Huge wishlist for NHL 08 (NG)

[Adema1983]

Game Modes

PlayOffs Mode
This classic mode needs to return, allowing users to just start right away at the playoffs and select the teams they see fit for the brackets. Complete with all usual game options and what not. User must be allowed to control all 16 teams.

Season Mode
Again, another mode that needs to return. Many players prefer this mode to the Dynasty as they don't want to deal with year to year stuff, and just like to play along with the real NHL season. The user must be able to control all 30 NHL teams if he or she wants to. There needs to be an option to turn trades off as well. This way users can keep the rosters NHL accurate while not having to restart their season whenever transactions happen in real life.

Dynasty Mode
It needs to be much deeper. There has to be an option to turn off computer trading, and there has to be an option to control between 1-30 teams. Stats menus need to load quicker and not take as long, more so when looking through player stats. We also need to option to play this mode longer, for more years than is set in NHL 07.

NHL All-Star Weekend
Just take a look at what NBA Live does. They have the All-Star weekend as its own option mode, and it's also placed into the season/dynasty modes. NHL's should include the NHL Rookie Game, the NHL Skills Competition, and the NHL All-Star Classic. It's not needed as badly as the other modes above, but is something people would like to see in there eventually. Sooner rather than later.

Elite Leagues
It would be nice to see them return, and even with another league added in on top of the ones we had before. Maybe add a Russian or Czech league on top of the previous ones.

Create A Player
Needs to be as deep and customizable as EA's Fight Night series. NHL 07's is very barebones.

Player Editor
Needs to be much deeper, more so when editing goalie looks. Since you already have art assets to all the NHL goalies pads, why not include them all as options when creating or editing goalies? This way if goalies are created or traded, we can pick pads that fit in with their new teams and have many options. The pads are already their, so this shouldn't take much extra work.

Historic Teams
Name says it all. The 2K series has had this for a long time, and it's about time EA got on board. Hopefully allow all players to be fully edited with the face creator, name database, and equipment editor.

Historic Arenas
This is the obvious next step to classic teams. Having old classic arenas like Maple Leaf Gardens, the Montreal Forum, and Boston Garden only makes sense. Complete with their classic banner layouts and goal horns.

Historic and Retro Jerseys
The 2K series again has most of the jerseys worn by the NHL franchises since they began play. This means all the alt's, and old jerseys. These should be FREE, and included on the game disc, not some kind of **** microtransaction. EA is usually upstaged by 2K here, so it's time to start building a huge database of these old uniforms in the next-gen game. Year to year keep adding more, never take any away between years.

Practise Mode
If you look back to NHL 99 on the PlayStation, the game had a practise mode in the teams own empty arena, complete with hearing the bare quiet sound of the empty rink except the players on the ice, and the generator. Just let players select the amount of players per side between 0-5 on each, then let them go nuts. If a player wants to just pick a forward and shoot on an AI goalie, he should be able to. This is the BEST way for new users to come to grips with the great new control scheme. It gives them the freedom to go anywhere and do anything, at their will. Could be the best mode addtition for new players. The shootouts only let us practise offense, and even that was limiting, thus not givng us the best chance to learn the new controls.

Create a Team
Basically what we had last gen, but it needs to be beefed up tremendously. Have different jersey templates, then allow the user to change the colours of each temp. Just pasting an odd looking logo on a current teams design and colours is pretty lame (like NHL 05). We should be able to pick from sock designs (and change the colours of each stripe), glove colours, pants, helmets, etc. This feature, if needed be could be left until NHL 09.

Retired Player List
In the roster move area, there needs to be a list (just like the free agents list) where the user can place players who retire in real life. This list needs to be invisible to the CPU, so that players from it are not signed in season and dynasty modes by the trade/gm AI. This way if a player un-retires the user can remove him from the list back into normal rosters, yet keep these guys in a special spot so they are not signed by the AI.

Superstar Mode
Pretty much like what you saw in Madden 07. Where you create a player, get drafted, and play out your entire career as yourself only. Get a penalty, well, sit in the box for 2 minutes. You can incorporate the NHL Skill drills to simulate the training combine and whatnot for your pre draft rating.


