Whats Everyone think About 26

Personally the speed looks on par with the real NHL (I've not tested or timed anything, just looks more similar) the skating looks good to me. Passing and interceptions also look great. The poke checks are hit and miss. They still don't have much power I don't like that so many xfactors also come with a speed boost. 

Xfactors are WAY too impactful. Reverse hits are still too good. Hitting looks like the most cartoon/ arcade looking thing since they changed hitting. I dunno how anyone on the team thinks this looks good. They did mostly fix the hip checks though. 

On one hand goalies being bad in EASHL is awesome because it will likely push more humans to try the position.. but they are extremely brutal.

getting hit without the puck happens too often and w/o penalty. Get hit near the net and nothing. Get hit about 4 seconds after passing and nothing.. I have just given up understanding what is a penalty. 

At this point (at least with this development team) I think we just gotta accept it's going to be an arcade experience and try to accept it for what it is. They don't seem to have a ton of interest in catering to the sim crowd. I don't mind catering to both but these xfactors make the game hard to play anything close to sim. Maybe having eliminator threes and sixes allows for the crazy xfactors then 3's and 6's could have dialed back versions? The dev team's experience is in arcade games so until they get a new team is, this will be the direction they head. Understand that defenseman are going to be at the mercy of forwards and just do your best to disrupt what they want to do. Maybe the next team will aim for more sim style and get rid of a lot of the silly physics and turn down the impact of the Xfactors.

No clue WHY hockey bags are still in this game.. just give us the coins.. CRAZY

the announcers I never listen to. I'm usually always in a party chat and I turn down announcers and music, just keep the gameplay sounds high. However, as far as presentation goes.. I was pleasantly surprised by the penalty box/ goalie pull screen. I also saw a handful of new replay videos and they were actually a GREAT angle. The new replay system was perhaps the best part of this new game haha!

I'd give the game a 4/10 as well. If I didn't love hockey I wouldn't play. 

I think just dialing back the xfactors would go a long way. They always make a few great improvements but then ruin other things.