[DanHibiki]

I need to rant.

NHL 12 is probably the least improvement from a previous NHL title base on the next-gen series (07 and up).

07 was a big leap in controls and graphics but the game was terrible. 08 was a HUGE improvement and blew us all away and every year after that we saw steady improvements. Some minor, but necessary.

At first NHL 12 seemed pretty good. But it turns out it was just a matter of time before all the things I hated sinked in.

1) the hipcheck was overpowered. They tried patching it but it still sucks. It may not be OP but the checking animations on it r crap now.

2) the hitting physics engine is worse than last year. Anyone notice the most common way of getting hit is when the guy looks like his legs get taken out from under him despite getting hit high and from the front? It makes no sense.

3) Glitches. Damn, at first I thought gone were the days where the AI d-men get undressed so damn easily but nope, those pros have found other ways to walk around with super ease.

And ofcourse dem glitch goals.

4)Unrealistic puck-control and figure skating. You can go full speed chasing a puck in the corner, grab the puck and do an immediate 360 and go the other way without loss of speed. Like come on. It's frustrating going in for a 50/50 chase for a puck along the boards only to have him get that tiny step ahead, touch the puck, and have his player's body invert to the opposite side and skate away with it.

And figure skating with the puck. Twist and turning all over the place, holding down B and spinning in circles with the puck glued to you. EA claimed to have fixed such things in the past. To them it was just something minor that can be fixed with some simple tweaks when in reality it requires a full out overhaul of the engine.

I enjoyed every year's improvement off the last except this year's. I feel like they've reached the pinnacle of what their engine offers and need to do some big remodeling. Of course I know this won't happen which saddens me.


I'll still be playing the game but with frustration.


My only hope is that 2k is working on something big to get back into the NHL gaming market.