The Unfortunate Downfall of NHL Video Games

If you enjoyed the video please give it a like, it helps out more than you would think.

[@HecticHockey]

Sorry for the 2 week hiatus!

[@lukewatson411]

Take your time man! Your content is some of the best out there and I'm so okay with waiting haha

[@honkingantalope]

NHL07 Wasn't on ps3. It was only ps2. It was on xbox360, because they came out a year earlier.

[@alexnas9634]

btw EA bought 2K because they didnt want to compete, they did the same for basketball too when playgrounds came out, playgrounds 2 was put on hold cause EA bought it to add in more MTX in the game

[@Alech-g3t]

every song on the EA NHL soundtrack: "I have dementia, claustrophobia, high PTSD, and I hate myself"

[@websitedomainhaver]

high ptsd nigga read a book

[@DubberRucks]

Maybe it's a hidden insert of a cry for help from the devs who are trapped in a warehouse somewhere producing this game. 🤣

[@shawklan27]

@@DubberRucks right?

[@stablestables1866]

California dream girl got me feeling zesty

[@thegreatesttoeverdoit]

@@DubberRucksgame hasnt had devs in about 10 years. They just remove more festures and update the rosters every game now

[@DSD288]

The issue with these current Chel KZbinrs is that they refuse to be honest about the state of the games. Almost like guys such as Nasher have a blank check from EA for being able to make the most insignificant “additions” to the new installments seem like the most groundbreaking thing

[@AJR-zg2py]

This is a HUGE problem in the gaming space, whether it's on the journalism side or the streaming/KZbin side. The second you dare speak out, you potentially lose your access to that company's games and thus your job (for journalism) or whatever money you're getting from the company as promotion for your gaming channel. It's disgusting.

[@Skumtomten1]

​@@AJR-zg2pyThats why I lost trust in journalism over 10 years ago when I realized this. You can buy everything with money, especially opinions

[@MikaTuukkanen]

It is the same for F1 games. EA seems to pay enough for them to lie to their viewers. Except that F1 24 was so bad that even some youtubers paid by ea has started to bash the game.

[@inneedofmedication]

If KZbinrs and streamers that are popular enough for the current game, the publisher will pay them to play and low-key promote the games. So if you see a streamer or KZbinr playing a bad game and talking it up, chances are they have been paid to do so. The honest ones at least warn you it's a sponsored steam/video.

[@ccramit]

2BC rags on them all the time and idiots just say he's angry because he sucks at the game. Even though he's been playing for decades.

[@HumanAction76]

It won't get better until people stop buying it.

[@p.g.944]

i buy it on sale every year, they don't sell enough 1st month than boom 50% off

[@hhtptai]

@@p.g.944You're still giving EA money aka more incentive to keep producing terrible games.

[@p.g.944]

@@hhtptai I buy the games because NHL is a great game. I have as much fun playing 24 as I did 14. The thing is that for 80$ a year (for me more around 35$) the added value is often disappointing, but the base product is still great

[@TravisHowrish-v2c]

It’s a great game that 99% of people have lots of fun with. It’s just a small number of whiny incels like you that complain about it.

[@badguy89o32]

I wouldn't go that far I would say it wouldn't get any better until people stop buying ultimate team packs It's what killed the franchise to begin with things were fine up on till people started buying stupid digital card packs

[@jordanbeck2310]

the two people who disliked this video are EA president and head of microtransactions

[@DubberRucks]

And don't forget the pay pigs who dump ridiculous amounts on it every year. Them too. 😂

[@SingKahKah]

Real ones know that the last great EA NHL game was Legacy Edition for the 360/PS3 (tbf its essentially just a more refined NHL 14)

[@p.g.944]

It's basically the same game ever since, NHL 25 is still agreat game, there'S just little to none added values so it seems like it's bad

[@lukebraddford3287]

I’m running NHL Legacy on my PC through the emulator, with updated rosters and custom music. It’s absolutely awesome.

