The last good nhl game was the last one on ps3.
Since then it's been rinse and repeat with pointless modes added through the years instead of focusing on what players want like a revemp single player career mode to begin with and bring back GM connected.
Redo the engine and put it up to date with the graphics. Nothing practically changed in that department besides adjusting updating skating and animations to pretend it's the next big next gen change righhhttt.
Use the PS5 power and bring in something new something fresh and graphically impressive with ray tracing and shit.
And lastly bring it to PC @%@$@$@
So yeah...I would be ashame to be on that cover now days. F EA!
Man don't get me going on an EA rant lmao. I was obsessed with those games.
I been playing every single year from 2003-2021. Only ones I missed were NHL 2004 and NHL 11. I'm a straight online VS player - didn't care for any other modes. And I ALWAYS used the Habs. Even when everyone else was selecting PIT/TBL/CHI/etc, i didn't care! It was way too fun to play as the habs. I would also play as if it was real life too. So if I was on a breakaway with Gionta for ex, i would do exactly like he does in real life (fake shot forehand, then go backhand and tuck it in). Or if I was a grinder like Travis Moen or Gallagher, I wouldn't try to dangle (even tho the game allowed you to dangle with pretty much anyone). Instead I'd carry the puck to the net, drive, try and jam the puck down low hoping for a rebound or something. Did this with all the players and made the game so so fun. SO FUN, god i miss it.
My last one was NHL 21 - probably one of my favs of all time. I was always a fan of the gameplay but that year was super fun because of the hitting physics, and how big and mean MTL was. Weber, Chiarot, Edmundson, Petry, Romanov, Staal, Perry & Armia were my goons I could always rely on.
I changed up my whole strategy and just focused 100% of my energy on hitting guys and knocking them out. And the physics were so good that year, that if you learned how to perfect hitting, you could send dudes flying all the time. Super satisfying. I would average 50-60 hits a game, QUALITY hits too and it was so funny. I'd knock a guy on his knees, then t-bag for 10 seconds waiting for his player to get up and then BAM knock him back on his knees just to be toxic. After first 5 minutes of the game once my opponent started to figure out what the hell he was in for, they would play really timid whenever they touched the puck and I would just win through shear domination. Lay the body, injure his guys, make them super fatigued and then once he has 2-3 players on their knees crawling to get up (fatigue), i would have so much open ice to just do whatever i want in the O-zone. I'd even let him get the puck in the corners (even if i had to wait a few seconds for opponent to get the puck) just so i could smoke him hahahah.
Thanks for the memories, I get goosebumps just talking about it. I am such a toxic gamer and NHL 21 scratched an itch like no other. I tried NHL 24 a few months ago but that gameplay is just so ASS and this is coming from someone that always defended the gameplay. Hitting also sucks in that game, at least in my opinion. Hated the mechanics and didn't feel satisfying at all especially compared to NHL 21.