The problem with EA and its NHL Franchise

[Troublesome 85]

I have been playing this game for awhile, IDK what year I actually started. Actually started NHL games with the 2K series. The problem I see with EA and this NHL Franchise is since 2K said f*** hockey EA has no competition. No competition means they can throw the same shitty product out there and since there is no other choice for the consumer we will have to buy it. EA does throw in 1-2 things a year to keep casually games and casual NHL fans happy but this game is horrible. I havent bought NHL 19 yet and am still on 18 but I dont see a reason to give EA more of my $$$$ unless all the bugs and kinks are fixed.

IDK if anyone agrees with me or not but its frustrating.

Anyone know why 2K stopped making NHL games?

Click to read more...

 

[The Flying Octopus]

I have been playing this game for awhile, IDK what year I actually started. Actually started NHL games with the 2K series. The problem I see with EA and this NHL Franchise is since 2K said **** hockey EA has no competition. No competition means they can throw the same ****ty product out there and since there is no other choice for the consumer we will have to buy it. EA does throw in 1-2 things a year to keep casually games and casual NHL fans happy but this game is horrible. I havent bought NHL 19 yet and am still on 18 but I dont see a reason to give EA more of my $$$$ unless all the bugs and kinks are fixed.

IDK if anyone agrees with me or not but its frustrating.

Anyone know why 2K stopped making NHL games?

ESPN had the 2k rights to hockey. ESPN and NHL didnt come to agreement with new deal, then the work stoppage, 2k stopped its license with the NHL all together. I think ESPN still owns those rights if 2k does come back with hockey, but dont quote me..

NHL2k5 was OTC with Martin St. Louis on the cover.

 

[M88K]

ESPN had the 2k rights to hockey. ESPN and NHL didnt come to agreement with new deal, then the work stoppage, 2k stopped its license with the NHL all together. I think ESPN still owns those rights if 2k does come back with hockey, but dont quote me..

NHL2k5 was OTC with Martin St. Louis on the cover.

This is all sorts of wrong

2k bought the ESPN license for branding and usage.
EA bought the ESPN license when 2k's deal expired, a while ago(when 2k was still making hockey) and did nothing with it, hence why 2k went from "ESPN 2k" to just 2k.

2K was behind EA in sales and started to go more Arcade and gimmicky( like EA) and lost even more sales to the point that they tried to survive with the Wii only and now they release on Mobile
2k Still has licensing for NHL and could create a game at any time and have said in the past that they will likely bring it back at some point

 

[Tak7]

The problem with EA = EA Sports doesn't have a Game Changers Program the way EA does

 

[Ratboy]

You don't HAVE to buy it. This gen has been disappointing for NHL games.

I'm looking to 2004 and NHL 2KHS for now.

 

[haveandare]

19 is a noticeable upgrade imo, but yeah there are a lot of very, very obvious issues that EA seems to ignore year after year and having no competition probably makes the decision to do that pretty easy for them.

 

[Habby Gilmore]

I’ve been playing the EA hockey games since 1991 I think, wow that makes me sound old haha. This years has a few new features over last years, I haven’t tried all the different modes yet though.

 

[Luigi Habs]

Last time I played EA NHL was 2014. Decided to try 2019 (on trial with my EA access) and honestly the gameplay feels the exact same, I haven't noticed any difference, 5 years later. The new features and the improved franchise mode are cool though.

 

[thewall]

Nhl 2k5 is one of the best game ever. i loved the vintage teams that were available. You had to edit the names but i did that and was playing tournaments with the vintage teams. their season mode was also pretty awesome. I wish EA would take time to add new logos vintage teams and more options in season mode.

 

[Ratboy]

Nhl 2k5 is one of the best game ever. i loved the vintage teams that were available. You had to edit the names but i did that and was playing tournaments with the vintage teams. their season mode was also pretty awesome. I wish EA would take time to add new logos vintage teams and more options in season mode.

Isn't it weird how Maddens always had vintage teams but NHL never has?

 

[Troublesome 85]

You don't HAVE to buy it. This gen has been disappointing for NHL games.

I'm looking to 2004 and NHL 2KHS for now.

Last one I bought was 18. I heard it was good. Sadly it is not. If my simulated hockey game worked I would still be playing it. Eastern something hockey or w/e that I bought from Sega a few years back. Yes the game is based in 2007 but I still enjoyed simulating and running a team.

 

[Troublesome 85]

2K has better sports games than EA period. Maybe EA has better baseball games IDK but the NBA 2K series has shitted on NBA Live for years. ESPN NFL 2K is legit my favorite football game. and I came up on 2K hockey games.

 

[Troublesome 85]

I have vented about my issues with the NHL EA series in 2 topics numerous times. But its ridiculous as I said every year they ad a tweak or 2 just to keep some people happy. But if EA even did 10% of what NBA 2K does with their deep deep franchise mode this game would be 100xs better. For example how many years have you been able to create a franchise? Probably a long time. How has EA not incorporated some sort of goalie mask creator in their game? I know they supposedly fixed skating in 19 but I am still on 18 and wont buy another EA hockey game until it sounds like most bugs are fixed.

Would list all my grievances but the series has been terrible

 

[Ratboy]

Last one I bought was 18. I heard it was good. Sadly it is not. If my simulated hockey game worked I would still be playing it. Eastern something hockey or w/e that I bought from Sega a few years back. Yes the game is based in 2007 but I still enjoyed simulating and running a team.

Check out NHL 2KHS some European modders have been reworking NHL 2K11 for Wii to run on an emulator for the past 3 years. Upgraded graphics, physics and game play. looks really cool. Releases November 1st.

