Pucking Ridiculous: Your NHL 11 Experience

Feature Article

Submitted on: 12/06/2010 by Stephen Holley

This holiday season I'm interested in what kind of experience the community has had with NHL 11 to this point -- a community roundtable, if you will. Now that the game has been out for 90 days or so, I think we have had ample time to see what NHL 11 is all about. And since this is my column, I suppose I'm both privileged and obligated to go first.

Well, in my case, NHL 11 has been an interesting story this year. Before the release of the game, I was as excited as I had ever been for an NHL release. However, once the game dropped and my first gameplay binge came to an end, I found myself rarely playing the game. I worried that I had lost my love for hockey gaming. Was this what old-timers meant when they told me my interests would evolve as I traveled the path of life? I really hoped that was not the case.

I just could not shake the feeling that something was missing. Then the patch dropped. To highlight my apathetic attitude towards NHL 11, it took me three days to download the patch. In years past, I would have been all over the patch the day it was released.

That being said, it can't be understated how much the patch has changed the game for me. Whatever it was that seemed off about the game was no longer there. Now I am having a good time and look forward to finishing out the year with NHL 11.

In my current Be a GM with the Blues in which I play every game, I duplicated the Blues 9-2-1 start and am now 12-3-2. That's the bonus of gaming, I don't have to deal with injuries to Oshie and Perron.

So tell me your story. How has your experience with NHL 11 gone so far?

NHL 11 Videos

Member Comments

# 1 Nickflyers @ 12/06/10 08:44 PM

My experience has been great. I'm easy pleased when it comes to games so this game is win-win for me. What's new to me is taking an up and coming team. Usually I'd take the Flyers and win cup after cup after cup, but now i'm playing as the Predators and got knocked out in the Conference Finals. The Ultimate Team is a cool feature too as I've put ample time into that mode too. The only thing that is lacking in my experience is the BAP. Oh what a great game this is!!

# 2 Uncle Stumpy @ 12/06/10 08:50 PM

11's ok. When I got it I thought it was a slight improvement over 10, but very slight. But then Istarted playing UHL, and I'm very addicted to it. I'm offline with my machine now, and I'm having a hard time getting into franchise or be a pro. One thing I'd like to see for UHL is every time you beat someone, you get one of your opponent's cards. Just to even it up a little for the guys who like building the team from scratch and not wasting their money, like myself. Would also like to see UHL be offline because I haven't played online in a couple months and I'm going nuts without it.

# 3 superbus @ 12/06/10 08:56 PM

It's a disappointment for me. I couldn't get over the bugs - both the ones that have been fixed and the ones that still exist, including some that have been there for *four years running* - and the fact that the game has become even worse in terms of arcade hockey in terms of how hits are given. And when the hell are they going to fix that wraparound issue?

At a time when these games need more staff on them for quality assurance, EA's firing people at EA Canada and giving them less. They know the money's theirs already, and are shorting their fans. It's been epidemic in all of their games this year, including FIFA. They're really losing my faith.

# 4 Jgainsey @ 12/06/10 09:39 PM

I was also really excited leading up to the release of '11. When it finally dropped I was really sucked in by the Ultimate Team thing. I had originally scoffed at the idea of something like this, but I was hooked from the get go. It was surprisingly addictive, and I found myself playing this mode almost exclusively for the first couple of weeks.

Though once the newness of HUT wore off I found myself increasingly annoyed when playing teams against guys who had poured dollar after dollar into this mode. I couldn't get into the single player aspect of HUT, and I refused to spend more than a couple of bucks on this mode. Not sure if there's a solution to this, maybe a league or something for the non-paying players, I dunno. Anyways, I stopped playing HUT after a few weeks and really haven't been compelled to get back into it since.

Once I finished my quick foray into Ultimate Team gaming, I headed off to the friendly confines of the GM mode. Only this year we could no longer share rosters. If this isn't the kind of move that makes hordes of sports gamers around the internet hate EA, then I don't what is. I'm not really going to go into this anymore, but it is complete bs, and I was extremely disappointed.

Anyways the pre-patch experience was good, but ultimately, it wasn't good enough to keep me from spending my sports gaming time with NBA 2k, and others instead. But now that I've spent a little time with the game post-patch, I'm definitely back. I'm sure I'll probably play a season or two in my GM mode before it's all said and done.

I guess it didn't quite live up to my expectations, but it is still a pretty good effort from EA. Though with other games stepping up, it's not quite the standout it was in years past.

# 5 H to the Oza @ 12/06/10 11:44 PM

Disappointing. Not as fun as 10. Only play online so I cant fix lots of stuff with sliders.

