Can't deny it anymore.

[Soedy]

Nah. NHL 17 is far superior to 2004 (I won't even talk about 09 on PC). I played NHL 04 a lot (still play the classic mod from time to time) but while the newer games still have their flaws, they are more fun than the old ones.

 

[ShootIt]

Best thing EA has done was give us EA Access.

10 hours to determine if it's worth spending 60 bucks on a game for 5 bucks.

Saved me $55 this year on NHL17. Broke a decade streak of buying the NHLXX series.

Luckily, Madden 17 is still holding my attention when it comes to sport games.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

For whatever reason, since the 4th this month online vs is a joke. CPU is simply crazy and passing and puck control for users has been nuked.


Why does EA think more CPU involvement in any type of online game is better? It should be about giving more control to players, not less.

ANGRY

Giving more control to the CPU helps casual players (and generally less skilled players) be able to play better and makes the game easier for them. That's why it is "better" because it keeps people playing the game.

 

[Feed Me A Stray Cat]

Nah. NHL 17 is far superior to 2004 (I won't even talk about 09 on PC). I played NHL 04 a lot (still play the classic mod from time to time) but while the newer games still have their flaws, they are more fun than the old ones.

I agree. NHL 2004 was unbelievable. Captured the flow of hockey perfectly.

NHL 2005 sucked, but NHL 2k5 was probably the best hockey game ever. Sad that hockey video gaming peaked in 2004-05.

 

[KingTux]

I officially retired from NHL a week ago and my sanity/health has been much better than NHL 2017 me.

 

[Its a Trap]

I've been a loyal dog and have bought every NHL game since NHL09. I didn't buy NHL17 this year, I asked someone to get it for me for Christmas and I told them to try and find it on sale so they wouldn't have to pay the full price. I don't plan on buying NHL18 either.

I'm done with the garbage drafting that has been a joke since 14 or 15.

I'm done with the unrealistic simulation where my team with a rating of 92O-92D-95G ends up in the bottom half of the league.

I'm done with Player Morale not being turned off when I turn it off and forcing me to trade a disgruntled player for ****.

I'm done with offering 2 firsts and a 2nd for an 86 overall RFA who hasn't been signed in November and being told "DID YOU EVEN LOOK AT OUR TRADE BLOCK YOUR OFFER IS NOT EVEN CLOSE"

And I'm done with the actual gameplay. I don't even get any joy from winning a game I play anymore because I either win a game 10-3 because the CPU goalie just breaks basically while those 3 goals were scored on 8 shots or I win 6-5 after staging a stupid comeback after the ice-tilt was on for a period.

It's really noticable if you're simming a game and join it in the middle, they don't seem to like that so it's nearly impossible to score in those situations.

 

[LowSodium]

After reading through this thread Im glad I didn't buy a ps4 on prime day just to play 17. Still playing 14 on my ps3 lol, guess I'll wait for EA to grow a pair and release a real version of the game on PC.

 

[Roboturner913]

NHL 2k5 was probably the best hockey game ever.

Agree w/ this, I loved that game. Wish I had the time/energy/expertise to invest in trying to mod it.

 

[belair]

"I'm sorry, we the Arizona Coyotes cannot accept Connor McDavid at half his salary and three 1st round draft picks because it does not make any sense for us to take on the $5m salary for one year of Matt Moulson."

...if this game wasn't a download, I'd throw the disc in the garbage.

Fix the goddamn game EA!!!!

 

[ijuka]

Personally, I haven't really liked the newer NHL games all that much. NHL 98 was my favorite NHL game by far and I played it for many, many years. It was really enjoyable and the newer games don't manage to capture the same magic for me. Maybe it's nostalgia? But that's kind of doubtful.

 

[Gintonicplz]

guess I'll wait for EA to grow a pair and release a real version of the game on PC.

Good luck waiting!

 

[Vasilevskiy]

I still play to date NHL 11... that's sad.

 

[BruinDust]

Personally, I haven't really liked the newer NHL games all that much. NHL 98 was my favorite NHL game by far and I played it for many, many years. It was really enjoyable and the newer games don't manage to capture the same magic for me. Maybe it's nostalgia? But that's kind of doubtful.

Same, I got it Xmas of 97 and it was my go-to hockey game until I bought NHL 2005 for PC in January 05. I even owned copies of 99, 2000, and 2001, but 98 was superior to them all.

Just my personal opinion having owned every NHL since 2005, the series went off the rails beginning with NHL 13 to the point where here I am looking at NHL 18 and debating whether to buy this year's game.

I am also of the opinion this Rammer guy has got to go and a new fresh set of eyes need to take over production of this game. When I read his comments about this year's game, I have no hope the series will ever recapture it's past glory under his watch, he seems to be out of touch of what die-hard NHL series fans want, and what NHL hockey is in general.

 

[Sniper99]

After reading through this thread Im glad I didn't buy a ps4 on prime day just to play 17. Still playing 14 on my ps3 lol, guess I'll wait for EA to grow a pair and release a real version of the game on PC.

This is how I felt when I didnt buy a PS4 to play The Show '17, I was about to buy one the week that Show '17 came out, luckily a last minute trip to Phoenix came up and I jumped on that instead(No regrets). Came back a week later to nothing but negative reviews of Show '17 from the people I follow on Twitch.

Also dont hold your breath on EA making a good hockey game on PC. I cant see them ever going back to PC.

 

[Oscar Acosta]

Not to nitpick but the complaints about MLB were due to servers, the game itself is top notch.

EAs NHL on the other hand is a disaster top down.

