[Yamer]

So I’ve spent about 2 weeks with this game and I think I want to weigh in on a few aspects of it. Apologies if this is a little long, but I have tried to split it up into a pro/con type review in the hopes that some people may be able to offer good advice on different areas I am having trouble with. Keep in mind I am an offline gamer, all games are played against the CPU. Here goes:

What I like:

Enhanced Trade Block – it’s nice to see this feature overhauled somewhat. I like being able to specify exactly what I want or what I am looking to offload. That said, there are some minor gripes about it. First, it would be great to go further than 3 options per screen (e.g. 3 players/picks on the block). Also, although it said in the help screen that team preference would change over time, I find that half-way through a season teams have the exact same wants/surplus/players on the block that they had day 1.

View Potential in Scouting – finally there is a little less randomness to the drafting process. Teams have a pretty good handle on what a player’s ceiling may be in the real world, and it’s nice to have this partial certainty within our control in the game.

Soundtrack – my playlist has once again inflated thanks to certain tracks I hear in the menu screen.

Shooting – I remember in either NHL 10 or 11 – at the start anyway – simply shooting the puck actually did something. Until of course they tuned the hell out of the game and squashed the shooting aspect. I feel I have a real chance at sniping a goal from a good position in the slot or from the point in this game. Unfortunately, however, this seems the only way to generate good chances as EA has overcompensated on one-timers and good dekes by making ridiculous goalie animations or eliminating passing in the offensive zone…but we’ll get to that a little later.

Shootout Camera Option – words cannot express how happy I am that I am not forced into using that dumb view some nincompoop at the studio thought would be oh-so-cool yet oh-so-annoying and impractical.

General In-Game Presentation – from relevant replays to players looking up at the scoreboard to see those replays, and from the lighting to the continuity of goal celebrations, the presentation is certainly more polished. It could be better, but I have to give them kudos for freshening up some parts of the presentation.

What irritates me/what I don’t like:

BAGM Reputation System – it’s stupid. I propose trades that boost my rep in one screen, yet lower my overall rep? Why does signing a fourth-line player lower my rep? It’s a dumb and confusing system, which leads to my next point…

Trade Mini-Games – the mini-game thing at the draft and trade deadline was idiotic when it was first introduced. Why the hell should I be limited to a certain number of phones to use (based on the ludicrous reputation system) within a set number of hours? Just do away with this…please.

BAGM Injuries – they say that they use statistics from the past few seasons to generate injuries during simulations. Am I missing something, or were, on average, two players per average suffering multi-month injuries each day over the past 5 seasons? Every other game that I sim (which is only my AHL team) I lose a player…often for months at a time. Any time I get an in-game injury it is for 2-3 months. There are, again on average, 5-6 injuries around the league per day. Tune them down, or get a better statistician.

Edit Lines Bug – it’s strange how the simplest things that should never, ever get by a competent quality assurance crew find their way into the final release. Thanks to the overblown injuries I have to change my lines all the time, but I can’t do it myself because I can’t switch to the roster (AHL/NHL) that needs the change because a bug in the game tells me I need proper lines before I can switch. It’s hard to explain if you haven’t experienced it, but some of you might know what I’m talking about.

Scouting System – it’s nice being able to see potential, but generally the whole scouting system they have set-up sucks (and it has for a while). This needs an overhaul.

Teammate AI – terrible, and it has been for as long as I can remember. They never go for loose pucks, never find an opening on the offensive zone, and don’t challenge the opposing team properly in the defensive zone. They make dumb decisions and don’t support me along the boards. As gaming continues to trend towards full online immersion, I don’t expect them to make serious strides into improving CPU teammate AI…and that’s disappointing.

Passing – I like the passing system for the most part, but it seems that they have made passing in the offensive zone (especially anywhere near the slot) next to impossible. I mean it’s good that they have made the cross-creasers more challenging, but in combination with the unrealistic goaltending they have almost entirely eliminated creative play. I’m glad that cycling around the perimeter and good shots are being rewarded, but skillful passing plays have been killed in the process. Hockey should be a combination of the two.

Pinning – after taking a step forward with this feature last year, they have taken two steps back this year. Once again I am being pinned to the boards while going full speed and facing away from the boards. Sometimes players spin around in a circle as they pin or are being pinned. Pinning an opposing player is too random…meaning that the CPU seems to arbitrarily decide if I can pin them or not. I can never escape from a pin, but CPU players do it regularly when I do it to them. I also don’t like the fact that we are given no tools other than poke checking (if you pin a player) or kicking the puck (if you are pinned).

