Am I the only person who thinks NHL16 sucks?

[hoope]

Only playable mode is the career mode. There AI is tolerable. I don't know how bad programmers are in EA (I am a programmer myself) but the quality of player skill set and AI is terrible. I could have done better quality in three months alone. I think this is only explained with a poor quality of leadership in project leadership. I honestly think this is wanted performance to have people with a low self esteem to buy this crappy product. That said. Believe me, I have bought this yearly, but this is enough. Honestly. If this is the quality of the game, I rather play UFC. There AI is still reasonable. Its understandable. In NHL 2016 I think the programmers are 5 years old idiots. Monkeys with low instructions.... That is an insult for a 5 years old kid isn't it. Nevermind EA got over the edge and I got bored with it.... Have fun I don't.

 

[Bluesguru]

I think it's a great game. I've seen a lot of people play the game and they don't utilize the precision skating like they should on a consistent basis throughout the game not too mention most people don't play the game like a true hockey game should be played. It makes a difference when you play the game right.

 

[Unhealthy Scratch]

I finally got around to trying it recently and was disappointed to see that the AI is still insufferably awful. It felt like 75% of the time I tried to make a standard hockey play that happens a hundred times a game, I'd be left wondering what the hell my teammate was even trying to do.

You'd think one of the most basic aspects of the gameplay would be cycling the puck and breaking out of your zone as a unit, but it's bordered on non-existent in the NHL series for years. Players constantly standing still, facing the wrong direction, defensemen giving forwards a twenty foot gap and backing up to let them skate in over the blue line, etc. etc.

As someone mentioned earlier in the thread, you're more or less forced to adopt the unrealistic playing style that dangling, glitching cheeseball that everyone hates.

Also the CPU still screws around in the neutral zone way too much instead of just dumping it in when they run out of room, making blind, behind-the-back passes horizontally across the red line and the like. It's kinda comical to watch but seriously, get rid of that **** already.

Aside from that, I don't know if it's ever actually been proven or not, but there's still a very 'game-tilty' feel to 16. There are certain stretches where it just seems like it doesn't matter what I do, absolutely nothing works and the CPU is going to score. If I get my stick in a passing lane, the puck will just go through it anyway. I can have a backchecker draped on a forward, poke checking and/or hitting like mad and the puck is just super-glued to their stick. My AI teammates somehow get 50x dumber than they already were. I suddenly start missing on every simple ten foot pass I try to make. Every shot I take is blocked and lands directly on the CPU's stick, etc.

All in all it's hard to call it a bad game (I still played 14 quite a bit, as frustrating as it could be, and to be fair I didn't try any specific modes in 16, just individual games), but I agree with those saying that we need 2k making hockey games again to push EA to try a little harder than this. There have been some good additions but the overall feel of the gameplay hasn't improved very much in several years and still suffers from a number of the same issues going back to the first NHL games to be released for the previous generation.

 

[Jeypic]

Best nhl game I've ever played. Playing defense is actually fun. And cycling the puck, in the ozone is actually possible now.

Also so many game modes to choose from. Started with be a pro... Then went on to gm mode... Wasn't even able to finish a season of each with how in depth they are. Online play took over for me anyways. Hut is fun and so is eashl.

Great game. Yall are whiners.

 

[Oscar Acosta]

Or people have actually played other sports games and know how many years behind NHL is?

The fact you say it is in depth with so many modes says you haven't seen what a game like MLB the Show or NBA 2k are putting out there.

 

[Drugs Delaney]

Best nhl game I've ever played. Playing defense is actually fun. And cycling the puck, in the ozone is actually possible now.

Also so many game modes to choose from. Started with be a pro... Then went on to gm mode... Wasn't even able to finish a season of each with how in depth they are. Online play took over for me anyways. Hut is fun and so is eashl.

Great game. Yall are whiners.

Their online servers are out of date. If they can manage to fix that, I'd be thrilled with the game.

 

[Nosedive]

A modern NHL 2K3/2K5/2K8 please...

 

[Blitzkrug]

Last three games, all losses:

Shots: 21-12 in favor of me. 4-2 L (Rask was rocking a .000 sV% at one point. 3 goals on 3 shots)

Shots: 40-8: 3-2 SOL

Shots: 34-12: 2-1 L (Both of the goals i gave up came off that garbage hurr come from the corner boards and snipe it top corner because the defensive AI is too stupid to leave a guy there to cover that) Had no chance to come back because the ***** ragged the puck for the rest of the game.