[@formulabedrin]

on the 360 nhl 14 15 and legacy editions were the same game with new rosters

[@LouieNJ]

Hut was the worst thing to happen to hockey games. The online card stuff is the worst thing to happen to sports games.

[@JarkMohnson]

100%. They could be focusing on Be A Pro, Franchise, and the overall changes to the game than stupid gimmicky emotes and shit aimed towards little kids. So many game franchises do this. The audience that made them money are all in our late 20s and 30s. And they abandon them to focus solely on youth. You can do both, but the aging fanbase have careers and money now. Makes no sense to abandon that generation completely. Lol

[@HughJorgan1]

The reference to old video games brought back some great memories. I also remember the Hartford Whalers. Feeling really old right now lol. Great vid!

[@DubberRucks]

Ikr I had an old NHL game on the Genesis that I sunk so many hours into. It had fighting, you could break the glass and, of course, UT was nowhere near born then! 😂

[@KalvinSingh]

2003 and 2004 was a peak sports gaming era

[@walexander8378]

Yeah definitely no bugs or cheese in the past games

[@zerkle82]

If 2k dropped a hockey game you’d see a major shift in EAs effort into their nhl games

[@AJR-zg2py]

NHL2k was an AMAZING game. Next to EA's NHL 2004, it ranks as one of the best hockey games I've ever played.

[@oilerguy5494]

I really wish someone else would make a hockey game

[@91_Revolution]

@@oilerguy5494 EA has the NHL rights until 2029 so lol wont happen until then

[@oilerguy5494]

@@91_Revolution yeah that’s rough

[@corvettezr1ification]

Right since they are in control they do what they want but if they had competition that stole money / players from them, then EA would be more open to listening to fan’s feedback and request . But until that happens the game will always be mediocre.

[@TheHitman_Official]

The best feature for 93 (I think it was) That during the intermission you could watch an entire other game, so that you could see what's going on in the league. That was so dope!

[@who399]

Always watched it

[@TheHitman_Official]

@@who399 ngl every period i would hope to watch a game, loved when they tied then saw like a 5 min O.T

[@lambknot]

I miss Be an NHL Pro, when I could play as any player on any team.

[@DavidWsTrainVideos]

Yeah. And the freaking cut scenes and off ice challenges are so repetitive. Plus, I also miss when you do your “custom” celebration being able to control it, not having the game jump to some stupid cut scene,

[@ryanbowen9718]

And get drafted to any team based off your performance. Not just go 1 or 2 in the draft

[@robertjacobs2188]

Great Vid. A note for NHL 07: There wasn't a PS3 version since almost every game company was working on games that could run on the new Xbox 360 at the time. It was more powerful than the PS3, so most game companies had games only on the 360, like NHL 07, Ace Combat 6, etc.

[@aceassn716]

If 360 was more powerful.. then the game quality outside of shooters is suspect at best Bought 360 before I bought PS3 huge regret! PS3 im playing/using until the casket drops! 360 well after having a 3rd new system red ring been done ever since

[@dero2430]

@@aceassn716 Butthurt Sony fanboi...

[@4.0.7.7]

The moment 2k folded EA stopped investing in their game. Why bother when you have the only option

[@DubberRucks]

Exactly. When that happened EA had no incentive to innovate. Like their other games they unfortunately dominate in. And not in a good way

[@Site17]

I think this take is incorrect. I think when they found out how to monopolize HUT, they stopped caring about every game mode except HUT. Why make things better in other modes when they don't earn EA money?

[@MikaTuukkanen]

It also happened to happen just during the start of the microtransaction infested hellscape.

[@JClips0s]

I still can’t customize my goalie helmet, it’s been like this forever

[@ryanbowen9718]

What you don’t enjoy the 4 helmets they let you choose from? Red with lighting isn’t cutting it 😂😂😂😂 not to mention the fact that all the goalies do not have real life helmets. If you’re gonna repost the same game every year atleast just add the helmet models that year. As simple as scanning it lol

[@hcoco7739]

other than nhl 14, nhl 17 was my goat. lasted me 3 years

[@gopenguins7587]

I miss the old games😢

[@NJDevil1982]

This ages me in a huge way but I still think the Sega Genesis NHL games are the G.O.A.T's. There were some others over the years that kind of brought the magic back (NHL '98 for PS1, NHL 2004 for PS2, NHL 2007 with the intro of the skill stick, etc.) but overall, I never quite had as much fun with hockey video games as I did in the 16-bit era.