What I dont like:
Losing the puck too often on the simplest of moves
Getting stick lifted when my stick is on the opposite side of my body from where my opponent in trailing me
Own players getting in the way of passes
Some passes are too soft, some passes are too hard
Lack on interference calls
Lack of AI in teammates im not controlling (dont go for pucks, poor offensive angles)
Goalies playing puck too often
Player catching an edge and just laying there (This is the pros ITS THE BEST ICE IN THE WORLD players arent gona fall that often!!!)
Getting slashed and giving up on the play
Cant switch to certain players sometimes while playing with human teammate

What I do like:
-physics
-tonned down effectiveness of the pin
-faceoffs
-and the overall gameplay minus the above

# 6 DJ @ 12/06/10 11:45 PM

I definitely went through buyers' remorse with this game. Honestly, if I had to do it over again, I would've held on to NHL 10 and waited for NHL 11 to go on sale before picking it up. While I do like the upgrades to the game, there really isn't a huge difference between NHL 10 and 11.

Like you, Stephen, I had gone weeks at a time without playing NHL 11 pre-patch and I also took several days to download the patch. I am enjoying things more now that the patch is out but still, I'm having a hard time getting into this game. Again, this could be because I played so much NHL 10 last year and put my basketball gaming on the back-burner. This year it's the opposite as NBA 2K11 blew me away and if forced to choose between the two, I usually go with NBA.

So for now, I'm grabbing a game of NHL 11 here and there and enjoying myself. I'll probably dive into this game more over the winter but for right now, it's a secondary option.

# 7 H to the Oza @ 12/06/10 11:46 PM

and to add to my previous post, I will this game is heading in the wrong direction

# 8 cheechoo98 @ 12/07/10 12:28 AM

I loathed NHL 11 in the beginning. I only play online and it was so unbalanced, we all know the issues...
Because I didn't play it enough, playing online meant that my player was steps behind all the other users who played the game and maxed out their players after a month.. on the consatnt imploring by my club-mates to join them, I eventually got some games in..

After struggling to play 30+ online games, I eventually sunk more hours into it and leveled myself up a bit..
I still found it a struggle to play in our club. It's NOT fun losing every every game... I've never loathed a sporting game so much as this game. Seriously.

But eventually I got enough games in to gain my Superstar Card and with the extra allotment of points, on a lark, I changed my player to a Defensive Defenseman and the game changed for me.

Instead of getting crushed, I was now doing the crushing.. with all his Defensive skills now very high, I routinely get 15+ big hits per game with a high of 25 hits in a regulation game. I'm not happy if I don't get 14+ a game now.. I know this is TOTALLY not sim, and TOTALLY arcade-ish, but it is TOTALLY fun now.
Fun in not letting people into 'my' zone!!!! That's MINE! Sit down!!!! I'm almost at my Legend Card and after that, I'll probably wind down my playtime though..

I play only Drop-In games.. crushing people daily!
Our club sucks, simply because we're old and can't score.. seriously kids, enjoy your teen and 20-something reflexes while you can! Cheers!

# 9 meep316 @ 12/07/10 03:18 AM

Mostly all I play is online VS.

I played alot of HUT at the beginning, but that quickly wore off because of all the dickheads that buy their teams. I refuse to spend real money on packs, EA really dropped the ball on this one. If you're going to have people who are going to boost their teams with real money, at least have a separate HUT for the people who want to do it on their own. It's no fun going up against people with ridiculous all star teams when you're playing with prospects.

Then there was a period of about 2 months where I didn't play the game at all because the gameplay was so horrid, but as it stands right now I'm pretty happy with it. There are definitely things that need to be cleaned up, such as the effectiveness of cheesers just laying down in front of their goalie as a means of "defense".

But overall the gameplay is pretty good, but I think they need to make some big strides in NHL 12 if it's going to be considered a success.

# 10 milesizdead @ 12/07/10 06:09 AM

Apart from a quick trip with HUT, EASHL all the way.

Offline just doesn�t deliver like EASHL does and HUT is just a bunch of Fantasy AllStar Teams without personality.

A great game, and looking forward to NHL12 making huge strides in improving online game modes, and Bap offline as well.

