What is your honest assessment of the game?

Skating:8/10 Skating is pretty good other than poke checking completely slowing you down to a halt

Shooting: 7/10 some one else said it that you really don't have an option to try and aim the corners before you even shoot. Old game I believe 18 had a shooting drill were you had to hit targets on the net and that let you know if you are aiming correctly.

Passing: 8/10 Human to Human passing is pretty good just have to make sure both of your players are have to be turned the right way or you completely miss them.

                2/10 AI to Human - Cmon the AI just can't make a smart pass. Causing us to call for it more just to double tap the pass

Puck control: 7/10 if you have the right build. The guys that build the bullies just hold on to it so it's hard to knock them off but if they are PWF SNP PLMK or TWO way just a bump from my PWF and they loose the puck quite easily 

Goalies: 1/10 AI Goalies can't stop a Breakaway at ALL- They can't stop the wrap around at all - Cross Crease they can either be amazing which is most of the time or they allow a good shot.

               4/10 Human Goalies - I got two guys on my team who have been playing goalie for me for at least 6 years and they refuse to play this year. Even when they are in the right position Close quarters makes it almost impossible to stop a play rushing and shooting

Deking: 8/10 Don't see much wrong with this other than every juke seems simple to use were it use to be you had to have skill to pull off a deke

Defense: 3/10 Human D - We don't have the tools anymore. Try and tie up in front of the net and more likely getting a penalty or a fight- LIFT STICK IS BROKEN use to be one of biggest tools to stop a crease pass or stop a shot last second were a poke check would of put it in our own net.

                0/10 AI defense - PYLONS some one called them PYLONS and I couldn't agree more. They just stand there to the point like some one else said our C and LW are constantly having to hustle back to play D because we just don't trust them. They literally are the reason we loose a majority of our games. We only use a AI RD sometimes as we have a full squad other than goalie(see above why) and he will not pass it up to the wings unless we call for it most of the time of course not all the time but 8 out of 10 times. He won't help in front of the net. I don't know how many times I have yelled at the TV " Who are you covering bot"

Checking: I have heard of the hitting bubble and that is mostly the women. We have been wondering why so many people have been using women(some one stated because they are tired of stupid fights-Makes sense) but they seem to be the ones with the bubble or so called NO BUBBLE. HIP CHECK HAS BEEN Basically REMOVED. Another bread and butter hit against the boards or on some one bigger than you that you would normally not be able to hit. PLEASE FIX HIP CHECK

AI: 0/10 Useless 

Penalties:6/10 FIX STICK LIFT-  Also the AI has been getting a lot of penalties for some reason. We do a really good job of not going to the box other than trying to stop a break away "Trip him is usually what we are yelling as our defender is trying to catch him"

Fighting: 5/10 Use to like to fight and had a pretty good win percentage against good fights but man just not worth it when 3 out of 5 fights one of us gets the Unlimited health and we have to try and drag each other down just to end it 

Faceoffs(added) - 5/10  Wow I have been playing Center for ever and all of my builds are based off of trying to win the face off - Because no one else has to mess with this trait since they don't play center which is dumb I shouldn't have to waist traits to win the face off needs to be fixed. But it seems that either I am winning all of them or none. Using the same pulling of the Left and right stick some times its a tie up and some times I win it back some times I don't even animate that's usually when I call it a night

Xbox Series X

1200 MPS - 

San Jose California

Ping of 76 for some reason but occasionally 5ms were it should be but not since the latest patch

40 year hardcore gamer- 95% hockey 6v6 EASHL Clubs

Overall I have been telling people who want to by the game not to wait till next year. If I knew what we were going to get after a month from initial release I would of never bought it. To many things broken and honestly if you literally just re released new seasons for 22 I would go back. I really wasn't happy with last years game but they really screwed the pooch this year.