[@Mike-ix5sv]

Having your birth year in your name also ages you! Genesis sports games were always better than their SNES counterparts. NHL 95 will always be special to me. I was in grade 8, played it alot. Introduction to player creation, season modes, trades, league leaders etc. The good ol days

[@Fenrirmaster30]

ESPN NHL Hockey 2K4 was the best hockey game of all time imo

[@jpatel7768]

NHL powerplay 1996 is my favorite NHL game of all time. The fact that you could actively check players who celebrated after scoring was the best

[@hmwpyro18]

Remember back throughout the 2000s, to around 14, when the NHL games were winning "best sports game" awards and were an actual blast to play?

[@Terminatedd]

NHL 2003 is the absolute best one for me. It had the slow motion breakaway camera, slow motion replays with music, matrix - style savecamera and a replay with music if the play stops quickly after the Hasek - style save. There also were also hockey cards that could alter the game & players if you so chose. It was the absolute pinnacle of a fun NHL game that we haven't seen since in my opinion. I wish they brought back those slow motion aspects and cool replays.

[@bostonhockeyco]

Unless another company decides to make an NHL game (or something of that sort), EA just won't care about putting 100% into the NHL series. So, if I were you, save your money. This is coming from someone who only has two games from this series & they're several years apart. 🤣

[@DubberRucks]

Agreed. Without competition they can just rest on the bare minimum knowing the paypigs will keep the game profitable, even if it's not a good product

[@CarPig]

Seeing myself at 7:53 was crazy cuz I was just minding my own business eating a sandwich watching some KZbin and chilling out lmfao that was trippy af (great vid btw)

[@HecticHockey]

lmaoo made sure to include you

[@andrewk7199]

It's all about inclusivity. It's important to have representation from the gay community in these kinds of videos.

[@brandonmcfellin6773]

NHL HITZ 2002 was 🔥 NHL 06 🔥 Been playing NHL games since N64 NHL 25 will be the first NHL game I don't purchase. Honestly haven't had a fun experience playing NHL games in years.

[@valitsemllaluokanavahyvaks3556]

NHL06 is my favorite of the series. Second best is probably NHL2014

[@SleevelessGaming]

Absolutely fantastic video, well done boss

[@HecticHockey]

Thank you man! Love the content.

[@65mcman]

I think the one thing many people forget though at the end of the day, the Vancouver devision at EA (where the game is made) is the least funded out of all the devisions. If they had the funding like other EA titles had, I guarantee they would be able to do all the modes they want. (I also have a family friend that works there and say most of the problems are financial.)

[@joeonthego8247]

HUT is the biggest downfall of the game. People who think the number 87, or 89, or 92, or 94 is somehow going to make their game special and more enjoyable so they keep buying the random packs and keep hoping for another number. It is absolutely sickening when you really think what they are buying

[@botsareeverywhere]

💯 it’s amazing there aren’t more comments saying this. This is the cash cow of the game and where they put all their resources. I prefer EASHL and couldn’t care less about the NHL license.

[@nichonr95]

Tbh at first rn 25 feels better than in many years. Maybe the bugs havent been found yet but they were even in the older ones. The thing we need to really stop is microtransactions and hut

[@ajmpatriot4899]

Yes, absolutely! 💯

[@ryanhammond7730]

Never played 2003, but NHL Hitz 2002 was my favorite hockey game as a kid. I also had NHL 2003. My dad preferred to play me in NHL, but Hitz was something else. I miss that game.