# 11 actionhank @ 12/07/10 09:15 AM

I've had a great time with it.
I've only had my time spent in Be A GM, but i think maybe some day i will take it online.
I've had some good sliders, and while there are frustrating moments, i really love the game, flaws and all.
One thing that bugs me, is i feel like my team mates just lack any sense of wanting to make a play.
If i puck up a puck mid-rink and a team mate skates in behind the D heading to the blue line, instead of going for the break away for a scoring chance...he just stops and waits for me...
Little things like trying to control your guys in front of your net to keep the crease clear can be frustrating when your guys seem to just slide every where, but it's not bad at all.
I've had my bouts with rival (Being St. Louis i nearly launched my controller through the wall playing Chicago. True to life the first meeting they stoned me ,and shut down my come back attempt, but then lady luck came to my bench for game 2 of the home and home series and we rallied in the 2nd to beat them 5-4 in overtime on a short handed break away).
It's little moments like that, that i absolutely love.
They make all of the frustrating moments seem insignificant. While it can be difficult trying to get a fair trade, or keeping those damn grinders from crashing down on your goalie (Also, can they please get rid of the goalie deciding when he wants to push the puck into the corners, or back into play for NHL12 and let me decide. Halak seems to like coming out of his crease to slide the puck to the other team...i can't figure him out. It's like he hates me).
But all of those moments don't matter when you get a perfect set up in the offensive zone and score the game winning goal in over time.
Then again, nothing compares to the frustration of losing a game in overtime after working for 2 periods just to get back in it.
But that's life.

# 12 plaidchuck @ 12/07/10 09:36 AM

One word: disappointment. The patches and tuners seem to fix one thing and break 10 other things. The most annoying aspect is that the offline aspect of the game is becoming so bad it might as well be phased out, with the broken BAP XP earning, sliders that may or may not affect the game, and boring/predictable AI. For someone like me with neither the time nor internet connection speed to play the EASHL/HUT online regularly, these deficiencies make the game pointless to really play seriously.

# 13 IlluminatusUIUC @ 12/07/10 10:22 AM

I pretty much play online drop-in games exclusively, but that's pretty much tapered off now. Basically, I can recognize that it's a fantastic game, but I'm having trouble personally getting invested in it. I've been playing video games for nearly two decades now, but these controls are still giving me fits. They're slightly less complicated than an F-16 cockpit. I do appreciate what EA is trying to do. You can replicate pretty much any move an actual NHL player would make with these controls, but I just haven't mastered how to process them at the speed of video game hockey. I've completely given up on offense, because no matter what I try my player seemed to blast the puck right into the goalie's chest logo.

And that doesn't even get into the absolutely obnoxious Skater Boost system, which requires players to grind in the single player in order to be remotely competitive online. WTF is up with that EA? I'm not a fan of giving any player upgrades over another in competitive multiplayer. The only time it works, in games like all of Duty or Team Fortress 2, the stuff you unlock is at best a sidegrade to the equipment you start with so newbies are on relatively level footing. Here, I'm being matched up against guys who not only have mastered the game, but are also stronger, faster, and more agile so I'm screwed coming and going. I could, of course, buy the upgrades but that only infuriates me more.

# 14 addybojangles @ 12/07/10 10:53 AM

I'm happy with it, aside from the fact that ridiculous amounts of hitting is a viable tactic in EASHL. You can say "Just pass before you get hit" and it works, but with so many hits you start to get intimidated and stats-wise, everything drops.

The legend card is complete BS. I helped my team to a 19-game winning streak and can't get my team play higher than a B. It's like you have to play completely differently. Now I'm at 250 games played, no legend.

# 15 FBeaule04 @ 12/07/10 11:05 AM

The hope was high, the feeling was great. I even took a week off to play the game as much as possible. At first, I was pretty stunned by all the details, and the game.

It didn't took me long to get back to Earth though. Not that the game is bad, it's not the case. But there's again exploits, AI stupidity and lapses that makes the game less enjoyable than last year.

Online, I have to say that it's been ok overall. Lately, been running against a bunch of glitchers and since the patch, I've seen more and more goals that I didn't saw at first. Physical part of the game is way out of control too. There's too much bang and boom for my liking in the game.

Like someone said, the problem with fixing something is that it opens up the door for new problems. They patch the Boost glitch, 99 glitch is back in full-force. They patch robot goalies, then people are starting to score from everywhere and try the peek-a-boo shot all game long.

So, the game is still good, but for me, I'm enjoying more NBA 2K11 than NHL 11 so far, even if I'm a hockey fan at first.

# 16 GlennN @ 12/07/10 11:52 AM

Let me first say I only play offline franchise (BeAGM), so HUT, online, etc, not my thing. I'm disappointed with 11, but only because I loved 10 so much.

