Why this series is dying

[jake19ny]

I think the #1 issue facing this series and why so many of us are struggling to continue playing or have just flat out given up, is because it's very hard to tell the difference anymore wether were playing a new game or NHL 11, NHL 12, etc, etc,....overall there are things to love about NHL 16 and I have had some great games but I also had that same feeling regarding every release of NHL for years. The flip side, there are things that will just flat out make you pull your hair out wondering how they can have that in the game or why won't they fix that?...the game looks a little better each year and they add some new features or modes but the core gameplay, AI, and issues that ruin the hockey experience remain the same for years.

Imagine playing GTA series each time they release and despite some graphical improvements, a few new weapons, and new missions, your playing in the same city driving the same cars...I know this seems like an odd comparison but with the NHL series, at first glance you would be hard pressed to notice a difference between watching a game of NHL 12 and NHL 16. The same, poorly used cyber faces, the same goalie masks, the same flawed AI, the same overused deke move, the same glitch goals, the same crappy celebration, the same animations....etc. they add eye candy all around but at it's heart, it's the same old same old.

Years ago a new system usually meant a new looking and improved NHL game. I noticed big jumps and improvements in the NHL series from SEGA Genesis to Play Station, Playstation to Play Station 2, and Play Station 2 to Play Station 3. However, the Series has not only not improved since the jump to Play Station 4 but it has taken a clear and obvious step back. NHL 15 was an unprecedented disaster and NHL 16 is last gen NHL 14 with a facelift. This game trails so far behind other sports games that it's not even funny and this includes other EA sport titles. I understand NHL is not as popular as the other main sports but this is a poor excuse to release a poor product. I also, after much thought, will no longer buy the budget and resources excuse I have used to explain this poor series away for years. That should have nothing to do with releasing a bug filled product. This should have nothing to do with fixing the AI. This has nothing to do with lack of player seperation. This should have nothing to do with no five man celebration. This should have nothing to do with not implementing roster share. This has nothing to do with poorly some roster updates. This has nothing to do with so much.....I could just go on and on. If they really want to run with that reason get out of the game making buisness.

In truth I have no idea what happened to this series and you will theories abound....the Devs don't care, they don't have resources, they dont have budgets, they only focus on HUT and Online, blah blah blah...I'm sorry but NHL 16, while it can be fun at times, is a poor release and follows a trend in the series that points to it's coming demise. Just one mans opinion.

[Fiddy]

Re: Why this series is dying

Bottom line, go back to NHL 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and now 16. Look at all the posts and reviews on here. It's more of the same over and over. Maybe this is why this series going down hill?

I mean most of us die hards, all we want is proper hockey to be simulated. A Positionally sound game with strategies that work.

[jake19ny]

Re: Why this series is dying

Here are few things to further my argument that this series is dying. Already dead for offline hardcore hockey fans. I started a season with the New York Rangers. I have it set to auto rotate goalies. The FIRST game of the season the Rangers have Raanta in net. I had to swap him out. Game 2 Stepan scores a hat trick in a 4-3 win over Columbus. The next game opens with Doc and Eddie talking about Stepans scoring, I think cool. Then it shows Stepan skating with a banner that says "career season stats" whatever that is and it's 0's across the board. Then it shows Lundqvists "Season Career Stats" 0 across the board despite being 1-1 already. Oddly in game two it had his stats from game 1. These are the kind of things that budget and manpower have zero to do with and are unacceptable. This is the reason people on forums call out the Devs and make disparaging remarks. These are things that shouldn't be there but worse are never fixed with no response from EA. These are things that ruin the offline experience

[bigwill33]

Re: Why this series is dying

But we have Game Changers and Community Leaders representing OS at EA now, remember? Should only be a matter of time before we see everything going great.

[Tsuki]

Re: Why this series is dying

Everything about the game is incredibly vanilla out the box.

The reason I have walked away is because I can take vanilla but not in the roster. I play other games like 2k where atleast out the box there is player separation, signature animations and team styles that force you to play sim and give the game new life every time you boot up a game.

In EANHL every player is just as good as the next guy, every player has the same animations, thus makes every team play one linear style that never changes. It is 2016 we are on PS4 this is simply unacceptable, esspically considering the fact that they dont give us the tools to change it at the very least.

