State of EA NHL Games

After not playing an NHL game in a few years due to the lack of availability on PC, I finally got a ps5 and once again, EA proves they do not know how to make a good hockey game. 

Let's start with the sheer amount of bugs the game has, along with the bloating of the menus. I can name 10 bugs right now that are glaringly obvious that have now been in the game for months, the most annoying being the settings not saving between game modes. It doesn't take a skilled QA to observe these bugs and EA seemingly does not care about them because they go through each and every patch without being fixed. And what is the excuse for the menus on a current gen console feeling like they were made for the PS2? Do you really need 15 layers of options just to get into the chel world dressing room? I feel like my PS5 is going to implode just loading NHL 24 to play a game with buddies. 

Before I dive into gameplay, in what board meeting was it approved to release ANOTHER 90$ game with the exact same game modes as 4 years ago when I stopped playing? Do you really consume every ounce of resources EA has available "improving" on the world of chel and HUT, when things like your in game store that replaced hockey bags either shows expired items endlessly, or simply never loads? Be a Pro has the same garbage intro out in Carter Lake with some random hot shot agent that it has EVERY single year. With nearly 100 hours in be a pro alone, it has nothing to offer season to season and is stale almost immediately. Let alone the removal of some fan favorite game modes old nhl games used to thrive on. 

Now gameplay. Boy oh boy where to even begin. Should we talk about the online 5'8'' speedster who can also demolish everyone with a simple hit whose name is beyond racist, but when we report it you reply to the email "not deemed offensive", but then kick a club teammate for "poor teamplay" in a CLUB GAME because we got scored on 2-3 times? Or maybe we talk about how the existence of human goalies is beyond unplayable granted every type of shot goes in thanks to your ingenious loadout abilities, mixed with the endless cross creasing or breakaway cheese? Or maybe its the constant ridiculous penalty mechanics that you ALWAYS have to tune after launch because somehow you don't understand that charging is not moving 2 feet to hit a man off the puck. Or my personal favorite, the sheer amount of own goals scored by your pathetic AI who quite literally would be more helpful if they were glued to the bench for the entirety of the game. Also the fact you hyped up the reintroduction of glass breaking but it breaks on soft deflections or wrists shots almost EVERY game multiple times a game. And what the heck did you all do to the matchmaking? Removing regional mm for season 2 was your hotshot idea to improve the slow connection time and horrible latency issues? Amazing stuff team. I could type an essay with everything wrong with this years version of the NHL franchise. 

Look I know this all sounds harsh, and maybe its uncalled for, but when you made promises about a new team behind nhl 24 and onwards, one that truly cares about the user experience and improving on our feedback, to simply push another mediocre game that has more flaws then perks, and gets less support then hello kitty island adventure, its about time you start looking in the mirror and ask yourself if this is a game you would play. Or at the very least, watch a bloody hockey game! I don't expect this to be a hockey sim but when every game is 15-11 with 100 pims and 60 massive hits, the definition of "arcade" gets overlooked and abused. 

Final thoughts, not that I believe anyone took the time to actually read this, but if you did you are a trooper - MAKE NHL AVAILABLE ON PC! It's 2024. What is the reason for it to be the ONLY sports franchise not available on PC? Do you think it wont do well? Does it cost to much? Give us ANY reason to help us understand. I can name 15 friends right now that would instantly buy it and play the crap out of it but can't, because you made it only available year after year on console, and now, you can't even cross play with old gen. 

Stop, take a moment to review the game, and if its NOT ready to release as a solid product with even a fraction of the items I listed above addressed, then delay your game, and stop pumping out crap year after year just to please your stakeholders. It's not doing you any favors. 

Thank you for my TED talk. Peace