NHL 20: Gameplay Impressions From Videos Released Across the Web

[scagwi]

The scoreboard is laughably large.

What they’ve chosen to put on there at all times is sort of what I would expect to see put up for a game on TV as they cut away to go to the AD break with some out-tro music.

Never shoukd they have something so huge and obtrusive up the entire time with no options to change it, make it smaller, fade out, etc.

[nikethebike]

Quote: Originally Posted by Peter_OS

They should fire the lead developer of gameplay at EA for NHL and hire DJ NEO. His mod for 2KHS on PC is amazing! Ultra-realistic, physics-based hockey simulation. Leaps and bounds better than the garbage we are getting from EA every year, and he's doing this all for free! All the more reason to say **** YOU EA!!!

Better would be for 2K to pick up their engine again and let DJNEO run with it with a bunch of skilled devs.

[Money99]

Quote: Originally Posted by Peter_OS

They should fire the lead developer of gameplay at EA for NHL and hire DJ NEO. His mod for 2KHS on PC is amazing! Ultra-realistic, physics-based hockey simulation. Leaps and bounds better than the garbage we are getting from EA every year, and he's doing this all for free! All the more reason to say **** YOU EA!!!

I wish I had the time and patience to setup a PC to play this. The vids look good and reviews are great.

[Mitchrapp]

From what I seen and heard it doesn't get me pumped. And per usual Be a Pro didn't get any love.

[VeNOM3099]

Quote: Originally Posted by jake19ny

I’ve posted longer review in the beta impressions so this will be short. Zero player separation Zero difference between teams Braindead A.I. Arcade commentary and overlays This game continues to take leaps away from anything resembling the league it represents and offers nothing to the offline season or franchise guy. This development team either doesn’t understand the sport in which they are creating a game for or simply don’t care to accurately represent it.

They do. I've talked to one of their Devs (Ben Ross) on and off during the last few years. He definitely knows the sport. So do some of his team. And they DO have a passion for making the video game.

The issue, IMO, comes from two sides. A) obviously the higher ups have no clue and don't really care, as long as the game makes tons of cash in micro-transactions. Whether the game plays like actual Hockey or Fortnite on ice, really doesn't come into the equation for them.

B) Pressure from the "elites" of the NHL community to make a game they can "sell" to their viewers on Youtube and Twitch usually trumps any actual criticism from the rest of the community like us, who are looking for a more realistic game. They WANT to have access to glitches and easily abusable exploits. Scoring 10 goals per period and making their opponent quit after 3 minutes of play is their badge of honor. EA naturally knows that by catering to them, they also up their chances the throngs of impressionable 15 year olds getting suckered into buying more packs looking for the same player cards their favorite "elite" has on stream.

It doesn't matter if they fire the entire dev team and replace them with new people. As long as the head of their respective divisons at EA Sports don't change (in this case for NHL it's "Rammer") then the game will always be a piece of crap Arcade game that's made for scrubs.

[Peter_OS]

What about the fans you have been buying their hockey game for years? Spending thousands of dollars (way before youtube and twitch were around.) doing so.

I bet we make up a good percentage of this group and if we were to boycott their game it would hurt them in their pockets. Just saying.

I have 20 of my friends who are around the same age group and feel the same. Each year EA disappoints and neglects the single player/franchise sim players out there who want realism in their game. These are times I wish we had some competition. 2K needs to bring back their hockey game! Seriously..

I'm skippin this year's game. I suggest the rest of the community do so as well. Maybe that will get the higher ups to rethink their strategy and get a ****ing clue!

#boycottEANHL20

[VeNOM3099]

Quote: Originally Posted by Peter_OS

What about the fans you have been buying their hockey game for years? Spending thousands of dollars (way before youtube and twitch were around.) doing so. I bet we make up a good percentage of this group and if we were to boycott their game it would hurt them in their pockets. Just saying. I'm doing so. I suggest the rest of the community do it as well. Maybe that will get the higher ups to rethink their strategy and get a clue. #boycottEANHL20

Sadly all that will do is make them terminate their NHL series. Just FIFA Ultimate Team alone generated 28% of EA's total revenue for the ENTIRE fiscal year.

45% of their revenue came from Game Sales. 55% came from their Ultimate Team services and micro-transactions.

Just wrap your head around that for a second... Do you still think they care about what the gamers think or about a "third rate" franchise like NHL?? If people stop buying, then NHL goes the way of NBA Live.

And those whishing for 2K to pick up the slack, fat chance. Even though they COULD because the NHL license can be used by anyone, they won't.

[Peter_OS]

EA would be dumb enough to drop it anyways. I bet 2K jumps on that "fat chance" if EA NHL drops their series. And I bet they (2K) would make a better hockey game. All you have to do is look over and see what they have done with their NBA 2K series.

EA needs to get the hire ups (all of us should start complaining and boycotting their game) to wake the **** up and get some game developers who know about hockey and implement this in their game. Right now EA plays like an arcade hockey game. This is not a realistic simulation of hockey folks!

Here's hoping we see another hockey game in the near future cause I'm tired of the EA NHL series.