OT: Official Video Game Thread (Part 4)

syz

[1, 5, 6, 14]
Jul 13, 2007
28,849
12,240
It seems to me to be a chicken or egg scenario. Does EA not put much money into its NHL franchise because it's unpopular, or is the franchise unpopular because EA puts nothing into it. I would say the latter is true. The franchise has been bad and derivative for years and years now. Who wants to play this crap anymore?

The franchise is unpopular because it's a game about hockey, which is unpopular.

Best hockey game in the world wouldn't scratch Fifa or Madden sales. Why bother sinking the money?
 

Namtsua

Registered User
Apr 4, 2011
1,727
320
BC
The franchise is unpopular because it's a game about hockey, which is unpopular.

Best hockey game in the world wouldn't scratch Fifa or Madden sales. Why bother sinking the money?

You also have to factor in that the NHL team's budget and resources is nowhere the amount that the FIFA team has.
 

soothsayer

Registered User
Oct 27, 2009
8,511
10,693
The franchise is unpopular because it's a game about hockey, which is unpopular.

Best hockey game in the world wouldn't scratch Fifa or Madden sales. Why bother sinking the money?

Even the Madden and Fifa franchises would sink if EA put as little into them as they do the NHL franchise. (Look how they destroyed their NBA franchise.)

Besides, the choice for EA shouldnt be between beating the juggernaut Fifa and madden franchises and laying a turd. That's the kind of mindset that has apologized for EA consistently putting out a crap NHL game.
 

syz

[1, 5, 6, 14]
Jul 13, 2007
28,849
12,240
Even the Madden and Fifa franchises would sink if EA put as little into them as they do the NHL franchise. (Look how they destroyed their NBA franchise.)

Besides, the choice for EA shouldnt be between beating the juggernaut Fifa and madden franchises and laying a turd. That's the kind of mindset that has apologized for EA consistently putting out a crap NHL game.

Literally the only choices EA makes are the ones that make them a profit. Investing the required time + money to make significant iterative improvements to an NHL game on an annual basis doesn't do that--because, again, even at their best, those games will no longer outsell escalating development costs. NHL 11 has like an 89-90 on Metacritic and it sold under a million worldwide. No wonder they don't give a **** about it anymore.

They'll keep making bad NHL games as long as people continue to pay for them every year. Once enough people finally stop paying for them, they'll probably just stop making them altogether.
 

Perfect_Drug

Registered User
Mar 24, 2006
15,384
11,591
Montreal
Bingo.

460k sales is nothing

http://www.vgchartz.com/game/117548/nhl-17/


When a game sells under 3million its a bomb.

Sales this low means its a budget title made by a team of juniors with borrowed code from any other feature frankensteined from anythinh they can grab from any other EA game.

There's more money put into crappy children's movie tie ins.
 

syz

[1, 5, 6, 14]
Jul 13, 2007
28,849
12,240


Teenage me is glad that Dragon Ball has stayed relevant long enough for the technology to make a game that looks like this.
 

McRobbiezyg

Registered User
Oct 21, 2007
3,075
63
Bingo.

460k sales is nothing

http://www.vgchartz.com/game/117548/nhl-17/


When a game sells under 3million its a bomb.

Sales this low means its a budget title made by a team of juniors with borrowed code from any other feature frankensteined from anythinh they can grab from any other EA game.

There's more money put into crappy children's movie tie ins.

Worth noting that nhl 16 is at 660k. sales are slipping, wonder why?
 

sepHF

Patreeky
Feb 12, 2010
15,702
3,298
Worth noting that nhl 16 is at 660k. sales are slipping, wonder why?

for me personally I wasn't very happy after the transition from 14 to 15

they took out soooo much content it kinda killed the game for me. I decided I was skipping 16 as well and not giving them any money after the catastrophe that was 15
 

grego

Registered User
Jan 12, 2005
2,390
97
Saskatchewan
I would start at nhl 15 and add up through 18 as dlc pack buy ins to evaluate nhl series before saying it is all worthless. They do fine considering they made a game a few years back and many games do more in dlc add ons than many paid full versions of the game sees.

It is not aaa game sales but it still is fine. The problem is mainly a corporate ea issue. They are a classic complain that buys games and milks them till nothing more can be used then they will kill it off
 

boredem

Registered User
Jan 22, 2013
1,639
1,164
The only part of NHL or Madden single player I enjoyed was the mini games in Madden. I couldn't be bothered to play anything else. Both games are fun / friendship ruiners when played with friends, but as I get older the list of people who still like to play has gotten very small.
 

Oscar Acosta

Registered User
Mar 19, 2011
7,695
369
Bingo.

460k sales is nothing

http://www.vgchartz.com/game/117548/nhl-17/


When a game sells under 3million its a bomb.

