Simulation vs Arcade Experience
Hi EA_Aljo,
I know you receive a lot of feedback, positive and negative, within these forums. I don't know much is fair or not, but a lot fans are dismayed in what this franchise has become. And fair or not, they come here to vent. It's not your fault that the game has issues. But fans are gonna fan for better and for worse.
I've been playing since the Sega days, NHL 94 remains the greatest ever imo. What made it so much fun was that it was a game designed to have fun--it didn't take itself too seriously. Fast forward to now and players have evolved to new wants and needs. There's a time for the Arcade Experience, but when clubs play many of us want the Simulation Experience. By this, I mean that when game-breaking X-Factors are the difference in the outcome, there's a problem. When it's the same presentation (and pretty barebones), there's a problem. When real world hockey plays don't matter, there's a problem.
HUT has a salary cap--perhaps this is something that can be implemented in EASHL as well. It would be difficult to use in Drop-Ins, but limiting the amount of skaters who can use a particular X-Factor in a club lobby would lead to more diverse lineups (as well as less Arcade Experiences for those who do not want them). Many of us compete in Leagues--skill and planning would matter much more and X-Factors wouldn't need to be banned ahead of time if they weren't so overpowered and EA lobbies policed them.
Finally, perhaps it's time to stop releasing this game yearly. Fans don't deny it--it's essentially the same game every year. Skating has been improved over the last few years. But the presentation and game modes are severely lacking compared to other sports games and menus remain slow, just to name a few complaints. Development takes time--I know that from my own experience. My understanding is that the NHL dev team isn't large. Take a few years off, put out patches and updates for 26, perhaps charge $30 for online access to HUT and EASHL, and redevelop this game from the ground up. This would go very long way to developing a fresh game that fans have been asking for.
There's a time for the Arcade Experience, just like there's a time for the Simulation Experience. Perhaps rebuilding this game from the ground up over the next few years will allow fans to choose between the two, maybe due to new game modes.
