[Inflict]

Quote: Originally Posted by statnut

And prior to that games didn't have online or franchise. Should we accept that with the same rationale if a game cut those modes from their game? No we wouldn't. Because we've advanced. Expecting a modern sports games to have the modes it has had in previous iterations (new gen or not) is not a crazy thought. And my point in mentioning Madden and Fifa on PS4/X1 is that both games didn't have to cut modes out. And the whole reason there was no next-gen NHL 14 was so that they could take the extra time to work on NHL 15. For that effort, we got an incomplete game with promises of patches to include some of the missing things. Never mind game modes, how do you release an NHL game that doesn't have the Three Stars of the Game. Little exclusions like that are inexcusable.

You and several others clearly have unrealistic expectations. It's not just EA that comes across these types of issues when transitioning to a new console (gameplay over gameplay modes). Show me a yearly franchise that isn't a glossy port or a stripped down version of last gen. NBA 2K14 is missing several modes, is glitchy as hell to the point of frustration, and menu design is terrible. Call of Duty is just a glossy port. MLB the Show is missing several modes, and on and on and on. Only Fifa comes away on top and that my friend, is the only exception.

As for your other points, NHL 15 was mostly a one year cycle with most dev time spent on 360/PS3 during NHL 14 (check out Rammer's interview on this site). Also, three stars is not a game-breaker for me or anyone else. It's going to be added to the game anyways VIA patch, so it's not worth complaining about at all. It's like saying there are no nation anthems. Who cares.

People need to realize that gameplay is what drives a sports sim game like NHL. Therefore it makes sense to prioritize gameplay over more game modes. Want your old modes back? Go play NHL 15 for last gen and wait for NHL 16 to drop. Think NHL 15 is too expensive (you are probably right), wait for it to become cheap or trade in a game towards it.