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NHL 18 |OT| Young Stars & Old Returning Features

T

TheVisualizer

Banned
Nice job on the thread, Screenshots section is my fav.

Im looking forward to EASHL again this year, as its pretty much the only mode I play in the NHL anymore. The beta had some nice gameplay improvements, but overall its just more of the same.

Lastly, FUCK EA for trying to get an extra $20-$30 from people to play all of their new sports games 3 days early this year on Tuesday when they released on this day in the past. No thx ill wait until Friday you slimy fucks.
 
H

HamsterPackage

Member
I grabbed the young stars edition for the very low price of $99.99 canadian! I missed the beta, is the AI still terrible? I dont have a full eashl team and the AI is trash in 17.
 
K

KaYotiX

Banned
Will play my EA Access trial. Beta was fun but with Madden and 2k18 soon I may wait till NHL drops in price. I do love me some hockey though.
 
C

Cake Boss

Banned
holy shit I didn't know the reason they delayed the game 3 days was just so they can sell you a more expensive version which plays it 3 days before the regular version hits, even though that's been the regular release date for the past 7 years.

Lol what a dipshit company and studio.

God someone save us from them, they have a monopoly on this shit.
 
Feeroper

Feeroper

Member
I can't wait for this game, but yeah, I don't care for this early access crap if you buy the deluxe versions - plus the deluxe versions are all digital only. I prefer physical so I'm holding out until Friday.
 
C

CreeperBlocks

Banned
Threes is really fun, I was having a blast with it in the closed beta. The rag doll physics are out of control in that and you can play as your teams mascot in that mode. It's not fully NHL 3V3 Arcade but it's pretty damn close.

Also welcome to the NHL officially Vegas. I don't have to make a custom team for you like I did for NHL 17
 
C

Champloo4

Member
Wondering why Amazon doesn't have the disc for preorder. Are they fighting with EA?
I remember Madden wasn't on their site for a while either (now it is).

I love NHL 17 so much. Easily my fave NHL in years. 18 seems like it will be just as good if not better. Threes mode, Expansion draft, etc.
 
S

shawnoftheshred

Member
Pros so far:
- EASHL always grabs me. If this mode wasn't around, I'd just ignore the game entirely. See: NHL 15 at launch.
- The HUT update seems like a good step - some challenges to earn coins/packs/players etc. that involve short bursts of gameplay against the AI. 2 minute periods, varying difficulty levels, various goals to achieve one at a time or all at once. I will probably actually play HUT this year. I hope these are updated constantly with moments from the week (like, Montreal came from 2 goals behind in the 3rd, recreate it for a Bronze pack) or something.
- So far, the game *seems* to reward positional play a bit better. That said, it always feels that way at launch and then slowly people discover exploits.
- Threes seems pretty fun. Especially for EASHL.
- Pinning modes to the home page. A little quality of life improvement to bypass at least one level of ridiculous EA menus.
- EA Access continues to be an amazing test of things before buying.
- Our EASHL is actually doing well.

Cons so far:
- NHL is really lagging behind in the story mode department that NBA Live, Madden, Fifa etc. have.
- Be A Pro mode hasn't been updated in years. Probably because they will just shift to the above when they get a chance?
- Same engine, so the game really does feel similar to previous years. The defensive skill stick is nice, I guess.
- The commentary really needs an overhaul. So many awkward phrases, so many generic lines, and Ray Ferraro is really annoying.
- Yeah, the releasing the game on Friday, when it traditionally has come out on a Tuesday to encourage people to pre-order the game for early access is frustrating.
 
D

Doctor_Thomas

Member
shawnoftheshred said:
Pros so far:
- EASHL always grabs me. If this mode wasn't around, I'd just ignore the game entirely. See: NHL 15 at launch.
- The HUT update seems like a good step - some challenges to earn coins/packs/players etc. that involve short bursts of gameplay against the AI. 2 minute periods, varying difficulty levels, various goals to achieve one at a time or all at once. I will probably actually play HUT this year. I hope these are updated constantly with moments from the week (like, Montreal came from 2 goals behind in the 3rd, recreate it for a Bronze pack) or something.
- So far, the game *seems* to reward positional play a bit better. That said, it always feels that way at launch and then slowly people discover exploits.
- Threes seems pretty fun. Especially for EASHL.
- Pinning modes to the home page. A little quality of life improvement to bypass at least one level of ridiculous EA menus.
- EA Access continues to be an amazing test of things before buying.
- Our EASHL is actually doing well.

