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Impending NHL 15 release garners interest

By Nicholas Gattuso, For The Miami Student

With fall around the corner, EA Sports is beginning to release some of their more popular games. Among that list is NHL 15, set to come out Sept. 9. Over the past fewyears, the NHL series has been reconstructed for better gameplay and, as the sport's popularity has grown in America, so has the game's.

This year, probably the biggest change in the game is the new rotating camera angle. While skating up and down the ice, the camera will adjust to where the players are on the ice, anchoring to the person with the puck. This allows for a better view of open shooting and passing lanes as well as changing the entire dynamic of gameplay.

Another big change in the game is the new "Real Puck Physics." In all the previous games, the puck never really had any mobility other than going completely straight. Now the puck can flutter and bounce and just make the entire gameplay experience more realistic. Though these changes do not really seem like a big deal, the difference between NHL 15 and previous games is going to be massive. All in all, this game could transform how people play and make sports games.

In recent years the popularity of this game has skyrocketed, especially on Miami's campus. I have personally seen the growth my freshman year in 2012, to now. When I came to Miami, NHL 12 was the newest hockey game out. What I saw was, for the most part, the only people that owned the game either played hockey or were avid hockey fans. But once NHL 13 came out, more and more people started to buy the game and get more into the sport.

Then, last year with the Winter Olympics in full swing, it seemed like the entire campus came together to support the United States hockey team, attracting even more people to the game. It is now safe to say NHL, along with Madden FIFA and Call of Duty, is one of the more popular games on campus.

The NHL series' rapid growth in popularity over recent years is likely to continue with these changes. Whether it be professional or our own RedHawks squad, NHL 15 will draw more and more people to the sport.