4 things that will transform the game
1. More passing animations
I will always give credit where it is due, the new shot animations from NHL 20 were a lifeline for this series in my opinion, which although they were past due, were a welcome addition. there must be a similar focus on passing for NHL 22. Now I have let go of my PS4 in anticipation for the new console, so I cannot say for certain whether this is true or not, but it honestly feels like there are less than 10 individual pass animations in the game when you consider that there is one going forehand, one backhand, the drop pass, and then these same 3 variations while tweaking the right stick in either direction/while using the saucer pass mechanic. I hope I've described what I'm getting at in a way that makes sense, but this is a major thing that needs to be addressed in the motion capture sessions being done for next year.
there really ought to be clear visual discrepancies in the kind of passes that get made in certain contexts, for example when straddling the blue line as a defender, cross creasers, breakout passes, wrapping the puck along the boards, using vision control, etc. What we have now is that the few passing animations that are in the game now are retrofitted for every scenario, which is unacceptable
2. Reworked boardplay
this is a legacy feature that has probably been around for at least 3 console generations with no updates to the mechanic whatsoever. in all my years watching hockey I'm struggling to remember a single time when a player has had both hands up against the glass while playing feetsies with the puck. give me a break EA sports. you can have the controls remain the same, but again the key thing here is animation variety. In real life, 2 players in a 50-50 race to the puck will obviously look and play out extremely differently than a player trying to squeeze past an opponent while skating along the boards. not so in the NHL series...
3. More player likenesses
There is nothing to elaborate on here. It is truly shameful what the art team has been able to accomplish in this regard, probably on account of the resources being dedicated to the world of chel game mode. This is something the community has been begging for for years on end. They have got to be scans as well, because the custom faces certain players have from before the scanning technique was implemented are very poor, especially heading into PS5/XSX
I will always give credit where it is due, the new shot animations from NHL 20 were a lifeline for this series in my opinion, which although they were past due, were a welcome addition. there must be a similar focus on passing for NHL 22. Now I have let go of my PS4 in anticipation for the new console, so I cannot say for certain whether this is true or not, but it honestly feels like there are less than 10 individual pass animations in the game when you consider that there is one going forehand, one backhand, the drop pass, and then these same 3 variations while tweaking the right stick in either direction/while using the saucer pass mechanic. I hope I've described what I'm getting at in a way that makes sense, but this is a major thing that needs to be addressed in the motion capture sessions being done for next year.
there really ought to be clear visual discrepancies in the kind of passes that get made in certain contexts, for example when straddling the blue line as a defender, cross creasers, breakout passes, wrapping the puck along the boards, using vision control, etc. What we have now is that the few passing animations that are in the game now are retrofitted for every scenario, which is unacceptable
2. Reworked boardplay
this is a legacy feature that has probably been around for at least 3 console generations with no updates to the mechanic whatsoever. in all my years watching hockey I'm struggling to remember a single time when a player has had both hands up against the glass while playing feetsies with the puck. give me a break EA sports. you can have the controls remain the same, but again the key thing here is animation variety. In real life, 2 players in a 50-50 race to the puck will obviously look and play out extremely differently than a player trying to squeeze past an opponent while skating along the boards. not so in the NHL series...
3. More player likenesses
There is nothing to elaborate on here. It is truly shameful what the art team has been able to accomplish in this regard, probably on account of the resources being dedicated to the world of chel game mode. This is something the community has been begging for for years on end. They have got to be scans as well, because the custom faces certain players have from before the scanning technique was implemented are very poor, especially heading into PS5/XSX
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Replies
Yes I like this 3 things you brought up. And your right about this shot animations really made a difference.
I would also like them to continue to focus on puck pick ups, it's such a key moment in hockey and can really get the flow to get going or the totally opposite, destroy the game pace.
And it's especially importen in the offensive zone, to encourage people to take shots, you need to be able to trust bounces and rebounds coming from the goalie. I like to build pressure by shoting at the goalie and then go for the puck around the corners.