![]() As you earn points, you’ll unlock new rewards that you can use across your entire HUT experience. The more creative your goal-scoring methods, the more points you earn. Players can hop into this HUT mode quickly and complete challenges centered around offensive creativity. HUT Rush is a new mode introduced in NHL 21 that is like Threes but with more razzle-dazzle. It’s a small step in the right direction, but it’s not enough, so here’s to hoping it’s better in NHL 22. Carrlyn Bathe will chime in from time to time, although she’s only a guest and not very often. Ray and James appear to have more lines, as you’d expect, but they now have female representation in the commentary. This year, the presentation obviously gained some new looks with the Be a Pro overhaul, but it continues to move forward with commentary. EA Vancouver turned a corner when NBC was sent packing and Ray Ferraro took over with James Cybulski. Rounding out the Be a Pro experience are the additions to its presentation. There’s little attention paid to players who want to embrace the more subtle aspects of hockey. NHL 21 is assuming everyone wants to be a superstar and bases challenges and feedback on that theory. ![]() More depth to the feedback is still needed, and it needs to consider the player type and position. On top of this, I’m still being asked to do things that a coach would never ask of a player, like perform a specific deke. It’s silly for a coach to put a natural center on the wing and then expect them to win faceoffs. I’m not sure why my teammates wanted a stay-at-home defenseman to score three points instead of maybe blocking shots or throwing a big hit. In those ways, EA Vancouver has the start of something cool on their hands, but it’s a bit one dimensional right now. It feels great to promise a goal and deliver, or even to play it safe and secure the win. Success will improve your reputation, but failure will see it take a knock. That’s where this all got a bit gimmicky for me.īefore and during games, players will be challenged by their coach and teammates to complete tasks and can choose to play it safe or promise them big results, like a goal. That’s fine in theory, but I’m unsure of why my pro owning a scooter – or sports car, or whatever – has an impact on attributes. Players can also earn Specialty and Trait Points to customize their pro, and earn cash to buy cosmetics, like a scooter. Every conversation can impact your reputation and increasing it in one of the categories can lead to opportunities you may not have otherwise been offered, like teammates passing the puck more because you went bowling. Throughout a career you’ll frequently meet with teammates, coaches, the GM, media, and your agent as you build relationships and develop a reputation with the fans (your brand), management, and your teammates. Cinematics show your agent doing an interview on your behalf, talking about your potential and the upcoming draft. Right off the bat, Be a Pro now has a bit of a narrative to it. That experience was lacking in many ways, so I was excited to dive into Be a Pro in NHL 21 and see how things changed. In NHL 20, I played to my sixth or seventh season over hundreds of hours. While new modes and features are always fun, gameplay updates are the core of a good NHL game. On the gameplay side, NHL 21 came with new dekes, both functional and fancy, and improved AI for defense, offence, and goalies. Franchise Mode was given a tweak to the trade deadline experience, and World of Chel got ranked seasons for players to dig into. The big sells this year in terms of modes were the introduction of HUT Rush, and a revamped Be a Pro. Like most years, EA Vancouver focused on a few specific modes and mechanics for NHL 21. EA Vancouver might be focusing on the flashy side of things lately, but they still pay attention to the ways of old. ![]() For someone who will turn 40 before the end of the next season, it’s a balance between a love for the gameplay – which is better in NHL 21 than ever before – and a hatred for gimmicks aimed at a younger audience. Your mouthguard doesn’t go in your mouth to protect your teeth, it’s a chew toy. You don’t play NHL anymore, you play Chel. The same is true with the NHL franchise of video game hockey. But, if we’ve learned anything from recent Stanley Cup champions, it’s that there’s a place for old-school hockey and a veteran presence. Sturdy veterans are bought out of contracts and replaced by kids on entry-level deals who can do things with the puck that will blow your mind. At 30 years old, GMs are wondering how much a player has left before their big decline. Today’s NHL is all about speed, skill, and youth.
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