I have to say it, NHL 14 is the worst version in the past 4 years.

[FBeaule04]

Re: I have to say it, NHL 14 is the worst version in the past 4 years.

I think last night was the last nail in NHL 14 as far I'm concern. Since it's been a month I'm playing NHL 14 almost every day, I decide to get back to MLB The Show 13 to play something else. That was a huge, huge, huge mistake.

After a few games of MLB The Show, I got to a conclusion. I'm having fun because MLB The Show is fun while when I play NHL 14 I'm having fun because I force myself thinking I'm having fun because I love hockey, because I've been breathing, eatin, dreaming about hockey from my early days to now.

It's just that, it's false fun when it comes to NHL 14. It's just the love of hockey that makes it playable for me. Concentrate on the memories you have with the sports itself, then play it on the PS3 and have a feel for what it's all about. When you stop and think about it, you have two choice. Accept it or Refuse it. I think I'm at crossroads with the video game of hockey.

While playing a baseball game, my player in Road to the Show was been by the pitcher. On the next pitch, I stole second base. I was flabergasted by the analyst saying : "He was been and not happy. Boom, that's what you deserve pitcher, pay for it!" I was just thinking that these are little things that makes you come back to a game.

[Fiddy]

Re: I have to say it, NHL 14 is the worst version in the past 4 years.

i can see why so many LOVE NHL 14. bc it goes back to its root a bit. with the over the top hitting!

i get that, people love to play that type of hockey game.

while this is the worst game of the series by far, i just wish they would take an NBA 2K approach. make a game realistic out of the box, then if you want the fast paced up and down action, oops, dunks, etc you go change the settings to arcade mode or casual. boom! best of both worlds!

im a casual NBA fan and i dont like the default simulation settings much, so what do i do? i change it in the options menu. doing so dont bother me one bit.

id even settle for EA making us simulation hockey guys go in and change the settings to simulation. but, their simulation settings are terrible and do nothing to make the game look and feel like what NBA 2K does for the sport out of the box.

sad

[bad_philanthropy]

Re: I have to say it, NHL 14 is the worst version in the past 4 years.

I'll preface this by saying I like '14 fairly well with slider adjustments. I'm not thrilled with it, but I get enough hockey authenticity to get satisfaction. Obviously cpu penalties, the ridiculous bouncy puck, some AI niggles, and other poor legacy mechanics are sure detractors, but I almost always enjoy the series—perhaps I am getting too glass half-full as I get older.

I'd still like EA to do better, and develop the default game more along the lines of the Littman and Richards tandem at the beginning of the generation. I don't blame Ramjagsingh as he seems passionate about sim hockey too, but I'm sure he's hamstrung by mandates from the higher ups emphasizing online and HUT, and the need to make them as widely appealing as possible in order to maximize micro-transactions.

That said, I thought the direction of last year's game was a big positive after what I felt was the weakest effort this gen in '12. The direction of NHL '07 to '10 was excellent as far as creating a hockey sim, but I really feel like the introduction of HUT and increased emphasis toward online hurt the series' core gameplay. I don't blame EA for moving away from focus on the single player experience when the metrics probably show it isn't the most played element of their games, but I definitely think it hurts the quality of the overall game.

[Mt Oread]

Re: I have to say it, NHL 14 is the worst version in the past 4 years.

Yes, Fiddy, those that enjoy the game are just drooling dolts that have been waiting for a new NHL Hitz. I sure hope you hockey gurus can find a game that has been dumbed down enough to make you feel smart.

Sent from my RM-820_nam_att_100 using Board Express

[bwiggy33]

Re: I have to say it, NHL 14 is the worst version in the past 4 years.

Yes, Fiddy, those that enjoy the game are just drooling dolts that have been waiting for a new NHL Hitz. I sure hope you hockey gurus can find a game that has been dumbed down enough to make you feel smart.

Sent from my RM-820_nam_att_100 using Board Express

Dumbed down? If you want dumbed down then keep playing NHL. NHL hardly makes you think how you would if you were actually playing the sport. That's one of the reasons I and many people are bored of the game. That's my experience with the game. I kill the CPU on every level and when they do score it's because of ridiculous CPU goals (and I really hate blaming the game but it's the truth). D man low shots for rebounds every time, that's the stuff I'm talking about.