 

[McDrailers]

Agree w/ this, I loved that game. Wish I had the time/energy/expertise to invest in trying to mod it.

Was this the one with Staal on the cover?

 

[HabsCowboysOwn]

Was this the one with Staal on the cover?

Marty St-Louis was on the cover of 2k5 iirc. Staal was on NHL 08.

 

[Lindy Puff]

I still play to date NHL 11... that's sad.

The new beta in unplayable... and it's free... what happened??? Been buying since I was 12 every year starting in 2004. I will not buy the new game this year. Finally.

 

[gibber1600]

A good alternative if you like GM mode is Eastside Hockey Manager for PC. Been playing it for years now. Extremely strong contract negotiations and the gameplay doesn't bore you because there isn't any actual gameplay.

Try Franchise Hockey Manager 3 (available on steam) if you want the authentic feel with real players.

 

[gibber1600]

I agree. NHL 2004 was unbelievable. Captured the flow of hockey perfectly.

NHL 2005 sucked, but NHL 2k5 was probably the best hockey game ever. Sad that hockey video gaming peaked in 2004-05.

Yes, I have had them all and NHL 2K5 was the best, ever!

 

[John Price]

NHL 17 wasn't even that bad. The problem is that NHL 18 didn't add enough. So you are essentially playing NHL 17 with a roster update (one that won't come out until november, mind you) and a few features they throw in to try to brag about how "they added new functionality". We added new camera angles, we let the players grow beards, and then they want me as a paying customer to dish out 60+ of my hard earned money for this garbage? To me, that isn't worth it. And I purchased NHL 16 and NHL 17 but I will take a break from NHL 18. It doesn't seem worth it to buy NHL every year if they add so little to their game.

That being said, I am open to buying it later, say...when it gets reduced to 30 dollars on Black Friday

 

[stempniaksen]

This is the first year in a very long time (NHL96 maybe?) I won't be buying the new NHL game. I just can't justify it anymore. I'll probably opt for NBA2K18 or something, because I'm definitely fed up with EA.

 

[FinProspects]

Absolute main issue with the game:
NHL is running with an old engine, and they are adding stuff to it.. but the problem is that the old engine sucks. Or it isn’t up to date. Hence all the new additions feel very clumsy, and the game itself isn’t fluid at all. It’s a mixture of old and new stuff integrated together and the result is a freaking mess. That’s what is the issue. It doesn’t have a hockey-feel to it. I didn’t buy nhl17, and wont buy nhl18 either. It’s pretty much a hopeless situation.

Now, I could forgive all this IF they would have invested more on the online game modes..but now we have EASHL+HUT+Online versus… EASHL is cool, HUT is an embarrassing money making machine+paytowin bull****e, online versus is what it is, full of glitch-hunting youngsters after you get to a certain level… First and foremost complaint: Where is GM Connected? It’s by far the most requested game mode, and if they would make it right, it would have more players compared to NHL13+14…. I could even forgive this, if they would have a basic online league/tournament mode where I could set up a 12player leagues with 2round leage+maybe playoffs on top. Simple statistics etc. That probably would take their dev team (or a few devs) a single 3-4 week sprint to build. But no, no no no… They wont do it. Why? Are they scared that it would take away players from HUT? Its 2017, and we cannot have a single player online league of any kind. It’s a freaking disaster, that’s what it is.

 

[BruinDust]

This is the first year in a very long time (NHL96 maybe?) I won't be buying the new NHL game. I just can't justify it anymore. I'll probably opt for NBA2K18 or something, because I'm definitely fed up with EA.

Same, first time in a decade I won't be buying on release day, or at all.

Once it was all about GM/Franchise mode.

Online hockey took over and now for me there is no comparison, I can't even go back to playing the CPU over and over.

My EASHL team has died (played with a bunch of my local buddies) and after 7 seasons of HUT, I need a break. I was tired of HUT by last January, usually I was good until the end of May.

I can't justify spending that sort of money on a slightly upgraded version of NHL 17.

If there ever was a year to take a break and not purchase, this feels like the right year.

Looking forward to NHL 19.

 

[WIP CALLER]

Same, first time in a decade I won't be buying on release day, or at all.

Once it was all about GM/Franchise mode.

Online hockey took over and now for me there is no comparison, I can't even go back to playing the CPU over and over.

My EASHL team has died (played with a bunch of my local buddies) and after 7 seasons of HUT, I need a break. I was tired of HUT by last January, usually I was good until the end of May.

I can't justify spending that sort of money on a slightly upgraded version of NHL 17.

If there ever was a year to take a break and not purchase, this feels like the right year.

Looking forward to NHL 19.

see i feel the same but for a different reason. when it was about gm franchise was when the series was at its peak. it is crazy the amount of depth the franchise mode had several years ago that aren't there now. they stripped the mode(and in NHL 15s case didn't even bother to include it) and they stopped caring about franchise mode on the next gen systems. Now it's all about online play with HUT. I just don't get any enjoyment in online play because there are so many players that just aren't fun to play against in hut. same with eashl, it is almost impossible to find a game where everyone on the ice is playing the game right instead of skating all around like a chicken with its head cut off. id rather play the AI to a relatively realistic game than play a "who can exploit the gameplays weaknesses the best" vs someone online. The biggest problem for me now is just how far behind on basic stuff nhl 17 is in franchise mode compared to Madden and NBA2k. If they didn't make a few significant but basic changes in 18 then I really have no reason to buy the game. I am highly expecting expansion mode to be last years franchise mode with create a team at the beginning. It's funny to me though that Ea has catered strictly to the online crowd the last 5 years and it sounds like the people that were into the online modes have complained about it not improving.