I think last gen's NHL games were better.

[Chimpradamus]

The easiest puck strips in one on one situations are unrealistic. You can flatten a guy in the corner, he will get back up with the puck before I have time to retrieve it. It's not about timing, it's just very bad physics. The creators of this game need to watch more hockey.


FYI I'm on a pretty good 3's team so I do play the game quite a bit and I get what you say. I'm looking forward to the day where I play hockey and not NHL, if you know what I mean. It's just very frustrating.

Yeah, it's extremely frustrating and has been a huge problem for a long time. You can completely flatten an AI puck carrier along the boards, but at best you might be able to poke check it away, before they immediately get up and keep possession like nothing happened.

If you lay 2-3 hits and succeed with 4-5 poke checks, then maybe you eventually will get lucky and win the puck. It's beyond ridiculous.

 

[Matty Sundin]

The games during the ps2 and xbox era actually felt like a different game every year and not just some patched polished version yearly like we do now.

 

[Nadal On Clay]

NHL 14, 15 on 360 were my favourites. There are still people playing EASHL on NHL 15 on the 360. There was a league that ended no further than 2 months ago after 10 seasons and there was still a good 20-30 players a night.

As for NHL 19, the gameplay is actually very decent IMO. As an EASHL player, the only huge issue is the fact that the drop ins system is broken. Sometimes, you have to start new lobbies because you just can’t find any opponents. It once took me literally 15 minutes to even find a game. It’s pretty f***ed up.

 

[Sugi21]

I’m old school but NHL 2K6 was the last greatest hockey game I’ve played lol

 

[RonFournier]

I absolutely hate the drop ins in NHL19. No arena, no commentary, no uniforms, and worst of all, that terrible, terrible music you can't even mute. They completely killed the vibe of the game.

They should just bring back the NHL15-16 game with the new gameplay if they can't think of anything better.

 

[Igor Shestyorkin]

Sure, the graphics or physics might not have been as good, but the games were more FUN. I keep a 360 around just to play NHL 15 and it's Be a GM mode is way better than what we're getting 4 years later on better hardware. NHL 08 to 14-15 were mostly good to great games. Special mention to 09 for the EASHL, but a big minus on the curve goal.

I might find an old copy of '14 to play cause I think that was my fav overall last gen. That or '11. (in both of those I managed to use the sliders to make the CPU difficult yet fair to play against, which is a big deal to me in these games.)

The newer games seem more sluggish to me, the older games may have been more arcadish but they're way more engaging IMO.

Seriously EA, step up your game.

I disagree about the physics. The physics are absolutely horrible in 19 especially. Every hit is bone crushing, no matter what angle, speed or momentum and no matter if you have meaningful body position with the puck and are protecting it accordingly, if you get nudged you almost always lose it. It's ridiculous. The big hits are just way, way too frequent. It's starting to piss me off lately. The physics are an absolute farce in general. Unrealistic beyond belief. I get it, it's a video game but like, the physics are so painfully bad after all the next gen games that have been made already. In 18 it was horrible, and in 19 it's somehow worse.

I think the best old gen game was NHL 15 imo. It was a well tweaked version of 14. The puck bounces were better and the GM mode had good draft depth and such. Good developing.

Not to mention the new skating is like, I dunno. There's never any separation or ability to create separation unless it's some clear cut breakaway opportunity. It feels like everyone is just the same speed and it's kind of annoying, feels like there's no diversity in player styles. The game and the scoring is so one dimensional too. It's just blocker side snipes and cross creases.

At least in my experience in EASHL, with mainly CPU goalies.

 

[jprenkert]

I loved the 2K series and wish it was still around. Since coming back to EA, I get frustrated with stupid stuff. Like in NHL 18, no matter what, i get called for slashing every single time. When the computer does this, stick lift and steal every time. I enjoyed 14 and played that for a while. But I agree the ownership thing with renovating is quite stupid. I play under the Wings and they have me constantly renovating a brand new arena. WTF?!? Has anyone notice that the computer needs to score atleast 1-2 times a game. Just get annoyed at the stupid stuff you'd think theyd be able to fix. Ill play 18 for another 1-2 years then pick up the new one.

