NHL 13: Wishlist for Next Year's Edition
As much as I enjoy NHL 13 one of things I'd like to see improved in NHL 14 is the NHL Entry Draft in GM Connected. In NHL 13 players don't actually have control of the selections.
Instead there is a pre-draft ranking system.
It is similar to the fantasy sports option for owners who won't be present for their leagues' drafts. It is serviceable for this the inaugural year for GM Connected but, next year, this should be enhanced with more functionality for virtual general managers.
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Here are a few other tweaks and additions that would help to continue the series' ascension.
Slightly Better Physics/Collision Detection
We're still relatively early in the age of real-time physics in sports video games, so it is understandable that some of the animations aren't perfect. Realistically, we may not see perfection on this front for a few years, but gradual improvement should be a reasonable goal and standard.
In NHL 13 there are collisions where the reaction of a player doesn't match the impact. It isn't so drastic where it leaves you feeling empty but it is noticeable.
Tweaking the physics engine should help to sharpen that, though it may not be something most fans mention once it is improved.
More Legends
I love sports nostalgia even more than I love sports video games. Blending the two has been gold for sports gaming franchises like NBA 2K, Madden and, to some extent, EA Sports's NHL series.
The series added legends in NHL 13, but of course there is always room for more.
I wrote an article about legends that would be welcomed editions in NHL 14, and the comments prove there is a huge group of untapped greats the series could add.
Cam Neely and Brett Hull are just two that come to mind instantly.
Game Face For Created Players
EA Sports goes to great lengths to accurately render the faces of the player's in the game. It would be nice to see a little detail being offered to the create-a-player option.
EA has become famous for revolutionizing the CAP concept with Game Face. It is the PC and Mac-based app that allows you to upload a photo and have a player created based on the photo likeness.
It is basically a scaled back version of the modeling system game developers use, and it can render awesome results. It's not for everyone, but a lot of gamers have loads of fun with the feature—myself included.
What Do You Think?
Everyone has different preferences. While you may agree with some of the things mentioned in this article, you may have some suggestions of your own. What would you like to see in NHL 14?
Feel free to leave it in the comments.
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