Community ManagerI agree with @KidShowtime1867. Skill issue for sure.
I’m sure some people are simply outplayed and, in turn, write a bad review.
But, aside from the NFL Blitz-like hits that this new game offers, you can’t pretend that the defensive toolset is anywhere close to the offensive toolset.
The puck handler has an arsenal of dekes, simplest of which are most effective (i.e. backhand, forehand, toe drags, quick deke, protect puck).
The only things a defender can do (again, aside from smashing hits) is sweep their stick around with one hand (which inexplicably slows their speed down after starting with a lunging poke that you may not even want) and stick lifting which cannot be aimed and is simply assisted to fly uncontrollably towards the puck handler.
Why can’t the defense have a Skill Stick that actually puts the user in control of the players stick positioning with two hands without needing to be a sweep and without slowing the player down? This seems like a reasonable ask.
Instead of giving defense such tools, however, EA gives us the ability to hit big, which is OK except for the fact that the hitter is never effected by the collision like in real hockey. And honestly many of the hitting mechanics are just not physically realistic. Mike Inglehart was on the team of NHL Hitz, Mario Strikers, and Punch-Out, so this really is no surprise. Unfortunately, I think a big part of the community is looking for a more realistic version of a hockey game than Hitz/Blitz/Strikers.
Big Hits Should Impact Hitter Too (Sometimes)
REAL Total Control (Not Arcade)
https://answers.ea.com/t5/General-Discussion-News/REAL-Total-Control-Not-Arcade/m-p/13161058#M7851
Is Mike Inglehart at Risk of Taking the EA NHL Franchise in the Wrong Direction?