Gameplay

Defensive Controls
Basically they need to be upgraded to the degree that the offensive controls were in 07. They need to be deep and give the user full control on the defensive side of the puck. Everything from shot blocking, hooks, pins, holds, pokes, dives, hitting, etc. Defense needs to be as fun and deep as offense.

Goaltending AI
The goalies were the best part of 07, but at times also the worst. The amount of dribblers that go in, and the amount of glitch AI goals need to be cut back. The goalie also needs to be more aware of where he is in the net. I take it collision detection needs to be addressed so we don't see the goalie backing through the net anymore. On top of AI fixes, have seperate sliders for each teams goaltending skill, so the user can up or down each teams as he sees fit. The slider now only allows one team to get a goalie advantage and that sucks and makes things uneven. Have goalie sliders in the options menu for gameplay so we can tweak them and make them worse or better to our playstyles. Then I take it just add more variety and new goalie animations. Great job on the goalies in NHL 07 btw.

I seem to have quite a few five hole goals, not sure about others. This might be something to look into on top of the other goalie issues. I'm also getting far too many goals where the defensemen are shooting in it their own nets off the goalie or straight in, or where the goalie just kicks it in his own net. These need to be toned way down. If I see one more goal in 07 where the puck gets caught up in the goalie and just flubs into the net, I'll freak out. Goal variety could still use some work as well.

Player AI
I'd like to see the computer play a better game of hockey. More simulation style. Cycling the puck, killing penalties properly, blocking shots, having a better sense of where they are and where the opposition is, and have a better sense of shot selection. Other users have good ideas for this so look into there posts as well. Just improvments all around for the player AI. Please don't go to extremes where they hit too much like NHL 05, or never hit like NHL 06. A middle ground is needed, 07 was much better in that regard, imo. Then of course more animations for the players, but really the animation needs to be much smoother and link together in a more smooth and realistic fashion. Less offsides and less pucks hitting the posts would be another benefitial addition.

I'd like to see players set up for infront of the net much better. They need to be trying to screen the goalie, and I really haven't seen much in the way of deflections. On point shots, players infront should be trying to tip the shot, block out a defender, or screen the goalie. More mucking is needed along the boards. Players getting pinned in the corners, working the puck with their feet, cycling the puck looking for a player to peel out into the slot for an offensive chance.

When taking control of players and even during gameplay they need to stop jolting out of position. This had led to far too many goals against me. They just seem to go mental and warp out of their proper spot leading to a plenty. Also, the comback AI. It always seems that goals come far too easily for the CPU in the last minute of play or the very first minute of a game. Comeback AI is the worst thing I've ever seen in sports videogames, or videogames in general.

Blueline Play & The Powerplay
It may be because the animation is lacking and the game is so jerky, but the play along the bluelines needs to be better. You should be able to have far more control on the line, be in keeping the puck in, or working the blueline on the powerplay. It's not too easy to set up properly in this game since there are times I get caught in animations and the player takes the puck offside. The computer needs to set up the powerplay much better overall. More passing d to d, point shots with screens, cycling, etc. When playing on the powerplay, it seems that my cpu controlled defensemen are always way out of position. If the puck is coming around the boards, they should be around to keep it in, or pinch to keep the play alive. They're always way out at the red line while the puck is still in the damn zone just ringing around the boards at average speed. This is very frustrating. They CPU guys on your team seem way out of place at times.

Goalie Injuries
These don't have to be viscious injuries, but stuff like the flu, pulled groins, twisted knees, high ankle sprains, broken fingers, etc, should be in. Thus giving reason to have a 3 or 4 goalies within your organization. I've never had a goalie go down in NHL 07. This feature needs it's own slider, so players can turn it off if they chose of lower the amount of tenders getting injured.


Technical Improvements

60 Frames Per Second, Locked
Nothing hurts a sports game more than a crappy framerate. 2K nailed this in NHL 2K7. A butter smooth, 60 Frames per second. This would help the game so damn much, it's almost crazy to think about. Animation would become much smoother, and the game would look and control much, much better. This is a must have. A must have.

Smaller shoulders
I take it the shoulders on the players in 07 were so big to allow the free flow jersey system to work properly and not clip into the player models. Finding a way to make the player porportions more accurate would be great.

Player Faces
We just need more players to have accurate faces, and quite a few to have their cybers fixed up as a few looked really scary in 07. Hopefully player hair can look a little more realistic and full in NHL 08 as well.