In this game you can honestly do the exact same things time in and time out and win. The game is basically on repeat unless you force yourself to do something different that the CPU doesn't force you to do. Teams don't step up and force me to dump the puck in and change my forecheck, no goalies or players skate or shoot the way they do in real life, no team plays much of a different style, there's nothing that you can latch on to in order to keep coming back because there is not a whole lot of thinking involved for people who need more of a hockey smarts challenge. That's all stuff on why this game is dumbed down and takes very little hockey knowledge.

Unless you are looking for a laid back and stick skills experience, this game most likely won't satisfy someone who wants a game that is fun but challenging in the way of split second decisions, changing strategy, line matching, etc. So if you want to call us "hockey gurus" in a smart@ss way, then you may want to understand that the game you are enjoying, takes hardly any hockey strategy at all. It takes stick skills, which I know for me the fun controls faded after NHL 09 and I started realizing it was no longer challenging. The game is still fun but just not challenging when only playing the AI. The majority (especially with hockey) don't have the need to want to think strategically. They want a pick up and play and that's pretty much NHL with a small amount of hockey knowledge needed.

All along every one of us has said that we welcome that style of game because that's how people get into hockey and not everyone understands the sport like the "hockey gurus" you call us. I don't understand the X's and O's of football therefore I don't need a full on strategic football experience. However, I think it would be great if Madden could satisfy both parties. For me I'd still chose the sim route and force myself to learn football. It would just be nice if for once they could also hit the target market of the people who want to test their hockey knowledge. That's all we are asking for and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. When other games accomplish this, it makes us hockey fans ask "Why can't EA?"

[mikey87]

Re: I have to say it, NHL 14 is the worst version in the past 4 years.

I don't know if this makes NHL14 any worse than it's predecessors or if this makes any difference between the versions, but I had the possibility to test the game today while visiting my friend, and what a letdown that was...

I just wanted to test if player attributes play a significant role in the ai and gameplay, and the answer is very obvious NO. I watched one cpu vs cpu game between NHL All Star team (don't remember which one, but that doesn't make any difference) and Niagara IceDogs. Hardcore sim settings, just dropped shot accuracy and pumped up slapshot power. Niagara IceDogs won the game 3-2. What the hell is the point in using player attributes, when they have zero effect on the gameplay? Or was I able to somehow mess up the settings?

[DJ]

Re: I have to say it, NHL 14 is the worst version in the past 4 years.

Sorry to hear so many of you are not enjoying the game. While I have played very little of NHL 14 due to my work schedule (if only we had a Vita version of this game), the time I have spent with it I have enjoyed.

There are things about the game I do not like, most notably the presentation and lack of progress in Be A GM, but those issues don't keep me from playing the game. I've accepted what the on-ice product of the NHL series is. I get people want more realism (I would like that too) but the game at the end of the day is fun, and that's what playing video games is all about.

[Mt Oread]

Re: I have to say it, NHL 14 is the worst version in the past 4 years.

Dumbed down? If you want dumbed down then keep playing NHL. NHL hardly makes you think how you would if you were actually playing the sport. That's one of the reasons I and many people are bored of the game. That's my experience with the game. I kill the CPU on every level and when they do score it's because of ridiculous CPU goals (and I really hate blaming the game but it's the truth). D man low shots for rebounds every time, that's the stuff I'm talking about.

In this game you can honestly do the exact same things time in and time out and win. The game is basically on repeat unless you force yourself to do something different that the CPU doesn't force you to do. Teams don't step up and force me to dump the puck in and change my forecheck, no goalies or players skate or shoot the way they do in real life, no team plays much of a different style, there's nothing that you can latch on to in order to keep coming back because there is not a whole lot of thinking involved for people who need more of a hockey smarts challenge. That's all stuff on why this game is dumbed down and takes very little hockey knowledge.