[@CHTHHA]

NHL 2004, which I think had Dany Heatley on the cover, and NHL 2K5 with the ESPN presentation… Those were the last 2 hockey games that I had an absolute blast with and really felt like I was playing a game that simulated the real life sport that you saw on TV. And now ever since 2015ish, it feels like we’ve been fed the EXACT SAME game every year; and you just don’t get that same feeling of playing a sport that you see on TV, because the presentation is so bad/lacking.

[@AJR-zg2py]

The early releases of NHL 2004 had Heatley on the cover (which I had) before he was replaced by Sakic after the whole Dan Snyder drunk driving incident.

[@gregsaldi1292]

i remember opening NHL 95, putting it in, and discovering that you could add players. I had never seen anything so amazing. Yannick Perreault was the first player I made. What a game.

[@badguy89o32]

Finally a KZbinr who speaking the truth about the NHL series I've been saying this for years but it doesn't seem like anyone ever listens and then of course you've got these content creators who focus on ultimate team and put their ugly mugs on their start of their videos like I don't care what you get in your packs dude I don't care how much money you spend or didn't spend give me a good franchise mode a good be a pro mode and fix the world of chel and I will be happy and oh yeah don't forget about the gameplay cuz the gameplay is kind of what feeds those modes

[@WowOafus]

As a kid, I spent more hours playing NHLPA 93 than any of my other games. Almost spent as much time searching for pen and paper to write the codes for the playoffs since it didn’t have save.

[@bigjohn2241]

I bought every NHL since 2008 and stopped buying them in 2021. Now I just wait for them to come onto gamepass and im always thankful I didn't purchase it as they feel worse every year. NHL 14 was the best but I also didn't mind NHL 19. Now they feel too clunky and awkward to play. I think they forget it's a video game and should have abit more of a arcade style with huge hits

[@RyanVentura604]

Everything about this video is ON-POINT. I became sick of what EA had to offer and I don't even really enjoy current gen consoles all that much. I'm a proud Steamdeck owner and I emulate the PS3 version of NHL 2K10. Which is a VERY slept on hockey game and was really well done. I really missed the boat on that game.

[@metalmilitia623]

I stopped playing NHL after 14 because of EA being EA but also that was the year I decided not to buy the next gen of console and switched to PC. Another segment of the gaming community seemingly ignored by EA's NHL. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@NicEeEe843]

It’s as simple as if there’s no competition, if you’re the only officially licensed NHL hockey game in town why would a company try extra hard to make their game awesome if they know from experience that every year these sports games are some of the highest selling and people will buy them anyway. It’s legitimately that simple, if a company doesn’t have to compete to sell a product then they don’t have to work as hard and why would they? If you sold a product that nobody else could sell (you have the exclusive rights to NHL video games) why would you try extra hard if you’re already making tons of money every year and it’s already in the bag? These games have been going down in quality and you’d think that would slow sales down sales but again when you’re the only NHL licensed game in town you either play the game or you play the complete knock off version with the Calgary heat and Tampa bay thunder 🤣 doesn’t hit the same. Maybe someday someone will make an unlicensed hockey game that’s so good people will play it instead of the licensed game. The issue is it’s very hard to compete with official licensing, your hockey game with teams like the Minnesota timber’s just isn’t the same as official players and arenas 😂. Even if this game was good lots of people won’t try it just because they can’t play as their team and favorite players

[@theanimeshack1373]

So I used to play nhl 13 and 14 alot and even nhl 11 but I stopped once they made being a goalie in be a pro so hard. It's sad to see EA ruining franchises because even in games like apex they're seeing a beloved franchise fall before their eyes

[@urban_89]

Most video game franchises have this issue, it will continue til everyones sales plumit

[@allenstephens4234]

Well said. This will be my first year opting out by finally learning my lesson. Good video, keep em coming

[@hockeyguy731]

