Seriously, EA, if there’s one franchise that you guys own that doesn’t need improvements, it’s the NHL series.  Over the past few years, EA’s hockey titles have become some of the best sports games on the market, and are annually met with critical praise and commercial success.  Still, EA feels that there’s room for improvement.  Specifically, they believe there’s room for over 200 improvements, as this E3 trailer shows.

Among the over 200 game refinements are player celebrations, a new face-off system, broken sticks, quick dekes, hip checks, and disallowed goals.  Most important, though, is the new physics system that makes every check unique.  In previous games, checks were essentially pre-rendered animations, meaning that every check looked roughly the same.  This time, players will react to the hit in real time, causing them to realistically flip head over skates, or rag along the dasher boards. 

Given the recent history of the NHL series, there’s no reason not to expect greatness form this game.  Adding a large slate of new features to an already sensational hockey experience sounds like a surefire hit.  We’ll find out on September 7, when the game releases.