NHL Series from EA is a Model for Post-Release Support

[Headstyle77]

Let's not be such fanboys...

They are doing OK at best...They need to do a better job for Multiplayer/OTP. Finding a game is horrible, picking your position is horrible. Playing with glitchers is horrible. Taking an F for stats because your goalie is helpin the other team boost is completely unacceptable. Yeah, they've made improvements, but it's not like it's without many VERY BAD flaws. You people need to stop stroking their ego, say thank you, and ask for more. Next year, they should focus exclusively on Online. The ability for quitters, glitchers, goalie boosters needs to stop, or at least ban them from OTP if they are doing it. The game has MAJOR flaws...they only way to truly enjoy it, is to ensure you play with guys who stand for the same things I just pointed out, on both sides of the puck too. A cheating club/player completely ruins the aspect of ranked games. Attributes are pointless, as it seems somebody always figures out a way to 'Juice' their Online Attributes, making them nearly invincible to stop, no matter how good/skilled you are. Fix your game EA.

[aBiNeR1]

Quote: Originally Posted by Headstyle77

Let's not be such fanboys... They are doing OK at best...They need to do a better job for Multiplayer/OTP. Finding a game is horrible, picking your position is horrible. Playing with glitchers is horrible. Taking an F for stats because your goalie is helpin the other team boost is completely unacceptable. Yeah, they've made improvements, but it's not like it's without many VERY BAD flaws. You people need to stop stroking their ego, say thank you, and ask for more. Next year, they should focus exclusively on Online. The ability for quitters, glitchers, goalie boosters needs to stop, or at least ban them from OTP if they are doing it. The game has MAJOR flaws...they only way to truly enjoy it, is to ensure you play with guys who stand for the same things I just pointed out, on both sides of the puck too. A cheating club/player completely ruins the aspect of ranked games. Attributes are pointless, as it seems somebody always figures out a way to 'Juice' their Online Attributes, making them nearly invincible to stop, no matter how good/skilled you are. Fix your game EA.

...which was precisely the reason why I asked the OP if NHL is supposed to be a model for post-release support in sports gaming or the industry as a whole. I'm very curious to know which.

[khaldrogo76]

@ headstyle...agree! the wrist shot glitch is ruining Community and Club play; I saw the same shot work for 8 goals in one period the other night, c'mon!!!!!!!

[Str80uttaChicag0]

Quote: Originally Posted by LuGer33

Great read, and very true.

@ Luger Uhm you work for ea... of course you would agree with the above

[Araxen]

NHL 10 is the best sports game on the market by far and I remember the days when the NHL series was horrible for those few years. I'm very glad the series has turned it around. I can't wait for NHL 11!

[dickey1331]

I agree I played the earlier NHLs and thought they werent very good but now this game really is one of the top sports games out there. I have really enjoyed NHL 10 and is a good improvment from NHL 09.

[aBiNeR1]

Great article but unfortunately, post-release support of games throughout the industry has been going on since 2002 or earlier. There's nothing new here and some may say, it's about time EA finally got on the ball.

Regarding tuner sets, that only affects hard-coded sliders and the intensity of the internal numbers. It does not address outright breaks in code (which fill all EA Sports titles annually). Only patches will fix that and while EA delivered 2 in NHL 09, NHL 10 only saw one shortly after the release (to address bugs that were caught late in the testing cycle).

So while 2 patches are definitely better than none, I do not believe, "outstanding post-release support " is an apporpriate choice of words by the writer of this article.