Smoother Skating
Again, I have to mention the 2K series, but the smoothness of their skating engine for 2K7 really shined and 08 needs to be smoother in the way players skate and move around, as well as the way moves and animations are linked together. Hopefully when hitting the vision control (aka skate backwards button), the transition is smoother and player can move all all angles instead of moving around so choppy like 07. While in vision control, it seems like players are moving at top speed, and this just adds to the choppy feeling of it, a soft press of the analog stick while in this mode should allow for slower backpeddling and holding of the blue line. More accurate as well so players aren't jumping around in transition to and from this control option.

Fighting
I don't think I've gotten into a single fight in this game yet, and I've played the hell out of it with fight bar maxed out. I don't want tons of fights, just for the slider bar to work better and have more variety in it's results for fighting or no fighting.

Larger Roster size
What it says. Maybe expand the minor leagues, hell if it's ever possible get the AHL rights and have the logos and names for each NHL teams minor league squad. Someday having a playable minors would be great too, like MVP Baseball.

Chemistry
Allow us to turn this option off for the edit lines feature. I can't stand it when I try to make my lines like the real NHL and yet have the game tell me their chemistry stinks. More player types would be great to have on top of this.


Presentation

Broadcast Camera
Like others have said the broadcast cam needs be an actual broadcast cam, that's fixed at the centre ice spot, and pans to each end, not one that acts like a side camera. All camera angles in NHL 08 must have a zoom function slider. We need to be able to zoom in more, because the side views are always too far back. A tilt slider would be great as well. NHL Championship 2000 had this, why is this always left out? If the camera angles stink, it doesn't matter how good the game is.

Pre Game
It would be nice to see a more TV style approach to this, and have a longer intro to each game. Show the teams that have custom entrances do their thing, and introduce and show each goaltender before the game with his season stats. Have a small clip of the national anthem play as well like NHL 98. Allowing users to take custom MP3's from their 360 HDD's and select them for certain team intros would be a very great addition as well.

When a team calls a timeout, there should be a cutscene at the benches showing how they're resting and preparing a play or getting yelled at by the coach. When I call timeout in 07, it does nothing visually on the screen, just goes to the next faceoff.

Highlights from other games
What it sounds like, seeing highlights from other games during intermissions. The highlight packs for your game, period after period in NHL 07 are amazing.

Goal Horns and Celebration
The goal horns need to be a little longer and more accurate sounding. Some are pretty off in NHL 07. It would be very cool to see teams special addition to goal celebrations like the Blues' dong countdown of the amount of scored goals with the crowd, etc.

Crowd intensity
They need to be louder and way more into the game. More so, they need to pick up energy levels to crazy heights for elimiation games, important regular season games, rivalry games, and playoff games. The farther into the season and playoffs you go, the louder and more frantic they get. They also need to jump up and react to goals scored during the game better.

One on One in menu
Much like Fifa Soccer 07's menu system, pressing start will bring up the menu options, but before it have a frozen pond or cyber future rink with the coverboy against a random star goalie. This way the player can just practise shooting on the goalie during the menus and load times. Very cool and fun feature in NBA Live and Fifa. Hell the feature was better than the actual game in NBA Live 06. I actually think the darker rink pictured in the menu on 07 would be a good choice for the rink. Darker, with neon blue lighting, and shiny ice. Similar to Live 06's virtual court.

ESPN Intergration
You guys have the rights, might as well use it atleast a little bit.

Player Pictures
It would be a nice thing to have all players in the game have proper bio pictures. These could be made downloadable as new guys are added to the rosters, and if some guys need one after the game ships.

Cup Celebration/Series Win
Having longer and more worthwhile celebrations for winning the Cup and a playoff series should be there. That's why people play the game, to win the Cup, so having a lenthy celebration with handshakes, etc, would be great. NHL 2004 if I recall had the best one done yet. Banner raisings for the next season in dynasty mode like 05 too.

That's all for this year, I'm tired, this took too long. lol. Hope to see NHL 08 a much improved product, as NHL 07 was a great base for the Next Gen. Good luck guys (if you even read this).

