Does anyone else feel this way?
Introduction
I'm not certain if this qualifies as a Wishlist or suggestions, but I have some thoughts on this series as a whole.
Many of you who are regulars on the forums have probably already heard the "I've been buying this game for 20 years, so I matter more" clichés. Let's say I've been buying this game regularly ever since I bought an XBOX 360. I use that to provide context of my perspective, not to state that my opinion matters more. Regardless of how many times you've bought the games, I think you deserve a place in this discussion.
I can't speak for anyone else, but NHL 18 has been my least played NHL by a long shot, since NHL 10. The XBOX ONE allows gamers to track the time played for a specific game, and they are as follows:
- NHL 15 (16d 20h 40m)
- NHL 16 (22d 17h 16m)
- NHL 17 (24d 23h 48m)
- NHL 18 (2d 6h 28m)
Quite honestly, I don't plan on playing NHL 18 again. I'm not sure if it's fatigue, but I do have some thoughts. In my opinion NHL really hasn't made any steps forward since NHL 15. People may have differing opinions, but just hear me out.
Context
I've felt that the franchise has basically been playing "catch-up" with itself since the current consoles. For instance back on the 360, NHL was taking chances and doing things that were almost brand new for sports games. GM Connected was the first mode (to my knowledge) that provided players not only the ability to manage their own teams, but also add OTP to a online GM mode. Despite how you feel about "True Performance Skating", it was a big leap forward from NHL 12 to NHL 13 in terms of how the game played. Mind you, TPS was a game specific change, but that's really been lacking in NHL since NHL 15. In NHL 11, we saw the introduction of real time physics, which was the first time a team sports game had that.
NHL 15 saw the introduction of a brand new game engine, and new gameplay elements, but the game modes I personally enjoyed (EASHL, GM Connected) were removed entirely. NHL 16 felt like it was basically all about giving back what had been removed during the transition from XBOX 360 to XBOX ONE. NHL 17 made some minor changes, adding in franchise mode (which has been present in EA Sports games for a long time) and a slightly updated EASHL. Finally, NHL 18 saw the addition of the 3 on 3 arcade modes, the return of dekes that were removed back in NHL 15, the addition of new dekes, and the "defensive skill stick".
NHL 19
I'm not privy to any insider information at EA, but I can pretty much assume that NHL 19's feature set will be largely focused on the Frostbite Engine. Now, if you're familiar with FIFA or Madden, you already know how much this can change a game, simply shifting to a new engine. Even the differences between Battlefield 4, Hardline, to Battlefield 1. Sure they'll probably add other things like a "brand new fighting engine" or "more cutscenes in Be a Pro", but will this be enough for a consumer to justify the purchase of a new NHL game?
Personally, if NHL doesn't improve in a meaningful way, I don't see the point of buying the next game. I don't really care for expansion mode, NHL 3 on 3, unlocking new goal songs for my EASHL club, or scoring enough goals to see a "special cutscene" in Be a Pro. I know I don't represent everyone when I say this, but I really don't care for Ultimate Team either. I don't begrudge anyone for playing it, because I understand the appeal, but it's just not for me.
I'd like to see GM Connected return, more depth added to the gameplay, and a deeper EASHL experience. But that's just me.
I guess, by typing this giant essay above I realize my question. What will entice someone like me to buy NHL 19? What will entice someone like you, the reader? If it's more of the same almost "gimmicky" features, I don't see myself buying NHL 19. That's not a threat. I want to like NHL, I want to buy the games. But, from my perspective, if you're not getting what you want from a game, why continue to buy it?
I'm not certain if this qualifies as a Wishlist or suggestions, but I have some thoughts on this series as a whole.
Many of you who are regulars on the forums have probably already heard the "I've been buying this game for 20 years, so I matter more" clichés. Let's say I've been buying this game regularly ever since I bought an XBOX 360. I use that to provide context of my perspective, not to state that my opinion matters more. Regardless of how many times you've bought the games, I think you deserve a place in this discussion.
I can't speak for anyone else, but NHL 18 has been my least played NHL by a long shot, since NHL 10. The XBOX ONE allows gamers to track the time played for a specific game, and they are as follows:
- NHL 15 (16d 20h 40m)
- NHL 16 (22d 17h 16m)
- NHL 17 (24d 23h 48m)
- NHL 18 (2d 6h 28m)
Quite honestly, I don't plan on playing NHL 18 again. I'm not sure if it's fatigue, but I do have some thoughts. In my opinion NHL really hasn't made any steps forward since NHL 15. People may have differing opinions, but just hear me out.
Context
I've felt that the franchise has basically been playing "catch-up" with itself since the current consoles. For instance back on the 360, NHL was taking chances and doing things that were almost brand new for sports games. GM Connected was the first mode (to my knowledge) that provided players not only the ability to manage their own teams, but also add OTP to a online GM mode. Despite how you feel about "True Performance Skating", it was a big leap forward from NHL 12 to NHL 13 in terms of how the game played. Mind you, TPS was a game specific change, but that's really been lacking in NHL since NHL 15. In NHL 11, we saw the introduction of real time physics, which was the first time a team sports game had that.
