NHL 26 Thoughts from a legacy player
Guys I am in my 30s and have been playing since the Sega Genesis days. I love NHL, and while I never got into the WOC or HUT or EACHL stuff, I still put in a lot of time on this game. I am an "online vs" and "playoff mode" for local tourneys with my buddies and within those modes I get enough of the game to appreciate what has been done and see what still can be done.
- I love that there's a cut scene when switching out your goalie.
- I love that the Stanley cup celebration has a locker room scene now. (just won last night and it was great to watch my friend sit through a little more celebration haha)
- I love the added box in the corner during PPs to show the guy coming out of the box / when a goalie gets pulled.
- I love the added touch on the scoreboard showing what the series is at (ex. Series 2-1 MTL Leads)
- I love the smoothness of the game and the use of stats on players. The speed stats are super eye opening where it felt like everyone used to be a minimum 85 speed. now you got some top 6 forwards at 82, 81 speed and that detail makes you play the game different and mix up the lines.
These are all great little touches that add to the experience and I'm sure I'm missing a few.
Now there are some quality issues that still bug me and have been around since the current gen consols.
- Why do I need to specifically turn off the "Flip" on-ice trainer within the 'online vs' settings instead of on the main menu? I get it, it's a one-time menu change, but the fact that it exists kind of sucks.
- Why do the lines and strategies menu boxes disappear every time the replay changes to a different view? This one really drives me nuts.
- How come in playoff mode I cannot select which team has home ice advantage in the series? (video coming soon for the 4th year)
Again, there are probably more I am missing but these seem like quality-of-life issues that are easily correctable, and I would love to see in later installments or a patch.
Thanks
Erock1206 (XSX)