Either you adapt to the trashy way of playing or lose. I had chances from all over the point. Off the cycle, deflections, point shots, legit one timers. The only ones i scored on were cross creases and top shelf cheese. That's not fun even if you win.

We're not whiners, those who make that claim just don't understand how hockey is actually played.

 

[belair]

Why does the AI never want the puck? It's not just my team either. There are three or four second gaps where the puck just sits there. Numerous times a game I'll find myself yelling "get the ****ing puck!" at my TV. There was one time where the puck stopped dead at the players bench and my AI-controlled defenseman skated over to it and instead of playing it he line-changed resulting in an odd-man rush the other way.

The developers of this game aren't the sharpest tacks.

 

[AdamGravesNight]

Agreed with a lot of people on BOTH sides of this argument. I grabbed this game for 20 bucks a few weeks ago on PSN. Before this season, I had been playing on 360 (mostly EASHL, some online versus/BEaGM) using the EA passes to get the games as soon as possible.

I can still have fun on this game, but it's lazy garbaggio. The A.I. is ridiculously stupid. Every time your D gets the puck, they go behind the net, and then they will suck to the boards, OR they will jam the puck into the back of their own net while trying to get around it. The rubber band A.I. is ugly (won a game 6-3 yesterday, but the other team only had 5 *** shots to my team's 40).

EASHL lacking player creation takes soooooo much fun out of the mode. It's now as generic as anything I've ever played. We reeled off 12 straight wins between Division 3 & 2 over the last couple of days, but the scripts were similar for pretty much EVERY game.

Basically it feels like EVERYONE is on rails, and if you don't hit people at the point the game wants you to, you'll hit an invisible wall as they slide by you.

AI defense is oddly like a magnet when they don't have the puck, but see above for what happens IF they actually pick up the puck anywhere in their own zone.

Someone mentioned how no one ever loses an edge, or anything realistic like that, and that's pretty *** annoying.

Skating, passing, hitting, shooting, dekes, face-offs (I play Center since 08 with 60%+ win percentage on EASHL this season PSN: TOYSPOTTING), goalie interactions, fights, and EVERYTHING has been dumbed down this year.

My boy Mike, who I play every game of EASHL with, says it like it is. EA just takes out stuff so they can put it in as a "NEW" feature a couple season later. Yearly sports games all suffer from this kind of crap, but NHL has been assaulted by their own developers.

I love hockey enough to enjoy that sweet feeling of a wacky goal going in still, but I won't be paying full price for anything from EA until they step their garbaggio up.

 

[morphinecv]

All of NHL16s faults are back end. The gameplay is superb. I find it incredibly fun and realistic, with yeah, a few bugs. Definitely the best NHL game and a good comeback from NHL15.

Doesn't mean they shouldn't be embarrassed about some of the stuff that's left out. NHL2K7 let you have an ongoing negotiation with players during the season, and counteroffers, etc. It's not a hard logic to implement. That I can't extend players mid season is the single most impossibly aggravating thing about this series. If something glitches out or an AI makes a mistake, ok. I am not asking for perfection, just great gameplay, and I got it. But you can go straight to hell if you want to look me in the eye and tell me you have neither considered it as a need or that you don't have the resources to implement it.

Imperfection is fine. Leaving out key elements is not.

 

[OConnellsProtege]

I've logged about 1,000 hours so far into NHL 16, mainly EASHL, and have just one question: I wonder if there are any independent developers out there willing to take a crack at programming an actual hockey game? Perhaps a fan-funded project is in order?

 

[mattihp]

I've logged about 1,000 hours so far into NHL 16, mainly EASHL, and have just one question: I wonder if there are any independent developers out there willing to take a crack at programming an actual hockey game? Perhaps a fan-funded project is in order?

Who would play a game with no real NHLers?

 

[Sempiternal]

There's a lot of skill involved if you get really good at the game. if you're an average joe then you will get frustrated and not enjoy it.

 

[JackHughes86]

nhl 16 is ok at best but i feel like the gameplay isn't as good as it could be

 

[OConnellsProtege]

Who would play a game with no real NHLers?