Well said! Couldn't agree more with the stuff you mentioned in the video. The last NHL game I bought brand new was NHL 21. I bought 22 and 23 on sale and then I didn't even bother with 24. It's just such a shame, because I thought EA was making leaps in the right direction from NHL 16 to NHL 19 gameplay wise. I always remember the tuner updates at release feeling fresh and fun aside from a few issues some years, that I think they could have easily fixed. (I can't remember the year, but I remember one launch or update it being impossible to use R1 without getting a penalty). Then slowly as the season went on, people in the community would start to bitch about the newer tuner changes that made it harder to score or just small things that made the game feel more like a real hockey game. By the end of the season, the game would just slowly get tuned back into the same broken crap from the year prior. I find the AI players have been inconsistent literally forever it seems. I find I can play two back to back games and they are playing the complete opposites in each game. I feel as though you can notice it the moment the puck gets dropped. Any 1v1 mode online is just atrocious to play because everybody just abuses the AI on defense and never plays any real defense themselves. They will just switch focus away from the player closest to the puck, which in my eyes kind of defeats the purpose of even playing online. How poorly I think the goalies play now is a whole other discussion. World of Chel is the only thing I can really think of the last few years where I can actually find myself wanting to go and play. On a side note, NHL 07 was actually an Xbox 360 exclusive and had not been released on PS3.

[@ZacharyDarkes]

Be a pro was my favourite game mode bought the game every year for it, but I haven't bought a new NHL game since NHL 21 and it's probably gonna stay that way until they actually do something with it. The cutscenes are way too much and the X factor system in be a pro needs a rehaul, you should be getting x factors on how you play not through "storylines".

[@JP-pr9re]

Listening to another year of Cybulski fellating my player for minor achievements and having random radio people say I'm the shittiest hockey player of all time for not having a point in a game even though I already have potted 50 in 10. Thinking each year that they'll finally fix BAP in some significant way. Single player modes don't interest EA anymore, it doesn't make them money. HUT and CHEL do. As long as that remains prevalent, single player modes and innovations in online modes will continue to stagnate

[@p.lamarre3929]

To me, NHL 2002 was the best. The spectacularly hilarious commentary from Jim Hughson and Don Taylor made that game very entertaining and super fun to play. I still got the PC version cover disk on display in my living room lol

[@dan_cz-patmat]

The biggest problem for me (the newest game I played was 09 on PC), is the lack of care regarding any other league than the NHL

[@bryan89wr]

Still got my copy of NHL 2004 for the GameCube with 50 in '07 on the cover

[@disappointeddaily6344]

If limp bizkit can make a return so can NHL Hitz 🙏

[@jakewilliams8193]

The shooting button and the hitting button are the same button! This results in so many interference calls when I'm just trying to swat a loose puck into the net

[@NJDevil1982]

Agreed. That’s been a problem for years.

[@andrewborody]

Hold LT when doing that and you won't body check

[@ryanbowen9718]

@@jakewilliams8193 never been a problem for me ever lol for sure skill issue

[@ChiknNugg3s]

One of my new favourite hockey creators! Thanks for feeding my IV!

[@HecticHockey]

Thank you!

[@kyyva4533]

NHL 08 shootout mode was the best feature. Bring it back it wud be even crazier now

[@superflo9768]

I bought every NHL from 13-23 but I just can't do it anymore, it truly is a shame how bad it is.

[@AJR-zg2py]

The best part of NHL 2004? It has VERY satisfying board play. It doesn't get talked about much but it's very noticeable.

[@Youtubeuser797]

Great video. I have a small nitpick though, when you were talking about NHL 07, you showed gameplay footage/trailers from the previous gen. Version, which lacks features such as the Skill stick and is functionally very similar to NHL 06.

[@samuelsoto5855]

The problem with modern ea sports games is the frostbite engine because is always not designed or always not allow for any ea games or ea sports games, which is bad because of code complexity that nothing works properly, riddles with glitches, and it's rather difficult to use. It's became an absolute nightmare on how they ruined it. Just remember, the frostbite engine is only allow for fps games which is good, most notably the battlefield series was created by dice.

[@curtismartin9054]

NHL 25 feels off. I can't explain why... it feels sluggish. and what's with never fixing those "rocket passes" glitches you get

[@MW2TrickshotCommunity]

In my opinion NHL 16 was peak. Fixed all the issues that was in 15 and it played incredibly well. I still play 16 today. Much better than 2018+ gameplay

[@millionfish]

All I want back is GM Connected. Many of my friends left after they removed it.