Cons so far:
- NHL is really lagging behind in the story mode department that NBA Live, Madden, Fifa etc. have.
- Be A Pro mode hasn't been updated in years. Probably because they will just shift to the above when they get a chance?
- Same engine, so the game really does feel similar to previous years. The defensive skill stick is nice, I guess.
- The commentary really needs an overhaul. So many awkward phrases, so many generic lines, and Ray Ferraro is really annoying.
- Yeah, the releasing the game on Friday, when it traditionally has come out on a Tuesday to encourage people to pre-order the game for early access is frustrating.
Click to expand...

Can you tell me something, if possible, since I'm assuming you're playing it?

See in the expansion draft, does it give Belfast as one of the cities you can choose to set up a new franchise?

If you haven't checked it, don't worry, just curious since I saw Glasgow in the list on the original trailer for it.

No big deal, we just have a hockey team and host a yearly NCAA tournament. :p
 
H

Harrison Bergeron

Member
Enjoyed 17 a lot, and will play a lot of 18 even though it's mostly a host of small steps and quality of life improvements.

Don't play HUT, and only play offline, so I have to wait until Friday since I have no use for the more expensive earlier released edition. Been used to getting the game second Tuesday of September for years. Lame, EA.
 
S

shawnoftheshred

Member
Been playing HUT for really, the first time this year...and man, there are some baffling UI choices.

When you need upwards of 30 players to complete a set, who thought it was a good idea to not have a simple option to see how many of those 30 you currently own without individually clicking on each and then searching your collection for it? What should be an at-a-glance "ooh, I'm only missing 5 cards!" is instead something that could take upwards of 5-10 minutes to keep track of. Same goes for why there isn't a simple option in "collection" to select multiple cards and send them all to their respective sets.

The AI challenges are pretty fun, but man, it's a grind to open up things that are actually useful. It feels like more of them should unlock mid-tier players. Not good enough to encourage one to avoid buying packs/playing the auction, but good enough that it takes less games to feel like your team is slowly improving as you move up the chain within the challenges.

Anywho...still having fun. Hah.
 
The Elite

The Elite

BOSS
I have enjoyed it so far. I will be playing EASHL and Threes for a while before starting up my franchise. Enjoyed NHL 17 as well.
 
C

Cudder

Member
Pre ordered this yesterday on PS4, as I do every year. It's pretty much the only game I play year round. But so help me god, if there is still a noticeable lag in the 1v1 online, I will be pissed.

Threes was fun.
 
S

Södy

Member
RedRum said:
I predict 09% of peeps will be playing 3's. Best thing they've done for the game in forever.
Click to expand...

Yep, sadly. Never would have thought in 2004 that the mode I am most excited for in NHL 18 will be a spritua successor (well atleast in some kind of ways) to NHL Hitz.

Over at HFBoards they say, that atleast the AI is improved and the game plays better than 17. Still very minor. Time for 2k to come back again!
 
M

Marvie_3

Banned
Södy;249008990 said:
Yep, sadly. Never would have thought in 2004 that the mode I am most excited for in NHL 18 will be a spritua successor (well atleast in some kind of ways) to NHL Hitz.

Over at HFBoards they say, that atleast the AI is improved and the game plays better than 17. Still very minor. Time for 2k to come back again!
Click to expand...
eeeeeehhhhhhh......
 
SolidSnakeUS

SolidSnakeUS

Member
From just playing the beta, 18 felt smoother than 17. Going to pick up the game after work. I don't pre-order these games because EA doesn't deserve pre-orders for NHL games. Even though I put hundreds of hours into each iteration.
 
S

shawnoftheshred

Member
Marvie_3 said:
6.5 is about where id put it. Threes is kinda fun and but playing anything against the CPU is either too easy or its the same scripted, robotic jankiness that its been for years.
Click to expand...
I'd score it a 7 or 7.5, most of that comes from the fact that even when it doesn't change much, EASHL just scratches an itch that I can't get from any other game. I wish it was a little more realistic in terms of rewarding proper positioning, high quality shots, team play etc., but still, when things click in that mode, it's more fun than anything else. If that was it, I'd probably have skipped 18, but the introduction of HUT single player challenges has been appreciated so far. I found in 17, I only booted the game up when I got an invite for EASHL. This year I've been having fun progressing up the challenges, destroying the rookie and semi-pro ones, but having to be on my game for anything above that. I think the fact that they are so bite sized (2 minute periods) makes it easier to handle when something goes wrong.