Sales this low means its a budget title made by a team of juniors with borrowed code from any other feature frankensteined from anythinh they can grab from any other EA game.

There's more money put into crappy children's movie tie ins.

That's just PS4 totals. Same site also has another 0.56 for the XB1 version for over a million sold which is actually a good amount for a sports game.

Now compare to MLB The Show last year which sold 1.04 million copies they're almost dead equal. Then compare the effort put into the games and MLB absolutely blows them out of the water. Features, online modes, updates, rosters, GM connected, individual player styles past and present etc etc.

They are YEARS ahead with a smaller studio and sales. People buy the NHL has a limited budget excuse way too easily, they are doing great they love that people make this excuse for them. It allows them to put in minimal effort and maximize the pennies they can squeeze out of people.

MLB does more in their weekly roster updates than NHL does in an entire year. There is no excuse
 

syz

[1, 5, 6, 14]
Jul 13, 2007
28,849
12,240
The Show breaking a million on a single platform is miles more impressive than NHL 17 breaking a million over multiple platforms.
 

NeutralFan88

Registered User
Jun 23, 2017
306
0
I'm not even sure I am going to get NHL 18 this year. I'm not even complaining. I have owned every EA NHL sports title since that '92 one with Messier on the Oilers. I remember they even had highlites from other games during the intermission.

I remember how exciting it was to have players names put onto the screen when a goal was scored in '93.

'94 was a blast.

95 had one timers put in I believe. That was fun.

I remember how jacked I was when PBP was added. Kids are so spoiled these days.

I have an older brother, that's how I have played all of those early titles. Kids, business, etc. Barely have time to load the Xbo one up anymore. Haven't turned it on in almost 9 months.
 

WaitingForUser

Registered User
Mar 19, 2010
4,583
4,205
Edmonton
Worth noting that nhl 16 is at 660k. sales are slipping, wonder why?

2 things are destroying this franchise. HUT which is simply a cash grab is the only thing they promote or care about anymore. EASHL is slowly dying since they decided to wait until 2 weeks before launch to tell people that it was not featured in NHL 15. This was only compounded with the removal of lobbies and making it a PITA to find new club members. The slow death of the greatest MP experience is very sad.
The other thing killing the series is the skating engine that was implemented in NHL 14. It is a broken premise that is applied poorly and has sucked any flow and FUN that this game once had out of it.

Things 2 combined factors have resulted in the ghostown of a community that is now seen on NHL.

This is coming from a very long term player. Anyone play EA NHL hockey on SEGA. 1990 or 91 I believe?
 

McShogun99

Registered User
Aug 30, 2009
17,789
13,177
Edmonton
It's been the same game for years but I usually buy it every couple seasons. It would be so much easier if you just bought a copy with a 1 year membership and each season you just renew your membership. During the year they can give updates that will add new features and improvements as well as updated rosters.
 

Paralyzer

Hyman >>> Matthews
Sep 29, 2006
15,625
7,344
Somewhere Up North
It's been the same game for years but I usually buy it every couple seasons. It would be so much easier if you just bought a copy with a 1 year membership and each season you just renew your membership. During the year they can give updates that will add new features and improvements as well as updated rosters.

That makes too much sense. EA Sports would laugh at you if you brought this to their attention. What "Outside the box" thinking? Who'd buy that garbage?

(Everyone)
 

McSaveUs

Registered User
Apr 8, 2017
94
41
This - I will buy it because it has McJesus on the front. Also I skipped 17 because McDavid was a joke rating of 88 and I had NHL 16.

You do know he gets better? Lol didn't buy it because his rating was 88 he becomes a 93+ overall depending on how you develop him
 

Jejune

Registered User
Mar 7, 2003
1,589
26
Vancouver
Visit site
I just don't think hockey translates all that well to video games. Sure, it can be fun to have a few games with friends but it doesn't have that same feel. Personally, I'd much rather play a game of Fifa.
 

Paralyzer

Hyman >>> Matthews
Sep 29, 2006
15,625
7,344
Somewhere Up North
This - I will buy it because it has McJesus on the front. Also I skipped 17 because McDavid was a joke rating of 88 and I had NHL 16.

Really? What that his rating in NHL16 because they imagined McDavid was 16?

It's not even the 88 that's the joke. The joke is the fact his skating is set to only 88. So he's still slower than majority of skaters, yet, he's the fastest skater in the league by far? lol. Everytime I played a season, I jacked it up to 95-99 as THAT'S more accurate lol.
 

Haggard

High and Wide
Aug 15, 2005
1,005
845
Edmonton
I just refuse to pay those clowns at EA 80 bucks for what is basically a roster update every year. They don't care to actually update the game and improve it. All they want is to pump out another fast to make more money. I wish the people that make MLB The Show could get the rights to the NHL games.
 

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