top-rated-forwards-defensemen-goalies-nhl-13-134739173--nhl.html |title=Who are the top rated forwards, defensemen and goalies in NHL 13? |work=[[Yahoo!]] |last=Leahy |first=Sean |date=2012-08-14 |accessdate=2012-08-17}}</ref> * '''Team First Presentation''' aims to make the in-game experience more authentic than previously. Team-specific presentations for the NHL teams have been added, and it's also possible to manually customize the experience. * '''GM Connected''': Allows players to play in online Be a GM leagues with human-controlled teams. Players can keep track of what's happening in their league with a [[mobile app]]. * '''NHL Moments Live''': taglined "Can you recreate history?", this mode allows players to re-play and re-live great moments from the [[2011–12 NHL season]]. In addition, new moments will be uploaded as the [[2012–13 NHL season]] progresses. * '''Hockey Ultimate Team''': The design of HUT has been revamped, the reward system improved and a new playoff format for HUT has been added. New features for player-card collections have been added to make it easier to create a HUT team. * '''All new GM Brain''': Revamped Trade logic between AI GMs and users. * '''EA Sports Hockey League''' remains in the game and features like club [[captain (ice hockey)|captains]] and improved [[matchmaking]] have been added. * '''Be a Pro''': Players are now able to demand a trade from their teams. Once the user demands a trade, their GM will evaluate the player's performance and place the user on the trading block. Players can also choose to retire at any given point at their career. * '''Refined goalie controls''': In previous games of the current ''NHL'' generation, the right stick was used to make a manual save. In ''NHL 13'' the right stick is now used to [[anticipation (artificial intelligence)|anticipate]] a save instead of actually attempting to make a save. == Leagues and teams == ''NHL 13'' includes seven professional leagues: the [[National Hockey League]] (NHL), [[American Hockey League]] (AHL), [[Czech Extraliga]] (ELH), [[SM-liiga]], [[Deutsche Eishockey Liga]] (DEL), [[Swedish Hockey League|Elitserien]] (SEL), and [[National League A]] (NLA). The [[Canadian Hockey League]] is also included, which comprises the [[Quebec Major Junior Hockey League]] (QMJHL), [[Ontario Hockey League]] (OHL), and [[Western Hockey League]] (WHL). The leagues in ''NHL 13'' are the same as in ''[[NHL 12]]''. As part of the NHL, Team Chara and Team Alfredsson from the [[59th National Hockey League All-Star Game|2012 All-Star Game]] are included. New legends have also been added to the "Legends" team, which consists of several former NHL star players as well as current ones. "Team White" and "Team Red" from the 2012 [[CHL Top Prospects Game]] are included as well. No license for the [[International Ice Hockey Federation]] (IIHF) means that the international teams' jerseys aren't of official design, nor are there any official IIHF tournaments such as the [[Ice Hockey World Championships|World Championships]]. [[Rögle BK]] replaced [[Djurgårdens IF Hockey|Djurgårdens IF]] in the SEL, due to the [[2012 Kvalserien]]. [[Piráti Chomutov]] replaced [[BK Mladá Boleslav]] in the Czech ELH, due to the "Baráž o Extraligu 2012". The [[Mississauga St. Michael's Majors]] of the OHL were renamed the [[Mississauga Steelheads]]. The QMJHL welcomed the [[Sherbrooke Phoenix]], one year after disbanding the [[Lewiston Maineiacs]]. Initially the 2012 Winter Classic jerseys only worked in the 2012 Winter Classic mode, but that was fixed and players can now play in the [[2012 NHL Winter Classic|2012 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic]] in Philadelphia, PA. The Winter Classic jerseys for the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers are now available in other game modes. === National teams === Players who do not participate in the official leagues in ''NHL 13'', do not participate in the national teams either. The rest of the rosters are created by the game creators. == Soundtrack == The ''NHL 13'' soundtrack, featuring a total of sixteen songs, was officially revealed on August 30, 2012.<ref name="Soundtrack">{{cite web |url=http://www.easports.com/nhl/news/article/soundtrack-replicates-authentic-arena-hockey-experience |title=NHL 13 Soundtrack Replicates Authentic In-Arena Hockey Experience |publisher=[[EA Sports]] |date=2012-08-30 |accessdate=2012-09-04}}</ref> == Demo == The ''NHL 13'' [[game demo|demo]] was released at the [[Xbox Live Marketplace]] and the [[PlayStation Store]] (PSN) on August 21, 2012. However, in [[Europe]] the demo appeared at PSN the following day. The demo features four modes: Play Now, Hockey Ultimate Team (HUT), NHL Moments Live, and Free Skate. The latter two are new additions to the ''NHL 13'' demo, replacing the Be a Pro mode in the ''[[NHL 12]]'' demo.<ref name="NHL 13 demo" /> Play Now features a five-minute third period between the two [[2012 Stanley Cup Finals]] contenders [[Los Angeles Kings]] and the [[New Jersey Devils]], where the first two periods of the game have already been simulated. The HUT mode allows players to create their own fantasy team based on a starter pack of player cards and put the team in a playoff tournament. In NHL Moments Live, players can re-play the overtime period of Game 5 of the [[2012 Stanley Cup playoffs#Western Conference Finals|2012 Western Conference Finals]] between the Los Angeles Kings and the [[Phoenix Coyotes]] (the Kings won the game 4–3 and advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals); the goal is to score the series-clinching goal with the Kings. Free Skate allows players to practice their skills on-ice with [[Anže Kopitar]] of the Kings. The demo includes three HUT Item Packs that players can earn and use in the retail version of ''NHL 13''. One can be earned by winning the demo moment in NHL Moments Live; another one can be found in the HUT mode by defeating Team USA and winning the playoff tournament; and a third one can be obtained by inviting a friend to play the ''NHL 13'' demo.<ref name="NHL 13 demo" /> == Reception == NHL 13 received positive reviews. GameSpot game NHL 13 an 8/10. IGN gave NHL 13 an 8.5/10 categorizing it as "Great". GameInformer magazine was on the same page as GameSpot and gave NHL 13 an 8/10. == Game Modes == NHL 13, like many of the other games in the series, includes a season game mode, playoffs, practice, GM Connected, Be a Pro, Hockey Ultimate Team, NHL Moments Live, and EASports Hockey League. If playing on [[Xbox 360]] Xbox Live may be required to access some of these game modes. == References == {{reflist}} == External links == * [http://www.ea.com/nhl Official website] {{NHL series}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Nhl 13}} [[Category:2012 video games]] [[Category:Electronic Arts games]] [[Category:EA Sports games]] [[Category:NHL (video game series)]] [[Category:PlayStation 3 games]] [[Category:Sports video games with career mode]] [[Category:Xbox 360 games]] [[Category:Video games set in Finland]] [[Category:Video games set in Sweden]] [[Category:Video games set in Switzerland]] [[Category:Video games set in the Czech Republic]] [[Category:Video games set in Canada]] [[Category:Video games set in the United States]] [[Category:Video games set in 2012]] [[Category:Video games set in 2013]] [[Category:Multiplayer and single-player video games]]'