NHL 16 Thread

[IgiTang]

Doesn't look all that great... Infact, is it that much better than 15? Nope..

What the hell have the Dec's been doing for 2 years?...

[hockey.modern]

Originally Posted by IgiTang

Doesn't look all that great... Infact, is it that much better than 15? Nope..

What the hell have the Dec's been doing for 2 years?...

"Mascots"

[btimbit]

"Authentic arena atmosphere "

Team wins Stanley Cup, only two fans on their feet

[codynw]

I only recognized two players in that cup celebration. How hard is it to get some more real faces?

[IgiTang]

Originally Posted by hockey.modern

"Mascots"

Mascots are cool!!!

Everything else looks identical.

So what exactly are you saying?

[Fire of the Phoenix]

Originally Posted by codynw

I only recognized two players in that cup celebration. How hard is it to get some more real faces?

It's the same ####ing celebration from the last 6 or so years. No new faces either, wtf EA? The crowd looks graphically better but pretty emotionless for just winning the Stanley Cup. Same ol, same ol by the looks of it and I'm still going to shell out $80 for it. Oh how I miss 2k.

[hockey.modern]

Originally Posted by IgiTang

Mascots are cool!!!



Everything else looks identical.



So what exactly are you saying?

Nothing EA NHL is a complete joke.

[IgiTang]

^ agreed. I wish 2k still had a market share.. Perhaps EA would take the fanbase a bit more seriously if that were the case.

[FlamesPuck12]

Originally Posted by Fire of the Phoenix

It's the same ####ing celebration from the last 6 or so years. No new faces either, wtf EA? The crowd looks graphically better but pretty emotionless for just winning the Stanley Cup. Same ol, same ol by the looks of it and I'm still going to shell out $80 for it. Oh how I miss 2k.

Even the players were pretty emotionless. After they won the cup, players casually hop off the bench.

[calgarywinning]

EA NHL 17 featuring realistic cup celebrations, by popular fan request.

[Hanna Sniper]

Originally Posted by calgarywinning

EA NHL 17 featuring realistic cup celebrations, by popular fan request.

Unfortunately due to time restraints they will need to drop the GM mode

[Skaloper]

Originally Posted by IgiTang

Doesn't look all that great... Infact, is it that much better than 15? Nope..

What the hell have the Dec's been doing for 2 years?...

I played in the EASHL Beta in August and was blown away by the changes they made to the gameplay. I am sure that they will have more time to focus on presentation and offline game modes now that they have HUT/EASHL complete for NHL 17.

[Diemenz]

^ I really enjoyed the beta as well. Online gameplay was way better then 14 and the collisions were miles ahead of 15.

I did however notice that you could not see the sock tape on the players which is complete garbage and I'll be hard pressed to pick up the game because EA forgot that.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by Diemenz

^ I really enjoyed the beta as well. Online gameplay was way better then 14 and the collisions were miles ahead of 15.

I did however notice that you could not see the sock tape on the players which is complete garbage and I'll be hard pressed to pick up the game because EA forgot that.

How did the trainer's shirts look?

[TjRhythmic]

Originally Posted by Diemenz

^ I really enjoyed the beta as well. Online gameplay was way better then 14 and the collisions were miles ahead of 15.

I did however notice that you could not see the sock tape on the players which is complete garbage and I'll be hard pressed to pick up the game because EA forgot that.

I agree, I had a hard time seeing the transparent tape. Definitely not going to be a day 1 purchase for me. Also I noticed the jersey swayed oddly when standing still. Kind of urked me in a big way. There was also some odd player movement in the benches that distracted me everytime I skated pass. Caused me to lose the puck several times.

Seriously though... this game looks no different then NHL 95 for the genesis, I have no idea what EA is doing. What a joke of a company I tell ya.

[Igottago]

Originally Posted by Skaloper

I played in the EASHL Beta in August and was blown away by the changes they made to the gameplay. I am sure that they will have more time to focus on presentation and offline game modes now that they have HUT/EASHL complete for NHL 17.

What exactly changed significantly enough to be "blown away"? Honestly asking, because I agree with those saying it looks like NHL 15 with mascots.

I'm sure the gameplay has changed, but has it changed much more than an updated tuner set would've provided? I'm not seeing anything immediately recognizable as any different from NHL 15 from the videos I've seen.

Not planning to get the game this year and nothing I've seen has really changed my mind.

Also, is there a demo this year?

[ComixZone]

I also loved the beta. It's the best playing NHL game to date. Puck physics/stick physics are top notch and deliver the most realistic on-ice product we've ever played.

Plenty of game modes are making a return this year, which was greatly needed.

To those who are complaining, what would you actually like them to improve upon? The moment to moment gameplay has been greatly improved. The game looks good, although commentary could always be better but that's the same with every sports game...I guess I just don't understand what you think the game is lacking at this stage.

