[LuGer33]

I'm not worried so much about unlocks as much as I am about the attribute boosting equipment itself. I fully expect to unlock it all fine, that isn't the problem.

My problem is being forced to use this gear to level the playing field out there. Now you can sit here and say, "Oh, a few points don't really matter" which really might be true, but you are still at a disadvantage. The same shot, taken from the same angle, with someone using a Reebok stick with 86 wrist shot power has less of a chance of going in as someone using a gold stick with 86 wrist shot power + 3 wrist shot power thanks to the boost slot available on the equipment. That's it, there's no getting around it.

To further that point, with monthly championships, teams are going to get real competitive, and when it comes down to who makes the top spots in Division 1, the smart money says the top teams will be trying to get every advantage possible. EVERYONE will be using the fantasy gear for the extra juice, it just doesn't make any sense not to. The games aren't even going to resemble anything close to a visual ice hockey experience.

In the video, I really like the looks of Reebok Revoke goalie pads. Those are the pads I want to use. And yet, they have "no boost slots" while the crazy monster gear at the bottom does. If I want to be the best goalie I can be, and to give my team the best chance to win, I have to use those crazy pads. I don't see how anyone can think that's a good idea.

I just don't think I should be punished or at a disadvantage, however small, for preferring realistic gear over EA Sports fantasy gear, and no matter how you slice it, that's what this year's EASHL boils down to.