I think the last version of EA hockey I played was 2003, but I swore off the franchise in favour of NHL 2Kx after that version.
These issues may or may not have been addressed in later editions of the game:
- Super-human goalies. If I make a play that would be a goal 90% of the time in the real NHL, it should be a goal in the game as well. For example, it was almost impossible to score by making a pass through the crease and one-timing it in, even though that's as close to a sure-thing goal as there is in real life. Goalies in EA's hockey game were just too good. In fact, the only way I could reliably score was either a deflection or a rebound. Wrist and slap shots from good scoring positions almost never went in.
- Stupid "comeback AI". If I'm dominating the computer 6-0 in the third period, don't turn my goalie into Tommy Salo. If I had a lead late, I just knew the other team would score on a floater from outside my blue line.
- Not "simmy" enough. Yes, there are like a million sliders to adjust everything from puck friction to the strength of body checks, but would it be so hard to make a few preset slider settings? For example, you could have "Sim" mode, "Arcade" mode, etc., where all the sliders would be adjusted automatically.
- Penalty clock should run in real time (or at least have this as an option the player can select). I usually play 5 minute periods, which means a 2:00 penalty lasts for only 30 seconds of real time. The penalty clock should run separately from the game clock, allowing time for me to setup a powerplay. Likewise, all it took to kill a penalty was to win the faceoff and ice the puck once.
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