Have you ever played Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball? Who needs Mark McGwire (spelling?) when you have Muscles McPhee! Instead of Connor McDavid you could have Costner McBaevid of the Headmonton Coilers and so on.

Jokes aside, I imagine there would be a great number of steps involved and a lot of hoops to jump through. But with the right people at the helm and no EA execs breathing down their necks, I think a legit product is a very real possibility.

 

[mattihp]

Have you ever played Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball? Who needs Mark McGwire (spelling?) when you have Muscles McPhee! Instead of Connor McDavid you could have Costner McBaevid of the Headmonton Coilers and so on.

Jokes aside, I imagine there would be a great number of steps involved and a lot of hoops to jump through. But with the right people at the helm and no EA execs breathing down their necks, I think a legit product is a very real possibility.

The licenses from the NHLPA are extremely expensive.

 

[GardinerTheForward]

Who would play a game with no real NHLers?

A game with decent online and offline versus, and a good "EASHL" is all I need to satisfy me even if the are no NHLers

EDIT: maybe throw in a shootout mode

 

[Mike Martin]

nhl 16 is ok at best but i feel like the gameplay isn't as good as it could be

When has EA NHL gameplay ever been as good as it could be? They just don't care

 

[ThorNton Apologist]

When has EA NHL gameplay ever been as good as it could be? They just don't care

While this is very true. I enjoyed the gameplay in 15 for old gen better than 16 on new gen.
If old gen had the pick by pick draft setup that new gen has, I'd buy legacy and not even play on new gen.

 

[Drugs Delaney]

A game with decent online and offline versus, and a good "EASHL" is all I need to satisfy me even if the are no NHLers

EDIT: maybe throw in a shootout mode

This is true. If a company created a highly customizable beer league eashl clone I'd love it.

 

[GoAwayDanCleary]

This game is unplayable but it's all we got.

 

[Dylonus]

Who would play a game with no real NHLers?

A ton of people would; considering the insane number of people who only buy NHL for club...

 

[Nithoniniel]

I don't think any game will really reach their potential while being released on a year-to-year basis. So much of the development will be rushed, shallow and promotionally driven. If EA Sports went over to normal development cycles I think we would see improvements that are more in-depth and not as rushed, with less focus on flashy changes that sells.

Personally, I'm all about EASHL. While I supported moving towards a more even playing field, I think archetypes was the wrong way to go. I would have gone for no development but a lot of customization centered on a slider-system for attributes with counter-points. I'm not sure if that's so clear, so I'll try to explain.

You start out with a completely balanced player, but as you play you unlock the ability to customize him to your liking. You do that by going away from the center on scales between, for example, physical abilities and technical, speed vs agility. So for everything you make better, you lose something else. To counter extreme builds, the negative effect will accelerate compared to the positive. So if you choose a ton of speed over agility, you'll lose more agility than you gain speed.

With enough sliders like this, balanced so that every off-set hurts, you can customize unique builds while maintaining an even playing field. It would be of very high importance that the two matched attributes are comparable, that players can't make agile speedsters at the expense of some strength and stamina, as in the older games.

 

[Drugs Delaney]

I don't think any game will really reach their potential while being released on a year-to-year basis. So much of the development will be rushed, shallow and promotionally driven. If EA Sports went over to normal development cycles I think we would see improvements that are more in-depth and not as rushed, with less focus on flashy changes that sells.

Personally, I'm all about EASHL. While I supported moving towards a more even playing field, I think archetypes was the wrong way to go. I would have gone for no development but a lot of customization centered on a slider-system for attributes with counter-points. I'm not sure if that's so clear, so I'll try to explain.

You start out with a completely balanced player, but as you play you unlock the ability to customize him to your liking. You do that by going away from the center on scales between, for example, physical abilities and technical, speed vs agility. So for everything you make better, you lose something else. To counter extreme builds, the negative effect will accelerate compared to the positive. So if you choose a ton of speed over agility, you'll lose more agility than you gain speed.

With enough sliders like this, balanced so that every off-set hurts, you can customize unique builds while maintaining an even playing field. It would be of very high importance that the two matched attributes are comparable, that players can't make agile speedsters at the expense of some strength and stamina, as in the older games.

I like your idea. It would be a huge step up from what they have now.