I mean I don't think that would work from a gameplay standpoint, but it's just one of a billion things that could add to the presentation. I love those shots where the in-net camera shows the goalie being crashed into on replays.
I still mostly played human versus human games. I also didn't really play against any "iconic" defensemen that would really stick out besides Doughty -- but, again, I was the Kings.
I should have written this one down since I think people asked about this at E3 as well, but I just forgot. So the answer is, not sure.
I continually make a general point with sports games, so I should probably just reiterate it here. What the NHL team is doing is smart from my perspective. They have a clear idea about where they want to go with gameplay, and they clearly put lots of their resources there for the tech and general development of the on-ice action.
From there, they seem to look at modes and other things dealing with longevity of the product. After that, then it seems like presentation comes into play.
Again, I love presentation, and I absolutely believe they should be doing more (WAY more), but it still has to be a secondary objective when compared to some of those other things above. And, then as for the folks who talk about a lack of evolution, I feel like you get the base and you build on that base. NBA 2K, NHL, The Show -- I probably would even throw FIFA in there as well now -- are titles that have thrived and become beloved for sticking to their core concepts and building on them on a yearly basis rather than going for these "massive" headline changes on a yearly basis. Sometimes it means you get less press and so forth -- or more misunderstanding in the general public -- because there's not as much to tout on the gameplay front, but it doesn't mean there are not sizable differences at work that are certainly changing gameplay for the better.
That being said, I'm not saying you can't just enjoy an old NHL title from this generation. They are way different at this point to me, but I certainly still have some fun with an older NHL title -- the series does age relatively well for a sports game.
I don't mind if you put the words in as long as I can spit them out.
I think another thing at work here is that NBA 2K and The Show, specifically, clearly believe in the TV-style presentation and focus on it a lot. I would argue that neither title really can stand up to what NHL does in the online space both in terms of bringing folks back on a daily basis and in-game performance -- and that's even without a long-term online Be a GM mode, which makes it more impressive in my book -- so it could be a matter of priorities at work here once again.
The NHL guys have never struck me as folks who are just taking it easy. My writing style for previews is just to be relatively down the middle and timid. I write this way because of the general lack of extended hands-on time, so I don't want to lead readers on or anything because it's still sort of a guessing game when writing a preview. I'll write about what I see rather than what I'm told, and, for the most part, I'll try to avoid "projecting" how the end product will look. However, I don't want it to seem like the changes in this year's game couldn't be absolutely huge. Traits/Anticipation could change things in a big way for AI; the physicality around the net could add a whole new layer to the game in OTP while adding new ways to play, score and interact down low; the physics changes could increase "wow" moments while decreasing checking and adding so much more nuance to the title.
BUT
Without extensive playtime, and seeing how it affects AI games, human vs. human and OTP, it's hard to really get too excited or too down before the game actually is released.