NHL 21 Wishlist: Features We Want to See in the New EA Hockey Game
The NHL 21 game will give Electronic Arts yet another opportunity to improve upon what works, remove what isn’t, and maybe give some new updates to enamor gamers. The NHL 20 title picked up an 85 overall score on Metacritic for Xbox (4.4 User Score) and a lower 77 overall score for the PS4 version (3.8 User Score).
It added new features in HUT such as Squad Battles and Rivals, as well as new commentators, celebrations, and more. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to appease the community so it’s back to the drawing board. With that, we present our NHL 21 wishlist of some features that could help the next edition of the game.
NHL 21 Wishlist: Major requests
Roster Import/Sharing – Yet another feature that gamers have continually requested, yet it hasn’t found its way into an NHL video game in recent years. With this, gamers could create and upload their own special rosters. Everyone would be able to download and import alternate rosters that others have dedicated the time to make.
For a perfect example of how well this concept can be incorporated, EA simply needs to look to the MLB The Show Franchise where amazing rosters are shared all season long. Make it happen EA!
Upgraded Be a Pro mode – It’s been a request by many gamers in the community for years now and is something that needs to happen. To make it much better, EA would need to add new aspects. These might include interacting with the coach or crowd, post-game interviews, sponsorships, and endorsements. Give the simulation a more realistic feel as it would in the real world so gamers are immersed in being a professional hockey player.
Three more big features we’d love to see
Winter Classic – The Winter Classic has become a big tradition for each and every NHL season. There’s no reason it shouldn’t be included in NHL 21. This may take a bit of work, as typically, the Winter Classics take place in major venues such as baseball stadiums. So if the licensing rights aren’t in place, it could mean creating some fictional generic outdoor venues. Even so, it’s something plenty of fans want to see in the new game.
All-Star Weekend/Skills Contests – Much like the Winter Classic, the NHL All-Star Weekend and Skills Contests have become a tradition and must-have for hockey fans. These could be available as a standalone mode, but also incorporated in Be a Pro and Franchise modes. In addition to the All-Star Game tournament, it would include Save Streak, Accuracy Shooting, Shooting Stars, Hardest Shot, and Fastest Skater events.
Custom Goalie masks – Goalie masks in the NHL have become a special type of artwork and they should be part of the EA game. To do this, EA could introduce a Goalie Mask Editor where gamers could create their own custom designs. These could be available through a community download area and usable in various modes. Why not give a little more personality to the overall look of the goaltenders?
Of course the above are really just five things that EA could add to the game. However, we think most of these would make a lot of the gaming community much happier. Some of these are aspects that could really take the game to a new, enjoyable level, and get the community to love the NHL 21 game, giving it the sort of glowing reviews EA wants.
Also, see our five picks for NHL 21 cover athlete for the 2020 game.
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