 

[sexydonut]

NHL is just a low priority for EA. NHL sells relatively few copies, and there is no competition for a captive market that has no choice but EA. EA would generally choose stock buybacks and executive bonuses than actually spending money on producing a better product.

At least FIFA has PES as competition.

There's worse. Australian football's AFL Evolution is a buggy mess of a button masher. Be thankful you guys generally aren't Aussie football fans.

 

[Spectra]

Still play NHL 12, would be playing 11 if not for the fact that WPG is not in the game. 11 was slightly better but 12 is still better than anything since, thanks to the skating. From 13 onwards, it's like skating in cement. 19 has the best skating since 12 though, but not enough to entice me to purchase a new console.

 

[FinProspects]

Still play NHL 12, would be playing 11 if not for the fact that WPG is not in the game. 11 was slightly better but 12 is still better than anything since, thanks to the skating. From 13 onwards, it's like skating in cement. 19 has the best skating since 12 though, but not enough to entice me to purchase a new console.

You sure about 13? Remember that in NHL13 they brought actual acceleration to the table:
True Performance Skating, a new skating engine based on physics, makes the player skating more dynamic and realistic with over 1,000 new animations created using motion capture. The engine is divided into three parts: explosiveness, top-end speed, and momentum.

I think that NHL13 is BY FAR the best NHL game in this century, and it will stay like that for sure. GM Connected was especially great when playing with co-op against AI. You actually had to dump-chase to get some results there (of course with realistic sliders).

NHL04 is the best NHL game ever, followed by NHL09 which was a peak for EASHL etc. Sure, glitches, a lot of glitches, but still it was fun. For the last 3-4years the NHL games have been boring+unrealistic. I absolutely hate the current engine, it doesnt feel like hockey, they got it so wrong.

 

[SlapshotTheMovie]

You aren't wrong. Current gen games killed my interest for the most part. I used to play EASHL almost every day with friends. Now none of us play the games much outside of the first month or two it is released. NHL 13 and 14 were possibly the only games i bought those years. I would have to double check but they were easily the games i played the most.

 

[WhyteAveJesus]

True. The flashy over fast menus on current gen are so annoying to me, the biggest gripe. In games like Franchise Mode where all a lot of people do is scroll through menus, the fact that they thought it was a good idea to have menu cycling animations that take a quarter to half a second is beyond me.

 

[SPV]

Almost all of the last generation sports games were better. We have lost so many options that should still be there: Online franchise management, roster sharing, and custom music. Only a few have kept everything, or expanded on them.

Stupid ultimate team modes with the pay to play transactions has spoiled sports gaming and made many developers lazy in my opinion.

 

[Negan4Coach]

Sure, the graphics or physics might not have been as good, but the games were more FUN. I keep a 360 around just to play NHL 15 and it's Be a GM mode is way better than what we're getting 4 years later on better hardware. NHL 08 to 14-15 were mostly good to great games. Special mention to 09 for the EASHL, but a big minus on the curve goal.

I might find an old copy of '14 to play cause I think that was my fav overall last gen. That or '11. (in both of those I managed to use the sliders to make the CPU difficult yet fair to play against, which is a big deal to me in these games.)

The newer games seem more sluggish to me, the older games may have been more arcadish but they're way more engaging IMO.

Seriously EA, step up your game.

Totally agree. They managed to perfect it, and then went and ruined it progressively as the years went on. I think NHL 10 or 11 was my fave.

What happened to the Be a Player mode where you could actually be a stinking real player instead of a random that you create and have to fight to stay on the roster. I miss that, they need to bring it back.

I do like the added features on Be A GM mode.

