[Yamer]

I haven't had much time to play the game yet, but some interesting factoids for those on the fence or waiting until Friday.

Franchise Mode - I like the idea of where they were trying to go with scouting. It's taken them 6 or 7 years, but they have finally listened to their customers and tried to revamp one of the weakest parts of the mode. However, I can already see how this is going to be immensely cumbersome, especially if you want to do it right. I see myself spending more time in the scouting menu than should probably be necessary, but I'm willing to give it a try.

There is also a 'Fog of War' feature for professional players. That means that attributes for players on other teams and in the AHL are revealed only if you assign a scout to them. This is a switchable option, thankfully. While it presents a new challenge, it's not a realistic feature IMO. Any fan knows the general attributes and potential of any player in the league.

They have introduced the Player Search function from HUT into Franchise Mode. Awesome, and so useful.

Potential ratings have gone from a Red, Amber, Green indication to grey scale. I bet the colourblind people are loving that.

Customization is slightly better. There are some new logos to choose from in Create a Team, but otherwise there's not a whole bunch of change...team or player.

I have to play more to get a good sense of the game, but right now it feels like more the same in different wrapping. More game modes and features that I'll never use (CHEL, really? Why?).