[@Pocketrocket-pj1us]

3:42 I've already let a few errors go but Jim Hughes was at TSN, (or Sportsnet and Bob Cole was the Voice of Hockey Night in Canada, with Chris Cuthbert, Dick Irvin (more in the 80's and early 90's. Sadly, the only game I've seen use Bob Cole, was on the Dreamcast. I'm not sure about the name of that game because I only played at a friend's house. Jim's commentary was perfected on the PS2, EA 2002 & 2003. After that and for many years, commentary was stagnant but I played 02 and 03 a lot! And even after playing it for a year. I was still hearing new pieces of Commentary. But it wasntvonly Jim, it was a guy whose name escapes me. He worked with the Western team and he was amazing. I think his name was Don Mclaine but that's also the name of the famous singer who did 'Americcan pie' so I'll check it out later. Godspeed.

[@dixonmuff5651]

NHL19 is my favorite. I got NHL22 and the pre game presentations were gone, no hats on the ice for hat tricks, the players skate slow and all bunch up in the slot, one replay only, I didn't like it, got NHL24 and was immediately repulsed by the cringe worthy goal celebrations, the annoying pressure ring on the ice, will not get NHL25, Going back to playing my favorite NHL19!! The playoff pregame presentations were 2 minutes long and informative and great as opposed to the 15 seconds of players standing for the national anthem in the games now.

[@DavidWsTrainVideos]

And this is exactly why I don’t buy it every year. Only buy it when something actually new happens or there is an event that I’m personally interested in that will be in the game (Adding the WHL, my cousin winning the cup)

[@ph43draaa]

I remember when 09 came out when i was in college....played the hell out of that game

[@The_Mobile_Jockey]

ESPN 2k5 was my first hockey game I really enjoyed playing it when it came out

[@NHL94Podcast]

NHL video games peaked with NHL '94 and it never reached that height again

[@no2freakshow]

I would play NHL Breakaway and NHL Powerplay now, instead of the new NHL. Those games were fun as hell.

[@philchurch27]

Kind of funny the comments about it not being any different because the skating is COMPLETELY different… and there’s a handful of things that work very differently from 24. Passing, hitting, and skating are all different. My team plays in WOC and we recognize how different this year is- we appreciate it and are learning to play a new game. And we’re having fun. 🤷‍♂️

[@hiitsgabe___]

45 seconds in I pressed the like button.

[@pascalplenge1882]

I miss the full Be a Pro season in the CHL so bad:(

[@dantml]

Thanks for the 94 special mention. But I'd love to fill you in on some of the actual lore around it, from being someone who has been in the cult for 5 years now, after maining '97 for 22 years. Let me know if you'd like to hear my story 😊

[@marzix427]

The more realistic it got, the less fun it got. It's a weird phenomenom. I picked up NHL 23, it was cool, but i don't like how there are too many things I personally am not a fan of as far as like replays or 'cut scene' type things between periods or when there is a dead puck and its on xbox. Before that I had last played NHL 2001 (for PC)and loved it. I had customized my entire team with players (which did not take all that long which was nice) compared to NHL23 where i get a little time to play, make a character and next thing I know it's been like an hour because loading menus and visual options seems to just take a long time. I also had a very difficult time moving players between NHL and AHL and getting them on the correct lines I wanted them to be on. Sometimes when I take someone out of the lineup who was maybe on a bunch of 2nd or 3rd line pairings, and I want to put a new person in, and it just swaps that person in every place, but then I cannot put someone else in the space because it ends up swapping them in all the places that player was at. It is hard to explain, but it has been almost a year since I played. I was just too frustrated trying to edit my lineup and roster. I like the gameplay, but creating teams, players, custom league (I do not have online on my xbox, but my wife did not buy me the PC version for some reason) is just a lot of frustration.