NHL 15 saw the introduction of a brand new game engine, and new gameplay elements, but the game modes I personally enjoyed (EASHL, GM Connected) were removed entirely. NHL 16 felt like it was basically all about giving back what had been removed during the transition from XBOX 360 to XBOX ONE. NHL 17 made some minor changes, adding in franchise mode (which has been present in EA Sports games for a long time) and a slightly updated EASHL. Finally, NHL 18 saw the addition of the 3 on 3 arcade modes, the return of dekes that were removed back in NHL 15, the addition of new dekes, and the "defensive skill stick".
NHL 19
I'm not privy to any insider information at EA, but I can pretty much assume that NHL 19's feature set will be largely focused on the Frostbite Engine. Now, if you're familiar with FIFA or Madden, you already know how much this can change a game, simply shifting to a new engine. Even the differences between Battlefield 4, Hardline, to Battlefield 1. Sure they'll probably add other things like a "brand new fighting engine" or "more cutscenes in Be a Pro", but will this be enough for a consumer to justify the purchase of a new NHL game?
Personally, if NHL doesn't improve in a meaningful way, I don't see the point of buying the next game. I don't really care for expansion mode, NHL 3 on 3, unlocking new goal songs for my EASHL club, or scoring enough goals to see a "special cutscene" in Be a Pro. I know I don't represent everyone when I say this, but I really don't care for Ultimate Team either. I don't begrudge anyone for playing it, because I understand the appeal, but it's just not for me.
I'd like to see GM Connected return, more depth added to the gameplay, and a deeper EASHL experience. But that's just me.
I guess, by typing this giant essay above I realize my question. What will entice someone like me to buy NHL 19? What will entice someone like you, the reader? If it's more of the same almost "gimmicky" features, I don't see myself buying NHL 19. That's not a threat. I want to like NHL, I want to buy the games. But, from my perspective, if you're not getting what you want from a game, why continue to buy it?
4
Howdy, Stranger!
Replies
Even with that said I don’t play this nearly as much as I play 08-11
Basically feels like everything is just functional and not cleaned up and made better.
This, exactly this. So much this. I know exactly what you mean. There are many things in this game that just exist, but not in a manner that is satisfactory.
For instance, the new "defensive skill stick" or "seamless puck pickups". The Defensive Skill Stick has been in the game as far back as the previous generation of consoles. However, this was the first year they decided to polish it to the point where it actually works and promote it as a brand new feature. This is just one of the many examples that one could pull.
It's not that the game is (that) bad. It's just that it not evolving enough. Of course to do or play basically the same thing over and over again is not fun.
Doesn't really matter if you are sim or arcade guy.
That's why the game should be strictly physics based and presentation dynamic/real-time.
And btw., to ask such a price for this amount of progress is insane. I'm not surprised the community that surrounds this game is so toxic. What do you expect?
I think you hit the nail on the head there. I feel like the game suffers from a lack of progress. If you look at the NHL 18 official gameplay features page, there's literally 2 items listed that actually change the user experience in terms of the functionality available to them (defensive skill stick, creative attack dekes). The other features are AI updates (which quite honestly I expect every year), 3-on-3 EASHL (which I'm not sure why that made the game over something like GMC), and Hockey Training Camp.
Then you have modes like "3 on 3" and "Expansion mode" that already existed in the game before they were implemented in NHL 18 in my opinion.
What I mean by that is, the ability to play 3 on 3, the ability to create a team already existed within the game. The two aforementioned features seem like minor additions to preexisting ideas, not new ideas or even major additions to preexisting ideas (GM Connected). Which is part of the reason why I don't understand why making something like 3 on 3 mode, or adding in expansion mode takes such a significant chunk of the development cycle, to the point where something like "defensive skill stick" is the biggest annual addition.
Now bare in mind this is from an outsider's perspective, I don't know about the inner workings of the dev cycle or how capable the dev team is, with respect to the number of developers they have. A lot of this is speculation. But like you said, with how much is being charged for the game, I don't think it's unreasonable for a consumer to expect more from the game than just "special edition HUT cards", and gimmicky game modes that no one asked for, that ultimately get removed after a couple years (Battle For the Cup, NHL 3 on 3, NBC Wednesday Night Showdown).
Tangent:
At the end of the day, it's a business and I understand that. EA is going to target the most profitable consumer, and that often ends up being "the 13yr old with their parent's credit card buying HUT packs in 'chel'". I don't begrudge them for it. If you're a developer and your job is dependent upon a certain return on investment, you're gonna do what you have to do. Plus, I'm sure they've done the math and figured out how many sales they can afford to lose, while becoming more profitable overall.
But if you get to the point where even your "loyal consumers" doubt purchasing the next game, you probably have to make some changes. Personally, I'm at the point where all that goodwill that was built is gone. If you look at something like what Blizzard is doing with Overwatch, and the level of transparency that the developers have with their community, it's REALLY refreshing. With the dev team previously claiming wanting to be more in tune with the community, this seems like a no brainer. Not annual dev diaries, but perhaps monthly. I know it's kind of an apples to oranges comparison, but there's still something to be learned.
Fully agree.
If I compare this to other games, seems to me like 3vs3, with the added arena and anouncer, deserves to be a $20 DLC. Maybe even $24.99. But that's it. DSS should be a free addition as should be chewable mouthguards. I paid $92 after taxes for what was essentially a $20 DLC that I don't even want to play. I enjoy EASHL only and that was an expensive purchase just to get a DSS out of it.