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[Metalmarc]

Hmmm No Switch version
No Penguins on Cover
No major features to get too excited about

See you in the sale again then

 

[comshoplesce]

Hm why they make every year same old same old + 5% difference for 100% price?

 

[CreeperBlocks]

3 on 3 arcade mode is what I wanted... I wonder if there's going to be goofy shit like in the PS3/360 game

 

[DyslexicAlucard]

"On defense, the all-new Defensive Skill Stick gives you the tools to counter attacks with poke check targeting, extended pokes, and controlled stick sweeps to cover zones of the ice and take away lanes."

About damn time they added this back. I can't believe they took out the basic ability to sweep your stick in front of an attacker for years. That's pretty much defense 101. "Keep your stick on the ice" and all that. It's embarrassing, TBH.

Three on three will be fun, but 99 percent of my time in these games is spent on Be a GM and basic versus games with a friend, so gameplay/AI changes are what matter most to me. This... looks sadly deficient in that area.

I've actually thought about collecting a bunch of clips and making a YouTube video with commentary pointing out how fucking terrible the AI is in the game, but I don't know if anyone would care (especially this late in the cycle).

 

[Marvie_3]

I've actually thought about collecting a bunch of clips and making a YouTube video with commentary pointing out how fucking terrible the AI is in the game, but I don't know if anyone would care (especially this late in the cycle).

People do this already and nothing ever gets fixed.

 

[DyslexicAlucard]

People do this already and nothing ever gets fixed.

I'd love to watch some, if you have good examples. Sometimes I wonder if I'm just crazy, because "It can't be that bad, can it?"

Basic example: forwards just stand in one spot and make no effort to get open in front of a defender when they're in front of the goalie.

Or really annoying stuff, like I'll go to pass it up the ice near centre ice and, as the puck is on its way, the pass receiver will go to the bench -- leaving the puck to continue into the opposing zone, causing an icing call and a loss of possession.

 

[Clarkus Darkus]

Me and couple of friends switched from Fifa's Pro clubs mode to NHL's EASHL mode. Was such a great transition of learning the rules etc and we made it to div1 which made us proud. So we'll probably get this to be fair.

 

[JustSurvive]

I've actually thought about collecting a bunch of clips and making a YouTube video with commentary pointing out how fucking terrible the AI is in the game, but I don't know if anyone would care (especially this late in the cycle).

In one evening of EASHL games in '17, the AI carried the puck into our own net on three different occasions. If it wasn't a digital purchase I would have probably snapped the game in half.

That right there is the reason why I will probably pass on this. After taking a few years off because EASHL got worse and worse, coming back to all the awesome off-ice customization in '17, but the AI is too awful and it looks like all they care about is HUT and re-adding features from last gen and trying to make them seem new.

I don't think I have ever been as furious playing a game as '17 with how unbelievably bad the AI can be, the goalies either being absolute trash or unbeatable with no point in between those, and still having cheese/money goals. Maybe this is the year I switch to FIFA, because for '19 the big feature is presumably going to be the Story mode like is Madden/FIFA so don't expect any notable changes then either.

 

[Ristifer]

It's not that it's a bad game but the series hasn't reached the peak of ps360 gen (NHL 13) feature or gameplay wise. Every feature they add feels clunky for the first year or two (net battles, new dekes etc.) or has been in the earlier games as standard for years.

The whole game feels clunky. The menus are awful, the gameplay is a snail's pace, you get absolutely no momentum from skating anymore. What happened to the True Performance Skating system that they introduced? It was nerfed entirely for 16 and 17. It actually allowed you, along with the attributes system, to be able to outperform others based on how well you incorporated certain routes for your skating. Now, everyone is just equal and they want you to mash on the hustle button forever (which does nothing). The player classes have little to no actual differentiation, so everybody feels exactly the same. EA seems to think that height/weight are the biggest points of differentiation, instead of giving player classes any kind of actual personality.

I don't even want to get started on the AI, but 17 did absolutely nothing for me. They were making quite a decent amount of progress with the 360/PS3 gen versions, but these newer versions are awful.