[@edsalmon6319]

NHL 09 was the introduction of the EASHL… NHL 08 also had a very rudimentary online team play mode wasn’t full 6v6 yet but you could 3v3

[@jakezaretsky]

Great video man. Frustrating to say the least. I get it, EA is a business and they have to make money. But, greed is one of the biggest sins on the planet and it rears its ugly head with every new release. A battle pass in an NHL game? A $100 HUT pack on Day 1? The same BAP for 5 years in a row? It’s disgusting. The whole “don’t buy the game” thing sucks because I WANT to play an NHL video game. EA is lazy, careless, and disrespectful to ALL of their fans, not just NHL. Sadly, until I’m proven wrong, I don’t and will not get excited for any EA releases. I’ve been that way since 2019. Again, great video HH. You summarized everything really well. Do they have mods for NHL 14? Might have to look into that. Thanks for the read if you’ve gotten this far! 😁

[@HecticHockey]

Not sure if '14 is able to mod. I think most the modding comes from PC versions of the games and those stopped in '09.

[@user-yg1dg6xm2g]

I used to score up to 30 goals per game in NHLPA '93 by pulling off that classic move of deking the goalie. If anything, scoring went down after one-timers were introduced. In the later NHL games, you could still score 12 or 13 goals per game with the one-timer, if I remember correctly.

[@chrismac5560]

If you're talking about offline modes it's just because they made the hardest difficulty harder. Back in NHL14 on old gen I would win every game in my GM mode 30some for 40some to nothing. I would play every game in GM mode on the hardest difficulty with the sliders entirely against me ... one season I only allowed 20 goals while scoring like 2700 ... and who was my goalie you ask, some random WHL goalie I had never heard of before (who actually ended up playing like five NHL games in real life; Landon Bow). Fast forward to next gen and NHL 16 I had jump down from hardest difficulty to second hardest with even sliders and suddenly my games were all close and I would rarely ever hit double digits. Truthfully though it did make the game more enjoyable as games were closer and I wasn't winning every game. As for today, NHL 24 was the first game I hadn't bought going all the way back to NHL 02, NHL 23 I bought and I think I played four periods before throwing it aside, NHL 22 I think I played about 40 games total, NHL was the last game I really spent any significant time on but NHL 19 is honestly the last one I actually really enjoyed playing

[@user-yg1dg6xm2g]

@@chrismac5560 NHL 2004 was a tough and realistic game, and it still has a following in 2024 due to its challenging gameplay.

[@goalski134]

competition is critical. monopolies hurt customers and fans.

[@cow4094]

It's just crazy to me that while NHL 2k10 wasn't perfect, when you compare it to NHL 25 in terms of presentation, modes, options, features...it is absolutely insane what we don't have anymore. It took EA YEARS to make a simple change of the scoreboard location, so imagine any other small things we wish were still here and how long that'll take. We will probably get more realistic presentation and updated goalie masks on NHL 36 on the PS7 and Xbox One Series YX.

[@myblasterproductions]

It went downhill after nhl 2005

[@p.g.944]

2014 was ELITE

[@PRIMEHDZ]

@@p.g.9442014 was the last nhl game that was good I've got the game day 1 for 18 years every year is more disappointing me and all the friends aren't even going to buy the streak is over

[@botsareeverywhere]

It depends on what mode you prefer

[@alexha2884]

I know this about NHL games, but all sports game have become a shell of their former selves. Sad.

[@maxscameraguy]

It's funny. 2007 on PSP has commentary from Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson. I wonder what the difference was between the two.

[@aussiekid3588]

Even just look at the achievements for these recent NHL games. Not one achievement is different or new. It perfectly symbolic of how NHL games nowadays are driving away fans. Not bringing any new fans in.

[@gavinrichter654]

Gretzky's 3d hockey was the peak

[@jaylenbarnes2.079]

I love the NHL games playing them is so fun to me I'm mainly an offline player who plays Offline Play Now and Franchise Mode. I was gonna get NHL 25 this year but I don't have a PS5 or Xbox Series X and I'm not planning on getting one until GTA 5

[@rescue037137]

I griped to EA once, reminding them that since covid the sale of laptop/desktop computers has exploded since everyone was working from home. And they really should consider porting over to PC... funny I never heard anything.