Anywho, NHL 19 needs the following for me to be in:
- Story mode akin to what FIFA/Madden etc. have
- A new engine (the game has felt too same-y with the small additions each year)
- Upgraded commentary (please get rid of Ray Ferraro)
- Better menus - I would spend far more time in HUT if it wasn't so frustrating to do simple things like search a PK Subban or bulk add cards not in your lineup to sets to see where you're at.
 
C

Cake Boss

Banned
shawnoftheshred said:
- Story mode akin to what FIFA/Madden etc. have
- A new engine (the game has felt too same-y with the small additions each year)
- Upgraded commentary (please get rid of Ray Ferraro)
- Better menus - I would spend far more time in HUT if it wasn't so frustrating to do simple things like search a PK Subban or bulk add cards not in your lineup to sets to see where you're at.
Click to expand...

These requests should be the minimum and expected for 19. Be A Pro also needs an overhaul, and that's where the Story mode comes in.

Also hopefully the new engine can reintroduce GM Connected. that shit was great.
 
The Elite

The Elite

BOSS
shawnoftheshred said:
Anywho, NHL 19 needs the following for me to be in:
- Story mode akin to what FIFA/Madden etc. have
- A new engine (the game has felt too same-y with the small additions each year)
- Upgraded commentary (please get rid of Ray Ferraro)
- Better menus - I would spend far more time in HUT if it wasn't so frustrating to do simple things like search a PK Subban or bulk add cards not in your lineup to sets to see where you're at.
Click to expand...

I really don't need a story mode but I would like one since that's a thing sports games seem to be doing these days. The Show doesn't really have a proper one either and I haven't felt like ti was something missing.

I guess I'm one of the few that is perfectly fine with the current engine. I don't want to change it for the sake of changing it. I already have NHL 18 playing well with the adjustment of some sliders.

Upgraded commentary. They can get rid of Doc Emrik as well. His style just doesn't work well with a video game. They should bring back Jim Hughson. NBA 2k is knocking it out of the park on commentary..

This is my first year getting NHL on Xbox One and the menus are completely different and snappier than the ones being used on PS4. I'm not sure what is going on but they use the same pin and tile system that the Xbox OS uses.
 
S

shawnoftheshred

Member
Proteus said:
I really don't need a story mode but I would like one since that's a thing sports games seem to be doing these days. The Show doesn't really have a proper one either and I haven't felt like ti was something missing.

I guess I'm one of the few that is perfectly fine with the current engine. I don't want to change it for the sake of changing it. I already have NHL 18 playing well with the adjustment of some sliders.

Upgraded commentary. They can get rid of Doc Emrik as well. His style just doesn't work well with a video game. They should bring back Jim Hughson. NBA 2k is knocking it out of the park on commentary..

This is my first year getting NHL on Xbox One and the menus are completely different and snappier than the ones being used on PS4. I'm not sure what is going on but they use the same pin and tile system that the Xbox OS uses.
Click to expand...
That's the thing, I don't *need* a story mode, but I need something in the space that that would exist. I don't think Be A Pro has been touched in years. And I don't mean that in the "it's the same mode, just with minor iterations" way...I think it literally hasn't had a single change to it? And that was, when it was first introduced, one of the exciting single player modes. They need to revamp Be A Pro mode, as Marv was hinting at, that can either be re-tooling that, or doing the well-received story mode treatment for NHL and incorporating that into the mode. I mean, pond hockey, drills for tykes/bantams, college or minor league dramas, draft days, there's enough to be engaging for at least a good chunk of hours for sure, instead of just playing a single infinite mode that, once you get to the NHL, doesn't really change at all.

For the engine, I feel like the current one is holding the game back. NHL 18 feels the best to me so far, but there's only so long you can iterate on an engine before realizing that higher fidelity, 60fps gameplay with more advanced AI and physics can't be done. Also, it seems like the engine is one of the primary reasons that changes to Be A Pro/story/GM connected, etc. aren't done.

Also, these games should really be on XBOX's tournaments system, right?
 
E

ElephantShell

Banned
A commentary overhaul would be welcome at this point. I know it can't change completely every year but I feel like it's been very similar for too long now.
 
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