[jake19ny]

Re: Why this series is dying

But we have Game Changers and Community Leaders representing OS at EA now, remember? Should only be a matter of time before we see everything going great.

In fairness to the Gamechangers I think I remember them saying they were given little to no time playing the offline parts of the game. It's clear EAs focus is on the Online experience and HUT and it's clear they didn't want anyone getting hands on with the regular gameplay. That said it sounds like the online community is just as disappointed as us offliners

[bigwill33]

Re: Why this series is dying

In fairness to the Gamechangers I think I remember them saying they were given little to no time playing the offline parts of the game. It's clear EAs focus is on the Online experience and HUT and it's clear they didn't want anyone getting hands on with the regular gameplay. That said it sounds like the online community is just as disappointed as us offliners

We're still talking about the same kids that joined OS to become eligible for the position to represent our concerns/needs/desires and now never post here, right? An EA designed and run program in an attempt to improve the overall product and gameplay.

If any of that doesn't exactly sum up the state of this franchise and series, then I don't know what does.

[jake19ny]

Re: Why this series is dying

We're still talking about the same kids that joined OS to become eligible for the position to represent our concerns/needs/desires and now never post here, right? An EA designed and run program in an attempt to improve the overall product and gameplay.

If any of that doesn't exactly sum up the state of this franchise and series, then I don't know what does.

No doubt they were not the right people and EA cherry picked them but I'm thinking even if they had us there we would not have been allowed to seen this game in offline action. I'm not sure they would listen to us either. The "Game Changers" were a marketing ploy that most of us regulars and hardcore hockey guys saw right through.

[Tsuki]

Re: Why this series is dying

If I could not see raw gameplay as a gamechanger, I would quit because there is no point of me being there then.

[GlennN]

Re: Why this series is dying

For me, the single worst thing (worse even than every year being quite similar to the one before) is the ridiculous insistence on having the ratings of players so closely bunched. On an entire team, I don't know if there is a single attribute where the worst player is 20+ points different from the best player. There is a 100 point scale - use it! It just kills me to try and play BeAGM when the players are so close in rating.

[Fiddy]

Re: Why this series is dying

For me, the single worst thing (worse even than every year being quite similar to the one before) is the ridiculous insistence on having the ratings of players so closely bunched. On an entire team, I don't know if there is a single attribute where the worst player is 20+ points different from the best player. There is a 100 point scale - use it! It just kills me to try and play BeAGM when the players are so close in rating.

They are limited with the ratings per the NHLPA. So no players get butthurt etc. But for sure can do a much better job at making players feel different.

[AdamJones113]

Re: Why this series is dying

I think I know more about the current NHL GameChangers program than most people on the boards. There is only one way, in my mind, that this can finish as a publicity stunt: if they don't go back to Vancouver this year. The GCs only went to Vancouver 3 times—once as a sort of pilot trip, once to hammer out EASHL classes, and once to play-test a beta of the game. This cycle, they have more time and more certainty when discussing aspects of the game, both offline and online. EASHL got 90% of their attention last cycle, and I know (once again, assuming they go back) that figure won't be as high this time. If they GCs were a marketing ploy, then to cover all marketing bases it would have made sense to bring in at least one guy to ostensibly represent the offline community. But that's not what happened; remember, originally it was an EASHL-themed group, which EA later turned into the GameChangers program.

[actionhank]

Re: Why this series is dying

They are limited with the ratings per the NHLPA. So no players get butthurt etc. But for sure can do a much better job at making players feel different.

Has this ever been confirmed? I always feel like this is one of those things that's been said though that it's true. I've never been able to track down anything confirming it. Not attacking you on it, I'm just genuinely curious.

[Gangrel]

Re: Why this series is dying

I think it's more to do with the same rating scale used across multiple leagues than an nhlpa thing that's never been cinfirmed.....

They need relative ratings like you can use in OOTP baseball....

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[Tsuki]

Re: Why this series is dying

They are limited with the ratings per the NHLPA. So no players get butthurt etc. But for sure can do a much better job at making players feel different.

or just give us the tools to edit and share rosters and they can do outta box all they want.