[@heyblondie28]

can you make a video on the ads taking over/ruining the NHL? :(

[@tooor9172]

We got same treatment with FIFA. EA loves to milk people with bad products and in game packs. It´s because there is no real competition in franchises.

[@Wheels_029]

“Pricey pond hockey you got going there”.

[@HecticHockey]

Awful

[@nihalthandi4175]

I've been a hockey fan my whole life but I've probably played MLB the show more in the last 2 years than I have any NHL games, and I never really was into baseball that much until MLB came to game pass

[@baldinbergamo]

I don't think this issue is just related to Ice Hockey. I loved NHL 98 on my PC as a kid, but look at the NHL games, the NFL games, all the Fifa football games, the Formula 1 games, across the entire genre of sports sims everything has got worse. Sure the graphics are nicer these days, but the features removed from the games (classic teams etc) gets worse every year and the games seem more broken (glitches) than ever before.

[@flpndrox]

Glad I haven't made a purchase since buying the NHL'14 disk. The writing was on the wall even then.

[@timhaskett1733]

I think 24 had some good improvements over 23

[@RedhawksReport]

If you thought GM connected was gonna be in NHL 25, that's on you. at the launch of NHL 24, the lead dev himself said GM connected is a "multi-year project". This means several years of development. So expecting GM connected after one year when he said multi-year, that's you setting an expectation that is not going to be filled. Other than that I agree with you.

[@samuelsoto5855]

It would be nice for another video game company or a new video game company to make nhl games, nba games, and nfl games.

[@russ99a]

The only way NHL recovers is if they give it to a new studio and it’s rebuild using a new engine, the current one just tacks on gimmicky features and the core is permanently broken.

[@siegessaule]

Once HUT became popular every other game mode went on the backburner. Having the NHL license exclusively means they never need to innovate. Decontenting NHL15 was the first sign that HUT was the priority now over local multiplayer or single player. It's sad but I don't think NHL games sell enough outside of Canada to get the same attention that the MLB, NBA, and NFL games get. They were a yearly staple for every boy growing up in Canada in the 2000s-2010s.

[@iamyou2303]

This years one I actually like cause it finally changed franchise mode which is my most used mode

[@quanchi371]

Usually games full of microtransactions and pay-for-power are FREE. It's crazy that EA gets away with $70 per year, when these games are essentially no different than any other free to play, live-service game.

[@barbellsjoysticks9802]

I stopped buying the games when the HUT thing got out of control. The micro transactions were insane. I’m also convinced NOBODY has worse luck than me with packs. I probably opened 150 dollars worth of packs over the years in various games in the series and my best pulls were an 87 overall Rick Nash and 87 overall Mikku Koivu.

[@alexlord4599]

I remember watching a youtuber starting a Be a Pro career in NHL 15, continuing his popular Be a Pro series that was a staple of his channel. After jumping in the first game and playing his first shift then going back to the bench, he slowly realizes that there is no more sim to the next shift option. First is in denial and then he trashes EA. ~This will be a quick series boys. The series ended there. That small missing feature was a brutal one since it made a major game mode unplayable. That was just the tip of the iceberg. NHL 15 was an insult to fans of the series.

[@HecticHockey]

That was 2BC, that videos hilarious.

[@p.g.944]

The new games aren't bad per say, we're just mad about paying 100+ $ a year to play what is basically an update, espacially with fanbases of games like fortnite who can just play the same game for years without putting in a single penny. At the end of the day, the games are still great and I'll still play them. We need to realize that the lack of added value is really the problem with yearly releases.

[@SKGuitarBeats]

Nhl 2012 was my fave with the legend cards and otp

[@shatterdeath2687]

Im still playin nhl 23. Before that i was on nhl 19 which was better than 23 untill my franchise mode kept making the game crash. Im glad i watched this video. I will not be wasting my money on nhl 25