Re: NHL 25 Early Access and EA Play Trial Available Today - Share Your Impressions
100% this. The animation speeds (weightless movements), the goalies feeling like you’re beating a video game and not actually scoring organic goals is an absolute snorefest, the lack of ability to preload a strong pass when receiving a pass, the CPU’s lack of aggression on the puck, the new skating being wonky, the lack of incidental contact, the inconsistency of low-speed hitting, it all just isn’t a good experience.
Sometimes I think I’m going crazy reading glowing reviews about a huge difference 25 is but then I play the game for five minutes again and am reminded of how buggy, inconsistent, and unsatisfying this gameplay is and has been since 23.
I was really hopeful when this new dev team took over. They haven’t given me a single reason to have any optimism going forward. Every major overhaul has been worse than 19-20 for me: skating, hitting, goalies, passing are all less enjoyable. AI-wise I’m failing to see anything groundbreaking. Little better puck support around the walls I guess, but still equally useless on breakouts, natural zone, zone entires, forechecking, playing defense.
On the other hand, EAFC releasing another masterpiece with the new rush mode. Simultaneously making gameplay more realistic while adding in a more approachable/fun mode to play is incredible. Their animations aren’t 3000x faster than real life, you can beat goalies with just good shots, they’re organic rebounds, players have weight, everything you'd expect to experience in a competent, satisfying game of virtual hockey can be found in EAFC rush but you’ll experience none of that in the actual hockey offering.
EAFC Rush and Rocket League, the pinnacles of online virtual hockey experiences. EA NHl…umm well it’s a game with hockey aesthetics I guess.
100% this. The animation speeds (weightless movements), the goalies feeling like you’re beating a video game and not actually scoring organic goals is an absolute snorefest, the lack of ability to preload a strong pass when receiving a pass, the CPU’s lack of aggression on the puck, the new skating being wonky, the lack of incidental contact, the inconsistency of low-speed hitting, it all just isn’t a good experience.
Sometimes I think I’m going crazy reading glowing reviews about a huge difference 25 is but then I play the game for five minutes again and am reminded of how buggy, inconsistent, and unsatisfying this gameplay is and has been since 23.
I was really hopeful when this new dev team took over. They haven’t given me a single reason to have any optimism going forward. Every major overhaul has been worse than 19-20 for me: skating, hitting, goalies, passing are all less enjoyable. AI-wise I’m failing to see anything groundbreaking. Little better puck support around the walls I guess, but still equally useless on breakouts, natural zone, zone entires, forechecking, playing defense.
On the other hand, EAFC releasing another masterpiece with the new rush mode. Simultaneously making gameplay more realistic while adding in a more approachable/fun mode to play is incredible. Their animations aren’t 3000x faster than real life, you can beat goalies with just good shots, they’re organic rebounds, players have weight, everything you'd expect to experience in a competent, satisfying game of virtual hockey can be found in EAFC rush but you’ll experience none of that in the actual hockey offering.
EAFC Rush and Rocket League, the pinnacles of online virtual hockey experiences. EA NHl…umm well it’s a game with hockey aesthetics I guess.
Comment