I'm playing Be a Pro on All-star. I find scoring and making assists fine, a tad on the easy side, Especially when looking at total points racked up over time.
The problem I have is the ease by which the opposing team scores, keeps and retakes the puck.
I find it hard to defend, take the puck away and ultimately win games being W14 L18 OT1 for the season. Which is fine, but its the way it happens.
I'm writing this well aware that I'm only 33 games in and probably missing key superiore defensive moves and what not in NHL24. (At least 8 full 20m seasons in NHL23 prior on pro and all-star (2 seasons))
But:
When I poke check the puck away from the opponent, he gets it right back.
When I poke check again his teammate gets it.
Third time I get a penalty or repeat of above.
Switching to hits, button or R stick, and the opponent does not go down, he gets it right back.
If he goes down from the hit, his teammate grabs the puck.
If one of my teammate gets it, they nearly always instantly loose it straight away.
This is of course if I here again dont get a penalty from the hit, which is common.
Also applying blocking shots, full down on the ice or on knee works, but is slow and almost always leads to the opponent regaining the puck and shooting again with me unable to move.
Defensive stick works pretty well to mitigate the opponent making passes, not that I stop many of the passes, just that the opponent don't pass as much.
When they do pass though its always on the blade of the receiver, seldom do they miss, but sure its all-star. My teammates miss regularly though..
Thats the next issue, the difference between the opponent AI and my teams AI. I get it, all-star should be hard, but the mistakes my teammates make and the difficulty they have in keeping the puck is just weird.
For example last guy on my team gets it and turns away from forechecking opponent in our zone leading to him heading into the bords where he gets pinned. 99% of the time the opponent comes out with the puck. I can go in there all day and poke check and hit and not taking into account the times when I get a penalty 90% of the time the opponent wins it, usally by me gaining the puck but still loosing it before Im able to move out with the puck. The bounce back of the opponent is a force to be reckoned with.
All in all it feels like playing on a slippery slope, where all I can do is delay and mitigate, seldom taking the puck away to start an offence.
When on the bench to rest up and there is a goal scored, 90% of the time its the other team that scores.
May be that I'm playing on a bad team or may be due to shot totals or some other statistical value from the game that tilts it, but it feels uneven.
Good opposition and that there is a struggle to win is great, but I'd like to be able to get a more flowing game where I can make a difference and not just poke check, hit or block shots on a guy or his teammates four times before he or they scores.
The game should be hard, but now it feels uneven and the flow is gone maan.
NHL23 was meditation on all-star, on NHL24 all-star is frustration times square.
Rant over, pardon the wall of text.
Looking forward to upgrading my game, i'll carry the burden.
