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Originally Posted by SpectralThundr |
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We both want the same things, but valuing things like push off animations over actual intelligence speaks volumes of bias, its interesting to me that the same handful of users that slag EA's AI every year are fine that 2k10's ai can't even manage to perform a proper breakout or that while their goalies may have some nice animations at times, they often would likely have issue stopping a puck the size of a beach ball with how stupid the AI is in that game, regardless of the slider set used.
If you're going to slag one for certain things, please be consistent. Otherwise to me EA could put out the most simtastic game ever and honestly? I don't think that would matter to certain people who seem to have an agenda to nitpick the game to death regardless.
I get the frustrations, truly I do, I don't need it to be flawless either, I'd like better sim logic based on player ratings, I'd like to see the sliders better explained as to why setting attribute effects in the middle provides a better gameplay experience than say maxing that slider out to either end (this one truly baffles me still). I'd like better neutral zone pressure which only one game in the history of NHL video games has ever gotten close to doing well (NHL2k3)
It just gets really old to hear the same complaints from the same very vocal few every year when in reality, with the right sliders, the game is not terrible by any means offline. Perfect? Nope, but no where near as bad as some try to claim it is.
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I don't want it to sound like i hate the game. I can enjoy it. But, there's so many frustrations that just exist year after year. The fact that the dump in issue with sky-high pucks wasn't in the game to start, but was patched in, and isn't something we can turn off, or get patched out is insane.
I really like the game, but after a season, it all just gets stale. Every team plays the same, and ratings hardly seem to matter in the stock game. The same problems with an AI player skating around the back of the net and just holding his stick out as far as he can then spinning around the front and backhanding a wrister over a sprawling goalie while 2 players on your team watch, and you struggle to actually do anything with the body or poke check get old. Slow wrist shots that slide at 10 miles an hour through 4 of your players and under your goalies pads while everyone watches gets old.
The game is fun, there's no denying that. But so many of these problems exist year after year, and it gets frustrating as someone who doesn't play with strangers online. There's no joy in it for me, especially when 3/4 games i try to play turn out to be kids cheesing nonsense goals, or people who quit when you get ahead. But the online crowd it who gets the main focus, because they bring in the money. I understand keeping the hand that feeds you happy, but doing little to nothing for the Be A GM and offline crowd is always frustrating. That's the frustration with HUT. It gets the lion's share of the development attention, pretty much the majority of the Facebook and post-release attention (No dynamic rosters for offline games, but there are for HUT. That's something that other games have had offline for years).
I really like EA's NHL series, but honestly, i feel like the lack of a competitor has caused the game to slowly stagnate to an online-centered game that wants whatever big hits and silly dekes will attract the most action gamers. I can't push a player towards the boards to slow his entering the zone, but there's an animation to jump over players while flipping the puck in the air that was specifically made for the online players who had to get a way to get by people who just sprawl on the ice instead of playing real defense.
I really want NHL15 to be great. And honestly, i'm not judging it too hard based on this screenshot. I think Thornton's face looks a bit wonky, but everything else looks fantastic. The lighting and texture on the sweaters, the way they look like people wearing pads and hockey gear over that instead of just puffed up men with sweaters on is great.
But visuals will only please me for so long. If i still have to wait 60 minutes to sim through half of a season (with monthly interruptions from my scouts that i can't automate), teams that all play the same just with different sweaters and stadiums that look pretty similar overall, but with a different center ice logo, i'll be pretty bummed.
I'm reserving judgment until EA actually puts the game out, but i don't think people being hesitant to think that EA will put much focus on Be a GM is outrageous.