I have buyers' regret on 11, especially because I bought on day one, at full price. The changes in 11 are, for the most part, meaningless to me. The few shortcomings in 10 (sometimes wonky stat sim engine, goalies who play 82 games, hard to view rosters, non-existent display of stats, awards and records) are all still present in 11. Plus, I liked the pushing and shoving after the whistle that is gone in 11, the scouting (with juniors in now) is too spread out, there are no impact rookies, and I detest autosave. I keep switching back and forth between 10 and 11, because I really want to like 11 better (but, I seem to always gravitate back to 10).

I just hope I have the self control to wait before buying 12 next year, to make sure there is actually some improvement being made. Again, I feel bad ripping on 11, because it remains a fantastic hockey game; unfortunately, it is only almost as good as 10.

# 17 TDKing @ 12/07/10 11:53 AM

BORED!! Don't like playing randoms, BAGM and Be a Pro seasons are too long, having to play 82 games kills those modes for me. (I don't like to sim, we already had those discussions).

# 18 GrandMaster B @ 12/07/10 12:02 PM

The difference between All-Star and Superstar. (offline with no sliders) I can destroy the CPU on All-Star with 8 goals and then can't score on Superstar.

I also don't like how the CPU magically gets to pucks with super human speed and how their D-men can keep most pucks in their own zone in front of the blue line when you try to chip it out.

The Legend card online has been mentioned. Really hard to get. I think there is an issue with the team play rating.

Never got into HUT because you can't change any of the settings and the speed is just too slow offline.

# 19 Juiceman612 @ 12/07/10 02:31 PM

I am a HUGE fan of the series and I haven't touched NHL 11 for months now. I have been at 51 games played in EASHL for months.

Here is why I quit playing: Boosts and poor matching (arguably non-existent game matching).

The grind to get XP points is a chore and bore. Your guy is going to suck until you get to at least 30-60 games played. What if you don't want to buy your boosts? Well, if you don't play hours on end from the second the game is released, then you'll go up against giant opponents who have more skill from playing more AND much more powerful player attributes than you. So plan to get worked while you grind to 60 or 100 games and up. But they keep getting better too as you play - so unless you are going to poopsock, might as well count yourself in for some serious frustration in a good 50% of the games you play - more if you're not very skilled at NHL. The team matching system is horrid. I don't even know if it exists. It's frustrating when I have 60 goals and 70 assists and my opponent has 500 goals and 1100 assists. Those numbers are not exaggerations. I should never be matched against an opponent of that level.

I've said for years now that in order for EASHL to be fun there needs to be a division for teams who purchase boosts and a division for teams who earn boosts PLUS there needs to be a good team matching system. Without those two things EASHL is becoming a losing grind most of the time and ultimately led to me rarely playing the game. Not having popped the game in for two months is a record for me. It's too bad because I think the gameplay is great and it's a fun game overall. But I like playing human opponents and EASHL is a broken league due to boosts and lack of reliable team matching.

# 20 NHLandPESFan @ 12/07/10 04:20 PM

I only play online versus, although I would like to play Be a GM if EA would ever add multiplayer to it.

My complaints are:
1. Online league support for versus play is terrible and has been for years. League admins still cannot reset games if there is a connection issue and it is quite obvious EA wants everyone to ditch online leagues for the money grubbing EASHL. This year they got their wish as a league I have been in since NHL 2k6 on PS2 finally gave up the ghost to a combination of people defecting to the EASHL and the abysmal league support took its toll.

2. Franchise mode needs multiplayer, another complaint that goes back years! 2k8 had this for crying out loud!

3. Yet another long standing complaint against the EA NHL series is that all the teams are ranked pretty closely together and that there is not a lot of player separation in ability, similar to FIFA.

4. Manual passing needs to be re-implemented or ditched altogether. It is extremely frustrating in situations where you need to make a quick hard pass that you cannot do it. Basically the pass strength needs to load up a lot quicker than it currently does. I don't know why a 2mph pass is even possible as you would never do one.

5. AI players stand still a lot. Coaches would be yelling at them a lot for all the standing still that I see in the offensive zone. At least defensemen stay within the blue line for the most part, which to be fair is something that drove me crazy about 2k8.

Even with all of these complaints, I still have a good time with the game and I think the goal variety is better than NHL 10 and I have decent matches online. I worry for the future of this series however as apparently the only modes and changes EA wants to make are ways to get more money out of people. Considering that $60 every year is something of a ripoff already, I consider this a poor business strategy and unless some of the above mentioned complaints (especially the ones that go back years) are fixed, I will break my string of buying 1-2 hockey games per year which I have maintained since NHL 94 on the Sega Genesis and avoid NHL 12.

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