[BrodeurFan]

Nice wishlist, well nhl07 is a totally new game, as a new game it has serious issues, it's like a beta version of nhl08, I'm looking forward specially to the NHL-All Star weekend and the "superstar mode", I enjoyed it in madden nfl 07 and it should be awesome to be able to do the same in nhl08, celebrations and animations are big part of winning a stanley cup or start a new season, those should be re-added. I don't ask much more than that, it's true that 2k series have a cooler "create a team" option, but 2k sports are pointing to fun, and not realism, like EA does, realism means to take a real team and drive it to win the stanley cup with salary caps and all those features they added, customization is nice, but not essential in EA, nice wishlist m8.

[Joel]

I approve of this post, and hopefully most (if not all) of these features will make it into 08. Great post, Adema.

[Adema1983]

One thing that worries me for NHL 08 is the introduction of the stupid new skin tight jerseys. If EA's team puts those into 08, will that mean the end of retro jerseys? Or will they shoehorn the old designs into the ugly new dimensions? I doubt they'll build 2 jersey models for the game? Since the ones from 07 need work, will they actually take time to tweak them for 08 when the NHL will use a totally different style?

Personally, I hope they just stick with the old style and say stfu to what the NHL will be using next year. Oh well.

[15kennyschamp15]

I agree with this guy totally, he just listed pretty much what everyone wants.

[Chris342]

Love this list, EA should take note of this one.

[Noiles]

I agree 100% with every thing you have said... probably the best list I've read yet.

[epik]

I dunno guys, I gotta be the party pooper here.. I agree with about 25% of your post...

Although from what you've listed I do want, you cannot create the perfect game. Going towards the 2k series is probably the worst way to go, although it sounds promising to include features that the 2k series has. But the point of the separated game companies is to create a very unique style to distinguish who made what aside from the name's being on the box and it being a completely different game.

It has been a marketing scheme since the beginning for slow development by adding only a fraction of what us fans ask. Let alone their own idea's they they've kept secret to release on a yearly basis. From what I've heard.

I won't pin point exactly what I disliked but here's some of it.. nothing against you btw, I just hope you don't mind my 2 cents..

ok first off,

Goal Variation. Huge yes, I agree... but there is absolutely no way that all the goals are the same unless someone does the triple deke 20 times in a row, or the money goal off the blue line.. in regards to that, and I'm being technical now.. the puck does seem to go in every single part of the net. For that, they have done a good job, yes the physics needs to be tweaked, because apparently Sundin can shoot a 200mph wrist shot up the crossbar.
Goalie Position.. HELL YES, fix this. But again, what else can you really do, unless they don't want us to score at all, there is always a way to create a sure scoring opportunity in the offensive zone, and people tend to stick with it. ( Except me lol ). Also with the collision detection, take out the whole player diving for his life after goalie collision, instead how about dodging like everyone else in real life does lol. Maybe the occasional player scoring himself into the net.

The powerplay, blue line, camera angle.. all needs to be fixed.. including the whole skating thing. Why if I tap up on the stick does my player go FULL SPEED, there should be at least some acceleration. That's why we have the defenseman blueline problem, because we can't seem to ease up on the stick to slow down the player.. it's actually ridiculous.

Secondly, Practice mode.. now wouldn't this make sense? .. Well atleast a 1on1 loading screen. This is what puzzled me when I heard about the release months ago. How can you have totally refined controls but now have somewhere to practice as soon as you start the game... Instead you load 20 times and play one shootout... and each time you want to go through it again, there are video's and such. Implement the loading screen game play, that's what 3 cores are meant for.


Lastly, 60 Frames. Enough said. Tone down the graphics a bit and grab those extra frames. But don't make it too ugly, I love how it looks ;)

Other then that, I find that the extra's put in your post are things EA really does not have time for, or doesn't really want to have to deal with.. I mean the extra modes and stuff..

My 2 cents :D

[Sakic_Canucks]

the only thing i really disagree with is the superstar mode idea.

i really liked this mode in 06 madden, but in 07 where you can only control your player, i find that un-fun.

if they make a superstar mode, then it has to be where you play the game, and your aware that the player is on the ice, but you dont have to control only him, kinda like madden 06 for xbox.

the rest i agree with you, especially with the practise mode and loading screen.

good job!

[royalshockey12]

I think they need to put college hockey, ahl, echl, all the leagues. better sticks for 08, cause you had to add stuff onto your game but some people might not have online.