Unless you are looking for a laid back and stick skills experience, this game most likely won't satisfy someone who wants a game that is fun but challenging in the way of split second decisions, changing strategy, line matching, etc. So if you want to call us "hockey gurus" in a smart@ss way, then you may want to understand that the game you are enjoying, takes hardly any hockey strategy at all. It takes stick skills, which I know for me the fun controls faded after NHL 09 and I started realizing it was no longer challenging. The game is still fun but just not challenging when only playing the AI. The majority (especially with hockey) don't have the need to want to think strategically. They want a pick up and play and that's pretty much NHL with a small amount of hockey knowledge needed.

All along every one of us has said that we welcome that style of game because that's how people get into hockey and not everyone understands the sport like the "hockey gurus" you call us. I don't understand the X's and O's of football therefore I don't need a full on strategic football experience. However, I think it would be great if Madden could satisfy both parties. For me I'd still chose the sim route and force myself to learn football. It would just be nice if for once they could also hit the target market of the people who want to test their hockey knowledge. That's all we are asking for and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. When other games accomplish this, it makes us hockey fans ask "Why can't EA?"

Also if you've paid any attention the past couple months, I've hardly said a word on this forum. Why? Because I don't have NHL 14. I played the season ticket version for one game and quit, therefore I really have no reason to share any opinion on 14.

[mikey87]

Re: I have to say it, NHL 14 is the worst version in the past 4 years.

I gotta say that I really respect You for maintaining the first-class quality of your posts. And don't bother getting down from your ivory tower, we are not worth to walk the same soil with You. Can You forgive us infidels for our blasphemes concerning the game?

[kehlis]

Re: I have to say it, NHL 14 is the worst version in the past 4 years.

The likelihood that you are a previously banned user just makes it all the more laughable.

M.K.
Knight165

AND......you were right.


Carry on folks, the trouble is gone.

[savoie2006]

Re: I have to say it, NHL 14 is the worst version in the past 4 years.

I wouldn't call NHL 14 the worst. Yeah, it could be WAY better and has become rather stale with basically the same Presentation and AI; but not the worst.

[jesusismyairbag]

Re: I have to say it, NHL 14 is the worst version in the past 4 years.

stanley cup final, game 5 against pittsburgh. they're getting raped 6-2 going into the final period. every shot they take (more-or-less) goes in, i get beat 9-6 garbage galore. come on man, ...

[nyrangers81]

Re: I have to say it, NHL 14 is the worst version in the past 4 years.

I don't know if this makes NHL14 any worse than it's predecessors or if this makes any difference between the versions, but I had the possibility to test the game today while visiting my friend, and what a letdown that was...

I just wanted to test if player attributes play a significant role in the ai and gameplay, and the answer is very obvious NO. I watched one cpu vs cpu game between NHL All Star team (don't remember which one, but that doesn't make any difference) and Niagara IceDogs. Hardcore sim settings, just dropped shot accuracy and pumped up slapshot power. Niagara IceDogs won the game 3-2. What the hell is the point in using player attributes, when they have zero effect on the gameplay? Or was I able to somehow mess up the settings?

This has been a problem in almost all the EA sports games the past few years. Last year in Madden the sliders literally did nothing. In FIFA I have noticed how every low league team I play against acts like Barcelona.

I believe EA just fired any good AI programmers and uses the same bad code each year for each type of sports game.

[actionhank]

Re: I have to say it, NHL 14 is the worst version in the past 4 years.

I think NHL 14 is better than 13, but not by much...
And that "better" is just the fact that i can play it without quitting after a month.
I'm holding out hope for Next-Gen NHL, but if they drop the ball on that, they're likely done as far as my purchases go.
I've given EA money for the past 6 or so years, and just slowly gotten more and more disappointed in the gameplay, presentation, and the representation of hockey.
Hopefully that changes, because not having a hockey game to play would be a real bummer.

[Segagendude]

Re: I have to say it, NHL 14 is the worst version in the past 4 years.

stanley cup final, game 5 against pittsburgh. they're getting raped 6-2 going into the final period. every shot they take (more-or-less) goes in, i get beat 9-6 garbage galore. come on man, ...

My controller would've been in pieces had that happened to me.
Absolutely ridiculous.