Hitting – firstly, I have to admit that I am no good at hitting. It’s rare that I can line up a good hit. However, when I do, or I get close enough to give a shove or a bump, I expect that player to lose control of the puck with the frequency that I do when I get nudged. I also don’t expect, as Jarome Iginla, to get tossed around and manhandled by the Phil Kessels and Marian Hossas of the world. Inclusive to that point, the hitting animations aren’t even close to realistic. Players go flying and flopping like ragdolls and it looks ridiculous.

Skating Backwards – in the promo-videos that they showed it looked like a neat addition…being able to skate backwards and be creative with more control over your feet. However, it feels broken and clunky. It’s definitely unresponsive. Sometimes it doesn’t even work at all. I expect to start skating backward (or at least transitioning that way) the moment I pull the left trigger down. Unfortunately it rarely works that way and leaves me exposed as I try to play the game the way it was intended. I like the concept, but it needs some serious adjusting.

Goalies – I don’t know if there is anything I can say that hasn’t already been said. Superhuman and unrealistic, which leads to the decline of creative high percentage plays.

Warping – happens far too often and is downright glitchy. It occurs the most during points of contact, poke-checking, and pinning…my player will shoot 5-10 feet across the ice from a stationary position, which in turn puts me out of position.

Proximity to CPU is their defence – what I mean by this is that simply by being near a CPU defender is the only defence they need. They are able to strip the puck right off my stick, stunt/block shots, and deflect my passes by doing nothing more than being within 3 feet of me. No poke-checking, they just take the puck right off my stick. This wouldn’t be a problem if I could do the same things. However, I have to swing like a madman or attempt to hit them in order to have any effect on their players.

CPU Goals – this has been a minor psychotic issue for me over the past few iterations of this series. The kinds of goals I have to work for compared to the lame-ass goals the CPU offense is able to score almost gives me an automatic coronary. Floaters from the point, superhuman dekes by fourth liners down low, or unstoppable passes through the slot (despite 2-3 players in perfect position to at least deflect the pass) that are one-timed with perfection. So far, in about 50 games, the CPU has yet to miss the net from anywhere on the ice.

Shoot-outs/breakaways – the reason I dislike them is because I downright suck at them. No matter what kind of moves I pull off, I don’t score. Any pointers?

Chop puck – maybe I just have to get used to it, but as I find it now it is incorporated into the controls poorly. Often I will go to poke a loose puck and end up chopping at it. I understand they have similar effects, but when you’re not expecting it then it can throw you for a loop.

Things I’m not so sure about:

New Potential System – initially, it’s kind of hard to understand, especially since it’s based on a 5 star system that relates to your player’s overall (which is also translated into stars). I’ll have to wait until I get a few seasons in (if I choose to continue playing that long) to see how much of a change this system is from the old one (which was poorly implemented, IMO).

Skating system – one word: clunky. Despite my best efforts over the past few weeks, I can figure out no rhyme or reason for much of it. Often when I gain the puck my player decides to turn the wrong way, such as right into the path of an opposing player. And since it is all (supposedly) momentum based, it’s like trying to turn a Buick back around. On offense, players turn their bodies into odd positions as you tap the analog stick, thus negating what could have been a decent chance. Like the backwards skating, I like the concept…but right now it feels slapped together and…well…clunky.

Rating system – I can’t help but wonder if the folks responsible for the ratings aren’t A) homers, B) going off of NHL.com reports, or C) completely ignorant of the hockey world. I’m absolutely convinced that they know nothing of prospects until a few weeks before the draft. On the other hand, I like the idea of basing ratings on how they match up to their player type.

tl;dr:

Overall…meh. Even when I win I find myself coming away from the game upset and frustrated. I’m almost exhausted playing a couple of games w/ 5 min periods. The game seems to reward you on pure randomness rather than hard work, perseverance, and skill. I often get 35-40 shots per game, and only score on 1 or 2 (while the CPU floats 2 or 3 by me with 10 shots). Other games, against the same team, I score 7 or 8 goals playing the exact same style.

Even though I haven’t truly enjoyed the series over the past 3 seasons, I can’t bring myself to stop playing or buying. Out of everything, that is the thing I find the hardest to figure out.