Originally Posted by Igottago

I'm sure the gameplay has changed, but has it changed much more than an updated tuner set would've provided? I'm not seeing anything immediately recognizable as any different from NHL 15 from the videos I've seen.

As mentioned, a lot of game modes are back in the game. Also, the way in which the on-ice physics have improved go well beyond what a tuner could change. The skating has also improved, the net-front battles are far better, board-play is significantly improved. The game just flat out plays better.

"I'm not seeing anything immediately recognizable as any different from NHL 15 from the videos I've seen."

What are you expecting to see in a series that is released yearly? No matter how much change you want, it's still going to be a hockey game - and this year, from what I've played of the beta, improves upon everything that was present last year and adds a lot of new modes/features. Are you hoping that NHL 17 comes fully featured with a Pirate ship and your ability to manage each individual pirates diet?

Instead of saying "I'm not seeing anything immediately recognizable as any different from NHL 15", why not ask about things you felt were missing last year or in years previous?


Does it have more game modes? Yes.
Are the existing modes improved upon? Yes.
Is the on-ice action improved upon? Yes. How? Moment to moment gameplay is greatly improved thanks to more realistic puck/stick/skating physics that help lend themselves to more dynamic moments and a better 200-foot gameplay experience. Want to work the boards? Work 'em. Crash the net? Net front battles are way better and way more important this year. Thanks to the improved physics, rebounds and tip-ins have never been more important. This works the other way as well, blocking shots is much more realistic, as are "defensive sticks".

What else do you think needs to be built into the game?

[Igottago]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

"I'm not seeing anything immediately recognizable as any different from NHL 15 from the videos I've seen."

What are you expecting to see in a series that is released yearly? No matter how much change you want, it's still going to be a hockey game - and this year, from what I've played of the beta, improves upon everything that was present last year and adds a lot of new modes/features. Are you hoping that NHL 17 comes fully featured with a Pirate ship and your ability to manage each individual pirates diet?

Instead of saying "I'm not seeing anything immediately recognizable as any different from NHL 15", why not ask about things you felt were missing last year or in years previous?


Does it have more game modes? Yes.
Are the existing modes improved upon? Yes.
Is the on-ice action improved upon? Yes. How? Moment to moment gameplay is greatly improved thanks to more realistic puck/stick/skating physics that help lend themselves to more dynamic moments and a better 200-foot gameplay experience. Want to work the boards? Work 'em. Crash the net? Net front battles are way better and way more important this year. Thanks to the improved physics, rebounds and tip-ins have never been more important. This works the other way as well, blocking shots is much more realistic, as are "defensive sticks".

What else do you think needs to be built into the game?

The pirate comment doesn't even warrant a response. I'm asking a legitimate question about the game.

For the record, I'm not complaining -- I'm just not buying. More so just curious as to what the actual differences are (and I'm sticking with this point -- I'm just not seeing much).

Its on EA to sell me the game, they haven't done it. (And I'm someone who generally would buy the series every year). The yearly release is a good point -- it seems like its not worth buying these games annually anymore (for me). There just isn't enough differentiation to make it feel like enough of a new experience.

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by Igottago

The pirate comment doesn't even warrant a response. I'm asking a legitimate question about the game.

For the record, I'm not complaining -- I'm just not buying. More so just curious as to what the actual differences are (and I'm sticking with this point -- I'm just not seeing much).

Its on EA to sell me the game, they haven't done it. (And I'm someone who generally would buy the series every year). The yearly release is a good point -- it seems like its not worth buying these games annually anymore (for me). There just isn't enough differentiation to make it feel like enough of a new experience.

I guess I wasn't really directing the pirate comment at you. I should have made it more clearly pointed towards the people who complain year in and year out about the game while generally offering no real reason as to why, other than "it's the same game as last year, except it has core changes A, B, and C, damn that lazy Electronic Arts".

I just don't know what some people expect.

AI has been improved, physics have been improved, production values have been improved. Everything they could try to improve upon, they've gone after. I just don't know what else EA could be doing other than...adding pirates.

[ernie]

I think this will likely be year 3 of not buying. Essentially year 5 without really playing despite having the game.

I'm not saying it's a bad game but for soooooo long I could never see myself without a release day copy and then I just stopped. And I don't miss it.

On the other hand I'm now in the must have Fifa on the first day the last few years. I find that game more fulfilling. And yes Fifa 16 is on pre-order.

While I'd like to blame the developers and sometimes they very much deserve blame, the NHL series simply doesn't sell enough to warrant pulling development budgets from other areas. It gets destroyed by the Fifa and MAdden every year.

Let's put it in perspective....global sales for NHL 15 were 1.39 million across all platforms (which is actually a high water mark for the last several years). Fifa 17 million and Madden over 6 million.

Fact of life in the business world is the projects with the best returns get the better funding. Again that isn't to say Fifa and Madden are perfect games...far from it. But the shoestring budget resulting from low sales for the NHL series has likely really taken it's toll the last half decade.

I want the EA NHL team to wow me. Lately it just never happens.