They focus way to much on shitty gimmicks, like other leagues, this pond hockey nonsense, and the online play. Just make a good NHL simulator, damn you EA

 

[bobbythebrain]

It's a travesty you can't even switch to closest man to the puck. Defies the whole logic of 1 vs 1 gaming. More of a computer game than the user

 

[PB12]

Got to add a vote to 11. Only problem is skating and beagm, even then with those problems you can get some of the best players today for good prices.

 

[JGaudreau]

Just look at the EA stock. It's tanking. They got lazy and now finally they are hurting. This isn't an "NHL games are a small market" issue.

Their problems are top down. Even Fifa is not selling for the first time in history. I would be so happy to see 2K make a hockey game and even happier to see EA go bankrupt. Maybe Bioware can escape from those trend following losers.

 

[PromoterDave]

NHL 14 Eashl was the best game mode ever

 

[PB12]

Actually i take it back. Go play 12 or 14. 11 is still great game but its almost impossible to make moves in be a gm mode. Almost every team has a low salary cap and teams are too picky. with the type of players they want.

 

[n00bxQb]

The games during the ps2 and xbox era actually felt like a different game every year and not just some patched polished version yearly like we do now.

Polished?

 

[PromoterDave]

Just replayed NHL 14 Live the Life. Made a Center Sniper and started off on the Norfolk Admirals, Anaheim's AHL Team. I simmed a couple of games and made the NHL. Scored a hat trick playing 1 period for the Ducks, and the next day I was traded to Arizona for a 2nd and 3rd round pick. Lmao

 

[Anaheim4ever]

Removing the puck from opponents is laughably unrealistic in NHL 19 and it makes the game bland and boring to me. The amount of times I will hit/stick lift/poke check and he keeps the puck is mind boggling and extremely frustrating. It seems like every game they release has 1 glaring deficiency and this year, it's removing the puck which makes it pretty much unplayable.

So to remove the puck you have to poke check & slash like Corey Perry to get it done ?

 

[Anaheim4ever]

I have good memories of NHL 08 on my computer:
You could do alot more with physical teams then & in a video game that kind of style is alot of fun.
I'd demolish the other team with hits, get myself into alot of PKs & score breakaways on the PK after they turned it over. Chris Pronger to the box for elbowing became a regular thing in my games.

 

[Jets]

Yup, the current gen games are pretty terrible. Yeah, they're more realistic, but that doesn't make it a better video game than the previous gen games. The gameplay is slow, boring, frustrating, and has a much lower skill ceiling and higher skill floor. I played the games for hundreds of hours every year from NHL 09-14, but I only played 17 for three months (until the end of the season in the 6s league I was in) and I'll be doing the same with this year's game. I'd much rather play a fun, arcade-y hockey game than a boring, realistic game.

The most annoying part of all of this is that the beta was actually pretty fun with the changes they made to the skating engine thanks to the feedback they took from the "game changers". It was by far the best gameplay they had on the current gen consoles. Then for whatever reason they decided to push out a big patch within a few weeks to revert it back to the slow, boring, frustrating gameplay from the last few games.

To give you an idea of how bad this game is, here's the goals per game per team in the most popular 6s league in the series.

*scoring is up to around 2.39 GPG (per team) since this was first made
**the numbers under each game are the seasons

NHL11 was the GOAT but how bout that Season 19 WPG squad. #Champs

 

[CharaBadSenyshynGawd]

I was ranked top 10 in nhl11 for a bit and played well all the way up through 15.

Not sure if I lost interest in figuring out what works or if I’m just sick of the game. The “sure fire goals” are super annoying. CPU Dmen would skate right into the goalie. No rhyme or reason to the hits. Could go coast to coast and not even tip the guy over or just give him a bump and he’s over the boards.

It’s just EA not listening to its consumers and they don’t have to. There’s idiots paying 100$ every day to open some packs in HUT. As long as that’s happening, they won’t and shouldn’t care about any offline modes. It’s all about da CAKE