Favorite hockey game features of all time

[CgyFlames]

The recent Press Row episode discussing the best baseball game features of all time got me thinking about what my own list would be for hockey. I narrowed it down to ten, and because I couldn’t seem to rank them, they are presented in order of appearance. Would love to hear others’ lists.

Ice Hockey: skinny / medium / fat lineup decisions

NHLPA 93: fighting / “make Gretzky’s head bleed”

NHL 94: the one-timer

NHL 2004: dynasty mode

ESPN NHL Hockey: ESPN presentation

ESPN NHL 2k5: extras (party mode, skills challenge, skybox)

NHL 07: skill stick

NHL 09: EASHL

NHL 11: CHL integration in Be a Pro / Be a GM

NHL 18: expansion


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[Slegr]

Great list, for me there are a few that immediately come to mind.

1. EASHL just absolutely a game changer and should be NHL's flagship mode, unfortunately they squandered their own momentum and the mode isn't as big as it should be, hasn't reached the heights we all thought it could upon its introduction.

2. GM Connected A mode in pretty much every series but NHL. Implemented horribly but a mode important enough for me and my friends that we'll unfortunately be buying other games until it comes back functional.

3. Mini Games/Party Mode I think that's what its called anyway, it was the mode where you and your friends could each pick a player and play games such as free for all, obstacle course, etc. It was a crazy amount of fun. If they reintroduced this with the rpg element of it being your EASHL player that you take online into these mini games and really flesh out the EASHL player stat tracking, friend leaderboards, club competition, etc it would be unreal. I mean imagine the competition in your club where just like the wwf games you would get a belt or a icon/badge for your player if you beat the defending club champion in said event, like a club belt/champion/badge for free for all, obstacle course, etc. The replay value my goodness.

4. Hot/Cold Streaks I think it was NHL 99 where the loading menu for franchise and the roster featured hot/cold players, I loved that.

5. 3 Stars I liked watching the 3 stars after the game, its simple but adds immersion.

[Cardot]

Just a few random things of the top of my head:

I think it was 2K5 that had historical teams where teams from appropriate eras played without helmets. I thought that was cool.

NHL '98 (or maybe it was '00) on the PC: You could customize the number of teams in the league, and by default, the game selected teams in the order that the teams joined the league.

I'll take some abuse for this.....but I loved the Zamboni mini game from 2K10.

[sheredia]

historical teams from 2k5 and the winter classic mode from nhl 13.....

[SeattleBattleCat]

In NHL 03 I think it was (plus a few before/after maybe), if a star player was injured a game prior, the start cut scene of the very next game would show the star player in a suit talking to his teammates during the pre-game while the commentator mentions that the team has to adjust without him. Just added a bit of extra feel to the game.

As mentioned previously by someone else I liked when the 3 stars of the game had its own animation.

Oh and until the real life all-star game took on its different format (thus EA canning the all-star game out of the series), I used to really like playing the all-star game throughout all the years past. Always felt special when you had 2-3 guys selected from your own team in there having a go.

[BleacherCreature]

Can’t remember the year but one of the NHL’s had line chemistry. If your lines had a good mix of snipers, playmakers and grinders your chemistry bar would turn green. And I think the more a line played together the more chemistry they’d eventually have.


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[voodoo_magic]

NHL 93 or 94 during the intermission had out of town scores and showed highlight goals from other games.

You always felt like the league was alive since other games were playing at the same time.

[shpankey]

crowd meter

Oh how I miss this one tiny little addition and constantly my friend and I trying to have more epic games to break the records.