 

[Troublesome 85]

Heard scoring is worse in 19 than it is in 18. Quite frankly scoring in 18 is horrible. I have real life shit goalies shutting me out in this game regularly. How is Devan Dubnyk and Thomas Greiss so good in this game? Scoring is fun and games are supposed to be fun

 

[Hi ImHFNYR]

I have been playing this game for awhile, IDK what year I actually started. Actually started NHL games with the 2K series. The problem I see with EA and this NHL Franchise is since 2K said **** hockey EA has no competition. No competition means they can throw the same ****ty product out there and since there is no other choice for the consumer we will have to buy it. EA does throw in 1-2 things a year to keep casually games and casual NHL fans happy but this game is horrible. I havent bought NHL 19 yet and am still on 18 but I dont see a reason to give EA more of my $$$$ unless all the bugs and kinks are fixed.

IDK if anyone agrees with me or not but its frustrating.

Anyone know why 2K stopped making NHL games?

People have been saying this for about 7 years with this series.

Also how dare you? THE problem? Implying there's only one? Shame!

Thank the ultimate team bullshit and the people paying for it too. They're every bit as responsible as anything else. It's no coincidence that HUT came around and then it's taken forever to get back even a modicum of the features the last gen had. They get all their money from HUT so they stopped paying attention to the rest of the game. It ain't getting them money so why devote resources to it?

Btw totally exaggerating with my "reprimand" at the start. Just in case that seemed real. I mean it was a valid point i brought up but I'm not mad at you

 

[Ratboy]

People have been saying this for about 7 years with this series.

Also how dare you? THE problem? Implying there's only one? Shame!

Thank the ultimate team bull**** and the people paying for it too. They're every bit as responsible as anything else. It's no coincidence that HUT came around and then it's taken forever to get back even a modicum of the features the last gen had. They get all their money from HUT so they stopped paying attention to the rest of the game. It ain't getting them money so why devote resources to it?

People who pay for MT'S are driving not only this series into the ground but much of AAA gaming in general.

 

[Hi ImHFNYR]

People who pay for MT'S are driving not only this series into the ground but much of AAA gaming in general.

I'm loving the journalists (see: not loving at all... am annoyed by) who are arguing about how the MTs in assassins creed aren't that bad. How could u be honest, intelligent, well researched, involved in games to that degree and ignorant of what the real issue is?

They ALWAYS get worse.

But that implies they're actually honest, intelligent or well researched when they are maybe MAYBE two of those

 

[Ratboy]

I'm loving the journalists (see: not loving at all... am annoyed by) who are arguing about how the MTs in assassins creed aren't that bad. How could u be honest, intelligent, well researched, involved in games to that degree and ignorant of what the real issue is?

They ALWAYS get worse.

But that implies they're actually honest, intelligent or well researched when they are maybe MAYBE two of those

Those journalists are either bought off or are afraid of getting on gaming corporations "shit lists". They're literal shills. The industry is mostly made up of them.


I saw this coming years back when they invented DLC. Now they're cutting out portions of a game and selling it to us through ULTIMATE editions or pre order bonuses or later down the road. We've found games with DLC literally locked onto the disc. HUT and MUT and FUT etc are the only modes EA SEEMS to care about (and it makes them a shit ton of money ) but I'd love to see legislating powers crack down on loot boxes. It's all so damn corrupt now. I'm showing my age but I remember a day when you bought a game and got the whole thing. You could unlock secrets and other things through game play.

I loved the original Shadow of Mordor but won't buy the sequel because they purposely made it a grind so people would pay for the XP boost, just like AC now. I won't support companies who purposely ruin aspects of their game so we pay them to fix problems they created.

Now people willingly pay for an advantage. That's when EASHL lost me. When I noticed all these gold headed, tiny players zipping around and cheese goaling I was out. Probably NHL 11?

This is a big problem which will get as bad as consumers let it.

 

[boltsy]

Been an NHL hater since '15, then 16/17/18 I thought was pretty positive, benefit of the doubt. NHL 19 is pure horseshit. Pure horseshit. The skating is absolutely stupid and feels totally wack. The changing players is the biggest joke I've ever seen, on defence you want to switch to the guy closest to the puck, you get the last guy on the backcheck. But... it doesn't matter! CPU opponent doesn't ever score on a breakaway, always totally random! And oh yeah, they almost never shoot on net! Even on Superstar with a 60OVR team vs CPU with a 90 OVR team on 10/10 attribute effects, CPU still doesn't score! What a broken game.

EA is totally disrespecting their customers and I'm returning this game. What an absolute joke.

 

[Coastal Kev]

Way too much CPU involvement in the outcome. They listened to the tween tweets and catered to cherrypickers. CPU does all of the work and they can dipsy doodle all game long.


EA killed this game.

 

[Coastal Kev]

Heard scoring is worse in 19 than it is in 18. Quite frankly scoring in 18 is horrible. I have real life **** goalies shutting me out in this game regularly. How is Devan Dubnyk and Thomas Greiss so good in this game? Scoring is fun and games are supposed to be fun

What's worse is the CPU D who play goalie as well. Pure hot garbage.

 

[Troublesome 85]

Also how dare you? THE problem? Implying there's only one? Shame!

There is more than one. If u go into NHL 19 wish list topic u can find probably 10 or so posts in it with my complaints.

 

[Troublesome 85]

All I will say considering its 3:30AM and I just got off work is EA needs to SERIOUSLY take notes from NBA 2ks franchise mode. If they just put in 10% of the effort 2K did Franchise mode would be 100xs better.

 

[Hi ImHFNYR]

There is more than one. If u go into NHL 19 wish list topic u can find probably 10 or so posts in it with my complaints.

My man! I was playing around b4 just in case u werent sure